Japanese cinema has been on a somewhat successful stalemate for years now, with the titles produced (at least the ones we manage to sea in the West out of the 600 the country produces every year) retaining the same, relatively high quality, even though no particular steps forward have been made for years now (maybe with the exception of Ryusuke Hamaguchi's films, but we have talked about that whole already here) Regarding the state of the industry in 2023, you can read the very informative article by Mark Schilling, but the thing I have to mention is that, despite the issues, local movies definitely have four things working quite well for them, particularly this year. First of all, the big names deliver almost always, with Miyazaki, Hamaguchi and Koreeda proving the fact this year also. Second of all, the quality of anime remains high as always and thirdly, some efforts at different cinematic approaches continue to take place, even though they can almost exclusively be found in low budget and short films. Lastly, throughout the decades, the Japanese movie industry keeps producing the most ‘7/10' (meaning quite good, even though not great) titles probably from every other national cinema in the world.
Without further ado, here are 25 movies that highlighted all the aforementioned in 2023, in reverse order, although the difference of quality is so small here, that the order could be completely different. Some films may have premiered in 2022, but since they mostly circulated in 2023, we decided to include them.
25. Love Will Tear Us Apart by Kenichi Ugana
Evidently, the identity of the serial killer in the mask is not much of a mystery. However, Kenichi Ugana skillfully incorporates a few entertaining twists into the story, along with comedic elements derived from Wakaba's training in the art of serial killer killing. Notably, Akaji Maro's portrayal of her teacher adds a layer of joyfulness for viewers to enjoy. In the same path, the movie begins as a school drama also focusing on bullying, but after the initial scenes and the 7 years flash forward, the movie shows its true colors, which are as entertaining as they could be. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
24. Home Sweet Home (Takumi Saitoh)
In a testament to Takumi Saitoh's directorial abilities, “Home Sweet Home” thrives on two axes, for the most part. The first one is the way he manages to artfully mix the family drama with the thriller/horror and the whodunnit, with the first providing the base and the second the small nuances that make the mix quite intriguing. The weird behaviors in particular, which are presented through brief scenes here and there, along with some flashbacks, are a true wonder to watch. This aspect also benefits the most by the excellent acting by the secondary actors, namely Yohei Matsukado as Koichi, Nao as Ms Honda, the female architect, and Yosuke Kubozuka as Satoru giving great performances, whose overall demeanor is the one that lets the horror gradually creep into the narrative. The same applies to some smaller scenes, as the one with the spiders and some voyeuristic ones, while the whodunnit element becomes more and more intense as a number of people are killed and the officer who handles the case (another great acting from Ayumu Nakajima) does not seem to have any particular answers. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
23. PSYCHO-PASS: Providence by Naoyoshi Shiotani
The main sociophilosophical comment of the series, regarding the complete management of society by a superior authority, an A.I. and how such a concept could be implemented without issues, particularly regarding the exercise of justice which is stripped from the hands of people, finds its apogee this time. The Peacebreakers provide the challenge here in that regard (it is better for the economy of the movie not to reveal anything more) but also a worthy opponent to the aforementioned bureaus in terms of battle force. Furthermore, the analysis of the various characters is as thorough as always in the series, with the focus this time being mostly on Akane, who finds her whole world challenged by a particular villain. In the meantime, Shinya and Nobuchika are also examined through their antagonism and the fact that they have to cooperate against the will of the latter mostly. The combination of all the aforementioned is the one that induces the narrative with an intense sense of drama, that is accentuated by the excellence implementation of Yugo Kanno's mostly epic music, which adds even more to the entertainment the movie offers. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
Watch This Title on Crunchyroll
by clicking on the image below
22. Zen by Takuya Miyahara
Takuya Miyahara directs an almost completely dialogue-less, black-and-white film that thrives on its atmosphere, particularly on the way he builds-up the story and its aesthetics. The initial calm gives its place to some tension, when he is lying on his bed, next an element of mystery is included, eventually leading to violence before calmness comes once again. The main mediums of this approach are the excellent editing, but even more so the impressive work done in the music by Keisuke Miyazaki and Ryoga Hatakeyama and the overall approach towards the sound, which essentially deems the lack of dialogue something barely one notices. Gaku Murakami's cinematography is another essential component, with the shaky handheld camera focusing on the face of the newspaper guy changing the overall “regular” approach, while inducing the short with a sense of speed, and also adding to the tension. These three elements are also the main ingredients of the references mentioned in the prologue, with Miyahara having “embedded” them in his film rather nicely. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
21. Winny by Yusaku Matsumoto
With some interesting general comments regarding the still crucial questions of copyright and the use of technology, great acting, directing and editing, “Winny” is an excellent movie that both entertains and educates, and a very welcome return for Matsumoto to form. (Panos Kotzathanasis)
