210 Best Movies to Watch From Japan (Page 11)

As one grows older, only then do they realize the benefits of youth. It’s all there in the title, but unlike other transformation stories where the protagonist reincarnates into a different, younger persona, Grandpa and Grandma Turn Young Again is much more mundane as they turn into their younger selves, but still keep to their calm, small town suburban lifestyle. It’s less exuberant than other stories– there’s no mystery to solve, no conspiracy to uncover– but it’s just so funny to see everyone around them react to the youth they attained, like make them enter their district’s sports team. But as the show progresses, and they continue their day-to-day lives, the show reveals itself as the celebration of the simple, small town life that once wasn’t a guarantee due to the war, the good life that many forgo for the city.

Genre: Animation, Comedy

Actor: Mamiko Noto, Nao Toyama, Shin-ichiro Miki, Shiori Mikami

Not fully a mystery and not entirely a thriller, yet on the cusp of both, the initial setup of Burn the House Down promises a definite answer and dismantles it in every episode. Sure that her mother was framed, Anzu infiltrates Makiko's new lavish life to prove that the fire set to her home thirteen years ago was no accident. She knows the culprit but lacks evidence, but when she's reacquainted with Makiko's eldest son, his reclusive demeanour takes a sinister turn. The premise is straightforward, yet it's hard to look away from Anzu skulking around as she finds remnants of her mother's old life and sweet-talking the family that destroyed hers. Trying to piece together that fateful night isn't simple but feels worth the unexpected detours three episodes in. 

Genre: Drama, Mystery

Actor: Asuka Kudo, Kie Kitano, Kyoka Suzuki, Mei Nagano, Michiko Kichise, Mitsuhiro Oikawa, Taishi Nakagawa, Tamaki Shiratori, Yuri Tsunematsu

Rating: TV-14

It's a new term at Kimberly Magic School, an academy with an 80% survival rate. Immediately we are introduced to the school's magical compound and our two main leads, Oliver Horn and Nanao Hibiya. Nanao, in particular, sticks out in her samurai garb and nonchalance toward danger (and most social cues), which is saying something since this is already an odd world filled with talking plants, magical creatures, and a busty, threatening headmistress. Because it chooses worldbuilding over backstories, the fantasy series doesn't seem as formulaic as it could be. But it does expertly set up the dangers the students will experience in the next seven years. It's also interesting that the magical students rely on swords instead of the usual wands; the possibility of even deadlier fights later in the series makes it an easy draw.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Atsushi Tamaru, Hitomi Ohwada, Misuzu Yamada, Riho Sugiyama, Yuka Nukui

Rating: TV-14

A man living in the countryside, going through a fairly mundane but happy life, until his violent past comes back to take it away… It’s a familiar story, one that studios keep returning to time and time again. Newcomer studio E&H Production has taken this story for Ninja Kamui, but with Jujutsu Kaisen’s director Sunghoo Park at the helm, the trope isn’t used for a safe bet– instead, it’s a great choice to showcase what the studio can offer. The action sequences feature his signature flair, with stunning detail, excellent choreography and point-of-view shots that place the viewer in the fight themselves. That being said, it’s also Park’s first time on an original work that isn’t an adaptation, or inspired by an already existing franchise. The show still needs to build up its world and the emotional stakes around Joe Higan, but so far, Ninja Kamui is a pretty decent introduction to Park’s new studio.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation

Actor: Atsushi Ono, Kenjiro Tsuda, Yuuki Wakai

Rating: TV-MA

The love parents have for their child is powerful, but most parents normally don’t resort to murder for them. Of course, most families don’t actually need to, but like Tetsuo Tosu, they might if their daughter’s yakuza boyfriend plans to murder her first. My Home Hero depicts this scenario, slowly going into the potential sequence of events that could happen, realistically portrayed by Kuranosuke Sasaki, Tae Kimura, and Asuka Saito as the loving family. The family might be a bit cookie-cutter – we’ve seen similar characters in other series before – but they’re relatable enough to make My Home Hero a fairly decent, though generic, crime drama.

Genre: Crime, Mystery

Actor: Asuka Saito, Kuranosuke Sasaki, Kyohei Takahashi, Tae Kimura, Yasushi Fuchikami

Director: Daisuke Yamamoto, Takahiro Aoyama, Takashi Tanazawa

Rating: TV-14

There are two timelines in Monarch, one set in a post-war world where trio Bill (Anders Holm), Shaw (Wyatt Russell), and Keiko (Mari Yamamoto) look for monsters, and another set in 2015, where trio Cate, Kentaro (Ren Watabe), and May (Kiersey Clemons) look for Cate and Kentaro’s missing father. Both timelines are action-packed and mystery-filled, eventually intertwining in a surprising but thrilling way. But for all that’s happening, Monarch is weirdly missing the monsters. Godzilla, along with other creatures old and new, rarely appear, though when they do, they make sure to put on a spectacle you can’t look away from. The show could use a lot more of these monsters, though there’s much to like in the human cast too—especially in Shaw, whose present self is played by Russell’s father, the iconic Kurt Russell. The decision to cast them in this role is more than inspired, it’s downright entertaining. Not only do they look alike, but they have the same mannerisms and charismatic flairs, though both actors make sure to inflect the character with their own specific charms. Seeing their interpretation of Shaw is reason enough to watch this series, but everything else is pretty epic too.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Anders Holm, Anna Sawai, Elisa Lasowski, Joe Tippett, Kiersey Clemons, Kurt Russell, Mari Yamamoto, Ren Watabe, Wyatt Russell

Rating: TV-14

With most of early January 2024’s slate focused on fantasy, Metallic Rouge is a fairly decent cyberpunk refresher. With fantastic, mostly 2D animation, studio Bones’ 25th Anniversary project has spectacular mecha match-ups between government android Rouge Redstar versus various members of the excellently designed Immortal Nine, as well as humorous, expository banter from Rouge’s human partner Naomi Orthmann. But it’s the mystery that drives interest in the show, as Nean androids and humans share a world, but not the same status, and the origins of the artificial intelligence bots seem to link with a previous alien invasion that pushed humanity into further space exploration. It’s an interesting premise, and the structure is definitely unusual, but with Bones’ track record, we’re expecting that it’ll all come together by the end of Metallic Rouge.

Genre: Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Actor: Atsushi Miyauchi, Chiaki Kobayashi, Hiroyuki Yoshino, Kazuyuki Okitsu, Kenjiro Tsuda, Shunsuke Takeuchi, Tomoyo Kurosawa, Yu Shimamura, Yui Ogura, Yume Miyamoto

Director: Yutaka Izubuchi

Rating: TV-14

Even within the first two episodes of the Japanese reality series Is She the Wolf? (a spin-off of parent show Who Is the Wolf?), it admittedly isn't very clear how the premise works. At least one female contestant in this pool of 22- to 32-year-olds—all of whom happen to be performers of some kind—has been told that they ultimately cannot reciprocate when somebody chooses them by the end, though they don't seem to be told what they win if they comply. And with the reveal of who one wolf is during the first episode, the twist starts to feel more cruel than intended, with the chosen woman feeling genuinely heartbroken about not being able to get closer to the man she's interested in.

But it sure makes for good TV. With this layer of suspicion and heightened emotional stakes, even watching the supposedly regular contestants becomes more engrossing: are they sincere, or are they using their performance backgrounds to good use? And despite the central twist, there's still something calming about Is She the Wolf?, as all of the contestants are refreshingly polite and soft-spoken—avoiding the kind of trashy behavior that often makes American dating shows equal parts exciting and irritating. These are just well-adjusted adults with jobs exercising caution as they get to know one another.

Genre: Reality, Romance