Best Japan Drama Movies

2016 • Rating 8.5 • animation, romance, drama

High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence continues to happen randomly, and the two must adjust their lives around each other.

Genre: Animation, Romance, Drama

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: High School, Race Against Time, Dreams, Afterlife, Natural Disaster, Supernatural, Time Travel, Comet, Romance, Tragedy

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, Time Travel Era, 2016-08-26

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yuuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa

2026 • Rating 8.5 • animation, science fiction, war

The year is U.C.0105, twelve years after Char's Rebellion. "MAFTY" has begun resisting the Federation government's tyrannical rule by assassinating its ministers. Its leader is actually Hathaway Noa, the son of Bright Noa, who fought in the One Year War alongside Amuro Ray. Haunted by past trauma, Hathaway is drawn to a mysterious girl named Gigi Andalucia, whose strange powers stir memories within him. While swayed by her cryptic words, he continues preparing for MAFTY's mission -- the attack on the Adelaide Conference. Kenneth Sleg of the Earth Federation Forces prepares a defense operation for the Adelaide Conference and a plan to eliminate MAFTY and is approached by Handley Yoxon of the Criminal Police Organization with a secret proposal. As Hathaway and Kenneth pursue their respective goals, Gigi also sets off for Hong Kong to fulfill her own role.

Genre: Animation, Science Fiction, War, Drama

Style: Cerebral, Futuristic

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: Based On Novel Or Book, Sequel, Mecha, Anime, Real Robot, Gundam, The Year Is U, Twelve Years After Char'S Rebellion, Mafty, Has Begun Resisting The Federation Government'S Tyrannical Rule By Assassinating Its Ministers

Time: Year 2026, 2020S, 2026-01-30

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Kensho Ono, Reina Ueda, Junichi Suwabe, Soma Saito, Kenjiro Tsuda, Yui Ishikawa

1954 • Rating 8.5 • action, drama

A samurai answers a village's request for protection after he falls on hard times. The town needs protection from bandits, so the samurai gathers six others to help him teach the people how to defend themselves, and the villagers provide the soldiers with food.

Genre: Action, Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Martial Arts, Japan, Samurai, Sword, Peasant, Village, Looting, Rice, Fencing, Moral Ambiguity

Time: Year 1954, 1950S, 1954-04-26

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Toshirō Mifune, Takashi Shimura, Yoshio Inaba, Seiji Miyaguchi, Minoru Chiaki, Daisuke Katō

1988 • Rating 8.4 • animation, drama, war

In the final months of World War II, 14-year-old Seita and his sister Setsuko are orphaned when their mother is killed during an air raid in Kobe, Japan. After a falling out with their aunt, they move into an abandoned bomb shelter. With no surviving relatives and their emergency rations depleted, Seita and Setsuko struggle to survive.

Genre: Animation, Drama, War

Style: Suspenseful

Audience: Adult, Date Night, Family

Plot: Sibling Relationship, Hunger, World War Ii, Wartime, Shelter, Struggle For Survival, Pacific Theater, Adult Animation, Semi Autobiographical, Anti War

Time: Year 1988, 1980S, 1988-04-16

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Tsutomu Tatsumi, Ayano Shiraishi, Yoshiko Shinohara, Akemi Yamaguchi, Masayo Sakai, Kozo Hashida

1962 • Rating 8.4 • action, drama, history

Down-on-his-luck veteran Tsugumo Hanshirō enters the courtyard of the prosperous House of Iyi. Unemployed, and with no family, he hopes to find a place to commit seppuku—and a worthy second to deliver the coup de grâce in his suicide ritual. The senior counselor for the Iyi clan questions the ronin’s resolve and integrity, suspecting Hanshirō of seeking charity rather than an honorable end. What follows is a pair of interlocking stories which lay bare the difference between honor and respect, and promises to examine the legendary foundations of the Samurai code.

Genre: Action, Drama, History

Style:

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Suicide, Japan, Samurai, Asia, Flashback, Revenge, Poverty, Black And White, Seppuku, Ronin

Time: Year 1962, 1960S, 1962-09-15

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Tatsuya Nakadai, Akira Ishihama, Shima Iwashita, Tetsuro Tamba, Masao Mishima, Ichirō Nakatani

2016 • Rating 8.4 • animation, drama, romance

Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. When they leave elementary school, Shouko and Shouya do not speak to each other again... until an older, wiser Shouya, tormented by his past behaviour, decides he must see Shouko once more. He wants to atone for his sins, but is it already too late...?

Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance

Style:

Audience: Date Night, Family, Teens

Plot: High School, Friendship, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, Deaf, Bullying, Coming Of Age, School, Based On Manga, Adult Animation

Time: Year 2016, 2010S, 2016-09-17

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuuki, Kensho Ono, Yuki Kaneko, Yui Ishikawa

1995 • Rating 7.9 • animation, drama, family

Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."

Genre: Animation, Drama, Family

Style: Mind Bending, Surreal

Audience: Date Night, Family

Plot: Dreams, Library, Italy, Violin, Writing, Education, Love, Train, Based On Manga, Cartoon Cat

Time: Year 1995, 1990S, 1995-07-15

Place: Japan, Japanese

Cast: Yoko Honna, Issey Takahashi, Takashi Tachibana, Shigeru Muroi, Minami Takayama, Mayumi Izuka

2025 • Rating 7.7 • drama

In summer, Nagisa and Natsuo meet by the sea. Their vacant gazes reflect each other as they exchange awkward words and wade into the rain-drenched ocean. In winter, Li, a screenwriter, travels to a snow-covered village. There, she finds a guesthouse run by Benzo.

Genre: Drama

Style:

Audience: Date Night

Plot: Based On Manga, In Summer, Nagisa And Natsuo Meet By The Sea, Their Vacant Gazes Reflect Each Other As They Exchange Awkward Words And Wade Into The Rain-Drenched Ocean, In Winter, A Screenwriter, Travels To A Snow-Covered Village, There, She Finds A Guesthouse Run By Benzo

Time: Year 2025, 2020S, 2025-11-07

Place: Japan, Korean, Japanese

Cast: Shim Eun-kyung, Shinichi Tsutsumi, Yuumi Kawai, Mansaku Takada, Shiro Sano, Yoichiro Saito