The 40 Best Japanese Movies of the Decade (2011-2020)

National cinemas come and go from the top, which is currently dominated by Korea, as it did by Hong Kong some decades ago, but the truth remains that the only one who has stayed on top since its beginning (maybe with the exception of the 80s) is the Japanese one. Either through the festival favorites like Koreeda, Kawase, Kiyoshi Kurosawa or through the more cult like Miike, Sono, Toyoda, or through a number of newcomers, Japanese cinema continues to make an impact, proving both its current quality and its potential for the years to come. The decade that just passed is another testament to the fact, and the movies that you will find in this list, the most distinct proof.

In an effort to winnow some of the best Japanese movies of the decade (2011-2020), we came up with 40 we felt were the ones that truly stand out in terms of quality, impact and sheer entertainment they offered. The order of this list could be different of course and the number much bigger, but our effort was towards presenting great films and not cataloguing all of them, always with a focus on diversity in style, themes and filmmaker

Without further ado, here are the 40 Best Japanese films of the decade, in reverse order.

*By clicking on the titles, you can read the full reviews. 

40. Wet Woman in the Wind (Akihiko Shiota, 2016)

“Wet Woman in the Wind” is a beguiling feature about temptation, seduction and the idea of pretentiousness, especially in the artistic field. Apart from titillating sex scenes, Akihiko Shiota's work is a great blend of comedy and even romance, another great entry into the Roman Porno Reboot Project. (Rouven Lin)

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39. Siblings of the Cape (Shinzo Katayama, 2018)

Even touching upon a story like that would be considered taboo, but Katayama directs a movie that pulls no punches in the presentation of the aforementioned events, including the sex scenes. Through this rather shocking approach, he makes an extremely harsh comment about humans and their behavior. Yoshio is driven to such extremes due to his  numbing poorness and his inability to take care of both his sister and himself, in a fate he did not have much to do with. However, this fate does not justify his actions in any way, and particularly the fact that he, eventually, gets used to his deeds. The fact that he is a lowlife is presented in a number of instances, but most of all in the fight with the school kids, which highlights both the difficulties of what he does and how low he has fallen. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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38. R100 (Hitoshi Matsumoto, 2013)

“R100” is a movie experience that goes into the absurd, has fun breaking the fourth wall of cinema and is actually, even though sometimes pretty messed up, an interesting and enjoyable ride. That is if you can get passed a certain few pretty shocking scenes. Crazy and daring, sexy and the absolute opposite; Matsumoto's new high (or probably to some, new low) in making films. I'm curious what his next move will be, cause it can't get any crazier than this, right? (Thor)

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37. Asako I & II (Ryusuke Hamaguchi, 2018)

Another focal point of the narrative is the radical differences between the two relationships Asako strikes. The first one is dream-like, occurring through circumstances that border on the miracle, the very unrealistic if you prefer, with the way the two lovers act (after the accident for example) and the way Baku disappears intensifying this notion. The second one, on the other hand, is the more typical, realistic, and somewhat unremarkable one, that proves though, something that can actually be sustained. The way Asako reacts upon the resurface of Baku seems to imply how difficult leaving your past behind can be, and at the same time, how difficult it is to choose sustainability over the prospect of a dream come true.

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36. 0,5 mm (Momoko Ando, 2014)

Adapted from her own book, Momoko Ando's “0.5mm” is a quirky road movie following Sawa (Sakura Ando, Momoko's sister), a multilayered mysterious young woman with a talent for caring and tending old people. In the episodic narration she deceptively sneaks into the lives of several old men and in exchange she sparks joy into their lives. We know nothing about her, bar she lost her uterus to an illness, and yet she is the quintessential motherly spirit, not only to the old fellas but also to the young woman she meets in the utterly satisfying full-circle open ending. She could also be the conscience of the old generation of Japan, a generation plagued with guilt and regret for the atrocities of war. Or couldn't she? 3 hours and 16 minutes of pure cinematic joy. (Adriana Rosati)

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35. Orphan's Blues (Riho Kudo, 2019)

Director Riho Kudo uses emotions and moods as a storytelling device where the narration leaves some opacity here and there. The story is lightly penciled, and then brought to life with vivid brush-strokes of intense emotions. Watching Emma fending off her derangement, worsening rapidly and going from concerned confusion to oblivious dementia is gut-wrenching. “Orphan's Blues” is a film that gets under your skin and Yukino Murakami really shines in Emma's role, giving a very physical performance with only sparse lines of dialogue. (Adriana Rosati)

34. The Great Passage (Yuya Ishii, 2013)

Yuya Ishii directs a genuinely Japanese film, in theme, style and pace, in the very difficult task of making the compiling of a dictionary into an entertaining movie. The fact that he succeeds in presenting a number of very interesting scenes in the world of vocabularies, which is filled with tabs and excel sheets, is his biggest accomplishment. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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33. 100 Yen Love (Masaharu Take, 2014)

Finally, “100 Yen Love” is a story about not giving up, about becoming stronger and creating a new perspective on life and about yourself. Even though its story might not be the most original and drags on sometimes, its central performance as well as the understated approach in Hirofumi Arai's script make “100 Yen Love” a quite touching experience. This is especially true for the magnificently shot and acted finale. (Rouven Lin)

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32. Along The Sea (Akio Fujimoto, 2020)

In terms of narrative, the film deals with a number of aspects of the everyday lives of immigrants in the country, and particularly women, very rarely depicted on the big screen. The way they their Japanese employers treat them, essentially considering them something very close to slaves, the issues they face for not speaking the language properly or at all, the fact that they cannot receive medical care since they do not have legal permits to work and live in the country, and the inevitable dealing with people who forge papers for exuberant fees are all highlighted here in every detail and with utmost realism. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

31. First Love (Takashi Miike, 2019)

Miike's latest noir, gangland thriller “First Love” is undoubtedly a crowd-pleaser and – it must be said – probably will not go down too well with hard-core Miike's fans expecting total insanity. However, it is undeniably rather entertaining and it's worth relaxing, forgetting the educated expectations and enjoying the measure & method in madness that director Miike and regular screenwriter collaborator Masara Nakamura have adopted this time. (Adriana Rosati)

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