Well, here we are again. As we mention almost every year, the fact that the Japanese movie industry manages to produce the more ‘7/10′ movies than any other industry in the world has, once again, led it to the top of the Asia, since other countries’ industries have their ups and downs, with the Korean one in particular having one of its worst years in recent times. Furthermore, and despite the inherent problems local productions face, including the number of productions that is around 600 on a yearly basis, the gradual opening up of the industry, as witnessed in a number of co-productions with other Asian countries that was particularly evident in Tokyo International Film Festival, and the support program for local filmmakers to attend international festivals the government announce, local cinema has a number of reasons to be optimistic.
Without further ado, here are the best Japanese movies of 2024, 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 2023, but since they mostly circulated in 2024, we decided to include them.
25. The Box Man by Gakuryu Ishii
“The Box Man” is a comedy and social satire on society’s obsession with commenting on everything, and how stating an opinion (no matter how inappropriate and false) has become more important than worthwhile interaction. Gakuryu Ishii manages to tell a story which is both throught-provoking and entertaining, supported by a great cast and good grip on the source material, and how it is relevant in today’s world. (Rouven Linnarz)
24. Yours (short) by Sota Fukushi
“Yours” is a great short, one that makes one wish Fukushi had more time in order to present his story and characters more thoroughly, since there is definitely enough her for a full movie. Hopefully, something that we will see in the future.
23. HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle by Susumu Mitsunaka
Granted, the interest somewhat deteriorates when the narrative goes away from the game, but the technical quality and the entertainment the latter offers is on such a high level, that the rest do not matter. As such, “HAIKYU!! The Dumpster Battle” is an excellent, and much welcome return to one of the most popular titles of the last few years.
22. Kaneko’s Commissary by Go Furukawa
For starters, the exploration of the prison laws regarding delivering and visitation, and the whole concept of the commissary is quite intriguing by themselves, particularly since they have not been explored before in Japanese cinema, at least as far as this writer knows. The way Furukawa uses these two as his base in order to present his characters, and particularly the concept of whether people can truly change is equally impressive to watch. Especially the fact that he explores Shinji’s violent tendencies and Takashi’s criminal ones, as a sort of addiction, only to show that there are different perspectives to this concept, is one of the movie’s best traits.
21. Inch Forward by Su Yu Chun
“Inch Forward” delves quite deeply into indie filmmaking, presenting all its hardships and joys in the best fashion, while retaining a very appealing lightness throughout its 83 minutes. With an approach that combines realism with humor in the best fashion, 29-years-old Su Yu Chun is definitely a name to look for in the future, particularly if she gets good scripts in her hands.
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