Japanese Films
by triggergirl | created - 13 Jan 2012 | updated - 11 Mar 2019 | PublicAll Japanese films I've watched so far (it's still updating!! ^^). Some of them I had to watch for a Seminar, and I'm glad I did!
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1. Taboo (1999)
Unrated | 100 min | Drama, History, Thriller
The new member of a samurai militia unit causes disruption as several of his colleagues fall in love with him, threatening to disturb the rigid code of their squad.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Ryûhei Matsuda, Shinji Takeda, Tadanobu Asano
Votes: 8,056 | Gross: $0.05M
2. Death Note (2006)
Not Rated | 126 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
A battle between the world's two greatest minds begins when Light Yagami finds the Death Note, a notebook with the power to kill, and decides to rid the world of criminals.
Director: Shûsuke Kaneko | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Asaka Seto, Yû Kashii
Votes: 31,803
3. Death Note: The Last Name (2006)
Not Rated | 141 min | Adventure, Crime, Drama
Picking up where the first one leaves off, Light joins the task force searching for Kira in an effort to avert suspicion from himself---and get rid of L.
Director: Shûsuke Kaneko | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Erika Toda, Nana Katase
Votes: 17,588
4. Death Note: L Change the World (2008)
Not Rated | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A spin-out sequel to the popular Japanese thriller. This time it focuses on the character "L."
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Sota Aoyama, Shunji Fujimura, Tatsuya Fujiwara
Votes: 8,774
5. Departures (2008)
PG-13 | 130 min | Drama
Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo learns that his orchestra is disbanding. He moves back to his hometown with his wife, where he answers an ad for what Daigo thinks is a travel agency but is, in actuality, a mortuary.
Director: Yôjirô Takita | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Votes: 54,848 | Gross: $1.50M
6. Norwegian Wood (2010)
Not Rated | 133 min | Drama, Romance
Toru recalls his life in the 1960s, when his friend Kizuki killed himself and he grew close to Naoko, Kizuki's girlfriend, and another woman, the outgoing, lively Midori.
Director: Anh Hung Tran | Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Rinko Kikuchi, Kiko Mizuhara, Kengo Kôra
Votes: 12,431 | Gross: $0.01M
7. Battle Royale (2000)
Not Rated | 114 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill one another under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Tarô Yamamoto, Chiaki Kuriyama
Votes: 193,913
8. Densen uta (2007)
128 min | Horror, Mystery
A thriller centered on an urban legend about a song that fatally affects its listeners.
Director: Masato Harada | Stars: Ryûhei Matsuda, Yûko Ôshima, Sayaka Akimoto, Haruna Kojima
Votes: 345
9. When They Cry (2008)
105 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
Early summer, Keiichi had just moved to a remote mountain village. As he becomes close friends with a group of girls, he was enjoying his life in the village. However when he starts to ... See full summary »
Director: Ataru Oikawa | Stars: Gôki Maeda, Airi Matsuyama, Rin Asuka, Aika
Votes: 428
10. Moon Child (2003)
120 min | Action, Drama, Sci-Fi
The story of love and friendship on the harsh streets of 2014 Mallepa, a small corner in Asia.
Director: Takahisa Zeze | Stars: Hyde, Gackt, Leehom Wang, Tarô Yamamoto
Votes: 2,101
11. Ringu (1998)
Not Rated | 96 min | Horror, Mystery
A reporter and her ex-husband investigate a cursed video tape that is rumored to kill the viewer seven days after watching it.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Nanako Matsushima, Miki Nakatani, Yûko Takeuchi, Hitomi Satô
Votes: 77,179
12. Blue Spring (2001)
83 min | Drama
A group of a run-down Tokyo high school students face the struggles of growing up, growing apart from their friends and worrying about their future, while living in a highly violent environment.
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda | Stars: Ryûhei Matsuda, Hirofumi Arai, Sôsuke Takaoka, Yûsuke Ohshiba
Votes: 4,349
13. Tokyo Story (1953)
Not Rated | 136 min | Drama
An old couple visit their children and grandchildren in the city, but receive little attention.
Director: Yasujirô Ozu | Stars: Chishû Ryû, Chieko Higashiyama, Sô Yamamura, Setsuko Hara
Votes: 68,190
14. Dark Water (2002)
PG-13 | 101 min | Drama, Horror, Mystery
A mother and her 6-year-old daughter move into a creepy apartment whose every surface is permeated by water.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Hitomi Kuroki, Rio Kanno, Mirei Oguchi, Asami Mizukawa
Votes: 34,824
15. The Last Promise (2010 TV Movie)
130 min | Drama
Saigo no Yakusoku (The Last Promise) is a suspense drama about five men working in or for a company that is hijacked by terrorists. Satoshi Ohno plays a janitor who cleans the offices ... See full summary »
Director: Yûichi Satô | Stars: Satoshi Ohno, Masaki Aiba, Shô Sakurai, Kazunari Ninomiya
Votes: 131
16. Tokyo Sonata (2008)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama
An ordinary Japanese family slowly disintegrates after its patriarch loses his job at a prominent company.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyôko Koizumi, Yû Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki
Votes: 11,654 | Gross: $0.28M
17. Boys Love (2006 Video)
90 min | Drama
Boys Love, the first film released in 2006, tells the story of Taishin Mamiya, a magazine editor who meets and interviews a young model, Noeru Kisaragi, and becomes attracted to him. Their ... See full summary »
Director: Kôtarô Terauchi | Stars: Yoshikazu Kotani, Takumi Saitô, Hiroya Matsumoto, Masashi Taniguchi
Votes: 586
18. Myu Will Give Daddy Her Legs (2008 TV Movie)
121 min | Drama
Yamaguchi, is a young man who learns he has a illness which affects the nervous system. He begins to lose the functioning of his limbs, but he is determined to fight the illness with the ... See full summary »
Director: Hiroshi Yoshino | Stars: Rina Hatakeyama, Yoshizumi Ishihara, Karina, Jun Matsumoto
Votes: 66
19. Ugetsu (1953)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito
Votes: 25,692 | Gross: $0.01M
20. Sky of Love (2007)
120 min | Drama, Romance
Mika is a fresh high school student who starts texting a mysterious boy. She is shocked when he reveals who he is - Hiro, a delinquent attending her school. What she doesn't know is that Hiro isn't as bad as he seems.
Director: Natsuki Imai | Stars: Yui Aragaki, Haruma Miura, Yûko Asano, Yôsuke Asari
Votes: 3,748
21. Battle Royale II (2003)
Not Rated | 155 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
Three years after the failure of the last BR program, a second act is forged and a class of students is sent to an island with one objective: kill international terrorist Shuya Nanahara.
Directors: Kenta Fukasaku, Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ai Maeda, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayana Sakai
Votes: 21,404
22. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 19,894
23. The Men Who Tread on the Tiger's Tail (1945)
Not Rated | 59 min | Adventure, Drama, Thriller
A Japanese general and his men disguise themselves as monks in order to pass an enemy border patrol.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Denjirô Ôkôchi, Susumu Fujita, Ken'ichi Enomoto, Masayuki Mori
Votes: 4,343
24. The Ballad of Narayama (1983)
Not Rated | 130 min | Drama
In a poor 19th century rural Japanese village, everyone who reaches the age of 70 has to climb a nearby mountain to die. An elderly woman is reaching close to her cut-off age during her last days with her family.
Director: Shôhei Imamura | Stars: Ken Ogata, Sumiko Sakamoto, Tonpei Hidari, Aki Takejô
Votes: 9,070
25. The Family Game (1983)
107 min | Comedy, Drama
Japanese parents hire a tutor for their foolish son and get a critic of their lifestyle.
Director: Yoshimitsu Morita | Stars: Yûsaku Matsuda, Jûzô Itami, Saori Yuki, Ichirôta Miyakawa
Votes: 1,107
26. Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983)
R | 123 min | Drama, War
During WWII, a British colonel tries to bridge the cultural divides between a British POW and the Japanese camp commander in order to avoid bloodshed.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: David Bowie, Tom Conti, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Takeshi Kitano
Votes: 19,934 | Gross: $2.31M
27. Ran (1985)
R | 160 min | Action, Drama, War
In Medieval Japan, an elderly warlord retires, handing over his empire to his three sons. However, he vastly underestimates how the new-found power will corrupt them and cause them to turn on each other...and him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû
Votes: 135,594 | Gross: $4.14M
28. Hachi-ko (1987)
107 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The true story about a dog's loyalty to its master, even after his death.
Director: Seijirô Kôyama | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Kaoru Yachigusa, Toshinori Omi, Toshirô Yanagiba
Votes: 5,810
29. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,058 | Gross: $1.96M
30. Onibaba (1964)
Not Rated | 103 min | Drama, Horror, Thriller
Two women kill samurai and sell their belongings for a living. While one of them is having an affair with their neighbor, the other woman meets a mysterious samurai wearing a bizarre mask.
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Nobuko Otowa, Jitsuko Yoshimura, Kei Satô, Jûkichi Uno
Votes: 21,707
31. Tampopo (1985)
Not Rated | 114 min | Comedy
A truck driver stops at a small family-run noodle shop and decides to help its fledgling business. The story is intertwined with various vignettes about the relationship of love and food.
Director: Jûzô Itami | Stars: Ken Watanabe, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Koji Yakusho
Votes: 22,424 | Gross: $0.22M
32. Fireworks (1997)
103 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
Nishi leaves the police in the face of harrowing personal and professional difficulties. Spiraling into depression, he makes questionable decisions.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kayoko Kishimoto, Ren Ôsugi, Susumu Terajima
Votes: 33,031 | Gross: $0.23M
33. Inshite miru: 7-kakan no desu gêmu (2010)
107 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Ten people who agree to take the same lucrative "job" find themselves locked in an underground complex and forced to play a murder game for seven days.
Director: Hideo Nakata | Stars: Kin'ya Kitaôji, Nagisa Katahira, Shinji Takeda, Masanori Ishii
Votes: 1,388
34. Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (2009)
130 min | Drama
Kaiji, a young gambler who is constantly in debt, enters a deadly gambling competition in order to wipe away his loans.
Director: Tôya Satô | Stars: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Kei Satô, Yuriko Yoshitaka
Votes: 2,040
35. Shield of Straw (2013)
117 min | Action, Crime, Drama
A team of cops must protect an accused killer with a billion-yen bounty on his head.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Takao Osawa, Nanako Matsushima, Gorô Kishitani, Masatô Ibu
Votes: 2,705
36. One Missed Call (2003)
R | 112 min | Horror, Mystery
People mysteriously start receiving voicemail messages from their future selves, foretelling their deaths.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kô Shibasaki, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Kazue Fukiishi, Anna Nagata
Votes: 19,246
37. One Missed Call 2 (2005)
R | 105 min | Horror, Mystery
A Japanese restaurant cook/owner dies after answering his daughter's cellphone. Other people are getting strange, same ringtone calls as well and dying painfully. It happened in Taiwan as well. Can the police stop it if it's a ghost?
Director: Renpei Tsukamoto | Stars: Rie Mimura, Hisashi Yoshizawa, Chisun, Asaka Seto
Votes: 3,610
38. One Missed Call 3: Final (2006)
Not Rated | 109 min | Horror, Mystery
The timid, young Asuka is bullied by her classmates. When they embark on a class field trip to Korea, Asuka plans revenge by sending them a cursed phone message they can either pass on or die.
Director: Manabu Asô | Stars: Maki Horikita, Meisa Kuroki, Jang Keun-suk, Erika Asakura
Votes: 2,209
39. Death by Hanging (1968)
Not Rated | 117 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A Korean man is sentenced to death by hanging, but he survives the execution. For the following two hours, his executioners try to work out how to handle the situation in this black farce.
Director: Nagisa Ôshima | Stars: Kei Satô, Do-yun Yu, Fumio Watanabe, Hôsei Komatsu
Votes: 3,316
40. From Me to You (2010)
128 min | Drama, Romance
A girl that resemble "Sadako" of the movie Ring is being feared by her classmates. She is avoided by everyone.While everyone is avoiding her, the popular boy Shota Kazehaya befriends her, and their love begins to grow.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Mikako Tabe, Haruma Miura, Misako Renbutsu, Haru Aoyama
Votes: 2,927
41. Attack on Titan Part 1 (2015)
Not Rated | 98 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
In a world where giant humanoid Titans prey on humans, Eren joins the scouting legion to get revenge on the monsters who killed everyone in his town.
Director: Shinji Higuchi | Stars: Haruma Miura, Kiko Mizuhara, Kanata Hongô, Satomi Ishihara
Votes: 15,452 | Gross: $0.45M
42. Bleach (2018)
TV-14 | 108 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A Japanese teenager with the ability to see ghosts gains a soul reaper's powers and begins his duties as a substitute soul reaper.
Director: Shinsuke Sato | Stars: Sôta Fukushi, Hana Sugisaki, Ryô Yoshizawa, Erina Mano
Votes: 12,826
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