The range of manga authors needs to be studied. Slam Dunk‘s Takehiko Inoue also wrote Vagabond, and Tatsuki Fujimoto bounced between Chainsaw Man and heartbreaking one-shots like Look Back. Uoto is the latest mangaka to have their incredible range brought to life in anime form as their sports series, Hyakuemu, is being adapted into a new movie. Given Uoto’s previous work on Orb: On the Movements of the Earth, it’ll surely be a release to follow closely.
Uoto is the mind behind 2024’s most slept-on anime. In a year that swung big with Dandadan, Delicious in Dungeon, and Blue Box, Orb: On the Movements of the Earth snuck under the radar. The historical anime, set in 15th-century Poland, follows various characters as they discover the outlawed idea of heliocentrism — the concept that the Earth revolves around the sun — at a time when such an idea would have you tortured and burned alive as a heretic. The series is amazing, and you absolutely need to check it out. But Uoto’s next anime adaptation couldn’t be more different.
Hyakuemu Anime Movie Releases Its First Trailer
While you try to connect the dots between oppressive Catholicism in 15th-century Europe and teens competing in track and field in modern-day Japan, check out the new trailer for Hyakuemu, Uoto’s latest anime adaptation. The new movie was announced in May last year, with Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain studio animating the series under director Kenji Iwaisawa. Keisuke Kojima is in charge of character design, and Hiroaki Tsutsumi is providing the music for the film. The voice cast has also been revealed. Tori Matsuzaka (The Blood of Wolves) is voicing Togashi and Shota Sometani (Parasyte: Part 1) is voicing Komiya.
Despite being a relatively new studio, Rock ‘n’ Roll Mountain has thrown the kitchen sink at Hyakuemu, and the trailer looks stunning. The series blends hand-drawn animation with rotoscoping (the technique of tracing from still photography) to stunning effect. The first poster for the upcoming movie is equally as beautiful. The poster depicts the movie’s two main rivals, Togashi and Komiya in their athletics gear in a traditional rivalry pose. Check it out below…
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Hyakuemu Is an Intense Sports Anime
Hyakuemu couldn’t be further apart from Orb: On the Movements of the Earth in terms of genre and content. But Uoto has an incredible ability to turn even the simplest ideas into intense and profound stories. In Orb, he turned a scientific discovery into an existential exploration about the importance of truth, which feels especially relevant in today’s world. Hyakuemu (which translates to “100 meters”) takes one of the most straightforward sports in athletics and expands it into a story of a childhood friendship that turns into a bitter rivalry.
The official synopsis reads, “Togashi is born to run. As a kid, he is naturally gifted and wins every 100-meter race without effort. But in sixth grade, he meets Komiya, a transfer student who is full of determination but lacks technique. In teaching him, Togashi gives Komiya a new purpose: to win no matter what. Years pass by, Togashi and Komiya meet again as rivals on the track and reveal their true selves.”
Hyakuemu opens in Japanese theaters on September 19th.
H/T: Comic Natalie
The post The Creator of Fall 2024’s Anime Sleeper Hit Is Getting a Movie appeared first on ComicBook.com.
