Uoto and Kenji Iwaisawa Collaborate on Hyakuemu Film Adaptation
Manga artist Uoto, known for "Chi: On the Movements of the Earth," and director Kenji Iwaisawa, acclaimed for "On-Gaku," have teamed up for a theatrical adaptation of Uoto's debut manga "Hyakuemu" (also known as "100 Meters"). The film, released in September 2025 to coincide with the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, follows the stories of 100-meter sprinters, exploring their obsessive dedication to a sport where years of preparation can be undone in fractions of a second. Iwaisawa, who had been a fan of Uoto's work before being approached by producer Yusuke Terada in July 2021, adapted the five-volume manga into a 100-minute film. The production was notable for its unconventional approach: Iwaisawa turned his personal company Rock'n Roll Mountain into a full animation studio after failing to find a traditional pipeline that fit his methods. The film blends rotoscoping, 3D models, and freehand animation, and features a celebrated 3-minute 40-second uninterrupted tracking shot of pre-race preparations that took a year to animate. Character designer Keisuke Kojima played a central role in the production.