Top 10 Best Japanese Movies of the 21st Century

Linda Linda Linda draws its name from the hit song 'Linda Linda' by the Blue Hearts. Directed by Nobuhiro Yamashita, this musical comedy revolves around a familiar theme: school life. The film tells the story of a group of Japanese high school girls who must find a lead singer for their band within three days before the school's music festival. In a moment of desperation, they decide to recruit Son, a Korean exchange student. Through a series of humorous and awkward rehearsals, the group bonds, strengthening their friendship across cultural boundaries. The film is not only vibrant and lively but also features a soundtrack infused with the energy of modern Japan.

FILM DETAILS:

Director: Nobuhiro Yamashita

Producers: Hiroyuki Negishi, Yuji Sadai

Writers: Kosuke Mukai, Wakako Miyashita, Nobuhiro Yamashita

Cast: Bae Doo Na, Aki Maeda, Yu Kashii, Shiori Sekine

Music: James Iha, The Blue Hearts, Shione Yukawa

Release Date: July 23, 2005

Memories of Matsuko, also known as 'Hồi ức của Matsuko' in Vietnamese, is based on the novel by Muneki Yamada. The film follows the tragic life of Matsuko, a Japanese woman whose story is recounted through the memories of her nephew, Sho. Once a teacher, Matsuko is dismissed from her job after covering up for one of her students. Shortly after, she is kicked out by her father and forced to work in a grimy massage parlor. She endures constant abuse and mistreatment from various lovers of the parlor's clients. The film went on to win multiple prestigious awards and was listed by The Auteurs (now MUBI) as one of the top ten most influential films of the decade in Japanese cinema.

FILM DETAILS:

Director: Tetsuya Nakashima

Producers: Yasuhiro Mase, Yuji Ishida

Writer: Tetsuya Nakashima

Cast: Nakatani Miki, Eita

Music: Gabriele Roberto

Release Date: May 27, 2006

AWARDS:

Best Actress, Best Music, Best Editing at the 2007 Japan Film Festival

Best Actress at the 2006 Asian Film Awards

Departures tells the story of Daigo Kobayashi, a passionate young cellist. Daigo has had a deep love for the cello since childhood, but when the theater he performed at shuts down, he finds himself unemployed. Daigo decides to return to his hometown with his wife, moving into the home of his late mother. There, he must confront painful memories of his father, who abandoned him and his mother when he was young. In a twist of fate, Daigo comes across a job advertisement in the paper and applies to a service company. However, he never imagined that this company would specialize in a business involving preparing the deceased for burial...

Departures is a deeply human story about “Nokanshi,” professionals who bathe, dress, and prepare the deceased for their final rites. The film also highlights the importance of family bonds and the cultural significance of death in Japan, where death is not seen as the end of life, but as the beginning of a mysterious journey.

Film Details:

Director: Takita Yōjirō

Producer: Toshiaki Nakazawa

Screenwriter: Koyama Kundō

Cast: Motoki Masahiro, Hirosue Ryōko, Yamazaki Tsutomu

Music: Joe Hisaishi

Release Date: 13/9/2008

Awards:

Film of the Year, Best Screenplay (Koyama), Best Director (Takita), and Best Actor (Motoki) at the 2009 Japan Academy Awards

Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film 2009

Audience Choice Award at the 28th Hawaii International Film Festival

Grand Prix des Amériques at the 32nd Montreal World Film Festival

Best Foreign Language Film at the 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival

Best Actor at the Asian Film Awards, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Blue Ribbon Awards, Kim Kê

Best Asian Film at the 29th Hong Kong Film Awards

Best Film and Best Director at the 21st Nikkan Sports Film Awards

Tokyo Sonata translates beautifully into Vietnamese as "Tokyo Symphony". Directed by Kiyoshi Kurosawa, this film unveils the harsh realities of a middle-class Japanese family living in Tokyo. Though their life seemed ordinary, everything changes when the father is unexpectedly fired and his youngest son secretly starts taking piano lessons. The movie offers an intense and haunting look at modern urban life.

Despite some critics claiming the film portrays an overly dark and harsh view of life, Tokyo Sonata has won numerous prestigious awards at various international film festivals.

Film Details:

Director: Kiyoshi Kurosawa

Producers: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Max Mannix, Sachiko Tanaka

Cast: Teruyuki Kagawa, Koizumi Kyoko, Yū Koyanagi, Kai Inowaki, Kanji Tsuda, Kōji Yakusho

Music: Kazumasa Hashimoto

Release Date: 27/9/2008

Awards:

Un Certain Regard - Jury Prize at the 61st Cannes Film Festival

Jury Award at the 44th Chicago International Film Festival

Best Film, Best Screenplay at the 3rd Asia Pacific Film Awards

Best Cinematography at the 30th Yokohama Film Festival

Best Asian Film at the 10th Asian Film Festival

Best Film at the 9th Utica Film Festival

Best Film and Best Director at the 4th Osaka Film Festival

Best Actress at the 33rd Hochi Film Awards

Best Actress and Best New Actor at the 82nd Kinema Junpo Awards

13 Assassins (13 Assassins) is a highly regarded action-packed film directed by the Japanese filmmaker Takashi Miike. Set in Japan during the Edo period (17th-18th century), the film follows a group of Samurai who are outraged by a ruthless villain spreading chaos across the land. The Samurai decide to eliminate this notorious criminal, but as the film progresses, their pursuit becomes more perilous, and they are forced to pay the ultimate price—giving their lives to stop him.

As the film nears its climax, the Samurai's quest to defeat the villain becomes increasingly difficult, with more obstacles and tragic losses along the way.

Film Details:

Director: Takashi Miike

Producers: Takashi Hirajō, Toshiaki Nakazawa, Jeremy Thomas

Screenwriter: Daisuke Tengan

Cast: Kōji Yakusho, Takayuki Yamada, Yusuke Iseya, Ikki Sawamura, Hiroki Matsukata, Matsumoto Koshiro IX, Goro Inagaki, Masachika Ichimura

Music: Koji Endo

Release Date: 25/9/2010

Best Cinematography, Best Director, Best Sound at the 2011 Japan Academy Awards

Best Production Design at the 2011 Asia Film Awards

Cold Fish is a disturbing film based on a real-life murder case from 1993 in Japan. Directed by Sion Sono, this horror film tells the story of a pet shop owner who is disillusioned with his dull wife, while secretly enduring sexual abuse from his own daughter. He unwittingly becomes ensnared in the terrifying trap of a serial killer.

The film challenges the patience of its audience with a narrative that might seem disjointed, yet each frame is meticulously crafted to delve into the psychology of the characters. Cold Fish had the honor of opening the 2010 Venice Film Festival.

Film Details:

Director: Sion Sono

Producers: Yoshinori Chiba, Toshiki Kiimura

Screenwriters: Sion Sono, Yoshiki Takahashi

Cast: Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Denden, Asuka Kurosawa

Music: Tomohide Harada

Release Date: 29/01/2011

Beyond Outrage is the sequel to Outrage (2010), continuing the story of escalating conflict within the Yakuza family as they grow uncontrollably. In this highly sensitive transitional period, the Yakura family is secretly undermined by a corrupt and malicious police officer.

Regarded as one of Takeshi Kitano's finest works, Beyond Outrage is a remarkable film by the master of Yakuza-themed storytelling. Like his other thought-provoking works such as Sonatine, Fireworks, and Brother, the world depicted in Beyond Outrage is brutal, dark, and drenched in violence. As personal pride is tested by shifting values, the true nature of the petty criminals within various Yakuza factions and even those in power slowly emerges.

FILM DETAILS:

Director: Takeshi Kitano

Producers: Masayuki Mori, Takio Yoshida

Screenwriter: Takeshi Kitano

Cast: Beat Takeshi, Toshiyuki Nishida, Tomokazu Miura

Music: Keiichi Suzuki

Release Date: 06/10/2012

Ranked 36th on 'Comment's 50 Best Unreleased Films of 2012'

Ranked 3rd in 'Top 10 Best Japanese Films of 2012'

Battle Royale is an action film adapted from the 1999 novel by Koushun Takami. Directed by the legendary Kinji Fukasaku, this was his final film. The script was written by his son, Kenta. The story follows Shuya Nanahara, a high school student grappling with his father's suicide, who is forced by the government to participate in a deadly survival game. In this competition, students must fight to the death, with only one survivor allowed. The film sparked intense controversy both domestically and internationally.

In some countries, the film was banned entirely, but it became a major success in Japan, achieving the highest box office revenue at the time. It was later released in 22 other countries worldwide. Battle Royale received widespread acclaim from global audiences and is considered one of Fukasaku's greatest works. Fukasaku had begun production on a sequel, Battle Royale II: Requiem, but tragically passed away from prostate cancer on January 12, 2003, after filming only one scene with actor Takeshi Kitano. His son Kenta completed the sequel in 2003 as a tribute to his father.

FILM DETAILS:

Director: Kinji Fukasaku

Producers: Masao Sato, Masumi Okada, Teruo Kamaya, Tetsu Kayama

Screenplay: Kenta Fukasaku

Cast: Tatsuya Fujiwara, Aki Maeda, Taro Yamamoto, Masanobu Ando, Kou Shibasaki, Chiaki Kuriyama, Takeshi Kitano

Music: Masamichi Amamo

Release Date: 16/12/2010

The Taste of Tea is a famous Japanese surreal film that had the privilege of being showcased at the Cannes Film Festival. The story follows the Haruno family living in Tochigi Prefecture, a rural area to the north of Tokyo. Nobuo, a hypnotist, has taught his son Hajime to be an excellent athlete, though Hajime struggles with adolescence and his relationships. Meanwhile, his mother Yoshiko refuses to be just a typical housewife and works on animation projects from home, with help from her eccentric father Akira, a creator of animated film models. Additionally, their home is visited by an uncle, a music producer.

The Haruno family has a unique habit of sitting quietly on their porch, gazing out into the vast green space in front of them, each lost in their own thoughts. Despite the seemingly mundane theme, the talented Japanese director skillfully captures the complex psychological developments of the characters across all ages, creating a series of stunning cinematic moments.

FILM DETAILS:

Director: Katsuhito Ishii

Producers: Kazuto Takida, Kazutoshi Wadakura

Screenwriter: Katsuhito Ishii

Cast: Tadanobu Asano, Takahiro Sato, Maya Banno, Satomi Tezuka, Tomokazu Miura, Tatsuya Gashuin, Anna Tsuchiya, Rinko Kikuchi

Music: Tempo

Release Date: 17/7/2004

AWARDS:

Audience Favorite 2004, Entrevues Film Festival

Best Film of 2004, Hawaii International Film Festival

Audience Favorite 2005, Japan Film Festival

Best Asian Film - 2005, Fant-Asia Film Festival

Audience Favorite 2005, New York Asian Film Festival

Nobody Knows is a Japanese drama film based on the true events of 1988, known as "The Fear of Four Abandoned Children". The film tells the story of four siblings—Akira, Kyoko, Shigeru, and Yuki—ranging from five to twelve years old. They are half-siblings who live in an illegal apartment, isolated from the outside world and unable to attend school. Their mother abandons them, forcing them to learn how to survive on their own. Over time, they rely on each other to face the many challenges that lie ahead.

Nobody Knows premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival on May 12th, 2004, before being released in Japanese theaters on August 7th, 2004. The film received critical acclaim and gained a strong following. It was a notable success, grossing $2 million worldwide at the box office.

FILM DETAILS:

Director, Producer, Writer: Hirokazu Koreeda

Cast: Yuya Yagira, Ayu Kitaura, Hiei Kimura

Music: Gontiti, Takako Tate

Best Actor at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival

Best New Actor at the 2004 Japan Film Festival

Best Film and Best Director at the 47th Hochi Film Award