Best of 2014: A Top 10 Of Japanese Films

Kabukicho Love Hotel.

Popular young star Sometani Shota and former AKB48 golden girl Atsuko Maeda lead a cast of characters whose lives all revolve around a love hotel in Shinjuku’s notorious Kabukicho red-light district in this excellent ensemble comedy drama. Yakuza, prostitutes, Korean immigrants, a couple on the run, detectives and pornographers are just some of the characters that interact in an enjoyably twisty tale with some fine situational comedy and a surprising amount of heart.

Read Kwenton's review here.

Giovanni’s Island.

Perhaps too close in story to Studio Ghibli’s Graveyard of the Fireflies to be regarded a classic in it’s own right, Giovanni’s Island is nevertheless an immensely affecting tale centering on two little boys struggling with life and loss in war time Japan.

Read my review here.

Tokyo Tribe.

Here's what Jaime had to say:

The film is wild in its visual style, with gorgeous cinematography... neon lights, rain and outrageous colorful costumes for every character. The sets are beautifully constructed. So yes, it's without a doubt the biggest budget that Sono has ever had, and it shows in the way that he constructs a world that feels so vivid you could drop right into it.

Filled with one liners that will make you laugh, bloody violence and great acting (using real rappers, artists, DJs, tattoo designers, etc.), Tokyo Tribe is a film to see with an audience; they will sing and chant, and move their feet around. So, yes it is a very, very fun movie. It might be the most fun that Sono has ever put on screen. It's also a revelation of how musicals can be executed. Filmmakers, take note, hip hop is not dead.

Read Jamie's full review here.

100 Yen Love.

Winner of the Japan Splash section at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival, Hundred Yen Love represents the best of what Japanese Independent cinema has to offer. Director Masaharu Take helms the tale of a young woman who works the late shift in a 100 yen shop after being forced into leaving home following a fight with her sister. The aimless young lady wanders lethargically through life before slowly getting drawn into training at a boxing gym she passes on her way home from work. The film is driven by an incredibly physical performance from lead Sakura Ando who pulls off an impressive bodily change over the course of the film, developing from drifting loser to driven amateur boxer.

Greatful Dead.

Excellent comedy of the blackest kind from director Uchida Eiji who incorporates pressing social issues of modern Japan, including those of loneliness and an aging population, into a tale of bloody violence and murder. Takiuchi Kumi is excellent as the beautiful yet twisted Nami, a voyeur who delights in finding the elderly and alone and observing their misery. Uchida’s assured direction keeps things rattling along and neither the comedy nor the action misses a beat, undoubtedly a name to watch out for in the future.

Read James' review here.

The Light Shines Only There.

Director Mipo Oh brings together a talented cast including Ayano Go’s troubled drifter and Ikewaki Chizuru’s reality-battered prostitute in a social-realist story of life’s losers living on the fringes of society. It’s young up-and-comer Suda Masaki that shines brightest as tragically uncontrollable younger brother Takuji as the director paints a tough portrait of the lives of the downtrodden, amidst gritty and uncompromising scenes of which her helpless characters are subject.

Read the director's thoughts on her film and Academy Award submission here.

Seven Weeks.

The latest from cult ‘Housu’ director Obayashi Nobohiko is not an easy watch; time, character and place are melded together enveloping the audience as the ever in-motion camera swirls around from person to person in lengthy scenes where dialogue is delivered in an almost stream-of-consciousness like intensity. Stay sharp and pay attention and you’ll be rewarded with one of the most memorable films of the year, a beautiful, engrossing tale which organically flows through the timeline of one elderly mans life revealing how his actions, from war-time until the present, affected and continue to effect the lives of his descendants. Obayashi’s trademark quirky old-school visual effects are on show in a personal labor from a true artist.

Read an interview with the legendary director on his latest work here.

Fuku-chan of Fukufuku Flats.

Director Yosuke Fujita’s decision to cast popular TV comedienne Oshima Miyuki in the title role of good-guy Fuku-chan pays off as she delivers an affecting central performance in the title role. Kind-hearted Fuku-chan is tuned in to the needs of those around him, but unable to deal with his own inner loneliness as he struggles to come to terms with a girl-related trauma from his past. When the high-school crush that caused his weakness around women makes a sudden reappearance, Fuku-chan may finally find happiness or wind up getting hurt all over again. Fujita injects scenes of surrealist humor into a film that never loses sight of its themes of hurt and heartache, weaving a cast of quirky supporting characters into this endearing comedy-drama.

Read my review here.

When Marnie Was There.

While

When Marnie Was There.

Read my review here.

Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno.

The first of an epic two-parter, Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno’s big-budget, samurai action proved to be the best of the many manga adaptations which currently litter Japan’s box-office. While the film has its faults it's a hugely enjoyable ride from start to finish as our titular hero is forced to embark on a mission to Kyoto to tackle an old adversary. The old cast returns but the stakes feel considerably higher this time around, with the battle for Kenshin’s soul at the center as events lead up to a city-scale battle and a ocean-set finale that lays foundations for the second half of the story.

Fujiwara Tatsuya excels in the role of Shishio Makoto, a burn-ravaged, bandage wrapped monster spitting fire and brimstone who turns out to be one of the most memorable cinematic villains of recent years. A perfect foil for our hero, Shishio matches Kenshin in ability and experience, but whereas the troubled good-guy strives for peace crazed zealot Shishio cares only for war.

Read my review here.