100 Best Japanese Movies in 21 century by Eigahiho
by shaniagao | created - 22 Jun 2011 | updated - 22 Jun 2011 | PublicAs one of the most popular movie mag in Japan, Eigahiho offers a list of 100 Best Japan Movies in 21 century. The following is the full list. Through many of them do not have posters, it does not mean they are not great movies! I have have the list of 94 movies from the mag, will add 6 more to make it 100
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1. Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004)
138 min | Drama, Romance
While searching for his fiancee Ritsuko, Sakutarou rediscovers through flashbacks the void deep within him caused by the events from his high school days.
Director: Isao Yukisada | Stars: Takao Osawa, Kô Shibasaki, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Moriyama
Votes: 3,895
2. 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: 3,014
3. 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: 11,163 | Gross: $0.02M
4. Off-Balance (2000)
95 min | Drama
Director: Shin Togashi | Stars: Megumi Hatachiya, Fumiyo Kohinata, Yu Hatano, Shûji Kashiwabara
Votes: 32
5. Yoru o kakete (2002)
133 min | Drama
When poverty-stricken Korean-Japanese (Zainichi) discover there is valuable iron ore in the rubble of a destroyed shantytown they plan to haul it out for profit. Amidst this plan there is ... See full summary »
Director: Sujin Kim | Stars: Jun Fubuki, Mansaku Fuwa, Kô Hiroshima, Jûrô Kara
Votes: 12
6. Remon no koro (2007)
115 min | Drama, Romance
The experiences and relationships of five senior students at a rural high school, during the last year leading to graduation.
Director: Yuki Iwata | Stars: Nana Eikura, Mitsuki Tanimura, Tasuku Emoto, Hôshi Ishida
Votes: 138
7. Pacchigi! (2004)
118 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
Kyoto 1968. Several high school students deal with their life as Korean-Japanese trying to earn each other's love and respect. But the times are not kind to them.
Director: Kazuyuki Izutsu | Stars: Shun Shioya, Sôsuke Takaoka, Erika Sawajiri, Kyôko Yanagihara
Votes: 436
8. Oh, My Buddha! (2009)
114 min | Comedy
A sheltered high school boy, obsessed with Bob Dylan and girls, has high hopes for the summer on the Oki Islands.
Director: Tomorô Taguchi | Stars: Daichi Watanabe, Kazunobu Mineta, Shigeru Kishida, Asami Usuda
Votes: 126
9. Boys on the Run (2010)
114 min | Comedy, Drama
Toshiyuki Tanishi (Mr Tanishi) is a 29-year-old chronic masturbator and toy vending machine salesman - he is socially awkward and down on his luck. Things change when he meets Chiharu a ... See full summary »
Director: Daisuke Miura | Stars: Kazunobu Mineta, Mei Kurokawa, Ryûhei Matsuda, You
Votes: 371
10. Harmful Insect (2001)
92 min | Drama
Following the divorce of her parents, her mother's suicide attempt, and the rumors of an affair with her teacher, a lonely 7th grader starts skipping school in an attempt to find herself.
Director: Akihiko Shiota | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Seiichi Tanabe, Tetsu Sawaki, Ryô Amamiya
Votes: 952
11. 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: 4,910
12. 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: 8,086
13. 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: 4,485
14. Watashi no yasashikunai senpai (2010)
102 min | Drama, Romance
Transfer high school girl Yamako falls for a senior at her new school. She has to hold in the crush, but she is bursting at the seams and occasionally lets slip her feelings. It was bound ... See full summary »
Director: Yutaka Yamamoto | Stars: Umika Kawashima, Satoshi Kanada, Jingi Irie, Kinuyo Kodama
Votes: 16
15. Pinpon (2002)
114 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
The film traces the growth and friendship of two very different high-school ping-pong players. "Peco" Hoshino is a brash, arrogant player, determined to turn pro. He taught his quiet, nerdy... See full summary »
Director: Fumihiko Sori | Stars: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Arata Iura, Sam Lee, Shidô Nakamura
Votes: 3,488
16. Prodigy (2007)
120 min | Drama, Music
Naruse Uta (Narumi Riko) is a "unique" 13 year old child. She possessed the talent to read sheet music even before she could speak, but has now come to the point where she hates playing the... See full summary »
Director: Kôji Hagiuda | Stars: Riko Narumi, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Satomi Tezuka, Masahiro Kômoto
Votes: 232
17. A Gentle Breeze in the Village (2007)
121 min | Drama
When eighth grade cool guy Hiromi transfers from Tokyo to a small elementary/middle school with only six kids enrolled, wholesome and honest Soyo becomes enthralled with his sophisticated world.
Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita | Stars: Kaho, Masaki Okada, Elisa Yanagi, Shôko Fujimura
Votes: 1,506
18. Detoroito Metaru Shiti (2008)
104 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
A nerd who dreams of becoming a sappy pop star ends up leading a death metal group.
Director: Toshio Lee | Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yoshihiko Hosoda, Ryûji Akiyama, Rosa Katô
Votes: 2,677
It's funny for comedy lovers and also Gothic lovers
19. Aiden & Titi (2003)
118 min | Drama, Music
The story is set in the 80s rock scene and revolves around Nakajima (Kazunobu Mineta), the lead singer of a band called 'Speed Way'. Because he refuses to write trite, pop-friendly songs he... See full summary »
Director: Tomorô Taguchi | Stars: Kazunobu Mineta, Kumiko Asô, Shidô Nakamura, Nao Ômori
Votes: 133
20. GS wandârando (2008)
100 min | Comedy, Music
Set in 1960's, the film tells a story about a music band consisting of three young man. When the fourth member joins, everybody gets surprised that he looks like a girl.
Director: Ryûichi Honda | Stars: Chiaki Kuriyama, Takuya Ishida, Hiro Mizushima, Yôsuke Asari
Votes: 76
21. 8000 Miles (2009)
Not Rated | 80 min | Drama, Music
(Japanese with English subtitles) This surprise indie box office hit in Japan follows the tragi-comic trials and tribulations of a group of wannabe rappers struggling to make something of themselves in the suburban sprawls of Tokyo.
Director: Yû Irie | Stars: Hakushu Kamisuzuki, Ryusuke Komakine, Ryuya Masunari, Mihiro
Votes: 129
22. 108 (2008)
126 min | Drama, Sport
At a high school in the city of Yokohoma the baseball team trains to go to the top. There are struggles, hardships and successes and not all of it is due the star pitcher or batter and ... See full summary »
Director: Yoshitaka Mori | Stars: Yoshiki Saitô, Aoi Nakamura, Riki Takeuchi, Ryôhei Abe
Votes: 29
23. Waterboys (2001)
91 min | Comedy, Sport
In a Japanese high school, a class of adolescent geeks joins the new synchronized swimming teacher and takes up the challenge to take part in the competition, in spite of the mockeries of the "real sportsmen".
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Akifumi Miura, Kôen Kondô
Votes: 3,059
24. Robokon (2003)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
Satomi is not putting much effort into her school work. She is told by her instructor that she is short of the minimum number of credits to advance. One option is for her to participate in ... See full summary »
Director: Tomoyuki Furumaya | Stars: Masami Nagasawa, Shun Oguri, Atsushi Itô, Takashi Tsukamoto
Votes: 555
Concept & ending are very good
25. Juvenile (2000)
100 min | Fantasy, Sci-Fi
11-year-old Yusuke and his classmates camp in the woods and see a strange light. They discover a small metallic object like a robot which talks, calls himself Tetra and knows Yusuke's name.... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Shingo Katori, Miki Sakai, Anne Suzuki, Yûya Endô
Votes: 167
26. Hinokio (2005)
111 min | Drama, Sci-Fi
Satoru (Kanata Hongo), a wheelchair-bound elementary student, locks himself away from the outside world after his mother dies. His father designs a remote-controlled robot to go to school ... See full summary »
Director: Takahiko Akiyama | Stars: Masatoshi Nakamura, Kanata Hongô, Mikako Tabe, Maki Horikita
Votes: 627
27. 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 Ôshiba
Votes: 4,379
28. Crows Zero (2007)
130 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
A transfer student attempts to take over the most violent high school in the country, whose students form factions and battle each other for power.
Director: Takashi Miike | Stars: Shun Oguri, Kyôsuke Yabe, Meisa Kuroki, Kenta Kiritani
Votes: 8,919
29. 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: 1,704
30. Kenta to Jun to Kayo-chan no kuni (2009)
131 min | Drama
Kenta and Jun are like brothers. Having grown up together in an orphanage, they now work in a demolition squad, bullied and blackmailed by their boss. One night, they pick up a simple-minded girl called Kayo and go on a road trip.
Director: Tatsushi Ômori | Stars: Shôta Matsuda, Kengo Kôra, Sakura Andô, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 129
31. 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: 4,338 | Gross: $0.05M
32. Canary (2004)
132 min | Drama
Based on the true events of the deadly gas attacks perpetrated by members of the Aum Shinrikyo cult on the Tokyo subway system, CANARY tells the moving story of two children, each abandoned... See full synopsis »
Director: Akihiko Shiota | Stars: Hôshi Ishida, Mitsuki Tanimura, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Miyako Koda
Votes: 368
33. Itsuka dokusho suruhi (2005)
127 min | Drama, Romance
A 50-year-old unmarried milkwoman Minako one day delivers milk to the house of her first love Takanashi, who is now married and whose wife is terminally ill. This meeting will bring unexpected changes into their lives.
Director: Akira Ogata | Stars: Den Fujita, Keisuke Horibe, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ittoku Kishibe
Votes: 173
34. Children of the Dark (2008)
138 min | Crime, Drama, Thriller
A Middle-aged Japanese ex-pat journalist investigates child organ trafficking in Thailand and he uncovers a sinister network.
Director: Junji Sakamoto | Stars: Yôsuke Eguchi, Aoi Miyazaki, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Kôichi Satô
Votes: 265
35. Dear Doctor (2009)
127 min | Drama
A young medical intern student is dismayed when he is assigned to work in a remote countryside village.
Director: Miwa Nishikawa | Stars: Tsurube Shôfukutei, Eita Nagayama, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruka Igawa
Votes: 747
36. 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
37. 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: 42,050
Psycholoigal horror movie.
38. Sketches of Kaitan City (2010)
Not Rated | 152 min | Drama
In the city of Kaitan, during the winter, the local shipyard is downsized and workers are laid off. Futa (Pistol Takehara) lives with his younger sister Honami (Mitsuki Tanimura). He loses ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyoshi Kumakiri | Stars: Mitsuki Tanimura, Pistol Takehara, Ryô Kase, Kaho Minami
Votes: 186
39. Face (2000)
124 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
With no parents left to keep the peace and order two sisters, who could not be any more different, allow their frustrations and animosity to come to a head.
Director: Junji Sakamoto | Stars: Naomi Fujiyama, Etsushi Toyokawa, Michiyo Yasuda, Riho Makise
Votes: 434
40. 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: 31,394 | Gross: $0.68M
41. 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
42. 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: 14,516
43. The Hero Show (2010)
134 min | Action, Comedy
When a part-timer gets fired from his banana handling job his old friend and comic sidekick comes to the rescue securing him a job as a custom-donning action hero roaming the malls and ... See full summary »
Director: Kazuyuki Izutsu | Stars: Ryôhei Abe, Peyton Chiba, Chisun, Shûsuke Fukutoku
Votes: 63
44. 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: 194,392
45. 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
46. Gerumaniumu no yoru (2005)
107 min | Drama
Director: Tatsushi Ômori | Stars: Hirofumi Arai, Leona Hirota, Megumi Sawara, Keita Kimura
Votes: 184
47. Outrage (2010)
R | 109 min | Action, Crime, Drama
The boss of a major crime syndicate orders his lieutenant to bring a rogue gang of drug traffickers in line, a job that gets passed on to his long-suffering subordinate.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Takeshi Kitano, Kippei Shîna, Ryô Kase, Fumiyo Kohinata
Votes: 14,658
48. A2 (2001)
131 min | Documentary
Follows the dissolution of the cult in the absence of their leader, Shoko Asahara.
Director: Tatsuya Mori | Star: Shoko Asahara
Votes: 108
49. Raibu têpu (2009)
Documentary
Tetsuaki MATSUE's documentary film is set on New Years Day 2009 and portrays singer/songwriter Kenta MAENO. In a single 74 minute shot, MATSUE accompanies the musician on his pilgrimage ... See full summary »
Director: Tetsuaki Matsue | Stars: Kenta Maeno, Kotoha Hiroyama
Votes: 25
50. Pulse (2001)
R | 119 min | Horror, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Two groups of people discover evidence that suggests spirits may be trying to invade the human world through the Internet.
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Haruhiko Katô, Kumiko Asô, Koyuki, Kurume Arisaka
Votes: 25,577 | Gross: $0.05M
51. Ju-on: The Grudge (2002)
R | 92 min | Horror
A mysterious and vengeful spirit marks and pursues anybody who dares enter the house in which it resides.
Director: Takashi Shimizu | Stars: Megumi Okina, Misaki Itô, Misa Uehara, Yui Ichikawa
Votes: 48,045 | Gross: $0.33M
52. Doing Time (2002)
93 min | Comedy, Drama
A man serving a sentence in a minimum-security prison. Life in the jail is rigid and organized, eventually leading all of the cell-mates to abandon their individuality.
Director: Yôichi Sai | Stars: Tsutomu Yamazaki, Teruyuki Kagawa, Tomorô Taguchi, Yutaka Matsushige
Votes: 331
53. Happy Flight (2008)
103 min | Comedy
A great variety of aviation professionals such as pilots, flight attendants, the ground crew, mechanics, dispatchers, controllers, and the bird patrol crew all support a single flight. They... See full summary »
Director: Shinobu Yaguchi | Stars: Seiichi Tanabe, Saburô Tokitô, Haruka Ayase, Kazue Fukiishi
Votes: 1,041
54. Jun kissa Isobe (2008)
113 min | Comedy, Drama
Sakiko is a typical teenager in many ways. She hates her divorced father, who chases after every skirt he sees. She does not know, if she will ever be loved by the other sex. When her dad ... See full summary »
Director: Keisuke Yoshida | Stars: Hiroyuki Miyasako, Riisa Naka, Kumiko Asô, Chaotic Cosmos
Votes: 249
55. The Chef of South Polar (2009)
125 min | Comedy, Drama
Nishimura has a passion for cooking, but never would he have imagined the task before him now: He is unexpectedly assigned to a south polar mission to serve as head chef at the Dome Fuji ... See full summary »
Director: Shûichi Okita | Stars: Kengo Kôra, Masato Sakai, Kôsuke Toyohara, Katsuhisa Namase
Votes: 1,550
56. Pavillion sanshouo (2006)
98 min | Comedy
Four beautiful sisters of the Ninomiya family are entrusted with taking care of Kinjiro, a giant salamander and resident national treasure. On the eve of the reptile's 150th birthday, ... See full summary »
Director: Masanori Tominaga | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Yû Kashii, Junji Takada, Yumi Asô
Votes: 109
57. Adrift in Tokyo (2007)
101 min | Comedy
Takemura has no friends and no family. He's a law student but he doesn't have any particular ambitions. A thug offers to pay Takemura's considerable gambling debt if the student accompanies him on a trip across Tokyo.
Director: Satoshi Miki | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Tomokazu Miura, Kyôko Koizumi, Yuriko Yoshitaka
Votes: 3,090
58. Urutora mirakuru rabu sutôrî (2009)
120 min | Drama
Yojin, an eccentric young farmer living in the countryside, falls in love for the first time in his life. Her name is Machiko, she teaches in a kindergarten and is from Tokyo.
Director: Satoko Yokohama | Stars: Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Kumiko Asô, Seiji Nozoe, Arata Iura
Votes: 249
59. Kawa no soko kara konnichi wa (2010)
112 min | Drama
After 5 years in Tokyo, 5 part-time jobs, 5 boyfriends, Sawako's life is going nowhere. When her father gets seriously ill she have to take over his struggling factory. Gradually she becomes the decider of her own life.
Director: Yûya Ishii | Stars: Hikari Mitsushima, Kôtarô Shiga, Ryô Iwamatsu, Kira Aihara
Votes: 416
60. Ôkami shôjo (2005)
107 min | Drama
When new, smart and sweet Tokyo girl, Rumiko, starts at a rural elementary school, Akira finds himself smitten, like every other male pupil. Newcomer's popularity is contrasted with the ... See full summary »
Director: Yoshihiro Fukagawa | Stars: Mao Ohno, Tatsuya Suzuki, Erika Mabuchi, Rena Masuda
Votes: 99
61. 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: 2,271
62. Saido kâ ni inu (2007)
94 min | Drama
In this coming of age story, ten-year-old Kaoru's life undergoes big changes when her mother leaves home. Kaoru forms a surprising bond with her father's lover, Yoko, as she learns a lot about life during one unforgettable summer.
Director: Kichitarô Negishi | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Hana Matsumoto, Takeru Taniyama, Rie Mimura
Votes: 317
63. Tokyo Tower: Mom and Me, and Sometimes Dad (2007)
142 min | Drama
Masaya is going through a period of intensely rebellious behavior. He then learned that his mom has contracted cancer; suddenly, his mother comes to live with him in Tokyo the entire emotional landscape of his life is altered.
Director: Joji Matsuoka | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Kirin Kiki, Yayako Uchida, Kanato Tanihata
Votes: 1,045
64. 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
65. Chicken Is Barefoot (2004)
114 min | Comedy, Drama
Director: Azuma Morisaki | Stars: Mika Hijii, Renji Ishibashi, Kimiko Yo, Yoshio Harada
Votes: 42
66. Noriko's Dinner Table (2005)
Not Rated | 159 min | Drama, Horror
A teenager called Noriko Shimabara runs away from her family in Tokoyama, to meet Kumiko, the leader of an Internet BBS, Haikyo.com. She becomes involved with Kumiko's "family circle", ... See full summary »
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Kazue Fukiishi, Tsugumi, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Shirô Namiki
Votes: 4,991
67. Sway (2006)
120 min | Crime, Drama
On the anniversary of the death of the mother of a hip and happening Tokyo-based photographer, the son returns to his hometown for the funeral. What follows is a return to the past that is ... See full summary »
Director: Miwa Nishikawa | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Teruyuki Kagawa, Masatô Ibu, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 1,209
68. The Great Happiness Space: Tale of an Osaka Love Thief (2006)
Not Rated | 76 min | Documentary
Osaka's top host club owner trains boys to excel in the underground love scene. They learn to fake relationships with girls, their income source.
Director: Jake Clennell
Votes: 1,472
69. 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: 906
70. 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: 18,610 | Gross: $0.16M
71. Tony Takitani (2004)
75 min | Drama
When technical illustrator Tony Takitani asks his wife to resist her all-consuming obsession for designer clothes, the consequences are tragic.
Director: Jun Ichikawa | Stars: Issei Ogata, Rie Miyazawa, Shinohara Takahumi, Hidetoshi Nishijima
Votes: 4,941
72. Tegami (2006)
121 min | Drama
How have you been? Takeshi's letter is delivered one each month to his younger brother, Naoki. Takeshi is serving a life term in prison for the crime that he had committed to save his ... See full summary »
Director: Jirô Shôno | Stars: Takayuki Yamada, Tetsuji Tamayama, Erika Sawajiri, Kazue Fukiishi
Votes: 429
73. The Foreign Duck, the Native Duck and God in a Coin Locker (2007)
110 min | Drama
A university student finds himself wrapped up in the bizarre world of his next door neighbor, learning about his history and relationship with a girl who changed his life.
Director: Yoshihiro Nakamura | Stars: Gaku Hamada, Eita Nagayama, Megumi Seki, Kei Tamura
Votes: 1,029
74. Scenery to Remember (2008)
140 min | Drama
Toshiko does not have long to live. She wants to make the most of her time while she can and takes a sojourn to where her true hometown for which she has so much nostalgia and admiration. ... See full summary »
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Kiyotaka Nanbara, Hiromi Nagasaku, Natsuki Harada, Tokie Hidari
Votes: 43
75. Dokuritsu shônen gasshô-dan (2000)
129 min | Drama, Music
The lives of two orphan boys begin to intertwine when the choir and the feelings they share bring them closer to one another.
Director: Akira Ogata | Stars: Atsushi Itô, Sora Tôma, Teruyuki Kagawa, Ryôko Takizawa
Votes: 256
76. Hikari no ame (2001)
130 min | Drama
Director: Banmei Takahashi | Stars: Masato Hagiwara, Ren Ôsugi, Sansei Shiomi, Mansaku Ikeuchi
Votes: 32
77. 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: 1,236
78. Kisaragi (2007)
108 min | Comedy, Mystery
Five devoted fans of a late idol gather for a commemorative meeting, only to uncover surprising revelations about her untimely death, leading them to question what they thought they knew.
Director: Yûichi Satô | Stars: Shun Oguri, Yûsuke Santamaria, Keisuke Koide, Muga Tsukaji
Votes: 1,301
79. Quiet room ni yôkoso (2007)
118 min | Comedy, Drama
Asuka Sakura wakes up in the mental asylums quiet room, with no recollection of how she got there.
Director: Suzuki Matsuo | Stars: Yuki Uchida, Kankurô Kudô, Yû Aoi, Ryô
Votes: 714
80. 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
81. 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: 68,584 | Gross: $0.80M
82. Charisma (1999)
104 min | Drama, Mystery
A seasoned detective is called in to rescue a politician held hostage by a lunatic. In a brief moment of uncertainty, he misses the chance for action. Leaving his job and family without ... See full summary »
Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa | Stars: Koji Yakusho, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi, Ren Ôsugi, Yoriko Dôguchi
Votes: 2,050
83. 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: 11,801 | Gross: $0.28M
84. Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003)
116 min | Drama, Romance
Tsuneo is a university student working part-time in a mah-jong parlour. Lately the customers have been talking about an old lady who pushes a baby carriage through the streets. They say she... See full summary »
Director: Isshin Inudô | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chizuru Ikewaki, Juri Ueno, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 2,302
85. Hush! (2001)
135 min | Comedy, Drama
Soon after the disparate yet compatible Naoya and Katsuhiro start to settle into a relationship, a slightly unhinged young woman named Asako asks Katsuhiro to father her child.
Director: Ryosuke Hashiguchi | Stars: Reiko Kataoka, Kazuya Takahashi, Seiichi Tanabe, Yôko Akino
Votes: 749 | Gross: $0.02M
86. Akame shijuya taki shinju misui (2003)
159 min | Drama
A man is trying to flee from his past, and he ends up in an underworld filled with strange characters. He finds a job skewering meat in a dirty old room in a shabby old house filled with ... See full summary »
Director: Genjiro Arato | Stars: Takijiro Onishi, Shima Ônishi, Shinobu Terajima, Michiyo Yasuda
Votes: 69
87. Sayonara Color (2005)
119 min | Romance
Shohei (Naoto Takenaka) works as a doctor in a sea-side hospital. One day a new patient is admitted to the hospital with ovarian cancer. Shohei is surprised to recognize Michiko (Tomoyo ... See full summary »
Director: Naoto Takenaka | Stars: Naoto Takenaka, Tomoyo Harada, Afra, Ani
Votes: 56
88. Hito no sekkusu o warauna (2007)
137 min | Comedy, Romance
The love story of a young male student and a woman lecturer at art college.
Director: Nami Iguchi | Stars: Hiromi Nagasaku, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Yû Aoi, Shûgo Oshinari
Votes: 535
89. Mezon do Himiko (2005)
130 min | Drama
Saori is a young woman who struggles to make a living, with no financial or romantic prospects in her life. One rainy day, she receives a visit at work from a handsome young man called ... See full summary »
Director: Isshin Inudô | Stars: Joe Odagiri, Kô Shibasaki, Min Tanaka, Kira Aoyama
Votes: 650
90. Seppun (2007)
108 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A lonely office worker falls in love with a man who is in jail for murdering his entire family.
Director: Kunitoshi Manda | Stars: Eiko Koike, Etsushi Toyokawa, Tôru Nakamura, Kôzô Satô
Votes: 84
91. 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
92. Air Doll (2009)
Unrated | 125 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A life-size blow-up doll develops a soul and falls in love with a video store clerk.
Director: Kore-eda Hirokazu | Stars: Bae Doona, Arata Iura, Itsuji Itao, Joe Odagiri
Votes: 8,130
93. Heaven's Story (2010)
Not Rated | 278 min | Drama
(Japanese with English subtitles) Part revenge story, part existential meditation, Heaven's Story is 100% modern epic, gracefully threading together multiple suburban tales of lost souls seeking retribution and redemption.
Director: Takahisa Zeze | Stars: Noriko Eguchi, Akira Emoto, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Kanji Furutachi
Votes: 159
94. 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: 2,000
95. 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: 15,896
96. 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: 54,964 | Gross: $1.50M
97. 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: 63,729
98. Dolls (2002)
114 min | Drama, Romance
Three stories of never-ending love.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyôko Fukada
Votes: 17,358 | Gross: $0.00M
99. Suspect X (2008)
128 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
It's another battle of the wits for the brilliant but eccentric physicist, Yukawa, and detective, Kaoru.
Director: Hiroshi Nishitani | Stars: Masaharu Fukuyama, Kô Shibasaki, Kazuki Kitamura, Yasuko Matsuyuki
Votes: 4,059
100. Zero Focus (2009)
130 min | Drama, Thriller
Spurred by the disappearance of a newly-wed husband, three women in post-war Japan are drawn into a murder mystery.
Director: Isshin Inudô | Stars: Hidetoshi Nishijima, Ryôko Hirosue, Takeshi Kaga, Miki Nakatani
Votes: 258
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