Takao Osawa also shows up with a funny character.All About Lily Chou-Chou may only be the best film to some, but it is one of those movies that sticks with nearly every other viewer for a good amount of time. Shugo Oshinari, Aoi Yu, and Ayumi Ito stand out the most. The rest of the supporting cast is also good. The cyber texting element that Iwai employs consistently throughout the picture is also a creative element worthy of note.Hayato Ichihara's character is a bit bland, but he works well with what he has. For the most part, the camerawork is great. The first hour and the last 30 minutes are the better parts, while the middle tends to drag.With that said, Shunji Iwai's directing makes this worth watching. The story can be tough to get into and the run time is just under 2 and a half hours. It shows how music can be a place for people to seek sanctuary from their everyday lives. It is a bleak, bloody, and melodramatic comment on totalitarian regimes.Shunji Iwai's All About Lily Chou-Chou is one of those films that stands out on its own.The story is quite unique and so is the writing, but this film is not for everybody. Not for the faint-hearted, this action thriller follows a group of high-school boys who are taken onto a remote island and forced to fight each other to the death. In a society where one’s character is inextricably linked to one’s job, this is an existential film at its heart. This film follows the lives of a middle-class Tokyo family after the main breadwinner, father Ryūhei Sasaki, loses his job and conceals his unemployment from his family.
The film follows his triumph and tribulations working in a taboo industry in Japan. If you’re after something on the lighter end of the spectrum, this feel-good romance about a young American woman who learns to cook ramen in Tokyo might be just what you need.Īfter failing to fulfill his goals as a concert cellist, Daigo Kobayashi returns to his hometown and starts working as a nōkanshi – a traditional Japanese ritual mortician. Set in the dystopian futuristic world of Neo Tokyo, this ground-breaking anime feature tells the story of two teenagers, Shōtarō Kaneda and Tetsuo Shima, who challenge the military-industrial complex that controls their lives.
If there is one film on your list that is a must-see, this is it. It tells the story of Chihiro, a young girl who finds herself immersed in the magical world of Kami, the spirits of traditional Japanese folklore.īeset with accolades including the Oscar for Best Animated Feature at the 75th Academy Awards and the Golden Bear at the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival, it was also the highest-grossing film in Japanese history until 2019. Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi), 2001Ī discussion about Japanese films is incomplete without acknowledging Spirited Away. Take a look for yourself and see this masterpiece of Japanese filmmaking. But this unassuming story of an aging couple who return to Tokyo to visit their adult children was originally considered ‘too Japanese’ to interest foreign movie-goers. Today, Tokyo Story is often included on ‘best film’ lists all over the world.
When Aiichiro Fukuhara is sent to collect the money owed, his unusual proposition would end up changing both of their lives. This animated romantic fantasy details the story about high-schoolers Taki Tachibana and Mitsuha Miyamizu who, without explanation, start to erratically swap their bodies.Ĭritics and the public alike loved its animation, music, and emotional punch.īased on a book by a famed Japanese novelist and screenwriter Yoshinaga Fujita, this is about listless student Fumiya Takemura whose gambling debts come home to roost. Sit back, relax and take a look at this list of 25 Japanese movies that will show you everything you need to know for your forthcoming trip to Japan. So you’re planning on visiting Japan and you need a crash course on Japanese culture? Films are a great way to learn about a different country’s customs and history, from the very ancient to today’s pop culture.