It's still shocking that action movies are viewed as a genre that is not only dominated by male protagonists but is also largely sought after by female spectators. However, there are good films of various genres with female leads that show how attractive, charming, and strong they can be. Let's have a look at some Japanese films with female protagonists.
1. Kamikaze Girls
Momoko, a 17-year-old girl, is a fan of the Rococo period. She meets Ichigo, a tough motorcycle lady who is her polar opposite while selling some of her yakuza father's hooky t-shirts to support her buying habits. In this delightful narrative of an unexpected friendship, the two become mutually dependent on one other.
2. Linda Linda Linda
Linda Nobuhiro Yamashita directed the 2005 Japanese film, Linda Linda. It stars Bae Doona, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, and Shiori Sekine (of the band Base Ball Bear) as teens who create a band to cover songs by the Japanese punk rock band the Blue Hearts; the title is a reference to the hit Blue Hearts song "Linda Linda." On May 8, 2007, an English-subtitled DVD was released. The band, Paranmaum (Korean for "the Blue Hearts"), published a CD single in Japan and Korea called We Are Paranmaum., which included three songs from the film and three additional songs too.
3. Memories Of Matsuko
While sorting through his recently departed aunt's things, Sho (Eita) pulls together the pivotal moments that drowned her life into a sea of bitterness. Matsuko (Miki Nakatani), Sho's aunt, took the fall for her student's crime when she was a schoolteacher in her youth. Unable to overcome the stigma that resulted, she was forced to live on the streets and engage in a succession of terrible relationships. A chance at happiness with an old sweetheart, on the other hand, offered her a glimmer of hope.
4. Nana
Nana is a Japanese drama film directed by Kentar tani that Mika Nakashima plays Nana Osaki, and Aoi Miyazaki plays Nana "Hachi" Komatsu in the movie, based on Ai Yazawa's manga of the same name. On September 3, 2005, the film was released. Nana 2 was released in 2006 as a sequel to the film.
5. Girl In The Sunny Place
Takahiro Miki directed Girl in the Sunny Place, a 2013 Japanese fantasy romance film. The film, about an ordinary young couple named Kosuke and Mao, is based on the same-titled novel by Osamu Koshigaya, which placed top among books that Japanese females wanted boys to read in 2011 and has sold over one million copies in Japan.
6. Princess Mononoke
The peace that people, animals, and gods have enjoyed for centuries started to resolve in the 14th century. Infected by an animal assault, the protagonist, young Ashitaka, seeks a cure from the deer-like God Shishigami. During his travels, he witnesses humanity ruining the world, bringing the wrath of the wolf deity Moro and his human partner Princess Mononoke down on them. Hiskat's attempts to mediate peace between her and the humans result in war.
7. The Insect Women
Tome, who was born poor, goes to Tokyo in hopes of a better life. She quickly makes a name for herself in the prostitution business and becomes the mistress of a businessman.
8. Lady SnowBlood
When her mother is raped and her entire family is brutalised, Yuki, a little girl, is raised by a priest. When she reaches the age of 20, she goes out to exact vengeance on the gang of men who previously mistreated her family.
9. When A Woman Ascends The Stairs
Widow Keiko (Hideko Takamine) is a popular and well-paid bartender, but their selfish family and ill-advised affairs leave her lonely and in debt. She is no longer a young lady, and she seeks love and financial security. Her heart belongs to the married Nobuhiko (Masayuki Mori), but she considers marrying gentle suitor Matsukichi (Daisuke Kato) to escape the monotony of her days and the dark future that awaits her if she retires from her profession without marrying.
10. Tokyo Bad Girls
Rika is a newly graduated reform school delinquent in the first film in the Delinquent Girl Boss series. After a brief introduction sequence on college, we cut to the outside world, where Rika has been freed and given a second chance at life, with a respectable job and a wholesome new image. Despite her best efforts, her history continues to haunt her.
