Article: 10 Most Awaited Japanese Biopics

A biopic is a film genre based on a video adaptation of someone’s life. It can be about anyone who has done something wholly exceptional, and people are excited to know about it. In the last few years, the making of biopics have increased and biopics are made on people of different professions like sportspersons who won an Olympics gold, the martial artist who has exceptional skills, defense personal who has shown bravery, a business person who started an amazing venture, and many different fields. These work as a source of motivation for the viewers. So, here is the list of some of the most awaited Japanese biopics.

1. Dare To Stop Us

Staring Mugi Kadowaki, Ku Ijima, Kisetsu Fujiwara, and Arata Iura in the lead, Dare to Stop Us is a movie set in 1969 which is about a young woman who joins a film production company. It is based on the life of a Japanese cult director, Koji Wakamatsu. It is directed by Kazuya Shiraishi and was released in 2018. It won a Nikkan Sports Film Award for Best Director.

 

2. The Miracle Of Crybaby Shottan

Based on the inspiring life of a unique chess player named Segawa Shoji, The Miracle of Crybaby Shottan is the video adaptation of his autobiography. What makes his life inspiring is that he left his white-collar job and became a pro chess player at the age of 35. His movie is a great source of motivation.

 

3. The Wind Rises

It is an animated biopic which is about the man Jiro Horikoshi, who designed fighter planes for the Japanese army during the war. It shows the harshness of war on the people and Jiro, who started regretting his invention because of all the deaths it caused. The Director of the movie is Hayao Miyazaki.

 

4. Satoshi: A Move For Tomorrow

This biopic is based on Satoshi Murayama,  a chess player who died at the young age of 29. He was an introvert with zero social skills and used to spend most of his time indoors. But he was really good at chess and had an addiction to winning. Kenichi Matsuyama has played his role beautifully and did justice to the character.

 

5. Zen

Zen is set in the 13th century about a monk who is in search of true Buddhism and hopes to bring the true art of Zen meditation to Japan. With this movie, Banmei Takahashi has proved that he is an excellent storyteller. Based on a novel by Tetsuo Ōtani, this movie was released in January 2009.

 

6. Endless Waltz

Filled with a lot of music performances, Endless Waltz is the story of Japanese free jazz saxophonist Kaoru Abe. The Director has done an excellent job in showing the two extreme sides of the musician as he was very talented in his field but along with that, he was a drug addict and an abuser. This movie is a must-see.

 

7. Mori, The Artist's Habitat

If you are interested in art then this is the movie for you. Inspired by the life of a talented artist, Kumagai Morikazu who uses his garden for inspiration, Mori the Artist’s Habitat is a beautiful film directed by Shûichi Okita. It was released in April 2018.

 

8. Miss Hokusai

Miss Hokusai is the touching story of a daughter who just wants to be loved by her father. Beautifully animated it also shows her efforts to make her own identity because she is always overshadowed by the fame of her father. Directed by Keiichi Hara, this movie came in May 2015.

 

9. Mishima: A Life In Four Chapters

Directed by Paul Schrader, it is based on the controversial life of Yukio Mishima. He was an actor, director, and author. It stars Ken Ogata, Junkichi Orimoto, Hiroshi Mikami and Masayuki Shionoya. It made a total of $502,758 at the box office.

 

10. Rikyu

Rikyu is a 1989 historical-drama movie which is set in the 16th century. It is based on the life of Rentarô Mikuni, a Buddhist priest who believes in a Japanese ceremony of spiritual healing. It is based on a book named Hideyoshi and Rikyu and was directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara.