Top 5 Japanese Movies to Binge This Weekend

Are you curious about classic Japanese films? These films are a wonderful introduction. But it’s a must-see for anyone with a spark of interest in cultural diversity. 

A distinctly Japanese ethos, or later ideas about one, is explored here by a master craftsman. It will stretch and challenge those new to this genre and leave them with a much wider horizon. Even with its black and white imagery, every shot of the movie is striking and leaves an impact on your mind.

1. Seven Samurai [1954] (Action/Adventure)

The Storyline

The Magnificent Seven, which was inspired by it, will find a far more complicated and absorbing story, set in feudal Japan. The innocence and hope of the villagers is here far more layered with cowardice and fickle attitudes toward the samurai they have persuaded to help them. 

The Characters

The cast is excellent, with Takashi Shimura and especially Toshiro Mifune outperforming everyone.

The Best Part

The Samurai, initially moved by the farmers’ plight, are dismayed to learn that these same villagers hunt down and kill wounded samurai after local battles, stealing and hoarding their armour. The resulting complexity, in an assortment of people thrown together in a crisis, is fascinating. 

IMDb Rating – 8.6/10

2. Spirited Away [2001] (Fantasy, Adventure)

The Storyline

Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) is a brave, kind, and caring 10-year-old girl.  Her mother and father take her to an abandoned amusement park. After both her parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro is lost in a spiritual world, and she is helped by Haku (Miyu Irino), who gives her pills that keep her in human form.  

The Characters

The characters, like Chihiro, voiced with real enthusiasm by Daveigh Chase, are sulky to begin with, but she is also brave and resourceful.

The Best Part

This is the best movie of Studio Ghibli from Japan, and there are many movies from it, like Howl’s Moving Castle. There are layers and layers to this film that many people, especially the youngsters, won’t understand. I found it emotional when Haku learned his real name.  Imagine the power of not knowing who you are, and suddenly, a stranger you barely know gives you back your identity.

IMDb Rating – 8.6/10

Also Read…

Top 10 TVF Series That Are Totally Worth Your Time

3. Rashomon [1950] (Crime,Thriller)

The Storyline

The murder of a husband as he was taking his wife through a forest. Admitting none of these versions is a lie, but a point of view, standing in all honesty, you are left with an unsolved question: how can a set of facts, so straightforward? 

The Characters

A Sexually victimised female type that is the same character as appeared in Ran. Bandits, wives, samurai, and woodcutters have played their roles well.

The Best Part

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, this movie was nearest to the philosophy of justice. This movie appealingly delves into the dark side of the human psyche and how a person in his vulnerable state tries to control decisions in his favour, irrespective of the circumstances.

IMDb Rating – 8.2/10 

4. Your Name [2016] (Fantasy, Romance)

The Storyline

It is a tale of longing and connection as the two teenagers navigate their strange new reality and try to understand the mysterious forces that have brought them together. As they search for answers, Taki and Mitsuha grow closer, and their story becomes a poignant meditation on love, loss, and the power of human connection.

The Characters

The characters are relatable and well-developed, especially Mitsuha and Okudera-san.

The Best Part

This kind of film, which has a complex and deep narrative combined with a powerful emotional twist that makes its viewers extremely immersed and invested in the story, while at the same time effectively hides its minor weaknesses. It’s a kind of film that cannot be easily understood with a single viewing.

IMDb Rating – 8.4/10 

5. Battle Royale [2000] (Thriller, Action)

The Storyline

At first the theme is the suspension of all morality, first on the part of a demented governmental scheme and the forefront and how far it can test the relationships between these kids as friendships are shattered the minute human nature kicks in and it’s every man for themselves and only makes each death that much more brutal to see occur.

The Characters

The casting was great, but besides the main point of the game being to kill your classmates, the movie really didn’t have anything to do with the book.

The Best Part

It adds tons of blood and violence against teenagers on an island where they have to kill each other to survive. Extremely dry Japanese sense of humour with exceedingly good acting, especially by the villain of the story, who has devised the game.

IMDb Rating – 7.5/10 

Written by Nilesh Shiv