100 Meters, directed by Kenji Iwaisawa, is an animated film about growth, self-discovery, and friendship. The story follows Togashi, a naturally gifted student who always wins and breaks his own records in the 100-meter dash race. Because of his natural speed, he feels as though he’s plateaued, having no real rival. That’s when he meets Komiya, a transfer student who runs poorly, but runs to escape his reality and his depression. Togashi begins to train Komiya, who unlocks his own potential, and along the way, he also reignites his own passion. Komiya unexpectedly moves away, but the pair meet once more on the racetrack years down the line—as rivals. With minimal dialogue and a blend of 2D character scenes with hyperrealistic 3D backgrounds that add depth, this movie features an intriguing plot and a pleasing visual cinematic experience.
Ahead of the film’s U.S. premiere on October 10, Asia Blooming connected with Director Iwaisawa to discuss the making of 100 Meters. “Because it wasn’t a huge team, I was able to directly communicate with everyone. I think I was able to convey my visions and ideas quite well,” he began. “Since it was my first time overseeing a team, I also don’t know if our process or approach was any different than the standard.” Giving some examples, the director mentioned working on the musical scoring with Hiroaki Tsutsumi. “I relied really heavily on Mr. Tsutumi for the soundtrack,” he shared. “I asked him for main titles and a main theme, and then we were able to frequently collaborate and arrange the music together to perfectly match the visuals.” Director Iwaisawa also revealed that this film was quite the international project. “We recorded on different cities and countries such as New York and Budapest. I think that element added a lot of depth for the film and the music itself as well.”
Rather than relying on dialogue, the story unfolds through visual storytelling. “I really focused on the visual expression of each scene and character, because I really think that it transcends words. I tried to use more visuals, colors, and movements to express things, especially because this was originally a manga project. I really thought hard to choose the methods in the animation that would fit the manga to make it alluring to audiences.”
The film follows two young characters as they grow into their own people, and to Director Iwaisawa, this was one of the key points of the film. “100 METERS was a pretty big project for me, and just completing its creation actually also felt like I literally went through the goal or finish line, just like Togashi and Komiya,” he said. “I do hope this movie carries through the importance of working hard towards something.” Targeting younger audiences also seeking to find themselves and their path, Director Iwaisawa shared his hopes: “After watching 100 Meters, it is my hope that people will put in more energy towards your daily lives.”
