Worthwhile Japanese productions
by ni-sp | created - 03 Jul 2021 | updated - 2 weeks ago | Publicwith enjoyed stories
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1. Memoirs of a Geisha (2005)
PG-13 | 145 min | Drama, Romance
The heartwarming tale of Nitta Sayuri, a young Japanese woman who transcended from her fishing-village roots and became one of Japan's most celebrated geisha.
Director: Rob Marshall | Stars: Ziyi Zhang, Ken Watanabe, Michelle Yeoh, Suzuka Ohgo
Votes: 160,849 | Gross: $57.49M
2. Kikujiro (1999)
PG-13 | 122 min | Drama, Comedy
A young, naive boy sets out alone on the road to find his wayward mother. Soon he finds an unlikely protector in a crotchety man and the two have a series of unexpected adventures along the way.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Yusuke Sekiguchi, Kayoko Kishimoto, The Great Gidayû
Votes: 22,177 | Gross: $0.20M
3. Sleepeeer Hit! (2016– )
54 min | Comedy, Drama
A woman who used to be a contender for the Olympic Judo Team had to give up on her dream due to an injury. She ends up working at manga magazine when the publishing industry is going through a turbulent time.
Stars: Haru Kuroki, Joe Odagiri, Kentarô Sakaguchi, Yoshiyoshi Arakawa
Votes: 511
4. 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: 13,762 | Gross: $0.80M
5. 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: 31,428 | Gross: $0.68M
6. Gokusen (2002–2008)
54 min | Comedy, Drama
Gokusen is the story of Kumiko Yamaguchi, aka. Yankumi, a fourth generation crime syndicate member. She's gone straight and wants to be a teacher though, but she's one you don't want to mess with.
Stars: Yukie Nakama, Katsuhisa Namase, Ken Utsui, Ken Kaneko
Votes: 1,757
7. Gokusen (2004– )
Animation, Comedy, Drama
The story follows Kumiko Yamaguchi, the granddaughter of a yakuza boss and teacher at an all-male private school.
Stars: Carrie Keranen, Jon Avner, Seizô Katô, Risa Hayamizu
Votes: 365
8. Gokusen: The Movie (2009)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
A young teacher is given the toughest classroom in the school. Based on the TV series.
Director: Tôya Satô | Stars: Yukie Nakama, Katsuhisa Namase, Aya Hirayama, Aki Hoshino
Votes: 634
9. Operation Proposal (2007)
Drama, Fantasy, Romance
This is a romantic comedy in which a young man who missed a chance to confess his love, is given a second chance and struggles to undo the past and win the heart of the woman on the day she is getting married to someone else.
Stars: Tomohisa Yamashita, Masami Nagasawa, Nana Eikura, Yûta Hiraoka
Votes: 1,818
10. Still the Water (2014)
Not Rated | 121 min | Drama, Romance
On a subtropical island, a teenage couple deal with the interwoven cycle of life, death and love.
Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Nijirô Murakami, Junko Abe, Miyuki Matsuda, Tetta Sugimoto
Votes: 3,071
11. Sweet Bean (2015)
Not Rated | 113 min | Drama
Burdened with a heavy and ever-increasing debt, a dorayaki baker hires a kind ageing woman, after tasting her delicious surprise. Little by little, she unravels her beautiful inner world. Could she be holding the secret to his success?
Director: Naomi Kawase | Stars: Kirin Kiki, Masatoshi Nagase, Kyara Uchida, Miki Mizuno
Votes: 12,732 | Gross: $0.12M
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: 850,059 | Gross: $10.06M
13. The Wind Rises (2013)
PG-13 | 126 min | Animation, Biography, Drama
Jiro Horikoshi studies assiduously to fulfill his aim of becoming an aeronautical engineer. As WWII begins, fighter aircraft designed by him end up getting used by the Japanese Empire against its foes.
Director: Hayao Miyazaki | Stars: Hideaki Anno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miori Takimoto, Masahiko Nishimura
Votes: 98,863 | Gross: $5.21M
14. Toto Nêchan (2016– )
15 min | Comedy, Drama
Right after the war, Tsuneko launches a lifestyle magazine created for the sake of females together with sisters Mariko and Yoshiko in a devastated Tokyo.
Stars: Mitsuki Takahata, Itsuki Sagara, Tae Kimura, Fumi Dan
Votes: 23
15. Your Name. (2016)
PG | 106 min | Animation, Drama, Fantasy
Two teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.
Director: Makoto Shinkai | Stars: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yûki
Votes: 320,713 | Gross: $5.02M
16. When Marnie Was There (2014)
PG | 103 min | Animation, Drama, Family
Anna, a shy 12-year-old girl, is sent to spend time with her aunt and uncle who live in the countryside, where she meets Marnie. The two become best friends. But Anna gradually discovers that Marnie is not quite who she appears to be.
Director: Hiromasa Yonebayashi | Stars: Sara Takatsuki, Kasumi Arimura, Nanako Matsushima, Susumu Terajima
Votes: 47,967 | Gross: $0.77M
17. Nobody's Boy: Remi (1977–1978)
24 min | Animation, Adventure, Drama
A compelling story in which orphaned Remi gets hired out to a traveling street entertainer Vitalis when her foster parents fall on hard times.
Stars: Kôichi Kitamura, Mami Koyama, Akira Murayama, Masako Sugaya
Votes: 1,202
18. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1980–1981)
24 min | Animation, Adventure, Family
This is an animated adaptation of the classic story of Nils Holgerson, a naughty boy who is transformed to a very little dwarf and goes through many adventures, flying with a band of wild geese.
Stars: Helga Anders, Irina Wanka, Eva Ingeborg Scholz, Bruno W. Pantel
Votes: 3,154
19. 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: 310,670
20. Shoplifters (2018)
R | 121 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders are united by loyalty, a penchant for petty theft and playful grifting. When the young son is arrested, secrets are exposed that upend their tenuous, below-the-radar existence.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Lily Franky, Sakura Andô, Kirin Kiki, Mayu Matsuoka
Votes: 86,494 | Gross: $3.31M
21. Weakest Beast (2018)
Drama, Romance
Akira is thirty-years-old and a good employee. People like her. She is pretty. Kosei is thirty-three-years old and also popular at work and personally. He is hard to get. The two meet at a bar and hit it off.
Stars: Yui Aragaki, Ryûhei Matsuda, Kei Tanaka, Haru Kuroki
Votes: 504
22. Kotaki Kyodai to Shikuhakku (2020)
Comedy, Drama
A slice of life comedy where Kanji Furutachi and Kenichi Takito play poor brothers Ichiro and Jiro respectively. Ichiro, the older one, is very serious while Jiro, the younger one, is ... See full summary »
Stars: Kankurô Kudô, Kyôko Yoshine, Yûko Nakamura, Kanji Furutachi
Votes: 40
23. We Married as a Job (2016– )
54 min | Comedy, Romance
Moriyama Mikuri had graduated from university and got no job offers. She became a temporary employee but was even laid off. Now, she works as a housekeeper for bachelor Tsuzaki Hiramasa by chance and he proposes a contract marriage to her.
Stars: Yui Aragaki, Gen Hoshino, Ryôhei Ohtani, Takashi Fujii
Votes: 2,353
24. We Married as a Job Special (2021 TV Movie)
122 min | Comedy, Romance
Mikuri learns that she is pregnant and Hiramasa decides to take paternity leave before an important project is finished. The couple experience unfamiliar situations involving childbirth and rearing.
Director: Fuminori Kaneko | Stars: Munetaka Aoki, Yui Aragaki, Nana Asakawa, Arata Furuta
Votes: 902
25. An Incurable Case of Love (2020– )
48 min | Comedy, Romance
Nanase Sakura met Doctor Kairi Tendo and fell in love with him. She then studied hard to became a nurse and finally meets Kairi Tendo again. But she realizes that he has a totally different personality than what she imagined.
Stars: Mone Kamishiraishi, Takeru Satoh, Katsuya Maiguma, Nana Katase
Votes: 1,597
26. The Flying Publicist (2013– )
54 min | Drama
Inaba Rika, whose childhood dream was to become a news reporter, is instead a director for an informative TV program. At one point, she was a reporter; however, her career was cut short ... See full summary »
Stars: Yui Aragaki, Gô Ayano, Kyôhei Shibata, Miki Mizuno
Votes: 230
27. GTO: Great Teacher Onizuka (1998)
60 min | Drama, Comedy, Action
Onizuka, a former delinquent finds himself in the role of a high school teacher, facing students who behave just as he used to. Using unusual methods, he manages to reach through to his students and help them with their problems.
Stars: Takashi Sorimachi, Nanako Matsushima, Yôsuke Kubozuka, Shun Oguri
Votes: 3,896
28. Cheap Love/II (1999– )
60 min | Drama, Romance
Cheap love is about Nanami, a teacher, and Junichi who is a scout for nightclubs. Nanami lives a boring life preparing to get married to a boring man. When she meets Junichi she sees a ... See full summary »
Stars: Takashi Sorimachi, Ikki Sawamura, Hisashi Igawa, Takashi Naitô
Votes: 30
29. I'm Your Destiny (2017)
54 min | Comedy, Romance
Makoto Masaki and Haruko Kogetsu are both single and they have passed each other since they were children, yet they are not aware of each other at all. One day, a man introduces himself as God who tells about their destined soul mate.
Stars: Kazuya Kamenashi, Fumino Kimura, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Nanao
Votes: 878
30. The Full Throttle Girl (2011– )
54 min | Comedy, Romance
Ayukawa Wakaba is full of ambition. She lands a job at an international law firm, but to her disappointment, the first prestigious assignment that is given to her is to babysit the boss' 5 year old daughter, Hinata.
Stars: Yui Aragaki, Ryô Nishikido, Hiroko Yakushimaru, Misako Renbutsu
Votes: 215
31. Train Man (2005–2006)
45 min | Comedy, Drama
With the help of an online community, a nerdy and socially awkward man gathers the courage to start dating an attractive lady he met on a train.
Stars: Misaki Itô, Atsushi Itô, Miho Shiraishi, Risa Sudou
Votes: 1,198
32. You're My Pet (2017– )
Comedy, Romance
Sumire Iwaya (Noriko Iriyama) works as an editor for a well known newspaper. She is attractive and graduated from a prestigious university. She goes through a difficult period after being ... See full summary »
Stars: Noriko Iriyama, Jun Shison, Terunosuke Takezai, Yurina Yanagi
Votes: 161
33. Koisenu Futari (2022)
Comedy, Drama
Set in modern-day Japan, two aromantic asexuals start living together and form a special bond.
Stars: Yukino Kishii, Issei Takahashi, Shôgo Hama, Kana Kita
Votes: 116
34. Survival Family (2016)
117 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
After a sudden worldwide power cut, a Tokyo family are caught up in the chaos as millions traverse the country in search of electricity.
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | Stars: Fumiyo Kohinata, Eri Fukatsu, Yuki Izumisawa, Wakana Aoi
Votes: 3,014
35. Gibo to Musume no Blues (2018)
Family
Akiko Iwaki is a career woman who works very hard at her job. She gets married to Ryoichi Miyamoto who has a daughter. Akiko must now deal with housework and raising her stepdaughter.
Stars: Takeru Satoh, Haruka Ayase, Yumi Asô, Yutaka Takenouchi
Votes: 334
36. Dêto: Koi towa donnamono kashira (2015– )
54 min | Comedy, Romance
Yoriko is a hard-working and rigid young woman and Takumi is an unemployed young man. They believe that they are unsuited for love, think of marriage as a contract and and start dating with the goal of getting married.
Stars: Anne Watanabe, Hiroki Hasegawa, Ryôko Kuninaka, Yûto Nakajima
Votes: 215
37. First Penguin! (2022)
Biography, Drama
Nodoka Iwasaki is a young single mother with no money, no house, and no work. While Nodoka decides that she will do anything to eat, she meets a fisherman, Hiroshi Kataoka, who offers her "... See full summary »
Stars: Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Wakana Matsumoto, Yoshiyuki Yamaguchi, Mitsuru Fukikoshi
Votes: 13
38. He Who Can't Marry (2006– )
45 min | Comedy, Drama
A 40-year-old gifted architect enjoys living alone and doesn't communicate well with people. He has three female friends. Will he ever marry?
Stars: Hiroshi Abe, Takashi Tsukamoto, Mitsuko Kusabue, Rieko Miura
Votes: 1,212
39. Old Enough! (1990– )
Documentary
Toddlers, aged two to four, are followed by cameras as they are sent on their first errands by themselves. From delivering forgotten items to shopping trips, the little ones get to make their first independent journeys into the world.
Stars: George Tokoro, Hiroko Moriguchi, Megumi, Yuika Motokariya
Votes: 1,214
40. Okusama wa toriatsukai chûi (2017)
Comedy, Drama
Isayama Nami, in order to start over her life and to find happiness, married the man she fell in love with at first sight during a blind date and moved to a quiet high-end residential area.... See full summary »
Stars: Haruka Ayase, Mirai Uchida, Ryôko Hirosue, Tsubasa Honda
Votes: 292
41. 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: 366,981 | Gross: $0.27M
42. Tokusatsu Gagaga (2019)
Comedy, Drama
An office lady with a secret obsession for comic-book culture does her best to balance her job and hobby day by day.
Stars: Kana Kurashina, Fuka Koshiba, Haruka Kinami, Yûki Morinaga
Votes: 86
43. Honest Real Estate 2 (2022)
Comedy, Drama
Nagase Saichi is the number one salesperson at a real estate agency whose biggest fault is being overly honest and unable to lie.
Stars: Tomohisa Yamashita, Haruka Fukuhara, Hayato Ichihara, Rika Izumi
Votes: 464
44. If My Wife Becomes an Elementary School Student. (2022)
54 min | Drama, Family
a husband and his daughter, who lost their beloved wife 10 years ago and lost the meaning of life, unexpectedly reunited with their wife. As his wife is reborn as a 10-year-old elementary school student, the family is reborn.
Stars: Aju Makita, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Yoh Yoshida, Misato Morita
Votes: 125
45. Gakkô no kaidan (2015– )
54 min | Drama
High-school student Haruna Tsubame becomes the student council president after being persuaded by her peers. With the help of a talented speechwriter, she aims to transform her school using the power of words.
Stars: Suzu Hirose, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Anna Ishibashi, Hana Sugisaki
Votes: 59
46. Let's Go Jets (2017)
121 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Led by a demanding coach, an unlikely squad of small town girls vie for victory in a major US cheer dance championship. Based on true events.
Director: Hayato Kawai | Stars: Suzu Hirose, Yûki Amami, Ayami Nakajô, Miu Tomita
Votes: 846
47. My Tomorrow, Your Yesterday (2016)
111 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
On the way to his university in Kyoto, a 20 y.o. man falls in love with a woman on the train. He tells her. They start dating. She has a supernatural secret.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Sôta Fukushi, Nana Komatsu, Masahiro Higashide, Yuki Yamada
Votes: 5,266
48. Ricchiman Puauman (2012)
54 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Hyuga Toru who run an internet website from his small room and doesn't like to socialize makes a lot of money. He then meets Sawaki Chihiro, a hardworking student who by an unexpected occurrence begins to work for Toru.
Stars: Shun Oguri, Satomi Ishihara, Saki Aibu, Arata Iura
Votes: 1,086
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