Best Japanese movies
by Yogesh-Odyssey-Opera | created - 29 Nov 2012 | updated - 10 Aug 2014 | PublicThis list consists of some world class portrays of artists' which really changed the stream of the world cinema...
Listing the best Japanese movies..
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1. All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001)
Unrated | 146 min | Crime, Drama, Music
The problematic lives of teenager students for whom the singer Lily Chou-Chou's dreamy music is the only way to escape an alienating, violent and insensitive society.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Hayato Ichihara, Shûgo Oshinari, Ayumi Ito, Takao Osawa
Votes: 11,126 | Gross: $0.02M
2. Survive Style 5+ (2004)
120 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Horror
Five bizarre stories with no apparent connection to one and other eventually become intertwined, resulting in surreal circumstances.
Director: Gen Sekiguchi | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Reika Hashimoto, Kyôko Koizumi, Hiroshi Abe
Votes: 10,141
3. The Twilight Samurai (2002)
129 min | Drama, Romance
As the feudal Japan era draws to a close, a widower samurai experiences difficulty balancing clan loyalties, 2 young daughters, an aged mother, and the sudden reappearance of his childhood sweetheart.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada, Rie Miyazawa, Nenji Kobayashi, Ren Ôsugi
Votes: 25,454
4. Confessions (2010)
Not Rated | 106 min | Drama, Thriller
A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Takako Matsu, Yoshino Kimura, Masaki Okada, Yukito Nishii
Votes: 42,019
5. After the Rain (1999)
91 min | Drama
During a downpour, a generous ronin and his supporting wife are stranded at a country inn. The ronin comes to the attention of a lord who wants to hire him as an instructor for his men, who treat the ronin with disrespect.
Director: Takashi Koizumi | Stars: Akira Terao, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Shirô Mifune, Fumi Dan
Votes: 4,454
6. Kyatapirâ (2010)
Not Rated | 85 min | Drama, History, War
The story of a village woman given the grueling task of looking after (and fulfilling the sexual needs of) her quadruple amputee husband, a Japanese soldier in the Second Sino-Japanese War who has been decreed a "War God" by the Emperor.
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu | Stars: Shinobu Terajima, Shima Ônishi, Ken Yoshizawa, Keigo Kasuya
Votes: 1,190 | Gross: $0.00M
7. 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: 54,930 | Gross: $1.50M
8. Heavenly Forest (2006)
116 min | Drama, Romance
A photographer named Makoto travels to New York during Christmas to look for his best friend, Shizuru. The two first met when Makoto attended his university entrance ceremony. Due to his ... See full summary »
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Munetaka Aoki, Saori Ban
Votes: 3,601
9. Cyborg She (2008)
115 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
A lonely university student develops a romance with a beautiful interesting woman, who turns out to be a cyborg from the future.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Keisuke Koide, Risa Ai, Nya Daigo
Votes: 4,250
10. Ima, ai ni yukimasu (2004)
119 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A young woman returns from the dead to her guilt-ridden husband and son, but she cannot remember them.
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Shidô Nakamura, Akashi Takei, Karen Miyama
Votes: 5,017
11. Nobody Knows (2004)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama
In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Yûya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura, Momoko Shimizu
Votes: 31,340 | Gross: $0.68M
12. Spirited Away (2001)
PG | 125 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
During her family's move to the suburbs, a sullen 10-year-old girl wanders into a world ruled by gods, witches and spirits, and where humans are changed into beasts.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Daveigh Chase, Suzanne Pleshette, Miyu Irino, Rumi Hiiragi
Votes: 847,920 | Gross: $10.06M
13. Grave of the Fireflies (1988)
Not Rated | 89 min | Animation, Drama, War
A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.
Director: Isao Takahata | Stars: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Akemi Yamaguchi, Yoshiko Shinohara
Votes: 309,846
14. Kiraware Matsuko no isshô (2006)
130 min | Comedy, Drama, Musical
When Matsuko dies of murder, her nephew Sho gets to progressively unveil many details of her mysterious past, discovering she wasn't only a forgotten outcast but led a very interesting yet bizarre life.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Miki Nakatani, Eita Nagayama, Yûsuke Iseya, Mikako Ichikawa
Votes: 8,728
15. I Just Didn't Do It (2006)
143 min | Drama
A young man is falsely accused of molesting a high-school girl on a train. He is arrested and charged, and goes through endless court sessions, all the while insisting that he is innocent.
Director: Masayuki Suô | Stars: Ryô Kase, Asaka Seto, Kôji Yamamoto, Masako Motai
Votes: 1,907
16. 13 Assassins (2010)
R | 141 min | Action, Adventure, Drama
A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yûsuke Iseya, Ikki Sawamura
Votes: 68,552 | Gross: $0.80M
17. Ichi the Killer (2001)
R | 129 min | Action, Crime, Drama
As sadomasochistic yakuza enforcer Kakihara searches for his missing boss he comes across Ichi, a repressed and psychotic killer who may be able to inflict levels of pain that Kakihara has only dreamed of achieving.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Nao Ômori, Shin'ya Tsukamoto, Paulyn Sun
Votes: 59,995 | Gross: $0.02M
18. Blood and Bones (2004)
140 min | Drama
In 1923, the Korean teenager Kim Shun-Pei moves from Cheju Island, in South Korea, to Osaka, in Japan. Along the years, he becomes a cruel, greedy and violent man and builds a factory of ... See full summary »
Director: Yôichi Sai | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Hirofumi Arai, Tomoko Tabata, Joe Odagiri
Votes: 2,132
19. Postcard (2010)
114 min | Drama, Romance, War
Toward the end of World War II, middle-aged soldier Keita is entrusted with a postcard from a comrade who is sure he will die in battle. After the war ends, Keita visits his comrade's wife ... See full summary »
Director: Kaneto Shindô | Stars: Etsushi Toyokawa, Shinobu Ôtake, Naomasa Musaka, Akira Emoto
Votes: 266
20. Begging for Love (1998)
135 min | Drama
A woman with an abusive childhood travels back to taiwan from japan with her daughter in order to find her father's missing ashes, confronting her past along the way, discovering many secrets that were hidden from her throughout her life.
Director: Hideyuki Hirayama | Stars: Mieko Harada, Maho Nonami, Fumiyo Kohinata, Mami Kumagai
Votes: 157
21. Hura gâru (2006)
108 min | Comedy, Drama
Young women in a small Japanese town look to revive their home's declining fortunes by building a Hawaiian village tourist attraction.
Director: Sang-il Lee | Stars: Yasuko Matsuyuki, Etsushi Toyokawa, Yû Aoi, Shizuyo Yamasaki
Votes: 2,269
22. Out (2002)
119 min | Comedy, Thriller
Four down on their luck housewives murder their husbands and find whacky ways to hide the bodies!
Director: Hideyuki Hirayama | Stars: Mieko Harada, Mitsuko Baishô, Shigeru Muroi, Naomi Nishida
Votes: 103
23. Go (2001)
122 min | Drama, Romance
Sugihara, born in Japan but with North Korean parents, falls in love with a Japanese girl after changing from a North Korean school to a Japanese school. His boxer dad teaches him boxing - skills used a lot.
Director: Isao Yukisada | Stars: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Kô Shibasaki, Tarô Yamamoto, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 3,008
24. Hanging Garden (2005)
114 min | Drama
A family struggling to live together even with the outrageous behaviors from each family members.
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda | Stars: Kyôko Koizumi, Anne Suzuki, Itsuji Itao, Masahiro Hirota
Votes: 945
25. Gozu (2003)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
A yakuza enforcer is ordered to secretly drive his beloved colleague to be assassinated. But when the colleague unceremoniously disappears en route, the trip that follows is a twisted, surreal and horrifying experience.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Yûta Sone, Kimika Yoshino, Shohei Hino, Keiko Tomita
Votes: 12,720 | Gross: $0.05M
26. 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: 11,768 | Gross: $0.28M
27. Love Exposure (2008)
Unrated | 237 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A bizarre love triangle forms between a young Catholic upskirt photographer, a misandric girl and a manipulative cultist.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Andô, Yutaka Shimizu
Votes: 15,872
28. Howl's Moving Castle (2004)
PG | 119 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
When an unconfident young woman is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking castle.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Takuya Kimura, Tatsuya Gashûin, Akihiro Miwa
Votes: 448,241 | Gross: $4.71M
29. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)
PG-13 | 92 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Directors: Shôgo Furuya, Satoshi Kon | Stars: Tôru Emori, Yoshiaki Umegaki, Aya Okamoto, Shôzô Îzuka
Votes: 46,683 | Gross: $0.13M
30. Kamikaze Girls (2004)
102 min | Comedy
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Kyôko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Sadao Abe
Votes: 8,082
31. Paprika (2006)
R | 90 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patients' dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist, Paprika, can stop it.
Director: Satoshi Kon | Stars: Megumi Hayashibara, Tôru Emori, Katsunosuke Hori, Tôru Furuya
Votes: 96,652 | Gross: $0.88M
32. The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi (2003)
R | 116 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
The blind masseur/swordsman comes to a town in control of warring gangs, and while bunking with a farming family, he meets two women with their own agenda.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Tadanobu Asano, Yui Natsukawa, Michiyo Yasuda
Votes: 51,503 | Gross: $0.85M
33. Eureka (2000)
217 min | Drama
The traumatized survivors of a murderous bus hijacking come together and take a road trip to attempt to overcome their damaged selves. Meanwhile a serial killer is on the loose.
Director: Shinji Aoyama | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Masaru Miyazaki, Yôichirô Saitô
Votes: 4,336 | Gross: $0.05M
34. Sword of the Stranger (2007)
Not Rated | 103 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
A swordsman from a strange land is caught in a struggle between morality, righteousness, and devotion as he reluctantly agrees to take a raggedy boy and his dog to a remote, Buddhist temple.
Director: Masahiro Andô | Stars: Tomoya Nagase, Yuri Chinen, Kôichi Yamadera, Akio Ôtsuka
Votes: 18,265
35. 5 Centimeters per Second (2007)
TV-PG | 63 min | Animation, Drama, Family
Told in three interconnected segments, Takaki tells the story of his life as cruel winters, cold technology, and finally, adult obligations and responsibility converge to test the delicate petals of love.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Kenji Mizuhashi, Yoshimi Kondou, Satomi Hanamura, Ayaka Onoue
Votes: 63,664
36. The Taste of Tea (2004)
143 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A spell of time of a rural family's slightly surreal life.
Director: Katsuhito Ishii | Stars: Maya Banno, Takahiro Satô, Tadanobu Asano, Satomi Tezuka
Votes: 7,183
37. Mind Game (I) (2004)
Not Rated | 103 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
After a deadly encounter with two yakuza, a loser with a crush on his childhood girlfriend goes to heaven and back, embarking on a psychedelic self-discovery experience with her and his friends.
Directors: Masaaki Yuasa, Kôji Morimoto | Stars: Kôji Imada, Sayaka Maeda, Takashi Fujii, Seiko Takuma
Votes: 10,690 | Gross: $0.04M
38. 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: 11,768 | Gross: $0.28M
39. Still Walking (2008)
Not Rated | 115 min | Drama
A family gathers together for a commemorative ritual whose nature only gradually becomes clear.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Hiroshi Abe, Yui Natsukawa, You, Kazuya Takahashi
Votes: 18,589 | Gross: $0.16M
40. Cold Fish (2010)
Not Rated | 146 min | Crime, Drama, Horror
The lives of a bored suburban couple are changed forever when a seemingly nice old man gives their daughter a job at his fish store, and soon his gruesome hobbies are brought to light.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa, Megumi Kagurazaka
Votes: 14,500
41. Avalon (2001)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
In a dystopian world, a woman spends her time playing an illegal and dangerous game, hoping to find meaning in her world.
Director: Mamoru Oshii | Stars: Malgorzata Foremniak, Wladyslaw Kowalski, Jerzy Gudejko, Dariusz Biskupski
Votes: 13,698
42. The Sea Is Watching (2002)
R | 119 min | Romance, Drama
O-Shin is a young brothel worker who, one night, helps a young samurai escape from his pursuers. Against the warnings of her fellow workers, particularly Kikuno and the brothel's owner, O-Shin falls in love with the samurai.
Director: Kei Kumai | Stars: Misa Shimizu, Nagiko Tôno, Masatoshi Nagase, Hidetaka Yoshioka
Votes: 1,605
43. Yomigaeri no chi (2009)
83 min | Drama
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda | Stars: Tatsuya Nakamura, Mayû Kusakari, Kiyohiko Shibukawa, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 154
44. Kagami no onna-tachi (2002)
129 min | Drama
Three women who share memories of the Hiroshima disaster try to uncover the hidden family ties that may or may not bind them together.
Director: Yoshishige Yoshida | Stars: Mariko Okada, Yoshiko Tanaka, Sae Isshiki, Hideo Murota
Votes: 249
45. The Hidden Blade (2004)
R | 132 min | Drama, History, Romance
A 19th Century samurai, held in low esteem due to an action by his late father, must resolve his history with a maid and with his close friend.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Masatoshi Nagase, Takako Matsu, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Yukiyoshi Ozawa
Votes: 7,191 | Gross: $0.04M
46. Starfish Hotel (2006)
98 min | Drama
This surreal Japanese thriller blurs the lines between reality and fantasy as a man searches for his missing wife while all the time he's infatuated with the latest novel by his favourite mystery writer.
Director: John Williams | Stars: Kôichi Satô, Tae Kimura, Kiki, Akira Emoto
Votes: 180
47. A Stranger of Mine (2005)
98 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Six months passed and Takeshi Miyata is still depressed after his girlfriend dumped him in a sudden way especially after he bought a big apartment for both of them but in one night after he just finished work his childhood friend.
Director: Kenji Uchida | Stars: Yasuhi Nakamura, Reika Kirishima, So Yamanaka, Yuka Itaya
Votes: 1,235
48. Afutâ sukûru (2008)
102 min | Comedy, Mystery
A middle school teacher, Jinno, is friends with a young couple that is about to have a baby. But on the eve of the birth, the father, Kimura, disappears. Then, a hired private detective appears and ask Jinno's help to find Kimura.
Director: Kenji Uchida | Stars: Yô Ôizumi, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Masato Sakai, Tomoko Tabata
Votes: 398
49. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
TV-PG | 98 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
A high-school girl named Makoto acquires the power to travel back in time, and decides to use it for her own personal benefits. Little does she know that she is affecting the lives of others just as much as she is her own.
Director: Mamoru Hosoda | Stars: Riisa Naka, Takuya Ishida, Mitsutaka Itakura, Ayami Kakiuchi
Votes: 70,800
50. Kamikaze Girls (2004)
102 min | Comedy
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Kyôko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Sadao Abe
Votes: 8,082
51. Niji no megami (2006)
118 min | Drama, Romance
Incompetent film set gopher Tomoya finds out that the girl he loved has died in a plane crash, after he e-mails a picture of a rainbow to her. While her family sets off to retrieve a body, he recalls the love affair they never really had.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno, Yû Aoi, Wakana Sakai
Votes: 1,494
52. Mahiru no hoshizora (2005)
92 min | Romance
Lian Song returns to her quiet life in Okinawa after finishing her work in Taiwan. Here, on Saturdays he goes to the laundry room, where he can see the woman he is secretly in love with. ... See full summary »
Director: Yosuke Nakagawa | Stars: Kyôka Suzuki, Leehom Wang, Yû Kashii, Reina
Votes: 113
53. Sayonara Midori-chan (2005)
98 min | Romance
Naive office girl Yuko supports her blithe big city lifestyle with a part-time job at a neighborhood cafe. Attracted to her manager there, the shallow but charming Yutaka, she willingly ... See full summary »
Director: Tomoyuki Furumaya | Stars: Mari Hoshino, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toshinobu Matsuo, Sayuri Oyamada
Votes: 56
54. Kondo wa aisaika (2009)
128 min | Drama
The heart wrenching love story between a married couple. The jobless husband cheats on his wife and has no love for her. The wife wants to go on a trip to get pregnant.
Director: Isao Yukisada | Stars: Hiroko Yakushimaru, Etsushi Toyokawa, Gaku Hamada, Haruka Igawa
Votes: 89
55. Tenshi no tamago (2006)
114 min | Drama
Natsuki is a school teacher who meets her ex-boy friend from high school. The man had wanted to become an illustrator and even passed the art school examination, but having lost the passion... See full summary »
Director: Shin Togashi | Stars: Hayato Ichihara, Manami Konishi, Erika Sawajiri, Tomokazu Miura
Votes: 174
56. Love on Sunday (2006)
89 min | Drama
On the last day before high school sophomore Akira moves to Tokyo to join another school, a bizarre love quadrangle develops between her old schoolmates Nao, Gaku, Tamaki and her, one which must be resolved in an archery duel.
Directors: Manabu Asô, Ryûichi Hiroki | Stars: Mark Chinnery, Yuria Haga, Takami Mizuhashi, Kazunori Sasaki
Votes: 155
57. Sweet Little Lies (2010)
117 min | Drama
Stuck in a stale marriage, a soft toy designer and an office worker explore the limits of mutual honesty.
Director: Hitoshi Yazaki | Stars: Miki Nakatani, Nao Ômori, Jûichi Kobayashi, Chizuru Ikewaki
Votes: 209
58. Sugar & Spice (2006)
125 min | Drama, Romance
After graduating from high school, Shiro is clueless how to proceed with his education. For the moment, he takes a small job at a local gas station, to much displease of his parents. His ... See full summary »
Director: Isamu Nakae | Stars: Yûya Yagira, Erika Sawajiri, Mari Natsuki, Yô Ôizumi
Votes: 321
59. Hana and Alice (2004)
135 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
When two best friends develop a crush on the same boy, they develop a plan to trick him into dating them.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Anne Suzuki, Yû Aoi, Tomohiro Kaku, Sei Hiraizumi
Votes: 4,902
60. Gomen (2002)
103 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Sexuality blooms early when an elementary school student boy falls in love with a junior high school girl in tandem with the onset of his puberty. It is barely younger man and older woman ... See full summary »
Director: Shin Togashi | Stars: Masahiro Hisano, Yukika Sakuratani, Shoichi Sato, Takuya Kurihara
Votes: 194
61. Tôkyô gomi onna (2000)
88 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Having a crush on someone, including a neighbour, may not be considered unusual, but there is a line that is crossed when the infatuation includes going through the loved one's trash. ... See full summary »
Director: Ryûichi Hiroki | Stars: Mami Nakamura, Kazuma Suzuki, Kô Shibasaki, Sayuri Oyamada
Votes: 380
62. Love Letter (1995)
PG | 117 min | Drama, Romance
When exchanging letters two women discover new things about a man they knew.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Miho Nakayama, Etsushi Toyokawa, Bunjaku Han, Katsuyuki Shinohara
Votes: 10,973
63. Kurai tokoro de machiawase (2006)
130 min | Drama, Romance, Thriller
A precarious loner sneaks into a blind woman's home and begins living there without her noticing. Meanwhile, the woman mourns her recently deceased father and struggles to remain connected to the world.
Director: Daisuke Tengan | Stars: Rena Tanaka, Chen Bo-lin, Haruka Igawa, Mao Miyaji
Votes: 349
64. Yokubô (2005)
133 min | Drama
A young man searching for physical comfort and dumb lust, and the world-weary woman drowning in a sea of men that works with him. This is a fantastic film from a remarkably skilled cast about "the beauty of sensualism".
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara | Stars: Yuka Itaya, Jun Murakami, Saki Takaoka, Gô Rijû
Votes: 85
65. Viyon no tsuma (2009)
114 min | Drama
This enticing period melodrama depicts a long-suffering woman's relationship with her brilliant but self-destructive writer husband in postwar Tokyo. Based on a semi-autobiographical 1947 ... See full summary »
Director: Kichitarô Negishi | Stars: Takako Matsu, Tadanobu Asano, Shigeru Muroi, Masatô Ibu
Votes: 427
66. Inochi (2002)
111 min | Drama
Yu Miri is a writer who's just become pregnant by her married lover. When she decides to keep the baby without his help, her ex-boyfriend Yutaka, decides to help raise him.
Director: Tetsuo Shinohara | Stars: Makiko Esumi, Etsushi Toyokawa, Toshio Kakei, Kumiko Asô
Votes: 89
67. Gururi no koto (2008)
TV-14 | 140 min | Drama
In 1993 Kanao and Shoko are a Tokyo couple awaiting the arrival of their first child. Although both have studied art, Kanao works as a shoe repairman, which doesn't stretch his rather ... See full summary »
Director: Ryosuke Hashiguchi | Stars: Lily Franky, Tae Kimura, Masaaki Akahori, Tamae Andô
Votes: 904
68. Villain (2010)
139 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A young woman's murder provokes reflection on the ugliness and villainy of modern society.
Director: Sang-il Lee | Stars: Eri Fukatsu, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Denden, Akira Emoto
Votes: 1,999
69. United Red Army (2007)
Not Rated | 190 min | Crime, Drama
The film outlines Japanese students movements in the 60s, then shows the formation of the Japanese United Red Army, a communist armed resistance group.
Director: Kôji Wakamatsu | Stars: Maki Sakai, Arata Iura, Akie Namiki, Gô Jibiki
Votes: 882 | Gross: $0.00M
70. One Million Yen Girl (2008)
121 min | Drama
A 21-year-old girl is released from prison, only to deal with the neighborhood gossip about her and family conflicts. She decides to save one million yen, move to where no one knows her and keep repeating the process.
Director: Yuki Tanada | Stars: Yû Aoi, Mirai Moriyama, Pierre Taki, Terunosuke Takezai
Votes: 1,693
71. Linda Linda Linda (2005)
TV-PG | 114 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A music group of girls need to learn to play a song before the school festival.
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita | Stars: Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yû Kashii, Shiori Sekine
Votes: 4,476
72. Kamikaze Girls (2004)
102 min | Comedy
Momoko, a strange and seemingly emotionless girl obsessed with 18th century France, befriends a Yanki biker and the two experience the ups and downs of their unusual lives in a rural Japanese town.
Director: Tetsuya Nakashima | Stars: Kyôko Fukada, Anna Tsuchiya, Hiroyuki Miyasako, Sadao Abe
Votes: 8,082
73. Izo (2004)
Not Rated | 128 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
An executed samurai takes an existential journey throughout time, space and eternity in search of bloody vengeance.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Kazuya Nakayama, Kaori Momoi, Ryûhei Matsuda, Ryôsuke Miki
Votes: 4,747
74. Yawarakai seikatsu (2005)
126 min | Drama
Yuko is 35 years old, single, out of work, and on medication from her psychiatrist to combat her manic depression. Living in Kamata Town, Yuko divides her time between a variety of men ... See full summary »
Director: Ryûichi Hiroki | Stars: Shinobu Terajima, Etsushi Toyokawa, Akira Emoto, Shunsuke Matsuoka
Votes: 364
75. Golden Slumber (2010)
139 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
Aoyagi meets an old friend and ends up framed for the murder of the prime minister.
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Nao Ômori, Teruyuki Kagawa, Masato Sakai
Votes: 1,374
76. Distance (2001)
Unrated | 132 min | Drama
Members of a cult, modeled on Aum Shinrikyo, sabotage a city's water supply, then commit mass suicide near the shores of a lake. Family members of those affected by it meet at the lake to observe the anniversary of their loved ones' deaths.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Arata Iura, Yûsuke Iseya, Susumu Terajima, Yui Natsukawa
Votes: 1,803
77. Pochi no kokuhaku (2006)
195 min | Crime, Drama
Takeda (Shun Sugata) is an honest police officer, father and husband, but after he's promoted to detective he quickly becomes embroiled in dirty back room dealings, blackmail, and ... See full summary »
Director: Gen Takahashi | Stars: Shun Sugata, Harumi Inoue, Takayoshi Arai, Honoka Asada
Votes: 157
78. The Secret World of Arrietty (2010)
G | 94 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
The Clock family are four-inch-tall people who live anonymously in another family's residence, borrowing simple items to make their home. Life changes for the Clocks when their teenage daughter Arrietty is discovered.
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi | Stars: Bridgit Mendler, Amy Poehler, Will Arnett, Mirai Shida
Votes: 104,157 | Gross: $19.20M
79. 9 Souls (2003)
120 min | Adventure, Comedy, Crime
Nine convicts escape from prison; most are convicted murderers. They commandeer a van from a strip club.
Director: Toshiaki Toyoda | Stars: Yoshio Harada, Ryûhei Matsuda, Michio Akiyama, Yû Fujiki
Votes: 1,910
80. Ganbatte ikimasshoi (1998)
120 min | Drama, Sport
Etsuko - a typical Japanese high school student, who's unlucky in love, an academic failure, and plain bored with life. That's until one day, the view of a boat gliding gracefully in the ... See full summary »
Director: Itsumichi Isomura | Stars: Rena Tanaka, Mami Shimizu, Wakana Chizaki, Kirina Mano
Votes: 288
81. The Family (1987)
PG | 127 min | Drama, Romance
With the background of the XX century Italian history, Carlo, a retired teacher, traces the vicissitudes of his family.
Director: Ettore Scola | Stars: Vittorio Gassman, Fanny Ardant, Stefania Sandrelli, Emanuele Lamaro
Votes: 2,481 | Gross: $0.35M
82. Lonely Heart (1981)
105 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
There is a shooting at a small bookstore in town. When the police arrive they find three victims two of whom have already died. One of the dead uttered something strange before dying. The ... See full summary »
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Yutaka Mizutani, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Rie Nakahara, Etsuko Ichihara
Votes: 79
83. Where Spring Comes Late (1970)
106 min | Drama
A poor family of miners from Kyushu uproot themselves and make the long journey to what they hope is a better life in Hokkaido. Their journey is beset with hardship and tragedy.
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Chieko Baishô, Hisashi Igawa, Chishû Ryû, Gin Maeda
Votes: 285
84. The Days of No Return (1978)
99 min | Drama
The story of a high school boy (Toshiyuki Nagashima) in Tokyo returning to his home town of Nagano upon the death of his father.
Director: Toshiya Fujita | Stars: Jun Etô, Toshiyuki Nagashima, Mayumi Asano, Kaori Takeda
Votes: 27
85. Tora-san's Rise and Fall (1975)
90 min | Comedy
Traveling through Hokkaido with a disgruntled salaryman seeking a lost love (Eiji Funakoshi), Tora-san runs into Lily, who has gotten divorced since they last saw each other in Tora-san's ... See full summary »
Director: Yôji Yamada | Stars: Kiyoshi Atsumi, Chieko Baishô, Masami Shimojô, Gin Maeda
Votes: 128
86. W no higeki (1984)
108 min | Drama
Young college student Shizuka is given the opportunity to act in a stage play with professionals. Shizuka is willing to go to great lengths to master this role of a lifetime, but as the ... See full synopsis »
Director: Shin'ichirô Sawai | Stars: Hiroko Yakushimaru, Yoshiko Mita, Masanori Sera, Seiji Endô
Votes: 292
87. The Gentle Twelve (1991)
116 min | Comedy
In a jury room, jurors deliberate on the guilt or innocence of a bar hostess accused of pushing her ex-husband into the path of an oncoming truck. Most of the jurors are nice folks ... See full summary »
Director: Shun Nakahara | Stars: Kazuyuki Aijima, Michiko Hayashi, Zen Kajihara, Yoshihiro Katô
Votes: 282
88. Tôkyô jôkû irasshaimase (1990)
109 min | Drama
A pampered young model is killed in a traffic accident. Given the chance to return to earth, she becomes involved with the advertising executive who is trying to cover up her death.
Director: Shinji Sômai | Stars: Kiichi Nakai, Riho Makise, Tsurube Shôfukutei, Takatoshi Takeda
Votes: 125
89. Mahiru no ankoku (1956)
122 min | Drama
When an elderly couple is murdered, the police pick up the most likely suspect, a young loner. The authorities force a confession out of the suspect, who then insists that he had a pair of accomplices.
Director: Tadashi Imai | Stars: Kôjirô Kusanagi, Sachiko Hidari, Taketoshi Naitô, Chôko Iida
Votes: 62
90. Yoru no kawa (1956)
104 min | Drama
An artistically and commercially successful kimono designer begins an affair with a married man. But when his wife dies, her reaction is not as expected.
Director: Kôzaburô Yoshimura | Stars: Ken Uehara, Fujiko Yamamoto, Keizô Kawasaki, Michiko Ai
Votes: 90
91. Disciples of Hippocrates (1980)
126 min | Comedy, Drama
A medical student wonders if he's really cut out to be a doctor.
Director: Kazuki Ômori | Stars: Masato Furuoya, Ran Itô, Masahiro Mitsuta, Tsutomu Kariba
Votes: 63
92. Nûdo no yoru (1993)
Not Rated | 110 min | Crime, Thriller
A private investigator takes on an odd job to retrieve a lost Rolex, only to find himself lured into a case filled with violence and sex by his mysterious employer.
Director: Takashi Ishii | Stars: Naoto Takenaka, Kimiko Yo, Jinpachi Nezu, Kippei Shîna
Votes: 357
93. Daimajin (1966)
Unrated | 84 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A giant stone statue comes to life to protect the residents of a small town against the depradations of an evil warlord.
Director: Kimiyoshi Yasuda | Stars: Miwa Takada, Yoshihiko Aoyama, Jun Fujimaki, Ryûtarô Gomi
Votes: 1,886
94. The Battle of Port Arthur (1980)
185 min | Drama, History, War
The lives and battles of soldiers leading up to the 1904 siege of Port Arthur during the Russo-Japanese War.
Director: Toshio Masuda | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Teruhiko Aoi, Toshirô Mifune, Hisaya Morishige
Votes: 336
95. Seven Samurai (1954)
Not Rated | 207 min | Action, Drama
Farmers from a village exploited by bandits hire a veteran samurai for protection, who gathers six other samurai to join him.
Director: Akira Kurosawa | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Tsushima, Yukiko Shimazaki
Votes: 366,442 | Gross: $0.27M
96. Umoregi (2005)
93 min | Drama
Machi, a young high school student from a small mountain town, is having fun with her friends inventing the outline of a fantasy tale. They all add an episode to this exquisite invention ... See full summary »
Director: Kôhei Oguri | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Mai Enoki, Tokie Hidari, Mitsuru Hirata
Votes: 380
97. After Life (1998)
Not Rated | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
After death, people have a week to choose only one memory to keep for eternity.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Arata Iura, Erika Oda, Susumu Terajima, Takashi Naitô
Votes: 13,726 | Gross: $0.80M
98. Tokiwa-so no seishun (1996)
110 min | Drama
A look at the youthful beginnings of manga giants Motoo Abiko, aka Fujiko Fujio, Fujio Akatsuka and Hiroo Terada, when they all lived in the same, dingy apartment building -- named Tokiwa-so -- in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district.
Director: Jun Ichikawa | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Sadao Abe, Satoko Abe, Arata Furuta
Votes: 128
99. Suzaki Paradise: Red Light District (1956)
81 min | Drama
A couple stand indecisively on a bridge in Asakusa. Tsutae and Yoshiji have lost confidence and passion for their future as they get on the bus for Tsukishima and get off at Suzaki. Across ... See full summary »
Director: Yûzô Kawashima | Stars: Michiyo Aratama, Yukiko Todoroki, Seizaburô Kawazu, Tatsuya Mihashi
Votes: 821
100. Kagero-za (1981)
Not Rated | 139 min | Fantasy, Romance, Thriller
A 1920s playwright meets a beautiful woman who may be the ghost of his patron's deceased wife.
Director: Seijun Suzuki | Stars: Yûsaku Matsuda, Michiyo Yasuda, Mariko Kaga, Katsuo Nakamura
Votes: 860
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