Popular from Japan
Pokémon
(ポケットモンスター サン&ムーン)
Join Ash Ketchum on his adventures of becoming a Pokémon Master!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Creator Satoshi Tajiri, Junichi Masuda, Ken Sugimori
- Cast Rica Matsumoto, Ikue Otani
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Netflix basic with Ads
Death Note
(DEATH NOTE)
A brilliant, cynical teenager holds the power of life and death, but his crusade for justice blurs the line between good and evil.
- Japan • 2006
- Creator
- Cast Mamoru Miyano, Noriko Hidaka, Nozomu Sasaki
- Genre Animation, Mystery
- Available on Vudu, Amazon Video, Apple TV, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Peacock, Freevee, Netflix basic with Ads, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Attack on Titan
(進撃の巨人)
When the human race is hunted nearly to extinction by giant monsters, a small group of humans fight back.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Creator
- Cast Yūki Kaji, Marina Inoue, Yui Ishikawa, Hiroshi Kamiya, Saki Fujita, Yoshimasa Hosoya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, War & Politics
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Cowboy Bebop
(カウボーイビバップ)
Amid rising crime rates across the solar system in 2071, bounty hunters, or "cowboys," chase criminals in exchange for rewards.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Creator Hajime Yatate
- Cast Koichi Yamadera, Unsho Ishizuka, Megumi Hayashibara, Aoi Tada
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Western
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Akira
(AKIRA
)
Neo-Tokyo is about to E.X.P.L.O.D.E.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Takashi Nakamura
- Cast Mitsuo Iwata, Nozomu Sasaki, Mami Koyama, Tesshou Genda, Hiroshi Ohtake, Kōichi Kitamura
- Genre Science Fiction, Animation
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Vudu
Seven Samurai
(七人の侍)
Seven samurai answer a village's request for protection after they lose their masters and fall on hard times.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katô
- Genre Action, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Delicious in Dungeon
(ダンジョン飯)
Adventurers become expert gastronomes as they turn dangerous monsters into delicious dishes.
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Cure
(キュア)
A detective and a psychologist must solve a series of murders, but this killing spree is beyond both their fields.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Tsuyoshi Ujiki, Anna Nakagawa, Yukijiro Hotaru, Yoriko Douguchi, Denden
- Genre Crime, Thriller, Horror, Mystery
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video
One Punch Man
(ワンパンマン)
Saitama can take out any opponent with one punch, but this immense power dims his passion for fighting.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2015
- Creator
- Cast Kazuhiro Yamaji, Yuichi Nakamura, Kenjiro Tsuda, Aoi Yuki, Hiroki Yasumoto
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Shoplifters
(万引き家族)
Sometimes it's better to choose your own family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV
13 Assassins
(十三人の刺客)
Take up your sword.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Kazue Fukiishi, Hiroki Matsukata
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Action
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, fuboTV, Peacock, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
Ghost in the Shell
(GHOST IN THE SHELL/攻殻機動隊
)
A group of cybernetically enhanced cops are called into a stop a biohacking threat.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 1995
- Director Mamoru Oshii
- Cast Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Iemasa Kayumi, Kouichi Yamadera, Yutaka Nakano, Tesshou Genda
- Genre Action, Animation, Science Fiction
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand, Tubi TV, Freevee
Spirited Away
(千と千尋の神隠し)
A ten-year-old girl must save her parents from hostile spirits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2001
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki, Bunta Sugawara, Yumi Tamai, Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Godzilla
(ゴジラ)
A 164-foot-tall monster near Odo Island in Japan goes on a rampage that threatens the entire world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1954
- Director Ishirō Honda
- Cast Akira Takarada, Momoko Kôchi, Akihiko Hirata, Takashi Shimura, Fuyuki Murakami, Sachio Sakai
- Genre Horror, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Vudu, Amazon Video, Crackle, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, Plex,
Howl's Moving Castle
(ハウルの動く城)
A young woman cursed with old age seeks the help of an insecure magician and his companions, who live in a moving castle.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2004
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa, Tatsuya Gashūin, Ryunosuke Kamiki
- Genre Fantasy, Animation, Adventure
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
New from Japan
Nightwalker: Midnight Detective
(Night Walker -真夜中の探偵-)
A private eye-turned vampire must face demonic creatures known as the Nightbreed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1998
- Creator Ayana Itsuki
- Cast Emi Shinohara, Takumi Yamazaki, Maaya Sakamoto, Toshihiko Seki
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Pluto TV
Promare
(プロメア)
A young hero's burning desire to protect humanity from the threat of fire wielding mutants.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Hiroyuki Imaishi
- Cast Kenichi Matsuyama, Taichi Saotome, Masato Sakai, Ayane Sakura, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Tetsu Inada
- Genre Animation, Action, Science Fiction
- Available on Hoopla, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Blue Exorcist
(青の祓魔師)
Rin follows the path of an exorcist to defeat his demon father.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2011
- Creator Tensai Okamura, Ryota Yamaguchi
- Cast Jun Fukuyama
- Genre Animation, Comedy, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Broker
(브로커)
Two brokers set out boxes for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2022
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona, IU, Lee Joo-young, Park Ji-yong
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Revolutionary Girl Utena
(少女革命ウテナ)
A student who strives to be a prince fights to protect the Rose Bride.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1997
- Creator Kunihiko Ikuhara, Yoji Enokido
- Cast Yuri Shiratori
- Genre Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Tomo-chan Is a Girl!
(トモちゃんは女の子!)
Tomo is head-over-heels for her childhood best friend, who only sees her as "one of the boys.”
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2023
- Creator
- Cast Rie Takahashi, Kaito Ishikawa, Rina Hidaka, Sally Amaki, Kohei Amasaki, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
100 Yen Love
(百円の恋)
A 30 year old slacker working at a 100 yen shop starts training at a boxing gym.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2014
- Director Masaharu Take
- Cast Sakura Ando, Hirofumi Arai, Saori Koide, Miyoko Inagawa, Ito Yozaburo, Tadashi Sakata
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Film Movement Plus
Once Upon a Time... Life
(Il était une fois… la Vie)
A fun mix of relatable humor and expert explanations, this educational series explores human biology through its colorful cast of animated cells and organs.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Japan, Canada • 1987
- Creator Albert Barillé
- Cast Roger Carel, Gilles Laurent, Marie-Laure Beneston, Alain Dorval, Henry Djanik
- Genre Animation, Documentary, Family
- Available on Pantaflix
Inu-oh
(犬王)
A cursed dancer and a musician stun society with electrifying concerts.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, China • 2022
- Director Masaaki Yuasa
- Cast Avu-chan, Mirai Moriyama, Tasuku Emoto, Kenjiro Tsuda, Yutaka Matsushige, Kuroemon Katayama
- Genre Animation, Drama, Music
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Redbox
Cowboy Bebop: The Movie
(カウボーイビバップ 天国の扉)
The crew of the spaceship Bebop must stop a terrorist from destroying the human population of Mars.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2001
- Director Shinichiro Watanabe
- Cast Kouichi Yamadera, Unsho Ishizuka, Aoi Tada, Ai Kobayashi, Megumi Hayashibara
- Genre Action, Animation, Science Fiction
- Available on Tubi TV
King of Thorn
(いばらの王 -King of Thorn-)
What would happen if you could turn imagination into reality?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2009
- Director Kazuyoshi Katayama
- Cast Kana Hanazawa, Kohsei Hirota, Misaki Kuno, Tsutomu Isobe, Sayaka Ohara, Ayako Kawasumi
- Genre Animation, Fantasy, Science Fiction
- Available on Crunchyroll
One Piece
(ワンピース)
A pirate boy and crew set out to find a mysterious treasure that will allow him to become the pirate king.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1999
- Creator
- Cast Mayumi Tanaka, Kazuya Nakai, Akemi Okamura, Kappei Yamaguchi, Hiroaki Hirata, Yuriko Yamaguchi
- Genre Action & Adventure, Comedy, Animation
- Available on Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Hoopla, Crunchyroll, Pluto TV, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Weathering with You
(天気の子)
Hodaka runs away from home to rainy Tokyo and meets a young girl with a mysterious and magical power.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Director Makoto Shinkai
- Cast Kotaro Daigo, Nana Mori, Tsubasa Honda, Sakura Kiryu, Sei Hiraizumi, Yūki Kaji
- Genre Animation, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
- Available on Hoopla, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Wolf Children
(おおかみこどもの雨と雪)
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.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2012
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa, Haru Kuroki, Yukito Nishii, Momoka Ohno, Amon Kabe
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Shin Kamen Rider
(シン・仮面ライダー)
SHOCKER, a sinister organization that transforms humans into synthetic animal hybrids, threatens to conquer humanity.
- Japan • 2023
- Director Hideaki Anno
- Cast Sosuke Ikematsu, Minami Hamabe, Tasuku Emoto, Shinya Tsukamoto, Toru Tezuka, Suzuki Matsuo
- Genre Action, Science Fiction
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Telescope Recommends
3-Iron
(빈집)
A young man rides around Seoul entering empty apartments, eating residents' food, and completing housework before he leaves.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea, Japan • 2004
- Director Kim Ki-duk
- Cast Lee Seung-yeon, Jae Hee, Kwon Hyuk-ho, Choi Jeong-ho, Lee Mi-suk, Lee Ju-seok
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV
Shoplifters
(万引き家族)
Sometimes it's better to choose your own family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Lily Franky, Sakura Ando, Mayu Matsuoka, Jyo Kairi, Miyu Sasaki, Kirin Kiki
- Genre Crime, Drama
- Available on Hulu, Hoopla, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV
Whisperer of the Heart
(耳をすませば)
Shizuki lives a simple life, dominated by her love of stories and writing, until one day she meets her “Prince of Books.”
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1995
- Director Yoshifumi Kondou
- Cast Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi, Keiju Kobayashi
- Genre Animation, Drama, Family
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Belle
(竜とそばかすの姫)
Wallflower Suzu makes it big as a singer when she enters a mysterious virtual world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Kaho Nakamura, Ryo Narita, Shota Sometani, Tina Tamashiro, Lilas Ikuta, Ryoko Moriyama
- Genre Animation, Drama, Music, Science Fiction
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox
Samurai Rebellion
(上意討ち 拝領妻始末)
Isaburo Sasahara is an aging swordsman living a quiet life until his clan lord orders that his son marry the lord's mistress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1967
- Director Masaki Kobayashi
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Gō Katō, Tatsuyoshi Ehara, Etsuko Ichihara, Isao Yamagata
- Genre Action, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, FlixFling
Castle in the Sky
(天空の城ラピュタ)
Two kids race to find a lost civilization and keep a magic crystal out of the wrong hands.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1986
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Keiko Yokozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Minori Terada, Kotoe Hatsui, Fujio Tokita, Ichirō Nagai
- Genre Adventure, Fantasy, Animation, Action, Family, Romance
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind
(風の谷のナウシカ)
A young girl's love called forth miracles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 1984
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Sumi Shimamoto, Ichirō Nagai, Gorō Naya, Yōji Matsuda, Yoshiko Sakakibara, Iemasa Kayumi
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
An Autumn Afternoon
(秋刀魚の味)
An aging widower arranges a marriage for his only daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1962
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Shima Iwashita, Keiji Sada, Mariko Okada, Teruo Yoshida, Noriko Maki
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Plex,
Porco Rosso
(紅の豚)
When pigs fly...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1992
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Shûichirô Moriyama, Tokiko Katô, Sanshi Katsura, Tsunehiko Kamijô, Akemi Okamura, Akio Otsuka
- Genre Comedy, Animation, Adventure
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Ponyo
(崖の上のポニョ)
A fish makes herself human to return to a boy on land, but she must fix the disastrous consequences of her magic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2008
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, George Tokoro, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Yuki Amami, Kazushige Nagashima
- Genre Animation, Family
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Children of Hiroshima
(原爆の子)
Schoolteacher Takako Ishikawa returns to her hometown of Hiroshima four years after the US dropped the atomic bomb.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1952
- Director Kaneto Shindō
- Cast Nobuko Otowa, Osamu Takizawa, Masao Shimizu, Jukichi Uno, Akira Yamanouchi, Jun Tatara
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Tubi TV
The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness
(夢と狂気の王国)
A year inside the magical world of Studio Ghibli.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2013
- Director Mami Sunada
- Cast Hideaki Anno, John Lasseter, Hayao Miyazaki, Toshio Suzuki, Isao Takahata
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV
The Face of Another
(他人の顔)
A man with a disfigured face obtains a lifelike mask from his doctor, but the mask starts altering his personality.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1966
- Director Hiroshi Teshigahara
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Machiko Kyō, Mikijiro Hira, Kyōko Kishida, Eiji Okada, Miki Irie
- Genre Drama, Science Fiction
- Available on Criterion Channel
Kagemusha
(影武者)
A petty thief must impersonate a powerful warlord in order to lead his troops to battle.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 1980
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Jinpachi Nezu, Takashi Shimura, Kenichi Hagiwara
- Genre Action, Drama, History, War
- Available on fuboTV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, AMC on Demand
I Was Born, But...
(大人の見る繪本 生れてはみたけれど)
In moving to a new town, two young brothers come of age when faced with new social and class struggles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1932
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Tomio Aoki, Tatsuo Saitô, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Hideo Sugawara, Takeshi Sakamoto, Teruyo Hayami
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Oscar Season: Koji Yakusho
13 Assassins
(十三人の刺客)
Take up your sword.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2010
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Gorô Inagaki, Kazue Fukiishi, Hiroki Matsukata
- Genre Adventure, Drama, Action
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, fuboTV, Peacock, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Redbox, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Kanopy, Plex,
Pension Metsa
(ペンションメッツァ)
A woman named Tenko runs a pension alone in a beautiful forest in Nagano, and makes conversation with her guests.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Creator
- Cast Satomi Kobayashi, Koji Yakusho, Shizuka Ishibashi, Bengal, Yuka Itaya, Takashi Yamanaka
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Mhz Choice
The Boy and the Beast
(バケモノの子)
A lonesome beast and an orphan boy join forces in this heartfelt coming-of-age film.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2015
- Director Mamoru Hosoda
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shota Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano
- Genre Action, Adventure, Animation, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Apple TV
The Blood of Wolves
(孤狼の血)
Detective Shogo Ogami and his rookie partner Shuichi Hioka investigate mysterious disappearances amidst a growing yakuza turf war.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Kazuya Shiraishi
- Cast Kōji Yakusho, Tori Matsuzaka, Yoko Maki, Kenichi Takitoh, Takuma Otoo, Joey Iwanaga
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Shudder, AMC+ Amazon Channel
Tokyo Sonata
(トウキョウソナタ)
When Megumi accidentally finds out Ryûhei's secret and doesn't tell him, her trust in him, and their marriage, suffers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Netherlands, Hong Kong • 2008
- Director Kiyoshi Kurosawa
- Cast Teruyuki Kagawa, Kyoko Koizumi, Kai Inowaki, Yū Koyanagi, Koji Yakusho, Haruka Igawa
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Tubi TV
Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai
(一命)
Love. Honor. Revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United Kingdom • 2011
- Director Takashi Miike
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Naoto Takenaka, Eita, Hikari Mitsushima, Ebizo Ichikawa, Kazuki Namioka
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla, Vudu, Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, Kanopy, Plex,
The Last Ronin
(最後の忠臣蔵)
An army of loyal samurai plot to revenge their unjustly executed lord.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2010
- Director Shigemichi Sugita
- Cast Koji Yakusho, Koichi Sato, Nanami Sakuraba, Koji Yamamoto, Jun Fubuki, Kunie Tanaka
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Tubi TV
Tampopo
(タンポポ)
Two Japanese truck drivers help a widowed restaurant owner learn to cook amazing ramen noodles.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1985
- Director Juzo Itami
- Cast Tsutomu Yamazaki, Nobuko Miyamoto, Ken Watanabe, Koji Yakusho, Rikiya Yasuoka, Hyôe Enoki
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, YouTube
The Third Murder
(三度目の殺人)
Everyone has a truth they want to believe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2017
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Masaharu Fukuyama, Koji Yakusho, Shinnosuke Mitsushima, Mikako Ichikawa, Izumi Matsuoka, Isao Hashizume
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Classic Films from Japan
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(女が階段を上る時)
A middle-aged bar hostess, constantly in debt, is faced with numerous social constraints and challenges.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Katō, Ganjirô Nakamura II
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Stray Dog
(野良犬)
During a sweltering summer, a rookie detective searches Tokyo’s streets for his stolen Colt pistol.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Keiko Awaji, Eiko Miyoshi, Noriko Sengoku, Noriko Honma
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on fuboTV, Criterion Channel, Crackle, Tubi TV, Plex,
Woman in the Dunes
(砂の女)
An entomologist suffers extreme psychological and sexual torture after being taken captive by the residents of a poor seaside village.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1964
- Director Hiroshi Teshigahara
- Cast Eiji Okada, Kyôko Kishida, Ginzô Sekiguchi, Kôji Mitsui, Sen Yano
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Yearning
(乱れる)
After a bombing raid destroys the family store, Reiko rebuilds and runs the shop out of love stopped short by destruction.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1964
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Yûzô Kayama, Mitsuko Kusabue, Mie Hama, Aiko Mimasu, Yû Fujiki
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Floating Weeds
(浮草)
Members of a traveling theater troupe meddle in the personal life of the troupe's leader.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Ganjiro Nakamura, Machiko Kyō, Hiroshi Kawaguchi, Ayako Wakao, Haruko Sugimura, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
Early Summer
(麦秋)
28-year-old Noriko's parents pressure her to marry in postwar Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1951
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Setsuko Hara, Chishū Ryū, Chikage Awashima, Kuniko Miyake, Ichirô Sugai, Chieko Higashiyama
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV
The Naked Island
(裸の島)
The only inhabitants of a small island in the Seto Inland Sea struggle to get by.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Kaneto Shindō
- Cast Nobuko Otowa, Taiji Tonoyama, Shinji Tanaka, Masanori Horimoto
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Vudu, Amazon Video, YouTube
Dragnet Girl
(非常線の女)
In this silent gangster film, a career criminal is drawn to a sweet, strait-laced girl much to the ire of his longtime moll.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1933
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Kinuyo Tanaka, Joji Oka, Sumiko Mizukubo, Kōji Mitsui, Yumeko Aizome, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Crime, Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Immortal Love
(永遠の人)
While her fiancée is away fighting, a woman is raped by a landowner's son and forced into marriage.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1961
- Director Keisuke Kinoshita
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Keiji Sada, Tatsuya Nakadai, Nobuko Otowa, Akira Ishihama, Masakazu Tamura
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
Street of Shame
(赤線地帯)
The daily personal dramas of five women employed as sex workers in Tokyo’s Yoshiwara district.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1956
- Director Kenji Mizoguchi
- Cast Machiko Kyō, Aiko Mimasu, Ayako Wakao, Michiyo Kogure, Kumeko Urabe, Yasuko Kawakami
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Floating Clouds
(浮雲)
Returning to Japan following WWII, Yukiko hopes to continue an affair started during wartime, but realizes the man won’t divorce his wife.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1955
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Mariko Okada, Isao Yamagata, Chieko Nakakita, Daisuke Katō
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel
High and Low
(天国と地獄)
A wealthy executive becomes the victim of an extortion plot after his chauffeur’s son is kidnapped.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1963
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi, Isao Kimura, Kenjirō Ishiyama
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Tokyo Twilight
(東京暮色)
Two sisters discover the existence of their long-lost mother, but the younger cannot take the truth of being abandoned as a child.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1957
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Setsuko Hara, Ineko Arima, Chishū Ryū, Isuzu Yamada, Teiji Takahashi, Masami Taura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Tubi TV
A Man Vanishes
(人間蒸発)
This riveting documentary chronicles the missing-person’s case of Tadashi, a Japanese businessman who has vanished into thin air.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1967
- Director Shōhei Imamura
- Cast Yoshie Hayakawa, Shōhei Imamura, Shigeru Tsuyuguchi
- Genre Documentary, Drama
- Available on OVID, Apple TV