Japan has given so much to society in terms of culture, art, food, and of course films. Japanese cinema since World War II, has made its way towards the American shores, as iconic American filmmakers have studied the work from that region of the world. Japanese movies are the ones that have had a long-lasting effect and impact on film history. Films are an art form that transcends boundaries in language and culture, showing us that we all can connect through the power of storytelling. Japan has remained a distinct and prominent voice in film while offering a unique perspective on familiar genres.
1. High And Low
High and Low is a Japanese police crime film released in 1963, directed by Akira Kurosawa. It stars Tatsuya Nakadai, Toshiro Mifune, and Kyoko Kagawa. The director had a way of directing films way ahead of their time. It had a great underlying theme of humanity and social status, no matter where they are on the society's ladder. The story is about an executive of a Yokohama shoe company who becomes the victim of extortion.
2. Princess Mononoke
Princess Mononoke is a Japanese animated historical film released in 1997, directed by Hayat Miyazaki. It stars the voices of Yuriko Ishida, Kaoru Kobayashi, Tsunehiko Kamboj, Miitsuko Mori, Yoji Matsuda, Yuko Tanaka, and Akihiro Miwa. It is set in the late Muromachi period. Ashitaka is a young Emishi prince who is involved in a struggle between a forest god and a human who consumes its resources.
3. Gojira
Gojira is an epic Japanese film released in 1954, directed by Ishiro Honda. It is the film that launched the massive boom of the Godzilla films over the next decades. The story is about post-World War II, showcasing the aftermath of the bomb and what it does to society. It tells the story of how American nuclear weapons testing results in the creation of a seemingly unstoppable beast like a dinosaur.
4. Tokyo Story
Tokyo Story is a drama film released in 1953, directed by Yasujiro Ozu. The story is about an aging husband and wife who are living on the seaside of the town and how they make their way into the city for a visit. Their grown-up children don’t make time for them, but their widowed daughter-in-law does. She was married to their son, but he got killed in the war. It is not her great post-war drama about the society Japan had during that time.
5. Spirited Away
Spirited Away is an animated film released in 2001, directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It features the voices of Miyu Irino, Yasuko Sawaguchi, Bunta Sugawara, Rumi Hiiragi, Mari Natsuki, Tsunehiko Kamijo, Takeshi Naito, and Takehiko Ono. Chihiro Ogino is a ten-year-old girl who while moving to a new neighborhood, enters Kami, a world of Japanese Shinto spirits. After her parents are turned into pigs by Yubaba, the witch, she takes the job of working in her bathhouse to find a way to free herself. The anime opened up the gates with what you could do with animations.
6. Seven Samurai
Seven Samurai is a samurai film released in 1954, directed by Akira Kurosawa. It takes place in 1586 in the Sengoku period, following the story of a village filled with desperate farmers who seek to hire ronin to combat bandits who will all return after the harvest to steal their crops. It is regarded as one of the most influential and greatest films in cinema history. The film's plot is not very complex and there are a lot of character arcs in the film that end up paying off in its conclusion.
7. Akira
Akira is a cyberpunk film released in 1988, directed by Katsuhiro Otomo. It is set in the 2019 dystopian telling the story of Shotaro Kandahar, who is the leader of a biker gang, whose childhood friend Tetsuo Shima, acquires incredible abilities after an accident. It threatens an entire military complex in the sprawling futuristic metropolis of Tokyo. The thrilling and often active, graphic, and violent e that is set against the backdrop of heavy themes shows the world what the medium was capable of.
8. Audition
Aoyama is a widower who decides he is ready to get back into the dating scene. His friend who is in the movie business arranges for him a fake audition to help find his perfect match. After being enamored by Asami, he begins a relationship with her, only to learn that she has sinister motives. Takashi delivers what is considered to be his magnum opus with this horror classic.
9. Rashomon
It is a movie that depicts multiple different points of view of a sexual assault against the murder of her samurai husband and a woman. There are also differing accounts of the incident from the attacker, the samurai who is killed, the woman, and the key witness. It styles storytelling that we often see in murder mystery films nowadays, showcasing to the audience that we should still question what we see with our own eyes.
10. Grave Of The Fireflies
It is one of the most impactful ways to make a movie about the effects of war and that to do is through the eyes of children. It is a heartbreaking story that takes place during World War II. It follows the story of a sister and brother who care for each other after the firebombing where they live. The film contrasts the horrors of war and the innocence of children in a manner that makes you feel awful about what humans do to one another. The symbolism of the fireflies in the film is utterly gut-wrenching.
