Japan produces cinema unlike any other country on earth.
From breathtaking animation to quiet human dramas, Japanese filmmaking is in a class of its own.
These 10 films are essential for any serious movie lover.
1. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid: A lonely dragon wants to be loved (2025) 8.8
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Fantasy · Director: Tatsuya Ishihara · Cast: Maria Naganawa, Mutsumi Tamura, Yuuki Kuwahara
Miss Kobayashi, Tohru, Ilulu, and Kanna’s peaceful lives are shaken when Kanna’s father, Kimun Kamui, forces her to return to the Dragon World. As a war brews between the Chaos and Harmony factions, K
2. Attack on Titan: THE LAST ATTACK (2024) 8.7
Genre: Animation, Action, Adventure · Director: Yuichiro Hayashi · Cast: Yuki Kaji, Yui Ishikawa, Marina Inoue
A colossal-sized omnibus film bringing together the last two episodes of Attack on Titan in the franchise’s first-ever theatrical experience. After venturing beyond the walls and separated from his co
3. JUJUTSU KAISEN: Hidden Inventory / Premature Death – The Movie (2025) 8.5
Genre: Animation, Action, Fantasy · Director: Shota Goshozono · Cast: Yuichi Nakamura, Takahiro Sakurai, Anna Nagase
Pursued by a religious cult and other curse users, former friends Satoru Gojo and Suguru Geto are the only sorcerers capable of carrying the difficult task of protecting Riko Amanai, a student who has
4. Spirited Away (2001) 8.5
Genre: Animation, Family, Fantasy · Director: Hayao Miyazaki · Cast: Rumi Hiiragi, Miyu Irino, Mari Natsuki
A young girl, Chihiro, becomes trapped in a strange new world of spirits. When her parents undergo a mysterious transformation, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free her family
5. Your Name. (2016) 8.5
Genre: Animation, Romance, Drama · Director: Makoto Shinkai · Cast: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita
High schoolers Mitsuha and Taki are complete strangers living separate lives. But one night, they suddenly switch places. Mitsuha wakes up in Taki’s body, and he in hers. This bizarre occurrence conti
6. Leave it to Kero! (2000) 8.5
Genre: Comedy, Animation · Director: Masayuki Kojima · Cast: Aya Hisakawa, Yumi Touma, Sakura Tange
Following the events of Cardcaptor Sakura Movie 2: The Sealed Card, Kero and Spinel share a plate of takoyaki (octopus balls). They get into a fight over who gets the last piece, and in the process se
7. Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc (2025) 8.5
Genre: Animation, Action, Romance · Director: Tatsuya Yoshihara · Cast: Kikunosuke Toya, Tomori Kusunoki, Reina Ueda
In a brutal war between devils, hunters, and secret enemies, a mysterious girl named Reze has stepped into Denji’s world, and he faces his deadliest battle yet, fueled by love in a world where surviva
8. Teasing Master Takagi-san: The Movie (2022) 8.4
Genre: Animation, Comedy, Romance · Director: Hiroaki Akagi · Cast: Yuki Kaji, Rie Takahashi, Inori Minase
Takagi and Nishikata’s final summer in junior high is about to begin, and it’s already off to a heartwarming start! When the pair find an abandoned kitten, they decide to work together and take care o
9. A Silent Voice: The Movie (2016) 8.4
Genre: Animation, Drama, Romance · Director: Naoko Yamada · Cast: Miyu Irino, Saori Hayami, Aoi Yuuki
Shouya Ishida starts bullying the new girl in class, Shouko Nishimiya, because she is deaf. But as the teasing continues, the rest of the class starts to turn on Shouya for his lack of compassion. Whe
10. Howl’s Moving Castle (2004) 8.4
Genre: Fantasy, Animation, Adventure · Director: Hayao Miyazaki · Cast: Chieko Baisho, Takuya Kimura, Akihiro Miwa
Sophie, a young milliner, is turned into an elderly woman by a witch who enters her shop and curses her. She encounters a wizard named Howl and gets caught up in his resistance to fighting for the kin
Japanese cinema is infinitely deep — horror, animation, family drama, historical epic, comedy. These 10 films are just the beginning of a lifetime of discovery.