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

20. Shin Godzilla (Hideaki Anno and Shinji Higuchi, 2016)

Hideaki Anno directs a very different Godzilla movie, with the help of Shinji Higuchi, who is also responsible for the outstanding special effects. The film has a very fast pace and very sharp editing, as the setting changes constantly, and the presentation looks like a news broadcast on TV. In that fashion, and by presenting the consequences first, Anno manages to build the tension before the monster appears. Furthermore, through the transformations (each one is more impressive that the last), he manages to retain the agony for quite some time. In that fashion, when Godzilla eventually appears in its full form, the impact is huge. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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19. Like Father, Like Son (Hirokazu Koreeda, 2013)

Koreeda, who also wrote the script, brings two subjects into focus. First, the class difference that still exists at large in the urban environment of the Japanese metropolis and the effect it has in the upbringing of children; and second, he presents a question about the component that makes a man feel like a father. In order to demonstrate these two topics, he uses the two male leads almost exclusively, while the women and the kids have distinct secondary roles.(Panos Kotzathanasis)

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18. Liverleaf (Eisuke Naito, 2018)

“Liverleaf” is a film that I am sure every teen will enjoy. But it does have enough going on outside of teen drama for the rest of us to appreciate,  whether or not you are a manga fan. I think the moral of this story is not to ever let teens get their hands on sharp knives, and that teen angst is a force of nature that can turn deadly, fast. (Matt Ward)

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17. Lowlife Love (Eiji Uchida, 2015)

“Lowlife Love” is a film about the making of films, about dreams and ambitions as well as what happens if this passion is put to the test of reality. Featuring strong performances, especially Kiyoshi Shibukawa in the lead, and a dry sense of humour in its script, “Lowlife Love” manages to hit the right tone when it comes to portraying an industry whose reality often challenges the dreams of some many of us. (Rouven Lin)

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16. Miss Zombie (Sabu, 2013)

Sabu's film differentiates from the plethora of films in the genre, because he presents an everyday life that simply includes zombies, instead of the usual attack to humans. The tension is built slowly but steadily, with the events becoming worse and worse, initially on Shara and then to Shizuko. At the same time, the sense that something very bad is bound to happen permeates the film, inducing it with an atmosphere of a thriller. This sense is one of the movie's best attributes. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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15. Miyamoto (Tetsuya Mariko, 2019)

Tetsuya Mariko directs another film about a character locked in a cycle of non-stop violence; however, this time he also adds two other, equally disturbing concepts, that of obsessive love and of the law of the jungle. The first  concept has rarely been depicted with darker colors, since it becomes obvious from the start that the relationship of the two started with her using him to protect her against her former boyfriend, but became something even worse after the rape, when revenge becomes the sole driving force for Miyamoto. (Panos Kotzathanasis)

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14. Mr Long (Sabu, 2017)

“Mr Long” is an interesting development for SABU, an extension of the themes of his work, specifically the role of spirituality in today's life, coincidence and the dichotomy of activity and passivity. With its cast led by Chen Chang, its storytelling and its cinematography, the movie may be a more conventional movie for its director, but also one with a more humane take on its characters. Rules or conventions may be prison bars for some, but they are also meant to enable some of the most precious human qualities we can think of. Again, it is always easy to use the knife to destroy, but it requires patience and understanding to use it correctly. (Rouven Lin)

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13. Mrs. Noisy (Chihiro Amano, 2019)

One of the biggest qualities of “Mrs. Noisy” is that it speaks to many people in its representation of mundane situations described in the script penned by the director herself. Having an annoying neighbor is something almost anyone knows about from their own experience, but also the prejudice we tend to build about others without as much as knowing anything about them. In playing with those cards and yet not building up on a misery porn despite of plenty material for doing exactly that, Chihiro Amano has probably achieved something that is a rarity in this type of films – viewer's wish to rethink certain behavioral patterns, and maybe even change the attitude towards the people in general. (Marina D. Richter)

12. Your Name (Makoto Shinkai, 2016)

Like in a Kumihimo – a braided cord – Mitsuha and Taki's destinies twist, tangle, unravel, break, and then connect again. The whole movie is actually like a braid made of conflicting and complementary forces; male and female, old and new, tradition and modernity, man and nature, memory and amnesia. With its playful premise and its inspired conclusion, “Your Name” is a rich and adventurous journey that takes you exactly where it promises. (Adriana Rosati)

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11. Antiporno (Sion Sono, 2016)

The art design for the film is exceptional with the background playing a role in the film as well. Throughout the audience is made to consider the significance of each location and the interplay between them, whether the yellow room, the forest, the home. It forces a consideration of themes by repeatedly alienating the viewer and giving a sense of unreality to proceedings that make you question both the characters and your relationship to them.(Matthew Cooper)

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