Hiromichi Nakao’s “Michiyuki” summons a now-vanishing era, turning memory into quiet poetry told in black and white. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/02/05/film/michiyuki-voices-of-time/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #hiromichinakao #kiritakekanjuro #daichiwatanabe
The follow-up to “Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway” is demanding, visually captivating and deeply satisfying, especially for fans who know the universe inside out. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/02/05/film/mobile-suit-gundam-hathaway/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #mobilesuitgundam
In Tomohiko Ito’s supernatural coming-of-age tale "The Keeper of the Camphor Tree," sometimes the greatest wish isn’t for success or escape but for somewhere to belong. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/30/film/the-keeper-of-the-camphor-tree/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #tomohikoito
Box-office revenues in 2025 in Japan soared 32.6% from the previous year to mark a record high of ¥274.45 billion, led by megahit Japanese films. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/29/film/box-office-revenues-high/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #film #japanesefilm
Is assisted suicide an act of kindness or a societal shortcut? Banmei Takahashi’s “Euthanasia Special Zone” doesn’t give a clear-cut answer. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/29/film/euthanasia-special-zone/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #banmeitakahashi #ayakaonishi #katsuyamaiguma
Netflix Japan has unveiled its 2026 lineup — from film and manga adaptations to live World Baseball Classic coverage, plus a new partnership with anime studio MAPPA. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/28/entertainment-news/netflix-anime-adaptations-baseball/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #netflix #streaming #japanesefilm #japanesetv #baseball #worldbaseballclassic
For "Black Ox" director Tetsuichiro Tsuta, his black-and-white art film rooted in Zen philosophy is the story of a man who has “lost his connection with nature.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/23/film/black-ox-tetsuichiro-tsuta/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #tetsuichirotsuta #buddhism #leekangsheng
Japan’s surprise box-office hit dominates the Japan Academy Awards — but at the Oscars, “Kokuho” comes away with just one nomination. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/23/entertainment-news/oscar-nominations-kokuho-academy/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #entertainmentnews #japanesefilm #kokuho #kabuki #records #leesangil #awards #japanacademyfilmprize #academyawards
Lee Kang-sheng gives a raw performance in “Black Ox,” Tetsuichiro Tsuta’s hypnotic mood piece based on a Buddhist parable. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/22/film/black-ox/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #tetsuichirotsuta #leekangsheng
Inspired by a real-life court case, Koji Fukada’s “Love on Trial” grapples with the ethics of the idol industry, but can’t seem to reach a verdict. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/22/film/love-on-trial/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #idols #kojifukada #kyokosaito
Takuro Ijichi’s “Vicissitude” is a visually sumptuous debut that hints at a director still coming into his own. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/16/film/vicissitude/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #takuroijichi
Legendary Entertainment, producer of "Dune" and "A Minecraft Movie," formed a partnership with Tokyo-based broadcaster TBS Holdings to develop Japanese stories into global film and TV properties. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/business/2026/01/16/companies/tbs-legendary-entertainment/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #business #companies #legendaryentertainment #tbs #japanesetv #television #japanesefilm
After 40 years of anime franchises, Shoji Kawamori finally goes fully original — with doppelgangers, livestreamers and giant robots. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/09/film/shoji-kawamori-labyrinth-anime/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #shojikawamori
Lies pile up and grief lingers in “The Imaginary Dog and the Lying Cat,” Yukihiro Morigaki's family drama spanning a quarter century. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/08/film/the-imaginary-dog-and-the-lying-cat/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yukihiromorigaki
A grizzly rampage packs a satirical bite in Eisuke Naito’s “Higuma!! The Killer Bear.” https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2026/01/08/film/higuma-the-killer-bear/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #eisukenaito #fukusuzuki #bears
A summary court has ordered Japanese actor Ryoko Hirosue to pay a ¥700,000 fine over a rear-end collision on the Shin-Tomei Expressway last April that injured a passenger in her vehicle, court officials said. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2026/01/06/japan/crime-legal/ryoko-hirosue-fine-court/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #japan #crimelegal #ryokohirosue #celebrities #japanesefilm #shizuoka #japanesecourts
This year, anime’s global boom brought record profits and more Hollywood interest but also renewed anxiety over AI and creative labor. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/26/film/anime-demon-slayer-gundam/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #anime #demonslayer #japanesefilm #chainsawman #2025inreview
Genre-hopping anime adventure “Whoever Steals This Book” is visually inventive and easy to watch, even if the finer plot details fade fast. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/25/film/whoever-steals-this-book/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #anime #kagokan #keikokurosawa
When a popular student dies in Yukari Sakamoto’s J-horror film “White Flowers and Fruits,” the adults barge in — and everything fractures. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/25/film/white-flowers-and-fruits/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #yukarisakamoto #horror #jhorror
Isao Yukisada’s drama “Kaede” is the latest reminder that in Japan, today’s karaoke staple is tomorrow’s feature film. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/culture/2025/12/25/film/films-based-on-a-song-kaede/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=mastodon #culture #film #japanesefilm #jpop #isaoyukisada