Plan to Watch Japanese Movies

Set in the 1960's, high school student Watanabe Toru loses his only friend Kizuki after he commits suicide. Toru, now looking for a new life, enters a university in Tokyo. By chance, Toru meets Kizuki's ex-girlfriend Naoko in the university. They grow close because they both share the same loss. As Toru and Naoko grow even closer, Naoko's sense of loss also grows. After Naoko's 20th birthday, she leaves for a sanitarium in Kyoto. Toru, devastated by the situation, meets pure-hearted Midori during the spring semester. Midori looks like a small animal that just came into the world.  

The story follows seven friends and how a few stay back in their hometown Maebashi, while others go to Tokyo to pursue their dreams.  

Takatoshi Minamiyama majors in art at an university in Kyoto. On the train to the school, he sees Emi Fukuju and falls in love with her at first sight. Gathering up all his courage, he speaks to her. They begin to date and enjoy happy days together, but Emi reveals her secret to him. - Based on the novel "Boku wa Ashita, Kinou no Kimi to Date Suru" by Takafumi Nanatsuki

Born with a hearing impairment, Shigeru is a part timer working for the sanitation service. His girlfriend Takako has the same condition as well. On his usual pickup route, Shigeru finds a broken surf-board in a pile of garbage. His introduction to the world of surfing. Shigeru fails in his attempt to catch a wave. Takako looks on as the locals heckle the first time surfer. Un-hindered by the world around them, Shigeru and Takako commute to the beach every day. Impressed by Shigeru's determination, owner of a surf shop hands Shigeru a wet suit and an entry form to a contest. Ironically, Shigeru is disqualified from the contest for missing the announcement. Not to be discouraged, Shigeru's love for surfing consumes everything around him. He is able to fit in with the local crowd and even finish respectably at the second contest. Summer comes to an end and the cold wind starts to blow between Shigeru and Takako...  

Three tales about enigmatic strangers entering into the lives of trusting citizens play out in three different Japanese cities, hinting at a connection to a grisly home invasion homicide in the Tokyo metro area.

Teruko is a 28-year-old Office Lady. Five months ago, she fell in love with Mamoru at first sight. Since that time, she does not have the slightest care about her work or her friends. Unsurprisingly, she then loses her job and her friends start ignoring her. Yet, Teruko is happy as long as she is with Mamoru. Meanwhile, Mamoru thinks Teruko is an easy woman for him to not love. Teruko’s unrequited love grows deeper.

Asako is a 21-year-old woman, living in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, who has a free spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo, and she meets Ryouhei. He looks just like her ex-boyfriend Baku, but he has a completely different personality. Ryouhei is a salaryman, with a sincere personality. Asako falls in love with Ryouhei.  

Yashima is a woman and works as a plumber. She is also uncomfortable with her own sexuality. One day, she visits a home for a job and she meets Kyu. Yashima senses Kyu's eyes watching her. They become intimate, but a dark secret is soon revealed

In Tokyo, Chiwawa is a popular girl. One day, her dead body is found in Tokyo Bay. Her body are in pieces. Chiwawa's friends gather to remember her, but they realize they do not know anything about her like her real name or her background.  

Romance develops between Hachi and TRAPNEST's bassist Takumi as well as with the Black Stones' guitarist Nobu. Meanwhile, Nana works hard for her band while trying to find happiness. Both girls struggle through life, and try to keep their friendship from falling apart. 

During the spring of her 16th year, Takamiya Naho receives a letter from her future self. Upon reading the initial page of the letter, her class was introduced to a transfer student from Tokyo named Naruse Kakeru. The letter she realized was an account of the things her future self had experienced and regretted the most. Frightened, she tries to avoid reading further, but as her interests towards Kakeru bloom, Naho eventually decides to encourage him. Naho, together with the help of her friends, Suwa, Chino, Hagita, and Azusa do their best to avoid having the same regrets their future self had and heals Kakeru from his desolation and self-blame.

Casshern is based on a Japanese TV-series. In this movie, the viewer is transported into the future where the world has just seen a big war between an army from the East and an army from Europe. The East won, even though there are still rebellious factions that try to overthrow the government. The war has ravaged the world, and more than ever there is a need for peace and harmony. A scientist is conducting research into a new technology, that can rejuvante bodies and make mankind feel more alive again. The government is not interested in this technology, since they fear it could endanger their position, and the scientist is forced to work together with a sinister organization. As you can probably guess, something goes wrong and before you know it a group of all-powerful superhumans roam the planet, intent on destroying everything and everybody, so that they can rebuild the planet from the ground up. Enter Casshern, the son of the scientist responsible for these problems. He had died during the war, but his body came back to life in the same way the superhumans did. He gets a special super-armor in order to fight the superhumans and battle commences, especially when he discovers that the superhumans are for some reason holding his mother hostage.

A violent romantic-comedy set in a rural town that is the subject of urban legend. In a rural town there is an urban legend which says, "the person who is offered companionship by a man dressed as a woman will be killed by that man should the person refuse". (Tanaka Shunsuke) hides a secret about his past while living in this town. One day, a man dressed as a woman just as the legend says appears before him. Before long, the residents of the town are embroiled in an uproar.

Suguri Toko is married and they have a lovely daughter.  She doesn't have any major problems in her life. One day, Toko meets her ex-lover Kurata Akihiko at a friend's wedding. They haven't seen each other in 10 years. Toko indulges in a sexual relationship with Akihiko.

Under a full moon. seven friends dine together when the therapist among them suggests that if smartphone messages and e-mails were made public, not many relationships could survive the secrets that they keep.. Intrigued, and with nothing to hide, the assembled guests, consisting of three couples and one single, unlock their telephones and the game begins, As the evening unfolds, it becomes clear the lives of the participants have three realms-the public one, the private one and the oh-so secret one... What price will a round of full disclosure cost their relationships?

Kaori lost her eyesight and family in an accident. While trying to enjoy the small things in her life, Kaori struggles to live happily. Kaori mistakes Rui for someone else and begins to talk to him. Rui was once a promising kickboxer, but something happened in his past to cause him to disassociate himself from everyone. Kaori's smile brings out a change in Rui. The two people begin to have feelings for each other, but Rui learns about Kaori's past accident and his connection. Rui decides to take part in an underground fight to pay for Kaori's eye surgery.

Yuna and Akari are two high school girls with very different views on love: Yuna dreams about romance through rose-coloured glasses, while Akari is down-to-earth and practical. Meanwhile, high school boys Kazuomi and Rio also have different views on love: Kazuomi is an airhead who can't grasp the concept of love, while Rio grabs onto any confession as an opportunity—so long as the girl looks cute. Will these four classmates end up leading a youthful romance that meets their expectations?

Mitsuya Majime is an unsuccessful salesman. But his love of reading and dedication, as well as a post-graduate degree in linguistics, catches the eyes of Masashi Nishioka and Kouhei Araki, dictionary editors who are seeking a replacement for Araki himself, as his wife is sick and he would like to spend more time by her bedside. With Majime on the editing team, the group plans to produce a new dictionary called "Daitokai" (The Great Passage) which would bridge the gap between people and the sea of words and would take years to complete. Back at his home, the Sou-Un-Sou Rooming House, Majime meets Kaguya Hayashi, his landlady's granddaughter who has just returned from culinary school. He is struck by her beauty. Upon discovering this, the chief editor Matsumoto asks Majime to write the definition for the word "Love".

A group of high school students are forced into a game where they are hypnotized to commit suicide on an unknown command. Where no one is safe from a sudden death, how can they avoid their fates?

In order to pay back her family's debts, Ranko Takano takes part in a game assembling only the strongest survivors of past Werewolf Games. However, a new system is introduced which throws players into confusion. 

This werewolf game corrals together high school students, who are split into "villagers" and "wolves" and kill each other with the survivor getting 100 million yen. Akari (Kojima Riria) finds herself in the game and figures out that someone is doing surveillance and plans to escape.

Min moves to Japan following his professor father. One day at a local shrine, he meets a beautiful, long-haired Japanese girl with innocent eyes. Her name is Nanae, and she is an aspiring painter. Min falls for her at first sight. He longs for her but soon learns that Nanae attends the same school to which Min has just transferred. Min befriends Nanae, and despite the cultural and language barriers, they become fast friends, taking in the famous sites of Kyoto. Their feelings for each other grow, and on a visit to a ceramic store, Nanae promises some day to paint Min's portrait on the pottery that is made by him. Min continues to learn the craft from his father, and he comes to realize that he has to put all of his heart, the kind of love he feels for Nanae, into making the pottery for it not to crack. Because of his grandmother's sudden illness, Min has to return to Korea to be with her. He cannot get in touch with Nanae, and he becomes anxious. After his grandmother regains her health, he hurries back to Japan to look for Nanae, but she is nowhere to be found. Have his true feelings for Nanae not reached her? Why has Nanae disappeared without a word?

An elder ronin samurai arrives at a feudal lord's home and requests an honorable place to commit suicide. But when the ronin inquires about a younger samurai who arrived before him things take an unexpected turn.

Follows the 10-year romance between Yano Motoharu and Takahashi Nanami. During their high school days, Yano Motoharu was the most popular boy in school, but can't get over the death of his girlfriend from a car crash. Takahashi Nanami falls in love with Yano Motoharu and must deal with his inability to let go of the past.  

Yutaka is assigned to work in Bangkok before getting married to his fiancee. There he meets the attractive Toko and the two spend an unforgettable four months together. Just when Yutaka realizes that he has true feelings for Toko, she leaves him. 25 years later, however, they still cannot forget the time they spent together.  

The film opens on a woodcutter and a priest sitting beneath the Rajomon city gate to stay dry in a downpour. A commoner joins them and they tell him that they have witnessed a disturbing story, which they then begin recounting to him. The woodcutter claims he found the body of a murdered samurai three days earlier while looking for wood in the forest; upon discovering the body, he says, he fled in a panic to notify the authorities. The priest says that he saw the samurai with his wife traveling the same day the murder happened. Both men were then summoned to testify in court, where they met the captured bandit Tajomaru, who claimed responsibility for killing the samurai and raping his wife.  

Tsunoda Yu and Yoko meet under the most unusual of circumstances. After Yu loses a bet with his friends he agrees to go into the city dressed as a woman and kiss the first woman he sees. When they go into the city Yu and his friends comes across a young teenage girl named Yoko who is surrounded by a group of thugs. Yu, still dressed as a woman, then helps Yoko beat up the gang of thugs. Afterwards Yu kisses Yoko and runs away. Yu for the first time falls in love with a girl, but Yoko falls in love with the woman in drag known only as Miss Scorpion. Meanwhile, Yu is being followed by Koike Aya, a member of the cult group "Zero Church." Koike Aya devises a plan to bring Yu's entire family into the "Zero Church," but first she will gain the favor of Yoko by masquerading as Miss Scorpion.

Sanada is an alcoholic doctor in postwar Japan who treats a young, small-time hood named Matsunaga, after a gunfight with a rival syndicate. The doctor diagnoses the young gangster with tuberculosis, and convinces him to begin treatment and quit boozing and womanizing. The two enjoy an uneasy friendship until the gangster's former boss, Okada, who is also the former abusive boyfriend of the doctor's female assistant, is released from prison and seeks to take his gang over once again.  

Shuhei Hirayama is a widower with a 24-year-old daughter. Gradually, he comes to realize that she should not be obliged to look after him for the rest of his life, so he arranges a marriage for her.  

Her abusive husband is dead, killed by her lesbian friend who’d do anything for her. Now they’re running for their lives.  

An elderly couple, Shukichi and Tomi Hirayama, leaves their small coastal village in southern Japan to visit their married children in Tokyo. Their eldest son, Koichi, a doctor running a clinic in a working-class part of town, is too busy to show them around town, and their eldest  daughter is occupied with her beauty salon. Only their widowed daughter-in-law, Noriko, played memorably by Setsuko Hara, is willing to take time off work to show the couple the sights of Tokyo. The older children arrange for their parents to visit Atami Hot Springs.

A poor village under attack by bandits recruits seven unemployed samurai to help them defend themselves.   Seven Samurai (七人の侍, Shichinin no Samurai) is a 1954 Japanese adventure drama film co-written, edited, and directed by Akira Kurosawa. The film takes place in Warring States Period in Japan (around 1587/1588). It follows the story of a village of farmers that hire seven masterless samurai (ronin) to combat bandits who will return after the harvest to steal their crops. Seven Samurai is described as one of the greatest and most influential films ever made, and is one of a select few Japanese films to become widely known in the West for an extended period of time. It is the subject of both popular and critical acclaim; it was voted onto Sight & Sound's list of the ten greatest films of all time in 1982, and to the directors' top ten films in the 1992 and 2002 polls.

Kaji married his sweetheart Michiko despite his misgivings about the future. The couple then move to a large mining operation in Japanese-colonized Manchuria where Kaji is a labor supervisor assigned to a workforce of Chinese prisoners

Noriko is 27 years old and is still living with her father Somiya, a widower. Noriko just recovered from an illness she developed in the war, and now the important question pops up: when will Noriko start thinking about marriage? Everybody who is important in her life tries to talk her into it: her father, her aunt, a girlfriend. But Noriko doesn't want to get married, she seems extremely happy with her life. She wants to stay with her father to take care of him. After all, she knows best of his manners and peculiarities. But Noriko's aunt doesn't want to give up. She arranges a partner for her and thinks of a plan that will convince Noriko her father can be left alone.  

This is the story of Mama, a.k.a. Keiko, a middle-aged hostess who must choose to either get married or buy a bar of her own. Her family hounds her for money, her customers for her attention, and she is continually in debt. The life of a hostess is examined as well as the way in which the system traps and sometimes kills those in it.

High and low is a 1963 film directed by Akira Kurosawa, starring Toshiro Mifune, Tatsuya Nakadai and Kyōko Kagawa. It was loosely based on King's Ransom, an 87th Precinct police procedural by Ed McBain.(wikipedia)  "High and Low" focuses on Kingo Gondo (Toshiro Mifune), a powerhouse executive in the Japanese shoe industry. In the midst of an attempt to take over his company, a proposition that throws him in hock down to his own furniture, he's hit by a huge ransom demand, with a twist -- the kidnaper (Tsutomu Yamazaki) takes, not his own son, but his chauffeur's. (

At the end of World War II, in Burma, Private Mizushima is a harp player in his platoon. When he is separated from his fellow soldiers and believed to be dead, Mizushima disguises himself as a Buddist monk and finds spiritual enlightenment.  

The film follows Yukiko Koda, a woman who has just returned to Japan from French Indochina, where she has been working as a secretary. Yukiko seeks out Kengo, with whom she had an affair in Da Lat during the war. They renew their affair, but Kengo tells Yukiko he is unable to leave his wife. Brightly lit flashback of their time in Indochina contrasts with the sombre tones of the film's present.  

In this cool, seductive jewel of the Japanese New Wave, a yakuza, fresh out of prison, becomes entangled with a beautiful and enigmatic gambling addict; what at first seems a redemptive relationship ends up leading him further down the criminal path. Bewitchingly shot and edited, and laced with a fever-dream-like score by Toru Takemitsu, this gangster romance was a breakthrough for the idiosyncratic Masahiro Shinoda. The pitch-black Pale Flower (Kawaita hana) is an unforgettable excursion into the underworld.  

An amateur entomologist searching for insects by the sea is trapped by local villagers into living with a mysterious woman who spends almost all her time preventing her home from being swallowed up by advancing sand dunes. The woman and the trapped man begin a strange and erotic relationship that stretches over years, as the man's hope for escape dims.  

Generals Miki and Washizu are Samurai commanders under a local lord, Lord Tsuzuki, who reigns in the castle of the Spider's Web Forest. After defeating the lord's enemies in battle, they return to Tsuzuki's castle. On their way through the thick forest surrounding the castle, they meet a spirit, who foretells their future. The spirit tells them that today Washizu will be named Lord of the Northern Garrison and Miki will now be commander of the first fortress. She then foretells that Washizu will eventually become Lord of Spiderweb Castle, and finally she tells Miki that his son will also become lord of the castle. When the two return to Tsuzuki's estate, he rewards them with exactly what the spirit had predicted. As Washizu discusses this with Asaji, his wife, she manipulates him into making the second part of the prophecy come true by killing Tsuzuki when he visits. Washizu kills him with the help of his wife, who gives drugged sake to the lord's guards, causing them to fall asleep. When Washizu returns in shock at his deed, Asaji grabs the bloody spear and puts it in the hands of one of the three unconscious guards. She then yells "murder" through the courtyard, and Washizu slays the guard before he has a chance to plead his innocence.  

Chronological exploits of Iwao Enokizu, a murderous thief on the lam.  

A very hot day in Tokyo. Someone stole from a young detective his gun. What will happen next? Will it be used for a crime? After "Drunken Angel" next noir film directed by Kurosawa Akira.  

It is a black-and-white film directed by Kenji Mizoguchi starring Kinuyo Tanaka as Oharu, a one-time concubine of a daimyo (and mother of a later daimyo) who struggles to escape the stigma of having been sold into prostitution by her father. It is based on a novel by Ihara Saikaku.  

In 17th century Kyoto, Osan is married to Ishun, a wealthy miserly scroll-maker. When Osan is falsely accused of having an affair with the best worker, Mohei, the pair flee the city and declare their love for each other. Ishun orders his men to find them, and separate them to avoid public humiliation.  

Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence. Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals the trio’s horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba is a singular cinematic experience.  

Deep within the wind-swept marshes of war-torn medieval Japan, an impoverished mother and her daughter-in-law eke out a lonely, desperate existence. Forced to murder lost samurai and sell their belongings for grain, they dump the corpses down a deep, dark hole and live off of their meager spoils. When a bedraggled neighbor returns from the skirmishes, lust, jealousy, and rage threaten to destroy the trio’s tenuous existence, before an ominous, ill-gotten demon mask seals the trio’s horrifying fate. Driven by primal emotions, dark eroticism, a frenzied score by Hikaru Hayashi, and stunning images both lyrical and macabre, Kaneto Shindo’s chilling folktale Onibaba is a singular cinematic experience.  

In a small town in Japan, Kirie comes upon her boyfriend's father silently videotaping a snail. He seems unaware of her presence and she thinks no more of it. Later, the man's obsession with spirals becomes more and more bizarre, ending in his suicide in a washing machine which turns his body into a spiral. Soon other inhabitants become possessed with different forms of spirals, one student seems to be mutating into a snail, another's hair becomes strangely medusa-like. The entire town becomes possessed.  

A 2nd-year high school student named Shun Takahata lives an ordinary teenage life until one day he’s suddenly forced to participate in a series of children’s games such as “Daruma-san ga Koronda” with death as the penalty for losing. With no knowledge of who’s behind the games, he’s left with no other choice but to keep winning as his only means of protecting himself and his childhood friend, Ichika. Meanwhile, a troubled classmate named Takeru seems to actually be relishing the opportunity to get other students killed.  

a group of pirates commandeer a ship and kill everyone on board. Three years later in a seaside village, a Catholic priest (Masumi Okada) has offered shelter to the Saeko (Kikko Matsuoka) as her twin sister, Yorkio (also Matsuoka) has disappeared with her new husband at sea. Saeko later scuba dives with her boyfriend, the couple find a group of submerged human skeletons, chained together at the ankles near the ocean floor. That night, a ghost ship appears in the mist offshore as a voice from the ship calls out for Saeko

The survivors of a plane crash in a remote area are attacked by blob-like alien creatures that turn their victims into blood-thirsty vampires.  

Film based on the novel of the same name written by Abe Kōbō. We meet Okuyama who had accident in the factory and burnt his face. He gets an opportunity to have a lifelike mask. What he'll do when he got a chance to have a normal life again?  

Two women got killed in their hut by wandering samurai. But some power gave them lives back. Mother and daughter-in-law are seeking for revenge and kill every samurai who they meet. What will happen if in their new home show up member of the family?  

A blind sculptor and his mother kidnap a young woman and use her as a model. In the darkness of an abandoned warehouse, she suffers at the hands of the artist, eventually losing both her sight and her mind as whips give way to knives and knives give way to meat cleavers.

Oshare (Gorgeous) is excited about spending summer vacation with her father, until she finds out that his beautiful, freakishly serene girlfriend Ryouko would be going as well. Oshare decides she will be going to her aunt's house in the country instead. She brings with her her friends from school: Fanta (who likes to take pictures, and daydreams a lot), Kun Fuu (who has very good reflexes), Gari/Prof (who is a major nerd), Sweet (who likes to clean), Mac (who eats a lot), and Melody (a musician). However, the girls are unaware that Oshare's aunt is actually dead and the house is actually haunted. When they arrive at the house, crazy events take place and the girls disappear one by one, while slowly discovering the secret behind all the madness.  

TV producer Aoyama Shigeharu is a middle-class man. Shigehiko is his teenage son. His friend, movie producer Yoshikawa, has the perfect palliative for Aoyoma's loneliness: test out a number of possible new wives by holding a phony movie audition. The clueless Shigeharu eagerly agrees, and he and Yoshikawa hold interviews marked by questions about sex that seem to have little to do with acting. Aoyama eventually settles on tall, otherworldly waif Asami. The more seasoned Yoshikawa senses that something's not quite right with Asami; he investigates and finds many holes in her story.  

A man (called only "the man", or the "Metal Fetishist"), cuts open a massive gash in his leg and then shoving a large threaded steel rod into the wound. Later, upon seeing maggots festering in the wound, he screams, runs out into the street, and is hit by a car. The driver of the car, a Japanese businessman, and his girlfriend try to cover up the mess by dumping the body into a ravine, but the dumped man gets revenge by forcing the businessman's body to gradually metamorphose into a walking pile of scrap metal. This process starts when the driver finds a piece of metal stuck in his cheek while shaving. He tries to remove it, but realizes it is growing from the inside.  

A wave of unexplainable suicides sweeps across Tokyo after 54 smiling high school girls join hands and throw themselves from a subway platform into an oncoming train. Detective Kuroda and the rest of the police force are baffled as the bloodbath triggers a wave of suicides across the city. When a cryptic phone call tips off police to a strange website that appears to be tracking the suicides before they happen, the question becomes, are they really suicides at all? This outrageously bizarre, wicked social critique in the form of a creepy and enigmatic detective mystery examines the despair of the disaffected Japanese youth and the influence of pop culture on their lives. From international film festival favorite to cult sensation, Suicide Club is a study of contemporary morality that is gruesome, darkly comic and vividly original.  

When several TV satellites launched by the Electric Wave Laboratory go missing above Japan in Earth's orbit, it is found out that they have inadvertently collided with unidentified protoplasmic "space cells" of unknown origin Meanwhile, Inspector Komai's investigation of these strange events led him to the crystallographer Dr. Munakata the process of tracking down the self-proclaimed diamond broker Mark Jackson  identity of the monster was reports from the Space Planning Committee at the U.N. that the monster is a space cell that's been mutated by massive amounts of radiation from the satellites to eat the diamonds to absorb carbon-based materials The military continued to unleash their artillery at the alien creature

The film tells the story of Mizuno, a librarian at a sanatorium (implicitly for cancer), who has been given the ability to become vapor after a scientist does an experiment on him. Mizuno uses this power to engage in criminal activities, robbing banks to give the money to his dancer girlfriend. Kenji Okamoto  is the police inspector after them.  

A group of ninth-grade students from a Japanese high school have been forced by legislation to compete in a Battle Royale. The students are taken to an abandoned island, each given a bag with a randomly selected weapon and a few rations of food and water and sent off to kill each other in a no-holds-barred (with a few minor rules) game to the death, which means that the students have three days to kill each other until one survives--or they all die.  

Takagi, a seemingly average Japanese businessman, wakes up in a hotel room but doesn't know how he wound up there. When a packet of "purification salt" falls out of his pocket, he starts having memories of a funeral and a meeting with a yakuza boss. Soon he finds out he is in deep trouble.  

Yakuza boss Anjo disappears with three hundred million yen. His loyal gang members, led by the masochist Kakihara, start a search, but their aggressive and gory methods worry the other yakuza gangs. Kakihara's most frightening counterpart is the mysterious Ichi, a psychopathic killer with a dark childhood secret, who is controlled by a retired cop.  

Life isn't easy for a group of high school kids growing up absorbed in Japan's pervasive pop/cyber culture. As they negotiate teen badlands- school bullies, parents from another planet, lurid snapshots of sex and death- these everyday rebels without a cause seek sanctuary, even salvation, through pop star savior Lily Chou-Chou, embracing her sad, dreamy songs and sharing their fears and secrets in Lilyholic chat rooms. Immersed in the speed of everyday troubles, their lives inevitably climax in a fatal collision between real and virtual identities, a final logging-off from innocence. All About Lily Chou-Chou follows two boys, Shunsuke Hoshino and Yuichi Hasumi, from the start of junior high school when they first meet, and into second grade. The film has a discontinuous storyline, starting midway through the story, just after the second term of junior high school begins, then flashes back to the first term and summer vacation, and then skips back to the present.

Watanabe Hiroko's fiancé Itsuki died two years earlier in a mountain climbing accident. While looking through his high school yearbook, Hiroko in a fit of grief decides to write a letter to him using his old school address. Surprisingly she receives a reply, not from the dead Itsuki, but from a woman with the same name whom had known Hiroko's fiancé in school. A relationship develops between the two women as they continue to exchange letters and share memories of the dead Itsuki.  

Kobayashi Daigo is a cellist, but when his orchestra is dissolved he returns to his hometown in Yamagata prefecture with Mika, his web designer wife. He finds a classified ad for a company which provides assistance for "Departures" and goes for an interview. The company has just two people, a female clerk and the president, and the business of the company turns out to be a preparation of deceased bodies for funerals by wiping them clean and putting makeup on them. Nonetheless, Daigo joins the company as a trainee, attracted by a good salary, and gradually realizes the value of the job of an encoffinner.

Chiba appears seven days before a person dies an unexpected death. His job is to observe the person for seven days, and then decide either to 'execute' or 'pass over'. Getting his work quickly out of the way, he goes to the listening booth of a CD shop and indulges in his favorite pastime, listening to 'humanity's greatest invention': music. He is...a Grim Reaper. Today, again, in the rain, he waits. His subject, her death due in seven days, is Kazue Fujiki, 27. She works for a manufacturing company, in the complaints department. Exhausted after her day, she emerges from her office. It's time for the Reaper to go to work.

Takuma, a boy who is told he will die before he's 20, and Mayu, a girl who is in love with him...After Mayu learns of Takuma's grave illness and that he will die before he turns 20, she continues to support and love Takuma. On the other hand, Takuma, who knows his days are numbered, pushes away his feelings for Mayu and distances himself from her. He cannot stand to see her cry or hurt her more than he already has. Then Mayu meets another man who has feelings for her, and Takuma meets a woman who has the same illness, and their feelings for each other begin to waver.

onatine (ソナチネ Sonachine) is a 1993 Japanese film by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base. Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with some henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa supposedly to mediate a dispute between their allies, the Nakamatsu clan, and the Anan clan. Murakawa openly suspects that the assignment is an attempt to have him removed and even beats up one of his colleagues, Takahashi, who he distrusts, but ends up going with his men. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and while wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, the group's temporary headquarters are bombed.  

onatine (ソナチネ Sonachine) is a 1993 Japanese film by Japanese filmmaker Takeshi Kitano. It won numerous awards and became one of Kitano's most successful and praised films, garnering him a sizable international fan base. Kitano plays Murakawa, a Tokyo yakuza tiring of gangster life. Along with some henchmen, he is sent by his boss to Okinawa supposedly to mediate a dispute between their allies, the Nakamatsu clan, and the Anan clan. Murakawa openly suspects that the assignment is an attempt to have him removed and even beats up one of his colleagues, Takahashi, who he distrusts, but ends up going with his men. He finds that the dispute between the clans is insignificant and while wondering why he was sent to Okinawa at all, the group's temporary headquarters are bombed.  

Born during the Warring States period in ancient China, Shin is a war orphan who dreams of becoming the greatest general under the Heavens. After years of training himself relentlessly, he has a fateful encounter with a young man named Eisei, the true King of Qin. Together, they seek to reclaim Eisei's throne and unite the seven Warring States under a single banner.

The "Kyoto Version" takes place several months after Kenshin joins the Kamiya Dojo. Shishio Makoto plans to conquer Japan by destroying the Meiji Government, starting with Kyoto. Feeling that his friends may be attacked, Kenshin goes to meet Shishio alone in order to defeat him. However, many of his friends, including a young Oniwabanshuu named Makimachi Misao, decide to help him in his fight.

Former legendary assassin, Kenshin Himura, has now become a wandering samurai. Offering aid and protecting those in need as atonement for his past deeds. During this time, he comes across and aides Kaoru Kamiya. 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.  

Shishio has set sail in his ironclad ship to bring down the Meiji government and return Japan to chaos, carrying Kaoru with him. In order to stop him in time, Kenshin trains with his old master to learn his final technique.  

Himura Kenshin is a legendary swordsman who has stopped killing people with his sword. Instead, he uses a dull-edged sword. He tries to live a peaceful life with Kaoru who runs a swordsmanship school in their village. Kenshin's past catches up to him causing the destruction of  Akabeko Restaurant, which was Kenshin's favorite place to eat. There, he finds a note with the word 'Jinchuu' on it.

Himura Kenshin goes up against mysterious weapons dealer Enishi. He controls the underworld of China. The secret of Kenshin Himura’s "Jujishou" is also revealed.  

A documentary filmmaker explores seemingly unrelated paranormal incidents connected by the legend of an ancient demon called the "kagutaba".

This film will portray a very ordinary family in modern Japan. It starts from a point where lies, suspicion, and a complete breakdown of communication already have established themselves within the family.  

Set in a purgatory limbo that looks an awful lot like an old brick school on a perfect autumn day. Guides assist the newly dead in selecting their most treasured memory, the one they will take with them to eternity. While some people have no trouble choosing, others agonise over the decision. A multitude of stories emerge, most of them gleaned from the hundreds of interviews Kore-eda conducted with ordinary citizens, some of whom appear in the film. Meanwhile, the staff gather to discuss various cases, especially those in danger of never recovering a truly joyous memory.

Shinobu Takamura is an aspiring painter. One day, she is accused of using counterfeit money. Shinobu is confused by the allegation, because she never did such a thing and was at home when the crime occurred. Police Officer Kanou then appears and takes her to a place. When they get there, a group of people are already gathered. All of the people there are concerned over a doppelganger like existence that looks just like them and acts like them. They call that existence "bilocation".

Four women, who have their own different sorrows, embark on a road trip. They look back at their past and restart their lives ... Jinko  and Motoko  have been friends since their university days. One day, they hear a rumor about their former classmate and friend Miki. The rumor is that Miki ran into the sea, but got out safely. Jinko and Motoko decide to visit Miki to see if she is OK. In addition, Haraki, who Jinko met at the library where she works, joins their trip as a driver. Their one night and two days road trip begins.

Set in Japan in the 1990s, there's one rising band called LANDS, that is starting to find success amidst a flood of other bands. Asako and Miharu are two Tokyo high school students. When Miharu gives Asako her favorite indie rock band; a LANDS CD, she becomes an overnight fan and sets her heart on the talented guitarist Yukiya. When they go to see them in concert, they sneak their way into the backstage area and Asako gets acquainted with some of the band's members. Natsu, the vocalist, is immediately attracted to Asako and begins bringing her along to the band's practice sessions. Though Asako enjoys it, she proves to be a distraction to the other band members and is soon ejected from the session by Yukari, their manager. But Natsu is determined to keep her around, pulling strings to make Yukari and Asako to become friends, and eventually, helping Asako to become LANDS co-manager. LANDS was formed among friends, but as the band begins to climb the ladder towards major stardom, they get in touch with the dark side of the music industry, discord surfaces, inevitable frictions emerge, and unrequited love strains their friendship, threatening to pull their bonds apart

Set in the 16th century, as a petty thief  is granted reprieve from crucifixion because he is the spitting image of the warlord Shingen. Shingen often sends an impersonator out into battle in his place to keep the morale of his troops up while conveniently keeping himself out of harm’s way. Obviously, the thief’s appearance makes him the perfect choice for the role of kagemusha (shadow warrior). Unfortunately Shingen is mortally wounded by a sniper while watching a battle and with his dying wish he passes leadership on to the kagemusha, with the order that no one is to hear of his demise for three years. Can a common criminal rise up and lead his new clan to victory over his predecessor’s rivals or will he be discovered before he has the chance?  

A story of yakuza family from 1999 to 2019. Yamamoto Kenji’s father died from using a stimulant drug. His life fell into desperation. Kenji then joined a crime syndicate. There, he meets the gang's boss Shibasaki Hiroshi. Hiroshi reaches out to Kenji and they developed a relationship like father and son. As time passes, Kenji has his own family.

Yukisuke, a young, leggy bio-archeologist, gets to know Koyomi, a young land, selling Taiyaki on the street, similar to Korean fish-shaped bun. He is fascinated by her and visits her stall often. The two talk together and often hang out, but Koyomi gets in a car accident and is hospitalized. In a coma for days, she finally regains consciousness but suffers from temporary amnesia. Yukisuke tries to stay closest to her as before, but her past memories give him a hard time.