Mamoru Hosoda’s “Scarlet” shows what hybrid animation can do: fluid battles, detailed facial expressions and a Shakespearean narrative painted on vast digital landscapes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/20/film/scarlet/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #mamoruhosoda #manaashida #masachikaichimura #kojiyakusho #masakiokada
Yuichiro Sakashita’s “Blonde” turns Japan’s rigid school politics and obsession with uniformity into a sharp, crowd-pleasing comedy that won the Audience Award at this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/19/film/blonde/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yuichirosakashita #takanoriiwata #mugikadowaki
The latest film adaptation of the “Demon Slayer” manga series has become the first Japanese movie to gross more than ¥100 billion worldwide, its distributors have said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/18/entertainment-news/demon-slayer-first-hundred-billion/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #demonslayer #anime #manga #japanesefilm #sony
“A Light in the Harbor” channels the spirit of old yakuza dramas, but ends up stuck in the past it romanticizes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/a-light-in-the-harbor/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #michihitofujii #hiroshitachi #gordonmaeda
As two strangers share a cab and a lifetime’s worth of stories, Yoji Yamada’s “Tokyo Taxi” is a reminder that even brief encounters can be meaningful. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/tokyo-taxi/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #chiekobaisho #takuyakimura #yojiyamada
Over a seven-decade career, Tatsuya Nakadai brought nuance and intensity to every role, earning his place among Japan’s cinematic greats. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/13/film/tatsuya-nakadai-tribute/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #tatsuyanakadai #mumeijuku #obituary #akirakurosawa #japanesefilm #masakikobayashi
Renowned actor Tatsuya Nakadai, best known for his role in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran,” has died at the age of 92. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/11/entertainment-news/tatsuya-nakadai-obituary/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #tatsuyanakadai #mumeijuku #obituary #akirakurosawa #japanesefilm
Sony raised its profit outlook after reporting stronger-than-expected earnings, buoyed by its entertainment portfolio and resurgent demand for its premium smartphone camera sensors. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2025/11/11/companies/sony-profit-outlook-rise/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #sony #japanesefilm #anime #videogames #demonslayer
After a decades-long wait for a Japan premiere of the multilayered “Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters,” tickets for Tokyo International Film Festival’s buzziest feature sold out in under 15 minutes. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-yukio-mishima-biopic/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #yukiomishima #paulschrader #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo
Wataru Takahashi’s “The Obsessed” is messy, musical and as weird as it is warmhearted. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/the-obsessed/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #watarutakahashi #masayasano #mokakamishiraishi
Like Yoshiharu Tsuge’s manga, Sho Miyake’s “Two Seasons, Two Strangers” lingers like a dream. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/11/06/film/two-seasons-two-strangers/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #shomiyake #yoshiharutsuge #manga
Filmmaker Oudai Kojima turns a soldier’s trauma into a politically charged thriller in “Flames of a Flower.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/29/film/flames-of-a-flower/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #oudaikojima #sdf
Koto Nagata’s “Baka's Identity” dives into Japan’s fake ID trade, revealing a generation trapped between crime and survival. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/29/film/bakas-identity/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #kotonagata #yutahayashi #takumikitamura #goayano
The stars were out at Midtown Hibiya on Monday as the Tokyo International Film Festival opened its 38th edition. The event, which runs through Nov. 5, features 184 films — but tickets are moving fast. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/28/film/tokyo-film-festival-opening-ceremony/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo
Veteran actor Sayuri Yoshinaga headlines a biopic about the first woman to summit Mount Everest, but it ends up feeling more like a tribute to its star. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/23/film/climbing-for-life/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #sayuriyoshinaga #mounteverest
Between grilled meat and gay manga, Daigo Matsui’s "Meets the World" is a darkly funny tale of friendship, fantasy and female loneliness. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/23/film/meets-the-world/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #daigomatsui #hanasugisaki #kotonaminami #kabukicho #shinjuku
Toshiaki Toyoda’s mindbender “Transcending Dimensions” is a sensory journey to an alternate dimension. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/transcending-dimensions/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ryuheimatsuda #yosukekubozuka #toshiakitoyoda
In “The Sickness Unto Love,” what begins as a shy boy’s crush unravels into a nightmare of bullying, lies and manipulation. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/the-sickness-unto-love/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #ryuichihiroki #kentonagao #annayamada
The Tokyo International Film Festival is back — and The Japan Times’ film critics have handpicked the must-watch titles. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/16/film/tokyo-international-film-festival-recommendations/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #filmfestivals #japanesefilm #tiff #tokyo
Masami Nagasawa is fierce and unforgettable as O-Ei, the woman behind ukiyo-e master Hokusai, in Tatsushi Omori’s gritty historical biopic. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/10/09/film/hokusais-daughter/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #hokusai #ukiyoe #masaminagasawa #tatsushiomori #masatoshinagase