5 Best Japanese Movies of All Time that You Must Watch!

Not only the development of technology and tourism, but also the Japanese film industry is not getting any better. Many movies are made based on anime or manga stories originating from Japan. Even these films were able to penetrate the Academy Awards.

Apart from anime series, many Japanese movies are also interesting. Here are the recommendations for the best Japanese movies of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes.

Rotten Tomatoes is an aggregator website that collects reviews of movies and television series from various publications and critics and then displays the score in percentage form. Let’s see what Japanese movies are interesting all the time.

1. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013)

The best movie of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes is The Tale of The Princess Kaguya. This movie is a Japanese animation with a fantasy genre. The Tale of The Princess Kaguya is adapted from a fictional prose narrative containing elements of Japanese folklore thought to have circulated in the late 9th or early 10th century.

The movie tells the story of a magical fairy named Kaguya who is found by a bamboo cutter and cared for until she grows up. She was educated to be a noblewoman. After growing up, she was officially named Princess Kaguya. Her father even held a special celebration for the occasion. When she grew up, many men liked Princess Kaguya and wanted to marry her.

This anime is one of Studio Ghibli’s works directed by Isao Takahata. This movie became the number one best on Rotten Tomatoes because it has a deep narrative and extraordinary visual beauty.

2. Seven Samurai (1954)

Coming in second, Seven Samurai is the best movie of all time. “Seven Samurai” had a huge impact on the history of the Japanese film industry. The movie tells the story of seven strangers who must work together to repel criminals after being hired by a farmer. Seven Samurai was even remade by Hollywood under the title Magnificent Seven.

3. Drive My Car (2021)

The next best Japanese movie of all time is Drive My Car. The film directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi won the 2022 Oscar Cup in the Best International Feature category.

Unmitigated, Drive My Car even entered into 4 nominations, namely the categories of Best Pictures, Best Director, Best International Feature, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

The movie follows the life of a famous actor and director, Yusuke Kafuku (Hidetoshi Nishijima). He finds his wife, Oto Kafuku (Reika Kirishima), unconscious and pronounced dead from a brain hemorrhage. From then on, his once peaceful life changes.

4. Still Walking (2008)

The best Japanese movie recommendation that Japafans should watch is Still Walking. This movie tells the story of the events 12 years after Kyohei and Toshiko’s eldest son, Junpei, drowned while rescuing a stranger. The two welcome their surviving children for a family reunion at home.

However, their youngest son, Ryota, still felt that his parents disliked him because he was not the one who died. The daughter tried to make up for her discomfort with jokes.

5. Only Yesterday (1991)

In fifth place, the best Japanese movie of all time is Only Yesterday. This animated film by Studio Ghibli was released in 1991. Only Yesterday was once a box office in Japan and received a lot of praise from film critics.

This anime tells the story of a 27-year-old woman named Taeko. She works at a company in the city. Being single at this age, Taeko is often set up with male acquaintances of her two older siblings. However, Taeko thinks she wants to enjoy her current career even though she feels lonely.

Well, that’s the list of the best Japanese movies of all time according to Rotten Tomatoes, Japafans. Have you watched all the movies? Is your favorite movie included above?