"100 Meters" Collaboration with top track and field athletes

The animated film " 100 Meters " is based on the manga by Uoto , who is also known for " Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi: Chikyu no Undo ni Tsuite), " which was adapted into a TV anime. Collaboration visuals have been released with top track and field athletes such as Abdul Hakim Sani Brown and Haruka Kitaguchi. Character designer and animation director Keisuke Kojima has created new visuals of Sani Brown, Kitaguchi, as well as Yoshihide Kiryu and Nozomi Tanaka, depicting their serious expressions and dynamic performance moments.

Sani Brown and other athletes will compete in the Tokyo 2025 IAAF World Championships in Athletics, which will be held over nine days starting on September 13th. Each athlete spoke about the appeal of the film and their enthusiasm for the competition. Sani Brown, who will be competing in the men's 100 meters alongside Togashi and Komiya from " 100 Meters ", commented on the film, "It was quite realistic about life, including athletics. The 100 meters is a dog-eat-dog race, and you never know what's going to happen. It's a race with your life on the line. The film reminded me of the joy of athletics, and my original desire to run the fastest." Kiryu, who will also be competing in the men's 100 meters, spoke of the inspiration he received from the film and his enthusiasm for the competition, saying, "The film made me want to push my limits too. I want to continue to challenge myself. I want to excite the audience with my own style of running. I'm going to have a blast on the world stage and run my best race of the year."

Tanaka, who will compete in the women's 1500m and 5000m, said, "This will be my fourth time at the World Championships. I've experienced many things: fun, pain, emptiness, sadness, anger, acceptance, and more. Even now, a variety of emotions are swirling around me, but I would like to encounter and face the emotions that I can only experience now at the upcoming World Championships." Regarding the film, she said, "Although the events are different, there are many parts that overlap with the feelings I have at every moment of running, and it gave me courage. I think that anyone who has seriously faced something, not just in the field of track and field, will definitely come across scenes that they can understand."

Javelin thrower Kitaguchi became the first Japanese woman to win a gold medal in a track and field event at the Paris Olympics, and is aiming to become the first Japanese woman to win back-to-back gold medals at the Tokyo 2025 IAAF World Athletics Championships. She said, "The film condenses the emotions that athletes feel in that moment, and each of their stories. Although it's a different event, it gave me the opportunity to remember where my roots lie. I would like to make a throw that makes people hold their breath."

It was also announced that colored paper style cards featuring original illustrations by Uoto will be distributed as a gift to attendees of " 100 Meters " from September 19th. The first wave of cards will feature Togashi and Komiya, distributed from September 19th to 25th, and the second wave of cards will feature Zaitsu and Kaido, distributed from September 26th to October 2nd. Both cards will feature Uoto Toyo's signature and comment.

"100 Meters" is Uoto's debut serialized work, serialized on Kodansha's web manga app Magazine Pocket (Magapoke) from 2018 to 2019. It depicts the madness and passion of those in the world of track and field who are captivated by the brilliance of the 100m (meter) race, a moment that lasts less than 10 seconds. Togashi, a naturally fast runner who has made friends and found a place to belong, meets Komiya, a transfer student who simply runs desperately to forget his harsh reality. Gradually, the two develop a relationship that could be described as both rivals and best friends through the 100-meter dash. A few years later, Komiya, now one of the top runners, appears before Togashi, who has made a name for himself as a genius runner but is terrified of the need to keep winning...

The anime will be directed by Kenji Iwaizawa, who was nominated for an Annie Award for his work on "Music," and produced by Rock 'n' Roll Mountain, the studio behind "Music." It will be released on September 19th, and in North America in October.