Japanese movies about music

List of the best Japanese music movies selected by visitors to our site: Swing Girls, Linda Linda Linda, Prodigy, All About Lily Chou-Chou, Samsara, The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, From Up on Poppy Hill, The 100th Love with You, Your Lie in April, Maestro!.

In the top there are new films of 2021, a plot description and trailers for films that have already been released.

Country
Markimdb: 7.5
Genrecomedy, drama, music
CountryJapan

A tale of delinquent and lazy school girls. In their efforts to cut remedial summer math class, they end up poisoning and replacing the schools brass band.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrecomedy, drama, music
CountryJapan

Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei, drummer Kyoko, and bassist Nozomi are forced to recruit a new lead vocalist for their band. They choose Korean exchange student Son, though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It’s a race against time as the group struggles to learn three tunes for the festival’s rock concert—including a classic '80s punk-pop song by the Japanese group The Blue Hearts called “Linda Linda”...

Markimdb: 6.4
Genredrama, music
CountryJapan

Naruse Uta 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 piano. Her father was also a piano virtuoso, but mysteriously disappeared from her life at a young age. Because of her father's disappearance Uta's mother had to move out of their posh home and into a far modest working class neighborhood. In this working class neighborhood there is a local grocer. The grocer's son Kikuna Oto happens to be a budding musician, but lacks the drive to truly succeed. That is until Uta Naruse comes into his life...

Markimdb: 7.5
Genrethriller, melodrama, drama, crime, music
CountryJapan

Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yuichi Hasumi and Shusuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yuichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of fictional pop star Lily Chou-Chou.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genredocumentary, music
CountryUSA, South Korea, Ethiopia, Japan, China, Egypt, Ghana, Italy, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Brazil, Denmark, Kenya, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia, Namibia
Duration01:42

Samsara is a word that describes the ever turning wheel of life. It is a concept both intimate and vast - the perfect subject for filmmakers Ron Fricke and Mark Magidson, whose previous collaborations include Chronos and Baraka, and who, in the last 20 years, have travelled to over 58 countries together in the pursuit of unique imagery. Samsara takes the form of a nonverbal, guided meditation that will transform viewers in countries around the world as they are swept along a journey of the soul. Through powerful images pristinely photographed in 70mm and a dynamic music score, the film illuminates the links between humanity and the rest of the nature, showing how our life cycle mirrors the rhythm of the planet.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genrecomedy, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Sorata Kanda, a high school sophomore living in Sakurasou, the den of their academy's problem children, spends his days being dragged around by the strange residents, swearing he's going to escape Sakurasou one day.

Markimdb: 7.4
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:31

A group of Yokohama students fight to save their school's clubhouse from the wrecking ball during preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. While working there, Umi and Shun gradually become attracted to each other but have to face a sudden trial. Even so, they keep going without fleeing the difficulties of reality.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryJapan

On July 27th, university student Aoi Hinata (Miwa) has an accident. When she wakes up, Aoi Hinata finds herself in a classroom from one week before the accident. At that time, her childhood friend Riku Hasegawa (Kentaro Sakaguchi) tells her "I will tell you a secret. I can turn back time." Aoi Hinata and Riku Hasegawa like each other, but never expressed their feelings. They share their feelings for each other and go back to one year earlier. They spend their time happily as girlfriend and boyfriend, but there is a big secret behind the time slip. In addition, July 27 is approaching.

Markimdb: 8.6
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, music, anime
CountryJapan

Kousei Arima was a genius pianist until his mother's sudden death took away his ability to play. Each day was dull for Kousei. But, then he meets a violinist named Kaori Miyazono who has an eccentric playing style. Can the heartfelt sounds of the girl's violin lead the boy to play the piano again?

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrecomedy, drama, music
CountryJapan

Due to the economic recession, the orchestra is shut down. The members hear later that the orchestra will be reformed. Only some of the members, who have not yet been rehired, gather for the orchestra. For the first time since they disbanded the orchestra plays together, but they sound horrible. At that time, the conductor Tetsusaburo Tendou appears in front of them.

Markimdb: 2.8
Genrefantasy, comedy, drama, musical
CountryUnited Kingdom, USA, Canada, Australia, Japan

A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

Markimdb: 8.5
Genredocumentary, music, biography
CountryItaly, Belgium, Netherlands, Japan, China, Germany

A documentary on the legendary film composer Ennio Morricone.

Markimdb: 7.7
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, music, anime
CountryJapan

The film centers on the love relationship among the band's bassist Haruki Nakayama, drummer Akihiko Kaji, and Akihiko's roommate and ex-boyfriend Ugetsu Murata.

Markimdb: 7.8
Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:27

Documentary filmmaker Genya Tachibana has tracked down the legendary actress Chiyoko Fujiwara, who mysteriously vanished at the height of her career. When he presents her with a key she had lost and thought was gone forever, the filmmaker could not have imagined that it would not only unlock the long-held secrets of Chiyoko’s life... but also his own.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrethriller, drama
CountryJapan, France, USA, South Korea, Turkey
Duration02:13

Shuji is an uncompromising young filmmaker at odds with Japanese society. One day he learns that his loan shark brother, who had helped to finance his films, has been executed by his own yakuza gang for failing to repay his debts. Described as a love poem to Japanese films of the past, as well as a protest at the present, CUT is an exploration of one man’s obsessive relationship with cinema.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrehorror, cartoon, history, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:16

Abandoned in the barren wasteland of Kyoto, a savage, enraged orphan does whatever it takes to survive in the wild. When he crosses paths with civilization, he must learn to tame the beast within.

Markimdb: 6.7
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryJapan, France, Spain

Taking place during the full-moon night of traditional dances in August and set on the Japanese island of Amami-Oshima, the drama centers on a 14-year-old boy who finds a dead body floating in the sea. The young man enlists the help of his girlfriend to solve the mystery. The pair will learn to become adults by experiencing the interwoven cycles of life, death and love.

Markimdb: 7.6
Genreaction, fantasy, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:49

Sixteen years ago, a mysterious masked ninja unleashes a powerful creature known as the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox on the Hidden Leaf Village Konoha, killing many people. In response, the Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze and his wife Kushina Uzumaki, the Demon Fox's living prison or Jinchūriki, manage to seal the creature inside their newborn son Naruto Uzumaki. With the Tailed Beast sealed, things continued as normal. However, in the present day, peace ended when a group of ninja called the Akatsuki attack Konoha under the guidance of Tobi, the mysterious masked man behind Fox's rampage years ago who intends on executing his plan to rule the world by shrouding it in illusions.

Markimdb: 6.9
Genredrama, music
CountryJapan
Duration02:25

Yukio is your average high school student who spends his days going to class and avoiding bullies. That is until he meets Ryusuke, a guitar prodigy. Together with Taira, Chiba, and Saku they form the rock band BECK. As their popularity increases so does the danger as Ryusuke's past catches up with him.

Markimdb: 6.4
Genrecomedy, melodrama
CountryJapan
Duration01:55

Hyasaka Yukari only wants one thing: to enter the college that her mom wants. One day, she meets an extravagant group that loves fashion. They were searching for a model and Yukari fits their ideal model. From now Yukari will know the world of fashion and modeling, and what she really wants.

Mark
Genredrama, history
CountryJapan

In August, 1918, Matsuura Ito lives in a coastal village of Toyama with her husband and three children. During the summer, there wasn't much fish to catch, so her husband has been far away from home to catch fish. To support herself and her children, Ito carries goods from ships like the other women in the village. Meanwhile, the residents encounter rising prices for rice. The women are unable to feed their family due to the high prices of rice. The women ask a nearby rice store to sell rice at lower prices, but it fails. The price of rice continues to rise daily. Due to an incident, Ito and the other village women step up to the plate.

Markimdb: 6
Genredrama, biography
CountryFrance, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Belgium, USA, Japan, Netherlands

In the lush tradition of the glorious films of Merchant and Ivory, comes the true life story of Leonie Gilmour (Emily Mortimer), whose life crossed continents, wars and cultures, embodied with courage and passion in search of art and freedom. A tender and inspiring story of a remarkable woman who nurtures the amazing artistic talent of her son who has only one way to succeed and one person to guide him, as he grows into the world renown artist, Isamu Noguchi.

Markimdb: 5.7
Genrecomedy, cartoon
CountryJapan

The anime follows Machi, a middle school student who serves as a shrine maiden at a Shinto shrine and takes care of a bear, who lives on mountain in Japan's northern Tohoku region. The bear, Natsu, has the ability to talk and is Machi's guardian. When Machi explains to Natsu that she will attend a school in the city, he gives Machi a set of trials that she must pass in order to be able to survive city life.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrefantasy, comedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Kowata Makoto is an air head with a bad sense of direction that just moved into her relative's house... But is that all?

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, drama, adventure
CountryJapan
Duration01:32

From the mind behind Evangelion comes a hit larger than life. When a massive, gilled monster emerges from the deep and tears through the city, the government scrambles to save its citizens. A rag-tag team of volunteers cuts through a web of red tape to uncover the monster's weakness and its mysterious ties to a foreign superpower. But time is not on their side - the greatest catastrophe to ever befall the world is about to evolve right before their very eyes.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrefantastic, action
CountryJapan
Duration01:54

An evil criminal organisation called Sigma kidnap prominment business leaders to harvest their DNA and only Karate-Robo Zaborgar can save them.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genredrama, family
CountryAustralia, Japan
Duration01:36

Dylan discovers he has a knack for making paper planes. He has a chance to compete in a world championship, but he'll have to help rally his grieving dad, Jack, and face bullies and self-doubt to do so.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genreaction, drama, military, history
CountryJapan

The background to and depiction of a watershed battle in Japanese history, at Sekigahara in 1600, when Tokugawa Ieyasu's Army of the East defeated the Army of the West of Ishida Mitsunari. The story includes the intrigues and shifting loyalties of the various retainers, family members, and samurai.

Markimdb: 5.9
Genrefantastic, adventure, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

It's a new school year at the local Junior High School i Kamakura. The school year starts off with a new transfer student Ryoichi Kyogoku who joins the 8th grade class. He has been ordered to join the school, and use his special gift of telepathy and take over their school. This boy who happens to be handsome, and be a charismatic person, gains popularity, and using his powers takes over the entire school, except for Seki. This begins a war to regain their freedom for their school and themselves.

Markimdb: 4.7
Genrehorror, comedy
CountryUSA, New Zealand, Canada, Israel, Japan
Duration02:09

An ambitious anthology film featuring segments directed by over two dozen of the world's leading talents in contemporary genre film. Inspired by children's educational ABC books, the motion picture is comprised of 26 individual chapters, each helmed by a different director assigned a letter of the alphabet. The directors were then given free reign in choosing a word to create a story involving death. Provocative, shocking, funny and ultimately confrontational; THE ABC's OF DEATH is the definitive snapshot of the diversity of modern horror.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genreaction, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration02:03

It’s been ten years since Azuma Kazuki has been in Japan, and upon his arrival he is taken prisoner by a group of armed men. Azuma is saved by his childhood friend, Kogane Asabuki, thanks to a living weapon she wields on her right hand, known as a Bubuki. Learning about these weapons, Azuma becomes a Bubuki wielder himself and sets out on a journey.

Markimdb: 6
Genredrama, biography, history
CountryJapan, Hong Kong

Workers at the Fukushima Daiichi facility in Japan risk their lives and stay at the nuclear power plant to prevent total destruction after the region is devastated by an earthquake an tsunami in 2011.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genrecomedy, musical, adventure, family, cartoon
CountryFrance, Japan, USA
Duration01:25

A koala named Buster recruits his best friend to help him drum up business for his theater by hosting a singing competition.

Markimdb: 6.2
Genrethriller, crime
CountryJapan
Duration02:04

Ninagawa is a powerful man in Japanese politics and with top economic connections.His granddaughter is then murdered. The suspect is Kunihide Kiyomaru (Tatsuya Fujiwara). Kunihide Kiyomaru has a prior conviction for assaulting and killing a girl 8 years ago. The police could never apprehend the suspect in the prior killing.

Markimdb: 4.9
Genrehorror, fantastic, thriller, detective
CountryJapan, USA

A group visits Saipan to search for locations for their company's newest resort. As they find what they think is the perfect spot, they discover a hidden bunker on the property which they decide to explore. However, they soon find out that curiosity can kill. As each member faces their most private secrets and the secrets of the bunker itself, the results lead to a most shocking conclusion.

Markimdb: 5.8
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryJapan

One afternoon, Shiori, a very sexually active young woman working in a café, is riding her bicycle and cuts off Kosuke, who is pulling a two-wheeled cart. Once a recognized playwright, Kosuke now lives a quiet life in a mountain hut, far away from the city, in the hope of escaping his past. But after their first encounter, he will soon be caught in Shiori’s web of sexual desires…

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrefantastic, comedy, drama
CountryJapan

A world wide electrical outage occurs. Everything that requires electricity comes to a stop. Tokyo is nearly ruined. Yoshiyuki Suzuki decides to escape from Tokyo with his family.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genrecomedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

High schooler Masahiro Setagawa is a fairly helpless delinquent, so much so that the neighborhood bullies use him to run their errands. His life changes when he meets high school teacher Kosuke Oshiba, a man whose fighting abilities have earned him a powerful reputation on the streets. Oshiba finds himself with a desire to protect Setagawa, and despite swearing that he's not interested in men, Setagawa finds himself getting more involved in Oshiba's affairs.

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrecomedy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

Shikada Kokonotsu's father owns a rural sweets shop, and his plan is for Kokonotsu to take it over one day. However, Kokonotsu wants to be a manga author instead! One day in summer, the cute but weird girl Shidare Hotaru, from the famous sweets company, comes to pay a visit. Apparently, Kokonotsu's father is famous and she wants him to join her family's company. However, he will only agree if she can convince Kokonotsu to take over the family business!

Markimdb: 6.7
Genrehorror, fantastic, action, thriller, fantasy, adventure, cartoon, crime, detective, anime
CountryJapan, Italy, United Kingdom, Mexico, Spain

The Governor of Tokyo, Yuichiro Asakura, receives a threatening letter the day before the opening of Touto Line, a new train line for the Tokyo Metro. During the opening ceremony of the line, Conan Edogawa and the Detective Boys are driven by Professor Agasa and pass under the Touto Line. Conan, having heard about the threatening letter, notices explosives connected to the Touto railway; Using his original voice to inform the police as Shinichi Kudo, he is able to stop the train and divert traffic away from the explosives preventing any deaths.

Markimdb: 4.8
Genrehorror
CountryJapan
Duration01:22

Eri (Matsubara) is a high school student who is anonymous unlike her friend Mitsuko (Yokoyama) who is the target of amorous advances from their teacher, Ichida (Tsubouchi). Eri comes across a novel way to protect Mitsuko: find a cursed funerary urn that contains ashes reputed to cause death and give said ashes to teacher.

Markimdb: 7.3
Genremelodrama
CountryJapan

Based on the manga series "Mars" by Fuyumi Soryo (published from February, 1996 to December, 2000 in Japanese shojo manga magazine Bessatsu Friend).

Mark
Genrefantastic, fantasy, drama, cartoon, detective, anime
CountryJapan

Shingeki no Kyojin OVA that is bundled with manga volumes 24, 25, and 26. Several hundred years ago, mankind was nearly extinct because of the Titans. The Titans are big, have no intellect, hate people, and worst of all, they think of humans as food. The survivors of the humans built a very high wall to protect them from the Titans.

Markimdb: 7.5
Genreaction, fantasy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration01:35

The time is UC 1926. The Imperial Army's 203rd Air Mage Battalion led by Major Tanya Degurechaff has won the battle to the south against the Republic's stragglers. They expected to be given a vacation after returning victorious, but instead receive special orders from Staff HQ as soon as they get home. They are told that there were signs of a large-scale deployment near the Empire-Federation border.

Markimdb: 7.2
Genrecomedy, melodrama, drama
CountryJapan
Duration01:54

Daikichi learns that his recently deceased grandfather has an illegitimate daughter with an unknown mother. The girl's name is Rin and she is just 6 years old. Everybody in Daikichi's family looks at the girl as an embarrassment and wants no part of her. Daikichi, annoyed by his family's attitude, decides to raise Rin by himself. Even though Daikichi himself has no experience raising a child and is still single. The movie is based on Yumi Unita's popular manga series "Usagi Drop".

Markimdb: 6.5
Genrefantastic, drama
CountryJapan, Germany, United Kingdom, Taiwan

An old couple, their only son, the son's wife, a young man and his lover live peacefully in a village. Then, a terrifying earthquake strikes that causes a nearby nuclear station to explode. The residents must evacuate, but the family lives on a farm, with only half of the area designated as an evacuation area...

Markimdb: 6.1
Genrefantastic, comedy, drama
CountryJapan
Duration01:35

Saburo is a high school student good in sports, but not very good with his studies. One day, Saburo travels back in time and arrives in the Sengoku period of 1549. There, Saburo meets Nobunaga Oda who looks and sounds just like Saburo. Nobunaga Oda is the son of a warlord and magistrate of the lower Owari Province. Nobunaga Oda though is physically weak and he asks Saburo to take his place. Then, Saburo as Nobunaga Oda attempts to unify the country of Japan.

Markimdb: 7.1
Genremelodrama, drama
CountryJapan

I (Takumi Kitamura) am a high school student. I happen to find a diary by my classmate Sakura Yamauchi (Minami Hamabe) that reveals she is suffering from a pancreatic disease. I spent time with Sakura, but she dies. 12 years later, due to Sakura’s words, I (Shun Oguri) am now a high school teacher at the same school where I graduated from. While I talk with my student, I remember several months I spent with Sakura. Meanwhile, Kyoko (Keiko Kitagawa), who was Sakura’s friend, is soon to marry. Kyoko also recalls the days she spent with me and Sakura.

Markimdb: 6.3
Genrefantastic, drama, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan

A man is transported through time and space to a special starship, where he and 12 other people must work out what happened.

Markimdb: 6.6
Genrecomedy, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration02:45

The Private Aichi Symbiosis Academy was originally a high school for high-class girls. When it became co-ed, the girls, out of fear, asked to be permitted to bring weapons to school. When that was enforced, a five-member vigilante corps-like organization called the "Supreme Five Swords" was also formed.After many generations, the five swords eventually became a group which corrected problematic students, and the academy started proactively accepting such students in order to correct them.Nomura Fudou was sent to this school after being part of a huge brawl. What will he do when the only options he has after enrolling are being expelled from that school or being corrected the way the rest of the male students there were...by being forced to dress and act like a girl!




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