Japanese movies

List of the best Japanese movies selected by visitors to our site: Spirited Away, Shoplifters, Seven Samurai, HELLO WORLD, Your Name., Confessions, The Place Promised in Our Early Days, Rurouni Kenshin Part I: Origins, Summer Wars, Sonatine.

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

Markimdb: 8.6
Genrefantasy, adventure, family, cartoon, anime
CountryJapan
Duration02:05

    A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genredrama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:48

    After one of their shoplifting sessions, Osamu and his son come across a little girl in the freezing cold. At first reluctant to shelter the girl, Osamu’s wife agrees to take care of her after learning of the hardships she faces. Although the family is poor, barely making enough money to survive through petty crime, they seem to live happily together until an unforeseen incident reveals hidden secrets, testing the bonds that unite them.

    Markimdb: 8.6
    Genredrama, adventure
    CountryJapan
    Duration03:22

    A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food. A giant battle occurs when 40 bandits attack the village.

    Markimdb: 6.7
    Genrefantastic, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    Year 2027, The city of Kyoto has undergone tremendous advancement. Within the city lives Naomi Katagaki, an introvert and Ruri Ichigyō, a girl with a cold personality. Both share a love for reading books. Despite having similar interests, Naomi is afraid to approach Ruri due to her unfriendly nature. One day, as Naomi goes out for a walk, a crimson aurora pierces through the sky for a brief moment. Shortly after, he sees a three-legged crow and a mysterious man who reveals himself to be Naomi from 10 years in the future, explaining that he has come to change a tragic event that happens to Ruri shortly after they start dating. Naomi follows his future self's instructions and starts getting closer to Ruri, determined to save her. With the help of his future self, Naomi begins his preparations to save Ruri. Will he be able to change the future?

    Markimdb: 8.4
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:35

    High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genrethriller, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:46

    A psychological thriller of a grieving mother turned cold-blooded avenger with a twisty master plan to pay back those who were responsible for her daughter's death.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genrefantastic, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:31

    In a post-war alternative timeline, Japan is divided into the North, controlled by the Union, and the South, controlled by the United States. A mysterious high tower rises within the borders of the Union. Three high school students promise to cross the border with a self-built airplane and unravel the secret of the tower.

    Markimdb: 7.4
    Genreaction, melodrama, drama
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:14

    Former legendary assassin Kenshin Himura has now become a wandering samurai. Offering aid & protecting those in need as atonement for his past deeds. During this time Kenshin Himura comes across and aides Kaoru Kamiya (Emi Takei). Her father opened the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu, a kendo school located in Tokyo and Kaoru is now an instructor there. Kaoru then invites Kenshin to stay at her dojo. Their relationship develops further, but Kenshin is still haunted by his violent past...

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genrefantastic, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:54

    Kenji is your typical teenage misfit. He’s good at math, bad with girls, and spends most of his time out hanging out in the all-powerful online community known as OZ. His second life is the only life he has – until the girl of his dreams, Natsuki, hijacks him for a starring role as a fake fiancé at her family reunion. Things only get stranger from there. A late-night email containing a cryptic mathematic riddle leads to the unleashing of a rogue AI intent on using the virtual world of OZ to destroy the real world. As Armageddon looms on the horizon, Kenji and his new “family” set aside their differences and band together to save the worlds they inhabit in this "near-perfect blend of social satire and science fiction."

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genreaction, thriller, comedy, melodrama, drama, crime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:34

    Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with a few of his henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa to help end a gang war, supposedly to mediate between two warring clans. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and whilst wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, Murakawa's headquarters are bombed and he and his gang are ambushed in a bar.

    Markimdb: 7.6
    Genrefantasy, drama, crime, detective
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:06

    Light Yagami finds the "Death Note," a notebook with the power to kill, and decides to create a Utopia by killing the world's criminals, and soon the world's greatest detective, "L," is hired to find the mysterious murderer. An all out battle between the two greatest minds on earth begins and the winner will control the world.

    Markimdb: 7.4
    Genreaction, adventure
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:05

    A group of assassins come together for a suicide mission to kill an evil lord.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genredrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    A traveler is confronted by spirits in an abandoned shrine; a story of honor and firefighting in ancient Japan; a white bear defends the royal family from a monstrous red demon; ragtag soldiers battle a robotic force in futuristic Japan.

    Markimdb: 6.5
    Genreaction, drama, military, history
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:15

    Set in Qin Dynasty during the warring states period in ancient China. Shin was a war orphan. He has a dream of becoming a great general Shin has a fateful encounter with young King Eisei. King Eisei aims to unify all of China.

    Markimdb: 7.1
    Genrefantastic, melodrama, cartoon, short, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration00:25

    It is 2046 when a mysterious alien force begins their annihilation of the human race. Leaving behind the one person she loves, Mikako joins the interstellar battle as a pilot. And so - while Mikako risks her life to save mankind - Noboru waits. The two lovers, worlds apart, desperately strive to remain connected as the gap between them widens at a frightening pace.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genrefantastic, action, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:39

    Having gone to ground for two years, Cobra comes out of hiding after an encounter with the bounty hunter Jane Flower and is drawn into direct confrontation with the Galactic Guild, a vast criminal organization lead by Lord Necron, a macabre representation of re-animated death. On Jane's asking the duo travel to a prison planet called Seedo and Cobra breaks into the floating prison where Jane's sister Catherine is held, but the latter doesn't want to be saved... Jane and her identical sisters Catherine and Dominique are the embodiment of the future ruler of a freely wandering planet called Myras. Should they fall in love with the same man they will meld into a single body, forming the planet's queen. Said planet has recovered from a genocide bomb that wiped out its inhabitants, and they are ready to reclaim it. Necron, though, wants to take advantage of Myras' wandering nature to crash it into the seventh galaxy's principle supernova and obliterate all life.

    Markimdb: 6.9
    Genrefantastic, action, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:46

    Fourteen years after Third Impact, Shinji Ikari awakens to a world he does not remember. He hasn't aged. Much of Earth is laid in ruins, NERV has been dismantled, and people who he once protected have turned against him. Befriending the enigmatic Kaworu Nagisa, Shinji continues the fight against the angels and realizes the fighting is far from over, even when it could be against his former allies. The characters' struggles continue amidst the battles against the angels and each other, spiraling down to what could inevitably be the end of the world.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genrehorror, action
    CountryJapan

    Hideo Suzuki is a 35-year-old mangaka assistant, whose life seem to be stuck around his exhausting but low-paying job, unfulfilled dreams, strange hallucinations and unsatisfying relationships. He sees himself as a supporting character in his own life, has low self-esteem, resulting in frustration. One day, the world as Hideo knows it is shattered by the presence of a disease that turns people into homicidal maniacs, whose first instinct is to attack and devour the nearest human.

    Markimdb: 6.5
    Genreaction, thriller, drama, crime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:00

    Ichi is a blind entertainer that travels the countryside with her traditional Japanese guitar and walking stick. She’s in search for the kind man that brought her up as a child, but because of her beauty she encounters problems every step of the way. Fortunately for Ichi, she is also a gifted swordswoman and carries a lethal blade within her walking stick.

    Markimdb: 6.8
    Genredrama, detective
    CountryBelgium, France, United Kingdom, Japan
    Duration02:02

    A look inside an offbeat boarding school for young girls.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genrefantastic, cartoon, detective, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:30

    When a machine that allows therapists to enter their patient's dreams is stolen, all hell breaks loose. Only a young female therapist can stop it: Paprika.

    Markimdb: 7.6
    Genrefantasy, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:36

    Kyuta, a boy living in Shibuya, and Kumatetsu, a lonesome beast from Jutengai, an imaginary world. One day, Kyuta forays into the imaginary world and, as he's looking for his way back, meets Kumatetsu who becomes his spirit guide. That encounter leads them to many adventures.

    Markimdb: 7.5
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:03

    High school student Hodaka leaves his home on an isolated island and moves to Tokyo, but he immediately becomes broke. He lives his days in isolation, but finally finds a job as a writer for a shady occult magazine. After he starts his job, the weather has been rainy day after day. In a corner of the crowded and busy city, Hodaka meets a young woman named Hina. Due to certain circumstances, Hina and her younger brother live together, but have a cheerful and sturdy life. Hina also has a certain power: the power to stop the rain and clear the sky.

    Genredrama
    CountryJapan

    Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanja at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.

    Markimdb: 7.8
    Genredrama, cartoon, biography, history, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:06

    A lifelong love of flight inspires Japanese aviation engineer Jiro Horikoshi, whose storied career includes the creation of the A-6M World War II fighter plane.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan

    A youth romantic drama with themes of growing up, the story focuses on college student Tsuneo and dreamer Josee, who lives her life stuck in a wheelchair. Josee—named after the heroine in Françoise Sagan’s Wonderful Clouds—spends most of her days reading and painting until by chance she encounters Tsuneo, and decides it’s time to face the real world.

    Markimdb: 7.2
    Genredrama, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:56

    The film centers on Asuna, a young girl who spends her solitary days listening to the mysterious music emanating from the crystal radio she received from her late father as a memento. One day while walking home she is attacked by a fearsome monster and saved mysterious boy named Shun. However, Shun disappears and Asuna embarks on a journey of adventure to the land of Agartha with her teacher Mr. Morisaki to meet a Shun again. Through her journey she comes to know the cruelty and beauty of the world, as well as loss.

    Markimdb: 8.5
    Genredrama, cartoon, military, anime
    CountryJapan, USA
    Duration01:29

    In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

    Markimdb: 8.4
    Genrefantasy, drama, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:14

    Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Ainu tribe, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.

    Markimdb: 7.6
    Genrefantasy, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:30

    14-year-old Arrietty and the rest of the Clock family live in peaceful anonymity as they make their own home from items "borrowed" from the house's human inhabitants. However, life changes for the Clocks when a human boy discovers Arrietty.

    Markimdb: 7.7
    Genreaction, fantasy, comedy, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:52

    Two years after the events of the Fourth Great Ninja War, the moon that Hagoromo Otsutsuki created long ago to seal away the Gedo Statue begins to descend towards the world, threatening to become a meteor that would destroy everything on impact. Amidst this crisis, a direct descendant of Kaguya Otsutsuki named Toneri Otsutsuki attempts to kidnap Hinata Hyuga but ends up abducting her younger sister Hanabi. Naruto and his allies now mount a rescue mission before finding themselves embroiled in a final battle to decide the fate of everything.

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration00:45

    One hot summer day a little girl gets lost in an enchanted forest of the mountain god where spirits reside. A young boy appears before her, but she cannot touch him for fear of making him disappear. And so a wondrous adventure awaits...

    Markimdb: 8.2
    Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration02:32

    Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?

    Markimdb: 7.9
    Genrefantastic, action, thriller, cartoon, crime, detective, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:23

    In the year 2029, the barriers of our world have been broken down by the net and by cybernetics, but this brings new vulnerability to humans in the form of brain-hacking. When a highly-wanted hacker known as 'The Puppetmaster' begins involving them in politics, Section 9, a group of cybernetically enhanced cops, are called in to investigate and stop the Puppetmaster.

    Markimdb: 7.8
    Genrefantastic, action, comedy, drama, adventure, cartoon, crime, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:55

    The year is 2071. Following a terrorist bombing, a deadly virus is released on the populace of Mars and the government has issued the largest bounty in history, for the capture of whoever is behind it. The bounty hunter crew of the spaceship Bebop; Spike, Faye, Jet and Ed, take the case with hopes of cashing in the bounty. However, the mystery surrounding the man responsible, Vincent, goes deeper than they ever imagined, and they aren't the only ones hunting him.

    Markimdb: 8
    Genredrama, biography
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:47

    In 1924, Hidesaburō Ueno, a professor in the agriculture department at the University of Tokyo, took in Hachikō, a golden brown Akita, as a pet. During his owner's life, Hachikō walk with him in the morning and greeted him at the end of each day at the nearby Shibuya Station. The pair continued their daily routine until May 1925, when Professor Ueno did not return. The professor had suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage and died, never returning to the train station where Hachikō was waiting. Every day for the next nine years the dog waited at Shibuya station. Hachikō Monogatari is a melodramatic film that tells the true story of friendship, trust and affection of Japan's most faithful dog "Hachi", whose bronze statue, to this day, stands watch over Shibuya Station, Tokyo.

    Markimdb: 8.2
    Genrefantasy, melodrama, adventure, cartoon, anime
    CountryJapan
    Duration01:59

      When Sophie, a shy young woman, is cursed with an old body by a spiteful witch, her only chance of breaking the spell lies with a self-indulgent yet insecure young wizard and his companions in his legged, walking home.

      Markimdb: 7.5
      Genremelodrama, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration00:46

      Takao, who is training to become a shoemaker, skipped school and is sketching shoes in a Japanese-style garden. He meets a mysterious woman, Yukino, who is older than him. Then, without arranging the times, the two start to see each other again and again, but only on rainy days. They deepen their relationship and open up to each other. But the end of the rainy season soon approaches...

      Markimdb: 6.7
      Genrefantasy, melodrama, cartoon, music, anime
      CountryJapan

      High school student Aoi lives with her elder sister, Akane, after a tragic accident took their parents away 13 years ago. Because Akane has since been taking care of her single-handedly, Aoi wants to move to Tokyo after her graduation to relieve her sister's burden and pursue a musical career, inspired by Akane's ex-boyfriend Shinnosuke "Shinno" Kanamuro. Shinno was part of a band until he left for Tokyo to become a professional bassist after the sisters' parents passed away. One afternoon, while Aoi practices her guitar in a guest house, she gets startled by the 18-year-old version of Shinno from 13 years ago! As if by coincidence, the current 31-year-old Shinno also returns to the town, but he has changed drastically. There are now two Shinno's in existence, but why is the Shinno from the past present? The story revolves around these four individuals as they confront their inner feelings toward each other and make decisions that will affect their lives from here on out.

      Markimdb: 8.1
      Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:57

      After her werewolf lover unexpectedly dies in an accident, a woman must find a way to raise the son and daughter that she had with him. However, their inheritance of their father's traits prove to be a challenge for her.

      Markimdb: 7.4
      Genrefantasy, melodrama, drama, adventure, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:52

      A story of encounters and partings interwoven between people; this is a human drama with feelings that touch one's heart gradually, which everyone has experienced at least once.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genrefantastic, action, thriller, drama
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:54

      In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.

      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: 6.8
      Genrefantasy, adventure, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:12

      Mary Smith, a young girl who lives with her great-aunt in the countryside, follows a mysterious cat into the nearby forest where she finds a strange flower and an old broom, none of which is as ordinary as it seems.

      Markimdb: 7.6
      Genremelodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:03

      Takaki and Akari are two classmates in elementary school. During their time together they have become close friends. Their relationship is tested when Akari moves to another city because of her parents' jobs. Both of them struggle to keep their friendship alive, as time and distance slowly pulls them apart. When Takaki finds out that he is moving further away, he decides to visit Akari one last time.

      Markimdb: 7.7
      Genrefantastic, comedy, melodrama, drama, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:38

      When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to, quite literally, "leap" backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.

      Markimdb: 8.2
      Genreaction, fantasy, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan

      Tanjirō Kamado, joined with Inosuke Hashibira, a boy raised by boars who wears a boar's head, and Zenitsu Agatsuma, a scared boy who reveals his true power when he sleeps, boards the Infinity Train on a new mission with the Fire Hashira, Kyōjurō Rengoku, to defeat a demon who has been tormenting the people and killing the demon slayers who oppose it!

      Markimdb: 7.4
      Genrefantastic, action, fantasy, comedy, adventure, cartoon, detective, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:45

      Power users around the world are suddenly committing suicide one after another, in all cases after a strange fog appears at the scene. At a request from Ango Sakaguchi, the Armed Detective Agency head out to investigate Tatsuhiko Shibusawa, a power user who calls himself "collector," and a man suspected of being tied to the incident.

      Markimdb: 7.7
      Genrefantasy, adventure, family, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration01:41

      The son of a sailor, 5-year old Sosuke lives a quiet life on an oceanside cliff with his mother Lisa. One fateful day, he finds a beautiful goldfish trapped in a bottle on the beach and upon rescuing her, names her Ponyo. But she is no ordinary goldfish. The daughter of a masterful wizard and a sea goddess, Ponyo uses her father's magic to transform herself into a young girl and quickly falls in love with Sosuke, but the use of such powerful sorcery causes a dangerous imbalance in the world. As the moon steadily draws nearer to the earth and Ponyo's father sends the ocean's mighty waves to find his daughter, the two children embark on an adventure of a lifetime to save the world and fulfill Ponyo's dreams of becoming human.

      Markimdb: 8
      Genrefantastic, fantasy, adventure, family, cartoon, anime
      CountryJapan
      Duration02:04

      A young boy and a girl with a magic crystal must race against pirates and foreign agents in a search for a legendary floating castle.




      MoviesList