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93 movies sorted by popularity
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.
As crops dwindle and dragons reappear, mankind stands on the verge of total chaos. Lord Archmage Sparrowhawk, a powerful wizard, and Arren, a troubled young prince, search for the force behind this mysterious imbalance that threatens to destroy the land of Earthsea.
Island of Java, 1942, during World War II. British Major Jack Celliers arrives at a Japanese prison camp, run by the strict Captain Yonoi. Colonel John Lawrence, who has a profound knowledge of Japanese culture, and Sergeant Hara, brutal and simpleton, will witness the struggle of wills between two men from very different backgrounds who are tragically destined to clash.
On a cold Monday morning, a group of counselors clock in at an old-fashioned social services office. Their task is to interview the recently deceased, record their personal details, then, over the course of the week, assist them in choosing a single memory to keep for eternity.
A tragedy strikes a young woman's life without warning or reason. She continues living while searching for meaning in a lonely world.
Sequel to the 2008 film.
A veteran movie star faces a career crisis after a misinterpreted remark sparks public backlash and scrutiny over his driving and reputation.
Gritty softcore thriller about a female assassin brutally victimized in her past, her target, and her sadistic yakuza handler.
View this Japanese television special to get an insider's peek into Studio Ghibli during the creation of Spirted Away.
Set in Tokyo, Ice brings her amnesiac older brother Haruo home from the hospital to care for him. He is reluctant to go, until Ice tells him that she is his lover. Since he has no memory of his sister Ice, he obliges her. How long until his memory returns?
Edo is rocked by the news that a duel to the death is to be held at Takadanobaba, the famed site of a bloody revenge fought by Nakayama Yasubei, who late married into the Ako clan where he was one of the 47 ronin who took vengeance against the vile Lord Kira. This hallowed spot is to host a match between two of the finest swordsmen in Edo. Each is backed by a high ranking direct vassal of the shogun, who had bet their family heirlooms on the outcome. The loser was to commit seppuku and have his clan disbanded. Meanwhile a band of brigands are placing their bets on the fencer who had earlier killed their leader. Can retired master swordsman Akiyama Kohei keep this from becoming a major disaster?
This is Yamakawa's first feature film in 16mm. A group of university students who grew up in an era of rapid economic growth yearn for "another side" of life as they face romantic conflicts and the suicide of a fellow student.
Set in the Taisho era, Hana no ran is a story about fashionable people without impulse control. Much of the action centers on a popular woman writer, the real-life poet Akiko Yosano, and her experiences among the literati of early 20th century Japan. Because of her independent, anti-war and often erotic poetry, she was a lightning rod for revolutionaries and other extremists, many of whom were destined to glamorous, yet ultimately pointless, deaths.
Two high school lesbians have their relationship tested when they take summer jobs at a resort town and meet various men.
A high school girl gets molested by her mother’s current lover. He is a sleazy detective working on the yakuza drug trade. The girl runs away from home but returns five years later with a newspaper article describing her mother’s apparent suicide. Within the corruption of a decaying shipping port she is determined to find the truth behind her mother’s death and what happened to her younger sister who had stayed behind.
Two female university students open a detective agency and use their feminine charms to find a missing girl for a client. But they soon get in over their heads as the trail leads them to the seedy underworld of massage parlors and criminal gangs.
After learning her boyfriend and colleague was already in a relationship and about to marry another colleague, Takako quits her job and falls into a slump. Her uncle, Satoru, offers her a job and room in his used bookstore in Jinbocho. Despite her initial lack of interest, Takako is slowly drawn into the world of books through contact with the customers who frequent the store.
An ex sumo wrestler turned corporate security guard goes on a murderous rampage at his place of employment.
After serving time for bank fraud, Kiriko now lives a quiet life as a taxi driver working night shifts... but her peace is shattered by a relentless stalker in a Land Cruiser.
Bored Hatamoto film
A woman (Takako Tokiwa) risks her life to exact revenge for her murdered lover.
Adapted from the successful play, the film takes place in 19th-century Japan, where a war between demons and their slayers is fought. Izumo, a kabuki actor with a demon-slaying past, meets and falls in love with Tsubaki. However, something is not right, as mysterious marks appear on her body as time progresses. At the same time, it is announced that Ashura, the queen of all demons, will be resurrected and bring destruction to the universe.
No description available.
Real-Life stripper Madoka Mika plays the fictional ROSE RED, a former striptease queen who is now doing roadshow engagements while trying to raise her child and balance her love affairs.
A part time student, who works at a book store, is offered a room at his boss’s house to use for his studies. But he takes advantage of the offer to sexually assault the boss’s two daughters.
A Tokyo psychiatrist is hoping to better his career by marrying the daughter of a prominent doctor. The match is threatened however when an attractive but very troubled tourist guide comes to him for consultation...
The culturally isolated, nomadic Seburi people of western Japan are the subject of this tragedy about a few of the community's members who especially experience difficulties as modern Japan encroaches on their world. The setting is World War II, and conflicts have already arisen when the military police come to take Seburi men away into the army. Still following their own customs that can be harsh at times, and are particularly cruel to women (women must give birth alone and unaided, a woman's adultery is punished by burying her up to her neck in the earth and then leaving her for days), the Seburi are mainly treated with fear and animosity by the non-Seburi townspeople of the region. Along with the hardships arising from cultural clashes, nature's own vagaries present other challenges to the Seburi -- who still lived in tents until the 1950s. Winter avalanches and snowstorms cause as much havoc as the tensions engendered by the slow encroachment of the modern world.
The eighth sequel of the series by the successful “Fukasaku and Bunta” collaboration revolves around the men of a lesser organization that are constantly bullied by the upper organization and “bleed in vain” in gang wars.
Aketa, an actor specialising in villainous roles, lost his wife in an accident and is raising his two daughters single-handedly. Although his daughters often feel self-conscious because their father plays villains, one day Aketa is offered his first leading role. The film, a major period drama titled "The Road to Becoming a Villain",
Amon is a boy who can control the wind. Branik, ruler of the Empire of the Golden Snake, wants Amon's power to complete the ultimate weapon and sends his troops to capture the boy. Amon, using his talents, manages to runs away with Maria, one of the People of the Sea. Together, they try to stop the Empire of the Golden Snake from destroying and conquering everything.
In Kyoto in 1944, poet Tomohiko Nagata meets Shizue, the wife of Kyoto University assistant professor Takeichi Naito, during a lecture. Drawn to poetry and classical literature, Shizue becomes Nagata’s devoted pupil, but their relationship gradually grows beyond that of teacher and student. As rumors spread among Kyoto’s literary circle and reach her husband, jealousy and resentment tear through the Naito family. For their daughter Momoyo, the affair becomes a painful shock, yet Shizue finds herself unable to give up her love for Nagata.
Baton is a collection of three 20-minute Sci-fi anime films dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Yokohama city. On Planet Abel, human-like robot Apollo (Ichihara Hayato, Rookies) and robot-like human Mikaru (Ueto Aya, Azumi) come upon a stowaway robot with a mysterious "Cipher" chip. Not knowing Cipher's powers, Apollo takes the chip for fun, throwing both him and Mikaru headfirst into a mind-boggling mystery that affects the past, present, and future.
Tamura Masakazu plays Shohei Yamauchi, a freelance reporter obsessed with finding out the truth about a traffic accident in which his beloved daughter died. Judging by the photo of the accident, which appeared in the news described by photojournalists as "one coincidence in a hundred thousand", and the survivor's testimony that "I saw a red fireball" immediately before the accident, the circumstances of the accident are questionable. The film is based on a late masterpiece by Seicho Matsumoto.
A woman and her business partner run a neighborhood bar. He hopes they can be married someday. One evening, a yakuza swaggers into the bar and asks the woman how much would it take to have sex with her. She jokingly replies “A million”. With that the yakuza pulls out a huge wad of bills, kidnaps her and viciously trains her to be a high class call girl. She soon begins to enjoy the training and starts to attract big clients and big money. But secretly she waits for her chance to take revenge on the man who forced her into this life of sin.
Momoko (Yui Aragaki) is a quiet and lonely high school girl who's only passion is to cheer traditional cheer squad, but all she could gather were good for nothing guys, who could not find places in school. They start the cheer squad with a disaster, but when they finally find the true meaning of "cheering" someone, their passion becomes power and gives strength to those that are cheered.
All the protagonists move about in a Tokyo Bar that has an entire wall taken up with a black-and-white reproduction of a photo of Monument Valley. The action starts as Billy the Kid, in full living color, walks out of the photo and gets a job as a waiter. Along with him on the working staff are a samurai straight out of the history books, a G.I. from World War II, and several other anachronistic characters. The plot (as such) revolves around keeping away the brutal mobsters and thugs who dominate the city streets outside of the bar, making the tavern safe for its easily recognized facsimiles of well-known characters.
When the head of the touring magician's group "Magical Fantasy" is murdered on a train while on his way to Hokkaido, young Kindaichi, who also just happens to be on board, is fast on the case to find the culprit. But just as quickly as the case unfolds, the body disappears only to be rediscovered again, along with other new bodies.
Once again, director Shunichi Kajima and star Takanori Jinnai are teaming up to create a new type of yakuza film that stylishly depicts the short but vibrant life of legendary urban yakuza Takashi Hanagata.
Remake of the 2005 South Korean movie "Marathon", this special is about an autistic boy guided by his mother and his coach in training for a marathon.
The story follows a veteran female detective who is investigating a series of brutal murders, including the killing of a pregnant woman. Her investigation leads her to a strange, silent young man who becomes the prime suspect. As she gets closer to him, a bizarre and dangerous relationship develops, blurring the lines between hunter and hunted.
The story revolves around Ogino, who is in the last year of his medical studies. Between lectures, exams, on field training, his commitment as a pro-reformist militant and his girlfriend, Ogino is starting to wonder if he's really cut out to be a doctor.
A story about the development of a bright and strong yakuza. Otaki is an old-fashioned respectful yakuza who tries to protect his small yakuza family. When his boss gets shot, he decides to go after the plotters.
Kono Takeshi has given up work as an electrician to run a gift-shop business with his partner/mistress Rieko, who's a couple of years older than him. When the company faces bankruptcy Kono wants to quit, but Rieko strings him along with the promise of a large cash investment, the proceeds of a real-estate deal. Her actual plan to raise the money is to kidnap a young woman and demand a ransom for her release. The trouble is, it never occurs to her to keep the victim alive before trying to extort the cash. And when things start to go wrong, Rieko responds by murdering another girl and attempting another ransom scam..
A couple of delinquents doing small time con jobs steal the car of a local councilman. Inside the car they find a stuffed panda. Suddenly the two find themselves targeted by the yakuza. It seems they will do anything to retrieve the panda. But why?
A gang of thieves plot to rob a US military base in Okinawa, but rising tensions in the group threaten to put the plan in jeopardy.
Ryo once rode with a biker gang; ever since his friend Tetsuji died riding in September, he's retired from biking, trying to forget the past.
Film director Shunichi Nagasaki reflects on a near-fatal motorcycle accident that occurred while shooting his commercial feature debut The Lonely Hearts Club Band in September.
Tatsu's life seemed to be smooth sailing, as he was blessed by his friends, married Fujieda, and made peace with the yakuza. However, the days when the yakuza were free to run amok were coming to an end. Tatsu was sent to prison for a dispute over a bottle of hiropon, and during his two years in prison, his former gang mates became Inayama-gumi disciples.... I can't stand under the wind of others! Tatsu mutters in anger...
The life of a urban planning official and that of an old fellow student, now project developer, are turned upside down by a chance encounter with a beauty obsessed by UFOs.
A new wave Yakuza film in which Takanori Jinnai plays a young Yakuza suffering from stomach cancer who has very little left to live. This film is based on the posthumous manuscript of Shoji Kaneko, the legendary director who died of cancer after completing work on the hit "Ryuji".
Bunsei era, at a time when Edo culture is at its peak, and barely 50 years before the arrival of the Meiji Restoration in 1868. Sabu is a cheerful, honest young man who left his hometown with the dream of becoming a policeman. He is an informant to the policeman Saheiji of Asakusa in Edo and stays with him and his daughter Midori. One day, Sabu encounters the cool master swordsman Ichi, who makes a living giving massages, and they become partners in an unexpected way. Although Sabu is still an informant, he and the blind Ichi collaborate in a way that compensates for each other’s shortcomings. Sabu becomes Ichi’s eyes while Ichi becomes Sabu’s right-hand man and solves cases with his well-honed skills of deduction as they search for the truth in difficult cases in Edo. One case starts with the discovery of two dead bodies in the Sumida River. The bodies have diagonal slashes and were left in boxes.
A single woman starts receiving obscene phone calls at home. Feeling fearful she stays at the apartment of her best friend but somehow the pervert starts calling her there too. Feeling hopeless she gives in and agrees to meet at a restaurant. But when the woman and her friend arrive they discover it is managed by the man they both had relationships with. This was why they were let go from their previous jobs. They both decide it’s time for a little payback.
Etsuko, a female college student, tries to beat the con artists at their own game after she gets scammed one after another.
Suzume Akamatsu works at a library in Uwajima, Ehime Prefecture. She delivers books by riding a bicycle. Through her work, Suzume grows as a person.
This new version of Nagasaki's Yami utsu shinzô (1982) is neither a remake nor a sequel. It is both those things, and at the same time it is also a documentary, a portrait of the consequences of passing time, and an occasionally very funny reflection on what the hell the point is of all this filmmaking business anyway. Shigeru Muroi and Takashi Naito, back then young hopefuls willing to take chances, now among the most established and recognisable actors in Japan, return to play the roles they assumed in the 1982 film, each of their characters having gone their own way. Alongside, another young couple (Honda and the ever-brilliant Eguchi) find themselves in the exact same situation as their older counterparts 25 years earlier. Their paths cross, an opportunity arises: for the elder two to redeem part of their own lives, for the younger couple to find a helping hand in their darkest hour.
Two childhood friends find themselves caught in the midst of an all-out turf war between rival factions in the yakuza-stained region of Kyushu.
A man tries to mend his past by helping his best friend’s sister.
Adapted from Shusaku Endō's novel.
Rumors were circulating that obscene medical examinations were being conducted at Murata Memorial Hospital. Seishi, who works for the Ministry of Health and Welfare, infiltrates the hospital to find out what's going on. There, his girlfriend Rin worked as a nurse. Okada, an inpatient, said that if he had a certain card given to the nurses, they would remove the accumulated material, and that the longer he stayed in the hospital, the more special treatment he would receive. That night, Seishi sneaks into Okada's room and sees him being serviced by a nurse. And he had a suspicion that the other person was Rin. Before long, Seishi was to receive the highest quality paradise treatment. Seishi uses sleeping pills to put Okada to sleep and enters the treatment room in his place, but...
A young man named Teru, mentally altered by a childhood injury, runs a laundry and falls for Mizue, a lonely young woman with internal scars.
Jubei is a Japanese merchant who learns tricks from Western merchants to get ahead in the game.
A young outlaw racing through the streets of Yokohama. Will the love that slipped through his fingers like sand come back to him once again?
A female vocalist breaks with her manager and sets to work with an old man of his band. The involvement of the gay, Super8 addicted friend of the manager leads to increasingly high waves of frustration, treachery, humiliation and cruelty.
This mystery TV movie depicts hope and rebirth through the lives of inmates with different circumstances and the prison guards who strive to rehabilitate them.
A washed-up middle-aged detective receives a desperate plea for help from a woman he once loved — a former Olympic dreamer now living in the Philippines. But when he finally arrives, he discovers her brutally murdered body… and becomes entangled in a deadly mystery involving a dangerous and seductive stranger.
Two years ago, Katsuo Todo (Takashi Naito) was appointed as the general manager of the Plato Royal Hotel Yatsugatake from the Plato Tokyo hotel. He works hard every day with his staff to provide the best time and space for our customers. Concierge Shuji Kitayama (Hishine Saku Toshihide) struggles to find a benefactor for guests Pascal Henry (Frederick Benoliel) and his wife Shizuko (Ishino Yoko). The sweets made by young pastry chef Yoshiyuki Sudo (Shunsuke Tanaka) are popular with guests, and popular writer Fuyuki Nakagami (David Ito) even stays just to enjoy them. Sudo has also decided to marry Minori Matsuoka (Rio Yamashita), and Minami Yamashita (Michiko Amekumi), who is in charge of bridal services, is busy preparing for her colleague's wedding.
Kosuge, the president of a factory, is killed by someone while returning home. A bag charm is found at the scene. When Akira Higuchi and his colleagues from the Metropolitan Police Department's Investigation Division investigate his home, they find a bankbook with the letters A, Y, M, and S written in English. It turns out that the charms left behind were custom-made by Seiji Iwai. However, Seiji had committed suicide five years ago in a robbery-suicide case. Seiji's mother, Mizuki, is an old acquaintance of Superintendent Tendo. Higuchi heads for Mizuki's place...
Four young high school students who dream of being in a rock band must deal with the unexpected deaths of their friends while making concert decisions.
In the late Edo period, when traditional Chinese medicine (Kampo) was mainstream, a Dutch-style Western doctor, Taikichi, devoted himself to treating poor villagers. After saving the life of a rough young man, Shinzaburō, through surgery, the man turned his life around and began training to become a doctor himself. Fifteen years later, having studied the latest medical science in Nagasaki, Shinzaburō returns and joins Taikichi in confronting a suspected outbreak of typhoid fever. Set against the backdrop of a time when Kampo and Western medicine competed for legitimacy, this moving historical drama follows the struggles of doctors who risked everything to save lives during Japan’s medical awakening.
Genjuro’s crime was assassination, his punishment was to survive a faked execution and lose his home, lose his identity, and emerge as Maboroshi Shinigami, the Phantom Assassin. When his wife is kidnapped and tortured to reveal his whereabouts and dragged to the executioner for crucifixion by corrupt clan officials, Genjuro faces an army of swords to save her. Evil men aim to frame Genjuro for another murder. For their scheme they need only one thing, Genjuro’s dead body. Genjuro will have to cut down their swordsmen and challenge Sarashina Gunpei, deadliest blade in Japan in a final blood-soaked battle.
Long ago, Japan was home to several navies. The Murakami Navy, said to be the strongest of them all, once defeated even Nobunaga, and refused to join Hideyoshi, choosing to pursue their love of freedom and the sea. The man who led these samurai of the sea was the great pirate lord Takeyoshi Murakami. And now Kaede Murakami, a descendant of Takeyoshi, is an elementary schooler living on an island. On her 12th birthday, Kaede discovers a flute in her family's storehouse that has been passed down through the Murakami family for generations. The flute holds the key to finding the Murakami Navy's buried treasure. This adventure story tells the tale of an ancient pirate and his descendant forming a connection that transcends time, uniting the island.
The short life of singer-songwriter Ozaki Yutaka, who died suddenly in 1992 at the age of 26, will be dramatized for the first time on the TV Tokyo production, "Kaze no shounen ~ Ozaki Yutaka eien no densetsu".
A boy and girl struggle to understand their place in 1980s Japan, retiring to copulate and probe each other for answers.
Documentary on the legendary bento shop "Popeye," known to everyone in the film industry.
While attending a screening of his film at the London Film Festival, a Japanese man tries to track down a woman from his past after receiving a mysterious phone call.
