Popular from Japan
Your Name.
(君の名は。)
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Makoto Shinkai
- Cast Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Masami Nagasawa, Etsuko Ichihara, Ryou Narita, Aoi Yuki
- Genre Animation, Drama, Romance
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Apple TV
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 Tubi TV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, The Roku Channel
Ran
(乱)
The Greatest Shakespeare Film
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, France • 1985
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Terao, Jinpachi Nezu, Daisuke Ryû, Mieko Harada, Yoshiko Miyazaki
- Genre Action, Drama, History
- Available on Kanopy
Drive My Car
(ドライブ・マイ・カー)
A car ride across Japan leads to an unlikely connection between a widowed stage director and his introverted young driver.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2021
- Director Ryusuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Hidetoshi Nishijima, Toko Miura, Masaki Okada, Reika Kirishima, Park Yu-rim, Jin Dae-yeon
- Genre Drama
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
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, Crunchyroll, Pluto TV, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball Z
(ドラゴンボールZ)
Goku, trained in martial arts, joins the search for a wish-granting dragon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Naoki Tatsuta
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Solo Leveling
(俺だけレベルアップな件)
A weak monster hunter awakens new powers within himself as he strives to grow in strength
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
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
Frieren: Beyond Journey's End
(葬送のフリーレン)
Elvish mage Frieren is blessed with a long life, and decades go by as Frieren embarks on a journey of several lifetimes, allowing her to gain a unique perspective on the world.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Atsumi Tanezaki
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball
(ドラゴンボール)
A young orphan teams up with a girl to seek out the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1986
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Tōru Furuya, Naoki Tatsuta, Naoko Watanabe
- Genre Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Action & Adventure
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Suzume
(すずめの戸締まり)
When a small town girl named Suzume discovers a supernatural door, she must team up with a boy named Souta to prevent ruin from befalling Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2022
- Director Makoto Shinkai
- Cast Nanoka Hara, Hokuto Matsumura, Eri Fukatsu, Shota Sometani, Sairi Ito, Kotone Hanase
- Genre Adventure, Animation, Drama, Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Monster
(怪物)
When a single mother notices her young son Minato is behaving strangely, she confronts his teacher to discover why.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2023
- Director Hirokazu Kore-eda
- Cast Sakura Ando, Eita Nagayama, Hinata Hiiragi, Mitsuki Takahata, Akihiro Kakuta, Shidô Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Plex, FlixFling
Shin Godzilla
(シン・ゴジラ)
A god incarnate. A city doomed.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Hideaki Anno
- Cast Hiroki Hasegawa, Yutaka Takenouchi, Satomi Ishihara, Kengo Kora, Satoru Matsuo, Mikako Ichikawa
- Genre Action, Science Fiction
- Available on No streaming locations found.
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Plex
Ninja Kamui
After his family is brutally murdered, a former ninja seeks bloody vengeance on the clan that trained and then betrayed him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Kenjiro Tsuda, Atsushi Ono, Yuuki Wakai
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
New from Japan
On the Adamant
(Sur l’Adamant)
This documentary looks at the lives of employees and patients at the Adamant, a floating psychiatric center in Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Japan • 2023
- Director Nicolas Philibert
- Cast Mamadi Barri, Walid Benziane, Sabine Berlière, Romain Bernardin, Jean-Paul Hazan, Pauline Hertz
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Vinland Saga
(ヴィンランド・サガ)
The son of a great Viking warrior seeks revenge for his father's murder.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2019
- Creator
- Cast Yuto Uemura, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Kensho Ono, Mayumi Saco
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, War & Politics
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
The Sting of Death
(死の棘)
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1990
- Director Kôhei Oguri
- Cast Keiko Matsuzaka, Ittoku Kishibe, Midori Kiuchi, Akira Yamanouchi, Miyoko Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video, Plex, Plex Channel, Darkroom
In This Corner of the World
(この世界の片隅に)
Newlywed Suzu Urano moves to her new life in Hiroshima, where she perseveres through World War II with pluck and determination.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2016
- Director Sunao Katabuchi
- Cast Non, Yoshimasa Hosoya, Daisuke Ono, Mayumi Shintani, Shigeru Ushiyama, Minori Omi
- Genre Animation, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Peacock Premium Plus, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Shout! Factory TV, Freevee, Hoopla
Ryuichi Sakamoto: Opus
Iconic Japanese composer Ryuichi Sakamoto plays his final performance.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2023
- Director Neo Sora
- Cast Ryuichi Sakamoto
- Genre Documentary, Music
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Ninja Kamui
After his family is brutally murdered, a former ninja seeks bloody vengeance on the clan that trained and then betrayed him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Kenjiro Tsuda, Atsushi Ono, Yuuki Wakai
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
Naruto: Shippuden
(ナルト 疾風伝)
Naruto returns home after years away, seeking to save his old friend, facing enemies old and new.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2007
- Creator
- Cast Junko Takeuchi, Chie Nakamura, Noriaki Sugiyama, Kazuhiko Inoue, Satoshi Hino, Akira Ishida
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Hulu, Crunchyroll, Spectrum On Demand, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball Z
(ドラゴンボールZ)
Goku, trained in martial arts, joins the search for a wish-granting dragon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Naoki Tatsuta
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Solo Leveling
(俺だけレベルアップな件)
A weak monster hunter awakens new powers within himself as he strives to grow in strength
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2024
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Telescope Recommends
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 Amazon Prime Video, Peacock Premium, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, FlixFling, Spectrum On Demand, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, DistroTV, Hoopla
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, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
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
Children of Men
A pregnant woman seeks sanctuary in a dystopian future where humans have lost the ability to reproduce.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United States, United Kingdom, Japan • 2006
- Director Alfonso Cuarón
- Cast Clive Owen, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julianne Moore, Michael Caine, Pam Ferris
- Genre Action, Drama, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on Starz Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Kwaidan
(怪談)
Bizarre, unearthly, terrifying— a nation's legend, an author's imagination, a director's creation manifest in the superlative— Kwaidan
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1964
- Director Masaki Kobayashi
- Cast Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Rentarou Mikuni, Kenjiro Ishiyama, Ranko Akagi, Fumie Kitahara
- Genre Drama, Fantasy, Horror
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
My Neighbor Totoro
(となりのトトロ)
Sisters and spirits come together in this magical tale.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1988
- Director Hayao Miyazaki
- Cast Noriko Hidaka, Hitoshi Takagi, Chika Sakamoto, Shigesato Itoi, Sumi Shimamoto, Tanie Kitabayashi
- Genre Animation, Family, Fantasy
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Plex
Madadayo
(まあだだよ)
The tale of a German professor’s life after he resigns prior to WWII to pursue a career as a writer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1993
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Tatsuo Matsumura, Kyōko Kagawa, Hisashi Igawa, George Tokoro, Masayuki Yui, Akira Terao
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
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 MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Fandango At Home, Microsoft Store, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Freevee, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
Demon Slayer -Kimetsu no Yaiba- The Movie: Mugen Train
(劇場版「鬼滅の刃」無限列車編)
Tanjiro joins one of the most powerful swordsmen in the Demon Slayer Corps to take down a monster.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2020
- Director Haruo Sotozaki
- Cast Natsuki Hanae, Akari Kito, Hiro Shimono, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka, Satoshi Hino, Takahiro Sakurai
- Genre Action, Adventure, Animation, Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Japanese Series
Ninja Kamui
After his family is brutally murdered, a former ninja seeks bloody vengeance on the clan that trained and then betrayed him.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, United States • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Kenjiro Tsuda, Atsushi Ono, Yuuki Wakai
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Max Amazon Channel, Max
I'm Standing on a Million Lives
(100万の命の上に俺は立っている)
A lone-wolf middle schooler is transported to a dangerous, game-like world with his two classmates.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2020
- Creator Kumiko Habara
- Cast Yūto Uemura
- Genre Animation, Drama, Action & Adventure, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Children of the Whales
(クジラの子らは砂上に歌う)
On an isolated island surrounded by oceans of sand, a young archivist stumbles upon an outsider for the first time.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2017
- Creator
- Cast Natsuki Hanae
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Sailor Moon Super S
(美少女戦士セーラームーン)
A young girl is given the ability to transform into her magical alter ego, the titular Sailor Moon, in this beloved classic.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1994
- Creator
- Cast Kotono Mitsuishi, Aya Hisakawa, Michie Tomizawa, Emi Shinohara, Rica Fukami, Tōru Furuya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Tubi TV, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, Hulu, Pluto TV, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Freevee
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
Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
(攻殻機動隊 STAND ALONE COMPLEX)
An elite task force investigate a number of cases connected to an dangerous hacker and terrorist.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2002
- Creator Kenji Kamiyama
- Cast Atsuko Tanaka, Akio Otsuka, Osamu Saka, Taimei Suzuki, Takashi Onozuka
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Hoopla, Adult Swim, Spectrum On Demand, Plex, Plex Channel
Neon Genesis Evangelion
(新世紀エヴァンゲリオン)
Humanity must fend off a monstrous attack using bio-mechanical weapons called Evangelions.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1995
- Creator
- Cast Megumi Ogata, Kotono Mitsuishi, Megumi Hayashibara, Yuko Miyamura, Yuriko Yamaguchi, Fumihiko Tachiki
- Genre Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Netflix, Microsoft Store, Netflix basic with Ads
Digimon Tamers
(デジモンテイマーズ)
When their Digimon card game characters suddenly come to life, a group of 12-year-olds begin to defend Shinjuku against wild Digimon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Mexico, Spain • 2001
- Creator Yukio Kaizawa
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Yuka Imai, Makoto Tsumura, Mayumi Yamaguchi, Fumiko Orikasa, Aoi Tada
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Digimon Frontier
(デジモンフロンティア)
Five teens gain the ability to transform into ancient Digimon warriors.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Mexico, Spain • 2002
- Creator Yukio Kaizawa
- Cast Junko Takeuchi, Hiroshi Kamiya, Masato Amada, Kumiko Watanabe, Sawa Ishige
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Comedy
- Available on Hulu, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball
(ドラゴンボール)
A young orphan teams up with a girl to seek out the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1986
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Tōru Furuya, Naoki Tatsuta, Naoko Watanabe
- Genre Comedy, Sci-Fi & Fantasy, Animation, Action & Adventure
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Dragon Ball Z
(ドラゴンボールZ)
Goku, trained in martial arts, joins the search for a wish-granting dragon.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1989
- Creator Akira Toriyama
- Cast Masako Nozawa, Ryou Horikawa, Toshio Furukawa, Mayumi Tanaka, Hiromi Tsuru, Naoki Tatsuta
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Mononoke
(モノノ怪)
A mysterious master of the occult known as the "Medicine Man" journeys through feudal Japan hunting evil spirits.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2007
- Creator
- Cast Takahiro Sakurai, Daisuke Namikawa, Daisuke Sakaguchi, Eiji Takemoto, Aiko Hibi, Fumiko Orikasa
- Genre Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads
Future Boy Conan
(未来少年コナン)
A young boy isolated from the rest of the world agrees to help a girl save her family from the evil government.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1978
- Creator Hayao Miyazaki, Alexander Key
- Cast Noriko Ohara, Hideyuki Tanaka, Masatō Ibu, Kazuyo Aoki, Ichirō Nagai
- Genre Animation, Action & Adventure, Family, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Sherlock Hound
(名探偵ホームズ)
A loose retelling of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" where all the characters are animals.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan, Italy • 1984
- Creator Hayao Miyazaki, Kyosuke Mikuriya
- Cast Taichirō Hirokawa, Chikao Ohtsuka, Yôko Asagami, Kousei Tomita, Shozo Iizuka, Hiroshi Masuoka
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Mystery
- Available on Amazon Video, Hulu, The Roku Channel, Retrocrush, Freevee
Yu Yu Hakusho
(幽☆遊☆白書)
When 14-year-old Yusuke dies before he’s supposed to, he is resurrected and becomes a Spirit Detective.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1992
- Creator
- Cast Nozomu Sasaki, Shigeru Chiba, Megumi Ogata
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video, Netflix, Hulu, Microsoft Store, Crunchyroll, Netflix basic with Ads, Crunchyroll Amazon Channel
Classics from Japan
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 Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Crackle, The Roku Channel, Plex Channel
The Human Condition I: No Greater Love
(人間の條件 第１部純愛篇／第２部激怒篇)
A Japanese pacifist and socialist struggles to accommodate the demands of his country during wartime.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Masaki Kobayashi
- Cast Tatsuya Nakadai, Michiyo Aratama, Chikage Awashima, Ineko Arima, Sō Yamamura, Akira Ishihama
- Genre Drama, History, War
- Available on Criterion Channel
Fires on the Plain
(野火)
A tubercular private in the Japanese army struggles to survive in the twilight of the Second World War.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Kon Ichikawa
- Cast Eiji Funakoshi, Osamu Takizawa, Mickey Curtis, Mantarō Ushio, Kyū Sazanka, Yoshihiro Hamaguchi
- Genre Drama, War
- Available on Criterion Channel, Kanopy, Darkroom
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, Plex 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
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
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, Max, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
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
Tokyo Story
(東京物語)
Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, journey to visit their adult children in Tokyo.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1953
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, Haruko Sugimura, Sō Yamamura, Kuniko Miyake
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
The Only Son
(一人息子)
A poor factory worker finds even her son's college degree doesn't make a difference in Depression era Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1936
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chôko Iida, Shinichi Himori, Masao Hayama, Yoshiko Tsubouchi, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Plex Channel
Throne of Blood
(蜘蛛巣城)
Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan ranks among his most acclaimed films.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1957
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Isuzu Yamada, Akira Kubo, Takashi Shimura, Minoru Chiaki, Hiroshi Tachikawa
- Genre Drama, History
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video
Ultraman
(ウルトラマン)
In the future, a police officer with the power to increase his size defends Earth from kaiju monsters.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1966
- Creator
- Cast Susumu Kurobe, Akiji Kobayashi, Sandayuu Dokumamushi, Hiroko Sakurai, Masaya Nihei, Akihide Tsuzawa
- Genre Action & Adventure, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video, The Roku Channel, Pluto TV, Plex, Plex Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Funeral Parade of Roses
(薔薇の葬列)
The trials and tribulations of Eddie and other drag queens in Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1969
- Director Toshio Matsumoto
- Cast Pîtâ, Osamu Ogasawara, Yoshio Tsuchiya, Emiko Azuma, Yoshihiro Katô, Koichi Nakamura
- Genre Drama
- Available on Night Flight Plus, Metrograph, Kanopy
Equinox Flower
(彼岸花)
A young woman disappoints her father by declining arranged marriage and choosing her spouse.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1958
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Shin Saburi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Ineko Arima, Yoshiko Kuga, Keiji Sada, Teiji Takahashi
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
The Bad Sleep Well
(悪い奴ほどよく眠る)
A young executive hunts down his father's killer in this chilling corporate take on "Hamlet."
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Akira Kurosawa
- Cast Toshirō Mifune, Masayuki Mori, Kamatari Fujiwara, Takeshi Katō, Kyōko Kagawa, Tatsuya Mihashi
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel
Directors: Yasujiro Ozu
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, Plex, Plex Channel
The End of Summer
(小早川家の秋)
The Kohayakawa family is thrown into distress when childlike father Manbei takes up with his old mistress.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1961
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Ganjiro Nakamura, Setsuko Hara, Yôko Tsukasa, Michiyo Aratama, Keiju Kobayashi, Masahiko Shimazu
- Genre Drama
- Available on Kanopy, Criterion Channel
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
Tokyo Story
(東京物語)
Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, journey to visit their adult children in Tokyo.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1953
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Chieko Higashiyama, Setsuko Hara, Haruko Sugimura, Sō Yamamura, Kuniko Miyake
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel
Good Morning
(お早よう)
Two young boys stop speaking in protest when their parents refuse to buy a television set.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1959
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Keiji Sada, Yoshiko Kuga, Chishū Ryū, Kuniko Miyake, Haruko Sugimura, Kôji Shitara
- Genre Comedy, Family, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
There Was a Father
(父ありき)
Widower and father Shuhei Horikawa grapples with raising his son amidst financial strife and personal failings of honor.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1942
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Shûji Sano, Haruhiko Tsuda, Shin Saburi, Takeshi Sakamoto, Mitsuko Mito
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Plex Channel
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
Early Spring
(早春)
A young salary man and his wife struggle within the confines of their passionless relationship while he has an extramarital affair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1956
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chikage Awashima, Takako Fujino, Ryô Ikebe, Daisuke Katô, Keiko Kishi, Kuniko Miyake
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
Late Spring
(晩春)
Widower Shukichi feels obligated to marry off his only daughter.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1949
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chishū Ryū, Setsuko Hara, Yumeji Tsukioka, Haruko Sugimura, Hohi Aoki, Jun Usami
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
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, Plex Channel
The Only Son
(一人息子)
A poor factory worker finds even her son's college degree doesn't make a difference in Depression era Japan.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1936
- Director Yasujirō Ozu
- Cast Chôko Iida, Shinichi Himori, Masao Hayama, Yoshiko Tsubouchi, Mitsuko Yoshikawa, Chishū Ryū
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Plex, Plex Channel