DramaWiki DramaWiki

I decided to use this page for Japanese movie and dorama review/rating to keep track of series I've seen and maybe guide newcomers to the wonderful(?) world of Japanese doramas and movies!
Only those series I've watched to the last episode will be rated. I am more into romance / drama genre (In other words, serious stuff, NOT anime/manga based fangirl stuff) in Japanese media, so I might be a bit biased, but I tried my best to be fair. Personally, I think doramas with meanings are worth more than just plain comedy anyway. Of course, everyone has different tastes, but I think this page will help you decide which show is worth seeing! Anything with ratings of 9 or 10 are bolded with color. 8-rated movies are bolded as well, because I have a higher standards for live-action movies.
You should definitely check them out first!!

「僕の耳は、名場面を憶えている。」 you often see in my signature is one of my favorite slogans, it was for Chrono Trigger OST. It roughly tranlates to "My ears remember the greatest moments." Of course, usually you would remember a great scenes with your eyes, but a great music accomodating it makes it that much more memorable. That's why I also included theme song ratings in my review.

My Fansubs

• Past, future projects, updates in FansubWiki http://fansub.d-addicts.com/User:8thSin

Dorama Reviews

Formats: Refer to DramaWiki Glossary of Terms for further details.
- CpE: Conclusion-per-episode format, each episode starts afresh with minimal influence from previous episodes.
"Ichi wa kanketsu keishiki" 一話完結形式

- R: Continuation dorama format, all the episodes combine to make one story.
Episodes often end with a cliffhanger. "Renzoku" 連続 「連ドラ」

- R-CpE: Continuous conclusion-per-episode. This is not an official category, but ones I consider to be between
CpE and Renzoku. Each episode carries the story from previous episodes, but is concluded at end of each episode.

- Mix: Only first couple of episodes are CpE then turns into Renzoku near the end.

" * " Currently watching, ratings may change.

Title	Year	Genre	Format	Rating/10	Theme Song	Song rating/10 Compatibility/10
ガリレオ Galileo	2007	Detective/Comedy	CpE	8	KOH+ - KISS-shite	7 -
働きマン Hataraki Man	2007	Manga/Romance	CpE	10	UVERworld - Ukiyo CROSSING	4 -
SP	2007	Police	CpE?	7*	-	- -
ハタチの恋人 Hatachi no Koibito	2007	Romance/Comedy	R-CpE?	6*	Pipettes - Because it's not Love	8 -
プロポーズ大作戦 Propose Daisakusen	2007	Romantic Fantasy	R-CpE	9	Kuwata Keisuke - Ashita Hareru Kana	4 5
セクシーボイスアンドロボ Sexy Voice and Robo	2007	Comedy/Suspense	CpE	4	Mitsuki - Hitotsudake	7 8
特急田中３号 Tokkyuu Tanaka 3-Gou	2007	Comedy	R	7	KAT-TUN - Yorokobi no Uta	3 9
バンビーノ! Bambino!	2007	Drama	R	4	Arashi - We can make it!	4 -
ライアーゲーム LIAR GAME	2007	Mystery	R	4	-	- -
ヒミツの花園 Himitsu no Hanazono	2007	Comedy	CpE	5	Amuro Namie - Baby Don't Cry	9 9
ハケンの品格 Haken no Hinkaku	2007	Comedy/Drama	R-CpE	9	Nakashima Mika - Mienai Hoshi	9 9
花より男子２ Hana Yori Dango 2	2007	Manga/Romance	R	5	ARASHI - Love so Sweet Utada Hikaru - Flavor of Love	10 - 10 8 - 6
華麗なる一族 Karei naru Ichizoku	2007	Drama	R	7	-	- -
のだめカンタービレ Nodame Cantabile	2006	Manga/Comedy	R	9	Gershwin - Rhapsody in Blue	- 9
だめんず・うぉ～か～ Damens Walker	2006	Manga/Comedy	CpE	7	Koda Kumi - Yume no Uta	9 6
１４才の母 14 Sai no Haha	2006	Drama	R	2	Mr.Children - Shirushi	8 2
セーラー服と機関銃 Sailor Fuku to Kikanju	2006	Suspense/Comedy	R-CpE	2	Hoshi Izumi - Sailor Fuku to Kikanjuu	2 6
たったひとつの恋 Tatta Hitotsu no Koi	2006	Romance	R	4	KAT-TUN - Bokura no Machi de	4 5
結婚できない男 Kekkon Dekinai Otoko	2006	Comedy/Romance	CpE	9	Every Little Thing - Swimmy	8 9
ブスの瞳に恋してる Busu no Hitomi ni Koishiteru	2006	Comedy/Romance	R	7	Koda Kumi - Koi no Tsubomi	10 9
西遊記 Saiyuuki	2006	Comedy/Adventure	CpE	7	MONKEY MAJIK - Around the World	8 9
夜王 Yaoh	2006	Drama	CpE	5	TOKIO - Mr.Traveling Man	5 7
１リットルの涙 Ichi Ritoru no Namida	2005	Human Drama	R	9	K - Only Human	10 10
あいのうた Ai no Uta	2005	Romance/Drama	R-CpE	9	Tamaki Kouji - Present	7 9
花より男子 Hana Yori Dango	2005	Manga/Romance	R	4	ARASHI - WISH	8 7
野ブタ。をプロデュース Nobuta wo Produce	2005	Drama/Suspense	Mix	9	Shuuji to Akira - Seishun Amigo	9 8
電車男 Densha Otoko	2005	Comedy/Romance	R-CpE	6	Sambo Master - Sekai wa sore wo ai to yobundaze	2 5
スローダンス Slow Dance	2005	Romance	R	3	Fukuyama Masaharu - TOKYO	4 6
ドラゴン桜 Dragon Zakura	2005	School	R-CpE	8	melody. - Realize	8 9
いま、会いにゆきます Ima Ai ni Yukimasu	2005	Romance	R	5	Orange Range - Kizuna	7 7
がんばっていきまっしょい！ Ganbatte Ikimasshoi	2005	Drama	R	6	Aiko - Kira Kira	2 9
恋におちたら～僕の成功の秘密～ Koi ni Ochitara	2005	Drama	Mix	9	Crystal Kay - Koi ni Ochitara	8 10
エンジン Engine	2005	Drama	R-CpE	6	Aerosmith - Angel	8 3
幸せになりたい！ Shiawase ni Naritai!	2005	Drama	R	4	SUGAR - Shiawase ni Naritai	9 10
アタック No.1 Attack No.1	2005	Sports	R	4	Fukuda Saki - Attack No.1 2005	3 9
曲がり角の彼女 Magari Kado no Kanojyo	2005	Romance	R	7	Shela - Dear My Friends	8 9
ごくせん２ Gokusen 2	2005	Manga/School/Comedy	CpE	6	D-51 - No More Cry	9 10
Ｈ２～君といた日々 H2	2005	Manga/Sports	R	7	K - Over...	8 10
ラストクリスマス Last Christmas	2004	Romance	R	5	Oda Yuji with Butch Walker - Last Christmas	5 8
君が想い出になる前に Kimi ga Omoide ni Naru Mae ni	2004	Drama	R	4	Amuro Namie - All for You	8 8
世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu	2004	Junai	R	9	Shibasaki Kou - Katachi Aru Mono	10 10+
オレンジデイズ Orange Days	2004	Drama/School	R	10+	Mr.Children - Sign	10 10
愛し君へ Itoshi Kimi e	2004	Romance	R	10	Moriyama Naotarou - Ikitoshi Ikeru Mono e Moriyama Naotarou - Itoshi Kimi e	6 - 4 9 - 10
ワンダフルライフ Wonderful Life (Fuji TV)	2004	Sports	R-CpE	7	Hirai Ken - Kimi wa Tomodachi	6 9
プライド Pride	2004	Sports/Romance	R-CpE	5	Queen - Born to Love You	5 2
ビギナー Beginner	2003	Lawyer	CpE	3	The Carpenters - Top of the World	9 4
元カレ Moto Kare	2003	Romance	R	5	Kinki Kids - Hakka Candy	6 4
グッドラック！！ Good Luck!!	2003	Drama/Romance	R	10+	Yamashita Tatsuro - Ride on Time	7 9
My Little Chef	2002	Drama	CpE	5	Hamasaki Ayumi - Voyage	10 8
太陽の季節 Taiyou no Kisetsu	2002	Tragedy/Romance	R	5	Takizawa Hideaki - Ki.Se.Ki	7 9
ごくせん Gokusen	2002	Manga/School/Comedy	CpE	7	V6 - Feel Your Breeze	6 8
空から降る一億の星 Sora Kara Furu Ichioku no Hoshi	2002	Drama/Suspense	R	7	Elvis Costello - Smile	6 8
スタアの恋 Star no Koi	2001	Romance/Comedy	R-CpE	8	Globe - Stop! In the Name of Love	9 7
HERO	2001	Lawyer	CpE	10	Utada Hikaru - Can You Keep a Secret?	10 10
やまとなでしこ Yamato Nadeshiko	2000	Romance/Comedy	R	9	MISIA - Everything	5 2
Summer Snow	2000	Romance	R	4	Kinki Kids - Natsu no Oosama	8 10
Food Fight	2000	Drama	CpE	7	SMAP - Lion Heart	9 7
池袋ウエストゲートパーク IWGP	2000	Suspense/Comedy	R	9	SADS - Boukyaku no Sora	7 9
Beautiful Life	2000	Romance	R	10+	B'z - Konya Tsuki no Mieru Oka ni	10 10
魔女の条件 Majo no Jouken	1999	Romance	R	5	Utada Hikaru - First Love	10 8
神様、もう少しだけ Kamisama Mou Sukoshi Dake	1998	Romance/Tragedy	R	5	Luna Sea - I For You	6 8
GTO	1998	Manga/School/Comedy	CpE	6	Sorimachi Takashi - Poison	4 5
君の手がささやいている Kimi No Te Ga Sasayaite Iru	1997	Human Drama	R-CpE	9	Stevie Wonder - I Just Called to Say I Love You	8 5
青い鳥 Aoi Tori L'oiseau bleu	1997	Suspense/Romance	R	10	Globe - Wonderin' Destiny	9 10+
ラブジェネレーション Love Generation	1997	Romance	R	8	Outaki Eiichi - Shiawase na Ketsumatsu	5 2
バージンロード Virgin Road	1997	Romance	R	9	Amuro Namie - Can You Celebrate?	10+ 10
コーチ Coach	1996	Sports/Romance	R	9	Tamaki Kouji - Denen	9 10
ロングバケーション Long Vacation	1996	Romance	R	10	Kubota Toshinobu - La La La Love Song	10 10
愛していると言ってくれ Aishiteiru to Ittekure	1995	Romance	R	5	Dream Come True - LOVE LOVE LOVE	10 8
101回目のプロポーズ 101st Marriage Proposal	1991	Romance	R	7	Chage & Aska - Say Yes	9 8

Japanese Movie Reviews

FSC - FantasticSuperClub.org (FSC) and FS Seeders (FSS) are THE places to get Japanese and other Asian movies. Registration available at limited time slots. Keep trying to register!

Latest additions:

• g@me. (2003)
• [HIGHLY Recommended] Sono Toki wa Kare ni Yoroshiku AKA: When You See Him, Say Hello for Me (2007) [8thSin fansub]
• The Insect Unlisted in the Encyclopedia (2007)
• Sidecar ni Inu (2007)
• [HIGHLY Recommended] Tennen Kokkeko (2007)
• Tokyo Tower (2007)
• Postman Blues (1997)
• [HIGHLY Recommended] DRIVE (2002)
• [EXTREMELY Recommended] Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai AKA: Even So, I Didn't Do It (2007) [Upcoming fansub]
• Bizan (2007) [Upcoming fansub]

Bolded (8, 9): Recommended movies, films I really enjoyed.

Blue background (10): Highly recommended, nearly flawless movies that were touching.

Dark blue background (10+): Extremely recommended, masterpieces that really touched me.

Green background: My fansubs.

Title	Year	Genre	Rating /10	Comment	Theme Song	Song rating /10 Compatibility /10
天然コケッコー Tennen Kokekko AKA: A Gentle Breeze in the Village	2007	Seishun	10	Another movie depicting the goodness of simple life in the countryside and the innocent love of a teenage girl. They should not have been able to make such a beautiful film without big name actors and a lot of money, but they did. A miraculously good film, just like Josee. I have seen the lead actress Kaho in minor roles in many dorama series before, and I didn't have much expectations for her in this movie, but she was phenomenal. She was very cute and pure, had a great control of her emotions, and just fit perfectly into the role. Cinematography and camerawork were equally wonderful, a proof that big budget CG isn't necessary for stunning scenes. What I loved most though, was how well this film was directed. It had a very straightforward story of a shy and earnest girl falling in love, and it didn't have any scenes that were overwhelming memorable and dramatic like most masterpieces, but I was totally drawn into the story. I totally connected with all the main characters. Although I still feel Soredemo Boku wa Yattenai as the best film of the year, this movie was a very enjoyable experience for me. It shows that beauty lies beneath ordinary things and emotion through subtlety, a true Japanese film. Everything was perfect, I can't come up with a single flaw in this movie. As I mentioned before, a miraculous film.	Qururi - Kotaba wa Sankaku Kokoro wa Shikaku	8 10
西遊記 Saiyuuki AKA: Journey to the West	2007	Action	5	Yeah, this movie was pretty bad. They shouldn't have wasted so much money on CG and extras, and just released this as a dorama SP. It felt like watching a dorama the whole time. While it was really entertaining and touching at times, it was definitely not worth paying and watching in the theaters. The fighting sequence was a great improvement over the dorama series though.	MONKEY MAJIK - Around the World	8 8
図鑑に載ってない虫 Zukan ni Nottenai Mushi The Insect Unlisted in the Encyclopedia	2007	Comedy	8	This teen comedy movie has a very well-structured story. It's funny in a stupid way like most teen movies, but the story is really unique, and all the little details are pieced together in the end. The ending was also very deep, nice break from serious drama movies.	Nice Hashimoto - Natsu no Tegami	8 10
サイドカーに犬 Sidecar ni Inu AKA: Dog on the Sidecar	2007	Drama	6	This movie is a very hard one to rate... Takeuchi Yuuko totally seemed to be out of place as a "wild" girl, but there were some nice scenes. Mimura is just such a horrible actress, nothing can work for her. I enjoyed the story, about a fond childhood memory, from the perspectives of a child (I guess that's why so many things remain mystery, especially about Takeuchi's character). Over all, I loved parts of it, absolutely hated other parts. An interesting story and a nice message, but lacking a dramatic scene vital for this kind of film.	YUI - Understand	5 7
きみにしか聞こえない CALLING YOU Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai AKA: Calling You	2007	Junai	8	Highly recommended film for all those who liked Heavenly Forest. Ryou (Narumi Riko) is a girl deserted by everyone else in her class, she doesn't even have a cell phone because no one would call her anyway. One day, she suddenly starts hearing voices of Shinya (Koide Keisuke), who lives in a different prefecture. Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai (literally "Only You Can Hear Me") is a fantasy film about the long-distance love between these two characters through telepathy. I have seen both How to Become Myself and Shindo, but Narumi Riko is by far the most beautiful in this one. Her acting in this was up to par as well. She's the most promising actress in Japan in my opinion. [SPOILER]This is a very well-directed film, though I thought the cinematography was a bit too dreamy thus unrealistic. One other thing I disliked about this film was the fact that the whole telepathy thing worked EXACTLY like cell phones. Ringing and "hanging up" was totally unnecessary that only made the whole concept cheesy. Even if there was such thing as telepathy, it would never work like that. What I love most about this film is that there are so many twists. First, you think it's a magical cell phone, but turns out to be telepathy. Then Shinya turns out to be deaf-mute. Then "Harada" turns out to be Ryou herself from the future (although I figured this out when I saw the accident), and the sign language message at death... This movie had a fantastic story. The ending theme song by DREAMS COME TRUE was absolutely fantastic. Although this is not the best DCT song I've heard before, it was a great song written specifically for this movie. Those lyrics really hit me in the end, and although I didn't cry during the movie, the theme song made me reflect the whole story and made me teary. This was a film that really had a kick in the very end. I'm sure I will like this movie more and more as I re-watch it.	DREAMS COME TRUE - Kimi ni Shika Kikoenai	9 10+
そのときは彼によろしく Sono Toki wa Kare ni Yoroshiku AKA: When You See Him, Say Hello for Me	2007	Junai	10	This movie is extremely similar to Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (Be With You) and Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru (Heavenly Forest), based on a novel by the same author, Ichikawa Takuji. In fact, the stories are so similar that it's almost self-plagiarism of past two movies, developing the story through rare and possibly imaginary illnesses. Unlike the other two movies, I felt some scenes in this film were cheesy. Why then, did I rate it 10/10? Because it follows the proven formula for a Junai (pure love) genre movie, while adding refreshing twists. The first film of TBS Junai Trilogy: Sekai no Chuushin... (Crying Out Love...) (2004) started the Japanese Junai film craze, but it was the second of the trilogy: Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu (2004) that perfected the ultimate Junai formula of an unknown girl appears before a guy, reveals a fatal illness, and most importantly: climax with a narration/flashback/epiphany sequence by the tragic heroine, and ends with a feel-good/inspirational afterthought for the dead. This formula has since been implemented in 1L no Namida and major 2006 Junai films such as the last of the TBS Trilogy: Taiyou no Uta, Nada Sou Sou, and Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru. What astonishes me, is how this film managed to gather a main cast made up entirely of actors who previously starred in these notable Junai films. Yamada Takayuki was in Sekai no Chuushin TV drama series, Nagasawa Masami of Sekai no Chuushin movie and Nada Sou Sou, Tsukamoto Takashi of Taiyou no Uta. Even Kohinata Fumiyo, who played a doctor in Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu appears as the protagonist's father as a doctor again. It's impossible to watch this movie without being reminded of previous "pure love" movies. What really separates this movie from the rest, [SPOILER]is that a traditional Hollywood happy ending is used for the very first time. For 3 times after the 75th minute, I thought this movie would end. Each time, it would've ended in a tragedy, but in the very end, the two main characters got together, and damn, it works! The last 20 minutes of this movie was designed and executed exceptionally well through twists, which turned out to be practically abuse of the fact that most Japanese love stories of this kind end in tragedy. Some lines and scenes from earlier part of the movie (including the title), was reused in a very refreshing manner.[/spoiler] Despite its shortcomings such as repetitive theme and weak acting of Nagasawa Masami, which led to partial cheesiness, I consider this movie to be in the same league as ImaAi and TadaAi, as it touched me the same way, and had equally impactful if not more powerful story, cinematography, and music/theme song.	Shibasaki Kou - Prism	10 10+
大日本人 Dai-Nipponjin AKA: Big Man Japan	2007	Comedy	4	Nice setting, documentary style directing was good. Unfortunately, the monsters were too disgusting and the story was way too stupid. There were couple of quite funny scenes, and it would've been great if it was a Lincoln skit or something, but I can't say it's a great movie. A lot more watchable than Kantoku Banzai! though.	-	- -
監督・ばんざい! Kantoku Banzai! AKA: Glory to the Filmmaker!	2007	Comedy	1	Just by making a film like this shows that Kitano Takeshi has way too much ego. A completely worthless movie, it's hard to believe a crap movie like this can actually win awards in Cannes. A very unique idea for a movie, but executed extremely poorly. It's sad to see that they give out awards just because the director is famous, despite the fact that it's crap and that most people who saw this movie didn't enjoy it at all.	-	- -
眉山 -びざん- Bizan	2007	Drama	8	This movie is a better version of Nada Sou Sou. I was surprised how little happened in this movie, yet I was emotionally drawn by it. Acting by Miyamoto Nobuko in the role of the mother was phenomenal. I would've liked to see more of Oosawa Takao, but we got very long screentime by Matsushima Nananko, which totally makes up for it. This movie is a must-see for Matsushima Nanako fans and advanced J-film viewers.	Remioromen - Hotaru	6 6
THE 焼肉 MOVIE　プルコギ Purukogi AKA: The Yakiniku Movie: Bulgogi	2007	Comedy	7	I really enjoyed UDON, so I was looking forward to this movie. It's definitely not as good, but it was still very enjoyable. Yamada Yuu was really hot in this, and the actors did a very good job for a comedy movie. The story could've been a bit better, but the main characters were really interesting.	Yamazaki Masayoshi - NAVEL	4 7
ゲゲゲの鬼太郎 Ge Ge Ge no Kitarou AKA: Kitaro	2007	Action/Manga	5	A stupid as hell movie, but still pretty enjoyable. I used to read Manga when I was little, and I have to admit I was a bit disappointed with CG, but the characters were pretty interesting. Acting and story were below par, but there are few touching scenes. Inoue Mao is pretty cute, but her acting is poor as usual, and nobody can escape the extreme cheesiness of this movie. Expect to see a kiddie Halloween party-ish movie.	Wentz Eiji - Awaking Emotion 8/5	5 8
あしたの私のつくり方 How to Become Myself	2007	Drama/Seishun	9	A life-altering movie about a girl Juri AKA Kotori instructing Kanako AKA Hina how to live her life through emails by cell phone. The story itself is actually quite close to Nobuta. wo Produce, but done in a completely different setting. This movie has a very nice flow, one thing happens after another, and there are no filler scenes of any kind. Very well-acted by two (visually pleasant) new-generation lead actresses Narumi Riko (Juri) and Maeda Atsuko (Kanako). It took a while to get used to it, but it's directed in a very unique style that works very well. The music (OST) for this movie was outstanding. It's the first time "Sasaki Yuri" is in charge of music for a movie, everyone remember this name, she'll definitely be back! The only reason this film is not 10/10 is because there is a ten minute sequence that I felt were a bit over-sentimental, but still, an excellent, life-altering film. This is a movie I wish I saw 10 years ago.	SNOWKEL - Tenki Yohou	7 7
神童 Shindou	2007	Music	8	This is exactly what one would expect of a piano movie. The setting of this movie is very nice, a piano prodigy and a wanna-be pianist tackling their problems. Unfortunately, I felt there was something missing in the story and somewhat lacking the development of characters. But the two leads, Narumi Riko and Matsuyama Kenichi were brilliant and there were many touching and memorable scenes. Dramatic yet spontaneous ending also worked very well for me. Overall, a nice film to watch.	-	- -
東京タワー オカンとボクと、時々、オトン Tokyo Tower	2007	Drama	9	Another movie about importance of family (mother, as with Bizan), this movie has a similar feel with ALWAYS series, and equally good. Odagiri Joe was given the opportunity to show his acting skills this time, and man, does he deliver! Extremely good casting, Odagiri portrays a convincing Lily Frankie (author of the original novel this movie is based on) and looks exactly like the mother, who looks exactly like the young mother played by another actress. Although I felt it was slightly draggy at the very beginning and the end, this is a solid movie, well-directed with extremely nice scene transitions, touching music (OST). Great movie.	Fukuyama Masaharu - Tokyo Nimo Attanda	7 9
蟲師 Mushishi AKA: Bugmaster	2007	Action/Manga	4	To sum it up in one word... Boring. This is one of those movies that could've been so much cooler, but ended up being really draggy. Odagiri Joe, a great actor, wasn't given enough chances to show his talents. Scenery is very beautiful in this movie, but so are hundreds of other films.	-	- -
檸檬のころ Lemon no Koro AKA: The Graduates	2007	Seishun	7	Great movie, although it is a slow-paced traditional Japanese film like Linda Linda Linda. A touching story of bitter-sweet loves in high school that brings nostalgia to anyone who ever went to school in Japan. Well directed, excellent new-generation actors, great music. Recommended to advanced Japanese viewers.	Hayashi Naojirou - hikari -Lemon no Koro-	8 10
アルゼンチンババア Argentine Baba	2007	Drama	3	This movie was totally wasted by a newbie director. The story is somewhat interesting, and the cast is quite powerful, but the direction, cinematography, music... The whole production was a big mess. Acting was also extremely unconvincing, even from multiple award winners like Yakusho Kouji and Suzuki Kyouka.	Tate Takako - Wasurenagusa	4 8
龍が如く 劇場版 Like a Dragon	2007	Action	8	I'm not a Miike Takashi fan at all, but this is an awesome movie despite the fact that it's based on a video game. Directed very well with lots of action. This is the funniest Yakuza movie I've seen. It was star-studded for a movie of this kind too. Very fun to watch though not very deep.	Crazy Ken Band - 17th of December	6 9
大帝の剣 Taitei no Ken AKA: The Sword of Alexander	2007	Comedy	4	Samurais, ninjas, spaceships, aliens, zombies... Sounds weird, and it IS a weird movie. They were aiming for "so bad it's actually good", and only partially succeeded. It's a hilarious movie that makes absolutely no sense with really crappy CG and weird villains. The biggest surprise is that well-known dorama actors like Abe Hiroshi and Hasegawa Kyouko are in this film.	Glay - Kodou	8 7
バッテリー The Battery	2007	Sports/Drama	8	A must see movie for all baseball lovers. "Battery" is a Japanese baseball lingo meaning the pitcher and the catcher. Being another sports movie, I was expecting it to be another cheese fest, but it turned out to be a very touching movie without getting too cheesy. Child actors were fantastic, and extremely well-written story (I guess it's because this movie is based on a novel...). Importance of friendship and what it means to play baseball.	Kumaki Anri - Haru no Kaze	9 10
バブルへGO!! タイムマシンはドラム式 Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust	2007	Comedy	6	A girl travels to year 1990 to find her mother, the inventor of the "Laundry Machine-Type Time Machine" to stop the "Burst of Bubble Era". It's a really fun movie, well written plots. I was very surprised this movie wasn't as cheesy as it sounded. I wasn't a fan of Hirosue Ryouko's acting, but she was pretty good in this and fit for the role. Abe Hiroshi delivers great acting as usual.	Katou Miriya - Eyes on You	5 5
Dear Friends	2007	Drama	3	Another one of those 'battling a disease' movie... Not very impressed. The acting in general was absolutely disastrous, typical story and characters, average story.	-	- -
僕は妹に恋をする Boku wa Imouto ni Koisuru AKA: My Sister, My Love	2007	Drama	7	There is an old Japanese saying: 「終わり良ければ全て良し」"As long as the ending is good, it's all good"... They were talking about this movie. This movie is about a pair of twins who loves each other finally starts acting on it. The first 1:30 of this movie was incredibly slow. Of course, this is very typical of many Japanese films, but it was extremely difficult to watch because all the characters seemed emotionless and it felt as if they were reading lines off a big board behind the camera. I was about to give this film a mediocre rating like 3/10 at this point, then the last scene started... The long shot starting with rock/paper/scissors in the last scene is probably the most amazing shot I've ever seen in Japanese movie or drama so far. All the monotonous dialogs, long silences, emotionless acting were buildups for this very last scene, where the emotion finally erupts. I've never been a believer in Matsumoto Jun's acting skills, but I've been proven wrong in the very last 10 minutes. The ending was very deep, [SPOILER]as the two main characters, without words exchanged, realize their relationship will never reach anywhere, and 10 the last steps were taken, lass kiss was exchanged.[/SPOILER] Although some of the character's actions didn't make sense early in the movie, I enjoyed it a lot thanks to the great ending and the cuteness of Eikura Nana. Recommended for patient Eikura Nana fans and extremely experienced J-film viewers.	Crystal Kay - Kitto Eien ni	8 9
どろろ Dororo	2007	Action/Manga	8	Based on a manga by Tezuka Osamu, Dororo is about a man's quest to get back 48 parts of his body sold to Demons before birth. Once said to be impossible to be made into a live action, is made possible by heavy use of CG. Unfortunately, the CG was very disappointing for me as it seemed extremely cartoonish, but cool action sequences directed by Ching Siu-tung totally made up for it. Tsumabuki Satoshi, Shibasaki Kou, and Eita reunite from Orange Days for this action film. Their performances were flawless, and the action is very cool, with some memorable scenes. The story is very well written though not very deep. It's one of those action films that you watch and enjoy, but shouldn't expect anything deeper.	Mr. Children - Fake	8 9
それでもボクはやってない Soredemo Boku wa Yatteinai AKA: Even So, I Didn't Do It	2006	Drama	10+	Absolutely the greatest Japanese film I've seen to date. This movie deals with the horrifying truths behind the Japanese court system. Life-altering and inspirational movie. I don't recognize the lead actor for this movie, but he handled this difficult role perfectly, excellent control of his emotions. The supporting cast is filled with actors I consider to be the most talented in acting skills, and they all gave great performances. Casting was incredibly well-done. This movie was directed by the same person who did Shall We Dance? and that lead actor Yakusho Kouji appears as the main lawyer. Direction, screenplay, and the story are absolutely incredible. Must-see.	tomo the tomo - Shizukesa no Naka de	9 10
ハミングライフ Humming Life	2007	Drama	5	A story about two young adults exchanging letters in a park. A Japanese version of "You've got mail". Virtually unknown director, unknown actors, lack of profile in IMDB... I wasn't expecting anything from this 1 hour long movie, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. The music is great, every single scene looks so beautiful, and fairly well directed. The story is somewhat ordinary, but told in an unconventional way. Overall, a fun movie.	GOING UNDER GROUND - Humming Life	9 10
大奥 Ooku	2006	Jidaigeki	4	This film is one of the big budget Jidaigeki films in recent years. The story was so-so, and cinematography was great, but I couldn't help but feel something was lacking in the acting. Especially Nakama Yukie, who seemed very tense as usual.	Koda Kumi - Unmei	9 9
NANA 2	2006	Manga/Romance	3	This sequel to NANA is such a disappointment. The new cast is very weak compared to the first movie. Ichikawa Yui didn't have the energy and cuteness of Miyazaki Aoi, and her acting was by far inferior in comparison. Hongou Kanata also seemed really out of place when he was with other band members. The story wasn't that impressive either. The only improvement was Nakashima Mika's theme song.	Nakashima Mika - Hitoiro	7 9
武士の一分 Bushi no Ichibun AKA: Love and Honor	2006	Drama	8	Another Jidaigeki film by Yamada Youji, another film I really enjoyed. Bushi no Ichibun is an intense drama with limited sword action, but has a very nice pace. The movie deals with the pride of a samurai (Kimura Takuya), who lost sight after tasting a poisonous clam on duty. It is also a truly beautiful love story between the samurai and his wife, who wishes to help in whatever way she can, but the samurai's pride forbidding acceptance of such mercy. A well-directed film, and the actors were all very convincing except the lead, KimuTaku, who at casual scenes simply turned back into his normal self of 21st century. He did fit into the role with his mature look and fierce glare, but I think he needs to stick to his modern hotshot character or more stage experience for these Jidaigeki roles.	-	-
手紙 Tegami AKA: The Letters	2006	Drama	10+	Tegami is about the struggles of Nao (Yamada Takayuki) whose brother (Tamayama Tetsuji) was convicted for murder. In an extremely civilized country like Japan, only people with really twisted minds are considered to be capable of murder. This movie follows the obstacles and challenges Nao faces because he shares his blood with a murderer, with help of a friend Yumiko (Sawajiri Erika) in the span of approximately 10 years. The title "Tegami" (The Letters) comes from the letters Nao and his brother exchange over these years. Yamada Takayuki and Tamayama Tetsuji's acting were extremely good in this film, Tegami is worth watching just for Tamayama's scene in the very end. This movie is beautifully directed with perfect background music. Out of about 80 Japanese films I've seen so far, Tegami has the best ending scene of all. I don't expect everyone to cry, but your heart is frozen if it doesn't at least touch you, especially if you understand Japanese. I personally got goosebumps as soon as Oda Kazumasa's timeless masterpiece, Kotoba ni Dekinai started playing. This is a movie that deals with contemporary issues and problems in Japan. Definitely a must-watch movie of 2006.	Oda Kazumasa - Kotoba ni Dekinai	10 10+
7月24日通りのクリスマス Christmas on July 24th Avenue	2006	Romantic Comedy	4	A romantic comedy from the creators of Densha Otoko, this is an enjoyable movie. Acting is fantastic with Nagatani Miki and Oosawa Takao, along with many recognizable faces from doramas. The script and setting is great, and it has a unique style (for Jmovies). Although it reminds of Korean romantic comedies a little at times... Like every Christmas movie and most romantic comedies, it's really cheesy at times, but a nice light film.	K - First Christmas	7 9
ただ、君を愛してる Tada, Kimi wo Aishiteru AKA: Heavenly Forest	2006	Junai	10	Based on a novel written by the same author as Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu, inspired by the film Renai Shashin. Miyazaki Aoi plays an 'underdeveloped' and strange girl falling in love with Tamaki Hiroshi's character in a university. This movie features very beautiful nature of Japan, excellent cinematography, and very touching story. Overall a BEAUTIFUL film. Acting was SUPERB! Miyazaki Aoi's character is very memorable, and one of the scenes with Tamaki made me cry. Great twist in the ending as well. It's one of those movies that really connects with you, especially if you ever experienced a lost love. The music for this movie is also incredibly good, matches perfectly with each scene, which gives the story a nice flow and makes them twice as emotional. WATCH THIS MOVIE!!	Ootsuka Ai - Renai Shashin	9 10
虹の女神 Rainbow Song Rainbow Song AKA: Goddess of Rainbow	2006	Romance	8	I actually gave up on this movie the first time after around 10 minutes. Mostly because I just saw Tenshi no Tamago starring same lead actor. I'm glad many people recommended this movie to me, making me watch again. I don't think it can be denied it starts pretty slow, but things pick up and you just get drawn into the movie. This movie is very well directed, high level acting with interesting story. A very beautiful romance movie.	Tane Tomoko - The Rainbow Song Niji no Megami	8 10
地下鉄に乗って Metro ni Notte AKA: Riding the Metro	2006	Drama	7	You can say that this film is the ALWAYS Sanchoume of 2006. Also starring Tsunami Shinichi. A man travels back in time while riding the Metro. The story is not as touching as ALWAYS, but it has many twists and the impressive acting by all the stars in this movie is just fun to watch. This movie shows us the importance of family.	Salyu - Platform	8 10
後編『デスノート the Last name』 Death Note: The Last Name AKA: Death Note vol.2	2006	Suspense/Manga	9	The cat and mouse game escalates in the second half of Death Note. There is far more action, more complicated plots, and more deceptions and twists compared to the fist movie. Toda Erika is VERY hot in this movie and puts up a great performance. This is the best manga based live-action movie or dorama I have seen to date. *EDIT* Extremely re-watchable movie series.	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Snow	8 3
涙そうそう Nada Sou Sou AKA Tears for You	2006	Drama	8	This movie is inspired by the Natsukawa Rimi song "Nada Sou Sou" written by Moriyama Ryouko, composed by BEGIN, sang by all three of them. It's been sang in multiple Kouhaku Utagassen, and now known as THE Okinawan song. I must say, this movie could've had a better story, but it's still pretty interesting. I guess there are limitations to the story because they have to follow the lyrics. Tsumabuki and Nagasawa's acting were incredible as usual. I will definitely continue following their careers. Their chemistry in this film was just wonderful, and they really showed the comfort of just living in the countryside. Yes, I cried during the ending credit, when the song started playing. One of those love it or hate it movie.	Natsukawa Rimi - Nada Sou Sou	10+ 10
フラガール Hula Girls	2006	Drama	9	This is one of those movies that I would've never even imagined I would like that much, but ended up totally surprising me. Dance in past setting is about as far as it gets from my typical preferences, but it was surprisingly touching, and acting was fantastic! The characters developed nicely, and it drew my attention to the very end. Matsuyuki Yasuko was still so very hot, and her acting was great as usual. Japan Academy Awards grand prize winner impresses me once again. I cried in this movie, not because it was sad, but because it was one of the most inspirational and touching movie I have ever seen. Great OST as well, very rewatchable film.	-	- -
夜のピクニック Yoru no Picnic AKA: Night Time Picnic	2006	Drama/School	9	This is one of the best Japanese school movie I've seen so far. A truly touching story of a High School's annual "walk festival", where a band of friends spend their last moments of High School life together in a day and night long 80km walk. Based on a novel of same name, the winner of "Bookstore employee's choice award". Roughly based on a real life annual 70km event of a high school the author attended. Very interesting main and side characters, all develop very nicely in this film. It shows the importance of friendship and how simple things can bring happiness. Nostalgia-inducing film that has the feel of a Japanese film, mastery in story telling.	Monkey Magik - FUTARI	8 7
シュガー＆スパイス ～風味絶佳～ Sugar & Spice: Fuumi Zekka	2006	Romance	3	The only thing this movie has to offer is Sawajiri Erika. Although there are some fun and touching scenes, very poorly written story overall. Just another typical Japanese romance movie.	Oasis - Layla	7 5
アキハバラ@DEEP Akihabara@Deep	2006	Action	6	This is certainly a unique movie. Acting by Narimiya and Oshinari were very good, and some cool action scenes by Yamada Yuu as well. The story is a bit predictable, but overall, a fun movie. Recommended for Densha Otoko lovers.	AAA - Let it beat!	7 8
スケバン刑事 コードネーム =麻宮サキ Sukeban Deka AKA: Yoyo Girl Cop: Code Name = Asamiya Saki	2006	Action	3	This is probably one of cheesiest movie ever made. Characters are such cliches, and the story, the yoyo weapon, the whole movie makes no sense. The only thing that saved this movie from absolute disaster was the action, which was kind of cool.	GAM - Thanks!	4 5
日本以外全部沈没 The World Sinks Except Japan	2006	Comedy	7	A parody of Nihon Chinbotsu AKA Japan Sinks. It's a very well done MAD TV-style comedy. Somewhat racist, but by joking about it with exaggeration, we often realize our own behavior and try to better ourselves. Good to see movies with these issues are being made in Japan. You'll have a good laugh at it if you have an open mind.	-	- -
バックダンサーズ! Backdancers!	2006	Dance	6	Another dance movie, but a lot less cheesier compared to Hollywood dance films like Step Up and You Got Served. I was very surprised to see Hirayama Aya and Saeko dance at such high level (although Saeko's performance was a bit poor compared to rest). Very good to see Hiro from SPEED in action again. The only thing this movie was really lacking was a "decisive battle" with a special routine like most dance movies.	Hiro - Itsuka Futaride	8 7
ラフ Rough Rough	2006	Sports	2	Another sports film, inevitably cheesy ending... The film was actually quite interesting up to the middle, but ending was very predictable and undramatic. Not one of better Nagasawa Masami movies. Her character really reminded me of Aki in Sekai no Chuushin though.	SukimaSwitch - Zenryoku Shounen	9 9
UDON UDON	2006	Comedy	9	Wow... They actually made a movie about Udon. I'm still having a hard time believing it... The movie was hilarous, Yuusuke Santa-Maria impressed me once again. No one can mix comedy and drama as well as him! GODLY script. One of the most original JMovie I've ever seen, a movie that makes you laugh one minute and cry the next. The only bad thing about this movie: It made me hungry, and I can't find any Udon restaurant near me.	-	- -
青春☆金属バット Green Mind, Metal Bats	2006	Action/Drama	7	Pretty messed up movie, but the story is very unique and violent. The main character basically beats the crap out of people and steal their money because he's horny and wants to keep XXXXing an alcoholic but sexy woman. It's refreshing to watch different kind of movie every once a while though.	Yakozen - Naraba, Tomoyo!	5 9
恋する日曜日 -Love on Sunday- Love on Sunday	2006	Seishun	8	Absolutely amazing seishun (love in youth) movie. Story of a 4 way love for a girl about to leave for Tokyo on the very last day together. Touching story, wonderful acting, exceptionally well-directed with great camera work, perfect insert song. A traditional Japanese-style subtlety film executed perfectly. Unfortunately, this movie was not shot with film, and the video seems like a SP for TV, still, a must see for hardcore J-movie fans.	RC Succession - Kimi ga Boku wo Shitteiru	6 5
ゆれる Yureru	2006	Drama	8	A very slow paced movie. I was a bit disappointed at beginning, but it drew me deeper and deeper into the story, and Odagiri Joe's acting was simply amazing. This movie is quite touching, and it's highly recommended if you like drama type movies and the can stand the slowness/subtleness of traditional Japanese movies.	Cauliflowers - Uchi ni Kaerou	4 8
日本沈没 Nihon Chinbotsu AKA: Japan Sinks	2006	Action	5	Star-studded movie, however, acting was so-so at best, and very cheesy. It has the best CG I've ever seen in a Japanese movie before 2006 though. Unfortunately, this movie is no match for similar Hollywood disaster movies like Armageddon, Day After Tomorrow, or Independence Day.	SunMin thanX Kubota - Keep Holding U	9 10
やわらかい生活 Yawarakai Seikatsu AKA: It's Only Talk	2006	Drama	7	This movie somehow failed to touch me. I can't explain what went wrong. Acting was superb, well-directed, nice music, great ending... But somehow, it felt like it was missing impact. A nice film to watch though.	-	- -
雪に願うこと Yuki ni Negau Koto AKA: What the Snow Brings	2006	Drama	5	Extremely high user ratings and multiple awards, but this movie simply did not meet my expectations. Acting in this movie was decent, and I guess it has the traditional feel of a Japanese film. There were couple of nice scenes, but there were way too much cliches and way too predictable for me.	-	- -
明日の記憶 Ashita no Kioku AKA: Memories of Tomorrow	2006	Drama	9	I've always thought Watanabe Ken was overrated. Yes, he is a good actor, but he has been treated like an A-list star even though he has never even had a leading role in a movie... Until now. As you can probably tell from the rating I gave this movie, he did very well, along with the lead actress Higuchi Kanako. His portrayal of an Alzheimer patient is very convincing and emotional. In fact, he won the Best Actor Award for Japanese Academy Awards, and numerous other major awards for this movie. The supporting cast for this movies is absolutely STAR-STUDDED. I recognized almost every single one of them as lead-level dorama actors or very active in supporting roles for movies. The story for this movie is somewhat ordinary, but what really separates it from the rest is the execution. This movie is VERY well-directed, great acting all around, and nice music. Memories of Tomorrow is one of those movies that no one can deny that it has achieved excellence in film making, and I think it's the must-see movie of 2006 for those interested in Japanese films.	-	- -
前編『デスノート』 Death Note AKA: Death Note vol.1	2006	Suspense/Manga	8	*Note* I have never read the manga series* I loved Battle Royale, so I was excited to see another horror manga movie starring Fujiwara Tatsuya. This movie did not disappoint. The concept of the Death Note was very cool, and the cat and mouse chase between the main character and L and the authorities was very exciting. Looking forward to the second half. The only thing I didn't like was the theme song. English songs never match Japanese movies or dramas.	Red Hot Chili Peppers - Dani California	6 2
Death Trance DEATH TRANCE	2006	Action/Fantasy	2	This movie is like a really crappy remake of SHINOBI and VERSUS. The director is the same person, but this one is a piece of crap. The story is very poorly written, and too many things didn't make sense even after the movie ended. It is also far too artistic for an action movie. Not recommended.	Dir en grey - CLEVER SLEAZOID	5 8
笑う大天使（マイケル） Warau Michael	2006	Comedy	2	The acting, story, and computer graphics are so bad, it's actually good... ... ... ... NOT!! This movie is horrible >.<;; But the ending is kind of good. Really.	Tsuji Ayano - Soba ni Irukara	7 6
愛と死をみつめて(Dorama SP) Ai to Shi wo Mitsumete	2006	Junai	7	The original novel, a collection of letters sent by the main character, is considered the predecessor to the "TBS Junai (Pure Love) Trilogy" novels. This dorama SP does not disappoint. This SP is mainly about long distance relationship between two high school students who meet in a hospital during the '60s. Kusanagi's acting skill sure have improved and it shows in this show. It's my first time seeing Hirosue Ryouko in a weak(illness) character role, but she did it very convincingly. Should check it out, if you like romantic series.	Dream Come True - Memai	8 9
タイヨウのうた Taiyou no Uta	2006	Junai	6	The last and possibly weakest of TBS Pure Love Trilogy (TBS Summer Junai Trilogy) films, but thanks to this movie, I can tolerate YUI's music now. The actors did a very good job, and the movie is beautifully directed. Somewhat weak ending, and movie is probably too short for this story to be told properly.	YUI - Good-bye Days	8 8
間宮兄弟 Mamiya Kyoudai	2006	Comedy	1	I know they are trying to show the love between the two brothers, but beyond that, the movie makes no sense. Girls are cute though! 意味不明の映画です。	RIP SLYME - Hey, Brother	5 3
県庁の星 Kenchou no Hoshi AKA: The Star of Prefecture Government	2006	Drama	2	This is the first movie or dorama with Shibasaki Kou in cast that I really can't give a rave review. Her chemistry with Oda Yuuji was horrible, acting from both leads were unconvincing, and boring story.	-	-
好きだ、 Su-ki-da	2006	Drama	4	This movie is VERY slow paced with minimum dialogues. I know that's typical characteristics of traditional Japanese movie, but there's a limit... Also, it's very dark and there were many scenes where I could barely see. I'm sure this is one of those films that gets really praised in film festivals and film schools, but I just don't get what they are trying to say with this story. The style of this movie just didn't appeal to me.	-	-
THE 有頂天ホテル THE Uchouten Hotel	2006	Drama	1	Worst/most overrated movie ever. Boring to death. Avoid at all costs.	-	-
天使 Tenshi	2006	Fantasy	5	This movie was a big surprise for me. It actually bored me to death in the first half and I almost stopped watching, but it started to get more and more interesting as the characters started to develop. The script and story was awesome near the end. I am very disappointed by Fukada Kyouko though... Her performance has been very poor recently.	Ootake Yuki - Tenshi ga Maiorite Kuru Hi	8 10
ホールドアップダウン Hold Up Down	2006	Comedy	7	A movie by SABU, he must have been high when wrote the script for this movie. But it's amazingly funny for a Japanese film. This movie has a "Scary Movie" feel to it. Must watch for V6 fans.	V6 - Orange	6 5
里見八犬伝 (Dorama SP) Satomi Hakkenden	2006	Jidaigeki/Adventure	9	This dorama SP was so good that it easily could've been a movie, an excellent one at that. Star-studded with famous dorama actors, this SP is an excellent adventure with many interesting allies and villains. Still hoping to see another dorama SP that matches this one.	-	- -
大停電の夜に Daiteiden no yoru ni	2005	Drama	4	Massive blackout hits Tokyo on Christmas eve. Blackout brings some people together, they have another look at their life, and their lives are changed in the end. Nice relaxing film to watch, but a bit too average to praise or criticize anything in particular.	-	- -
ALWAYS 三丁目の夕日 ALWAYS Sanchoume no Yuuhi AKA: Always - Sunset on Third Street	2005	Drama	9	This movie is loaded with big name stars. Very touching movie. Maybe made for a bit older audience than me though. Depicts life in the post-war era, and how it felt fun (and the sunset was more beautiful) even though they had no money or technology. If you used to be poor (and now doing better) this movie will definitely induce nostalgia. This film absolutely deserves the 29th Japan Academy Award grand prize.	D-51 - ALWAYS	9 9
SHINOBI -Heart Under Blade- SHINOBI	2005	Action/Romance	7	This movie reminded me a little bit of X-men. Short battle scenes, but that's what makes the movie more realistic. Pretty good story and unpredictable ending. However, acting skills in this movie is a suspect.	Hamasaki Ayumi - HEAVEN	10+ 10
NANA -ナナ- NANA	2005	Manga/Romance	8	I wasn't expecting this movie to be this good since it's based on anime, but it ended up pretty touching. The characters definitely have anime characteristics, but cute. This movie will turn me into a Miyazaki Aoi fan. Itou Yuna's song was amazing for that scene.	Nakashima Mika - GLAMOROUS SKY	6 8
HINOKIO	2005	SF/Drama	6	Hinokio is an advanced version of Asimo, a robot remotely controlled by a boy in rehab. CG for the robot in this movie is simple yet very effective/realistic. The story is interesting and touching, although a little predictable at times and the "virtual world" is a bit cheesy. Very high level acting from main cast consisting mostly of kids (including Horikita Maki in a girlish role for once). This movie is extremely well-directed for this genre. One of the best Japanese semi-kiddie movies I've seen so far.	YUI - Tomorrow's Way	9 10
電車男 Densha Otoko	2005	Romance	6	The movie was so much better than the dorama. It summarizes the story very well, and casting/acting makes it a much more believable story.	ORANGE RANGE - Love Parade	7 4
埋もれ木 Umoregi	2005	Fantasy	2	This is the most incomprehensible movie I have ever seen in my life. I've always had trouble fully understanding some film festival movies (true, some are not meant to be understood and movies that leaves you thinking are more interesting), but NEVER have I been left absolutely clueless by end of a film. The entire movie is made of many bits of random events that had zero coherence. In fact, if not for the title "Umoregi" (buried tree), I wouldn't even have known which one was the main storyline. I read a lot of positive reviews from film critics about this film, and I was deeply disappointed. I personally think it's wrong to praise a film just because the director is famous and you're too afraid to admit you didn't understand the movie. This is exactly why I always trust Japanese user reviews over English movie critics.	-	- -
Linda Linda Linda Linda Linda Linda	2005	Music/School	8	This is one of the must-see Japanese movies. With traditional use of Japanese subtlety, this movie depicts the struggles high school student face every day. Great acting all around, especially by the Korean lead actress.	THE BLUE HEARTS - Owaranai Uta	8 9
1リットルの涙 Ichi Rittoru no Namida	2005	Drama	5	The leading actress did a very good job of portraying the illness. She's not as pretty as Sawajiri, but I believe she's a better actress. I've heard this movie was actually filmed where the real Aya used to live, so I guess it's more realstic than the dorama. The movie had a nice flow, but the ending was VERY abrupt and not very satisfying.	Katou Ikuko - Sora e	5 8
あずみ 2 - Death or Love - Azumi 2: Death or Love	2005	Action	6	The second movie is a big disappointment over the first movie, but still a good movie by itself. Once again packed with action, but the story is not as interesting, and the whole movie felt as if it ended really fast without much happening. The villains weren't as memorable as the first one despite the fact that it's a sequel, which should have a much larger budget.	-	- -
冬の運動会(Dorama SP) Fuyu no Undoukai	2005	Drama	7	Very touching dorama SP, about a man who just finished school, and trying to find his path.	Makihara Noriyuki - ANSWER	6 8
ジョゼと虎と魚たち Joze to Tora to Sakana Tachi AKA: Josee, the Tiger and the Fish	2004	Drama/School	9	A truly beautiful and painful romance between an ordinary college student and a disabled girl. Sounds like a common story, but it's executed in an extremely unique style, with dark humors. The two main characters develop very well, Tsumabuki Satoshi and Ikewaki Chizuru's performances were great. I was shocked to see Ikewaki nude... This is the same innocent girl from Taiyou no Kisetsu! This is a really deep movie that I really like, but it's hard to explain what makes this movie so great. Whatever Inudou Isshin did, it was excellent.	Qururi - Highway	8 8
いま、会いにゆきます Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu AKA: Be With You	2004	Junai/Fantasy	10+	This is one of the best movies I have ever seen, and definitely the best movie in TBS Pure Love Trilogy. The acting was great and music is unforgettable! Tiny pieces of mysteries were placed throughout the movie, but everything comes together perfectly in the end. SEE THIS MOVIE!	ORANGE RANGE - Hana	9 10+
69 -Sixty Nine- 69	2004	Drama/School	8	Set in year 1969, this movie is actually quite similar to Hollywood teen movies. Horny teens, vandalism, big dreams. It's kind of deep though, a fun movie to watch with many interesting twists. Fairly well-directed with good camera work. Kagoshima-ben is kind of annoying to me... It took me a while to get used to it.	-	-
下妻物語 Shimotsuma Monogatari AKA: Kamikaze Girls	2004	Comedy	6	Not at all the type of movies I usually watch, but it was absolutely hilarious! Tsuchiya Anna was SOO cool! The story is very unique, and did I say it's ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS already? Fuka-kyon acting like a badass in the end was a huge turn off though... Totally unconvincing acting.	Tommy heavenly6 - Hey my friend	7 8
世界の中心で、愛をさけぶ Sekai no Chuushin de, Ai wo Sakebu	2004	Junai	7	The first of TBS Pure Love Trilogy, this movie stars far superior actors and actress than the dorama, but the time constraints hurt this movie. The music was also extremely weak but the story is better than dorama, and the ending was better. Watching the 'present day' Saku was really touching, but unlike the dorama it's not that sad when they were young. Not even close to making me cry.	Hirai Ken - Hitomi wo Tojite	8 9
CASSHERN CASSHERN	2004	Action	3	This movie is among the most disappointing movies I have ever seen. The trailer for this movie was SO awesome, with cool action... But the story itself was too dark, unfitting for an action movie and the background CG was horrible. Very poorly directed movie. Hikki's husband, stick to PVs.	Utada Hikaru - Dareka no Negai ga Kanau Koro	7 3
解夏 Gege	2004	Drama	6	This movie is based on the same novel as the dorama series Itoshi Kimi e by Sada Masashi, and I have to admit the setting and the story is better in this movie, but the acting was actually worse compared to the dorama and not nearly as touching. The ending for this film was especially undramatic and unsatisfying. I didn't expect it to beat the dorama series, which had possibly the greatest ending scene ever, but this was just horrible.	Sada Masashi - Taisetsu na Hito	6 8
g@me.	2003	Suspense	5	Really, really good story, with a nice twist. In fact, it's even better than most Hollywood theft/crime movie, story-wise. Unfortunately, the acting with Nakama Yukie AND Fujiki Naohito is just impossible to endure. These actors have their moments, but definitely needs a superior co-star to shine. What makes it worse, is the extremely pathetic directing, which was just amateurish. End result: Great story wasted as a cheesy action film.	ZEEBRA - It's all a game	7 9
座頭市 -Zatoichi- Zatouichi	2003	Jidaigeki	6	Beat Takeshi was great as Ichi. His acting was totally convincible as the blind samurai in the film. The story has a nice flow and is action packed. You should check this out if you are into Jidaigeki or gory sword battles.	-	-
バトル・ロワイアルII 【鎮魂歌】 Battle Royale II: Requiem	2003	Horror/Action	3	This movie is terrible. Too much typical over-used adult hatred by youth, and it just didn't have as much impact or as good actors compared to the original movie. However, there's more action in this movie.	STANCE PUNKS - Mayonaka Shounen Totsugekitai	5 7
あずみ Azumi	2003	Action	10	This is the best Japanese action film I have seen to date. I am not a fan of Ueto Aya, but her acting wasn't that bad in this, and the list of supporting actors are incredible. Almost every single allies and villains were already well-known or became well-known in the following 5 years. Even Odagiri Joe shows up as the ultimate villain. The movie is filled with action, probably around 500 people died from swords. A movie that keeps you interested from beginning to the end. Highly recommended.	-	- -
黄泉がえり Yomigaeri	2003	Fantasy	6	So close... Wonderful cast, great story, well-directed. Unfortunately, one of the most important scene at the end turned out to be extremely cheesy. The actors made it way too sentimental than it needed to be. Still, it's a nice film to watch.	RUI - Tsuki no Shizuku	10 9
ラストシーン Last Scene	2003	Drama	7	This is not a movie I expected to like, but it was actually very enjoyable. This movie follows the life of an actor and his love for acting that he discovers a little too late. Casting in this movie was extremely good. The young actor, old actor, and a prop manager... All were absolutely perfect for their roles.	-	- -
Dolls	2002	Drama	10	Another one of those film festival type film... But one I actually enjoyed a lot. Written and directed by Kitano "Beat" Takeshi, Dolls is about three separate stories of unsuccessful love. There were many beautiful, vivid sceneries, great film music scores, and above all, outstanding acting from Kanno Miho. This is a very deep movie with heavy use of symbolism, it really drew me into the story. I don't fully understand everything in this film yet, but I would definitely watch again. I believe this one to be a masterpiece.	-	- -
リターナー Returner	2002	Action	8	This movie is a ripoff of E.T. (Alien), Independence Day (Mothership), Terminator (Time travel save the world), The Matrix (slow motion bullet dodge) and possibly many more Hollywood movies. What makes this good is that it has a really good tempo that reminds me of Hong Kong action flicks, and that they added the "crazy Japanese yakuza dude", who's annoying as hell, but... BEST DEATH EVER! They also added an awesome ending that I rarely sees in action flicks. What I hated about this movie was the excessive cheesiness in few scenes and the fact that the Japanese yakuza dude's Chinese is so horrible that I had no idea what he was talking about even though I can speak both Mandarin and Japanese.	Lenny Kravitz - Dig In	6 5
DRIVE	2002	Action	10	Simply stunning. This is only my 2nd film directed by SABU, but I think I'm turning into a fan. This is a dark comedy about an excessively law-abiding man being car-jacked by 3 bank robbers, who were betrayed by another member who ran away with the money. However, the driver (Tsutsumi Shinichi) refuses to drive faster than the speed limit even under threat and loses the target. Extremely deep movie that emphasizes fate, oppportunity, and kharma, everyone finds a better life as a result of this unlikely encounter. This movie will not only leave you with 100 minutes of laughter, but also a lesson in life.	-	- -
ピンポン Ping Pong	2002	Sports/Drama	10	Enter the hero! Absolutely INCREDIBLE film. This movie is by far the best sports movie I have ever seen (and possibly ever will). Wonderful story filled with comedy and drama, awesome ping pong scenes... This movie is flawless. Exceptionally well directed, excellent acting from Kubozuka Yousuke (IWGP, GO!) and Arata, as well as countless memorable scenes and quotes. Loaded with recognizable faces from Jdrama.	Supercar - YUMEGIWA LAST BOY	6 7
VERSUS -ヴァーサス- VERSUS	2002	Action/Horror	9	It started just like every other action movie, but WOW! Great fights, good story with twists, and this movie has absolutely EVERYTHING you want from a horror action flick. Zombies, gun fights, sword fights, fist fights, super powers... The cinematography is great and the background music was absolutely wonderful. This must be the greatest independent film I've ever seen. If you like zombie movies, I guarantee you will like this movie.	-	-
隠し剣 鬼の爪 The Hidden Blade	2001	Jidaigeki/Drama	7	I'm not much of a Jidaigeki fan, but this movie was very watchable. Even though there were extremely limited amount of violence in this movie, I didn't feel boring at all. The story is pretty well written, realistic plots for that era. The movie is also had many comedic scenes that were really fun to watch.	-	- -
Go Go	2001	Drama	9	Movie starring Kubozuka Yousuke ('King' of IWGP) and Shibasaki Kou. Winner of 41 movie awards, this movie deals with racism in Japan. Extremely well-acted, great directing, camera work, and Shibasaki Kou is H.O.T! Cool yet touching movie. A movie that successfully deal with a controversial issues are better than average movies in my books.	-	- -
殺し屋１ Koroshiya 1 AKA: Ichi the Killer	2001	Horror/Action	7	At last, I got to watch this famous yakuza film. Some torture/rape scenes/murder scenes were somewhat disturbing, but I enjoyed the movie a lot. I think this film has the best villain in Japanese films I've seen so far. If you liked Kill Bill, you'll like Ichi the Killer. Interesting dark story that's hard for to believe it's based on a manga.	Sugashikao - Kokoniirukoto	6 3
降霊 Kourei AKA: Seance	2001	Horror	6	This is a horror movie I liked a lot. Rather than the traditional horror based on violence and blood, this movie is mostly about creeping guilt of a murder. Acting was extremely good for a horror movie, and it kept me interested throughout the movie. This is a horror movie, and though it wasn't intended to be, it was quite funny. Things go so wrong for the main couple, and they beat the crap out of a ghost with a stick.	-	- -
ココニイルコト Kokoniirukoto AKA: Being Here	2001	Romance/Drama	6	A bit slow paced, but very enjoyable for experienced viewers. Depicts a career woman's search for her purpose in life after her affair with the CEO has ended. The lead actress Manaka Hitomi is cute.	Sugashikao - Kokoniirukoto	6 3
バトル・ロワイアル Battle Royale	2000	Horror/Action	10	This movie is truly a horror. I have never seen anything like it at the time I saw this movie, and it's one of most memorable movie ever made. This is also where Shibasaki Kou appeared on screen for the very first time and I've been her fan ever since I saw her in this film.	Dragon Ash - Shizukana Hibi no Kaidan wo	4 2
GTO	1999	School/Manga	4	This movie is better than the dorama series, but still way overrated. Not much more to say about it, it feels like a dorama SP than a movie.	Sorimachi Takashi - Poison	4 5
オーディション Audition	1999	Horror	1	This movie had many positive reviews on IMDB and film critic reviews so I was really excited to see it, but I was very disappointed by the end of the movie. I guess it's another one of those film festival works too 'artistic' for me to comprehend. The movie started out VERY slowly, and the horror part didn't start until only 20 minutes left in the movie. When it did start... Well, I like gory actions movies like VERSUS or Kill Bill, but let's just say it was just too disturbing for my tastes. Those who likes mystery and torture may like this film though...	-	- -
四月物語 April Story	1998	Seishun	7	This is one of those movies that you can tell it's made by a film festival award winning director (in fact, this film won one). Matsu Takako was great in this short film. The story is somewhat simple, yet it's still a beautiful movie overall. A nice relaxing film with subtle humor.	-	- -
ラヂオの時間 Radio no Jikan AKA: Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald	1997	Comedy	10	This movie started a bit slow, but gets really, really funny and exciting once the setting becomes clear. This movie is absolutely STAR-STUDDED, and very high quality of acting by all the actors. It's directed really well too, couple of nice memorable scenes, and I was laughing the whole time. Inspirational without being too heavy or cheesy. Easily the best Japanese comedy movie I've seen so far.	-	- -
東京日和 Tokyo Biyori	1997	Romance/Drama	5	This movie had unusually high user reviews in Japanese websites, but I found it extremely difficult to watch. Acting was very convincing. There were some great scenes here and there, but the story just didn't connect with me.	Oonuki Taeko - Himawari	6 8
ポストマン・ブルース POSTMAN BLUES	1997	Comedy	9	Another phenomenal comedy by SABU. I personally liked DRIVE more, but it seems the general public likes this most out of all SABU films... (whopping 4.8/5 in Yahoo! and 90/100 in EigaSeikatsu) Tsutsumi Shinichi once again leads as the earnest man with amazing adventures, an man leading a life too ordinary discovers excitement at last! There were couple of loopholes in the plot, but still a quality comedy movie. I have a feeling I'll like this movie even more in my second view.	-	- -
うなぎ Unagi AKA: The Eel	1997	Drama	9	Absolutely a great film. Not exactly an easy to watch film for a general movie audience like me, but the story was great and development of the main character was excellent. 14 wins and 13 nominations, this movie truly deserve all of them. The only criticism I have for this movie is the poor cinematography and horrible special effects, but otherwise, it's perfect.	-	- -
Hana-bi	1997	Yakuza	3	Watched this film after Dolls (2002), so I had really high expectations for this one (had equally high rating in IMDB, incredible numbers of film awards...), but I was very disappointed with this film. It follows the usual slowness of a true Japanese film, but I had absolutely no idea what Beat Takeshi was trying to say in this movie. There were couple of nice scenes, but otherwise, nothing much happened and I don't get the message. It felt like a crappy version of Brother (2000) to me. But don't take my words for it, see it for yourself. This is one of those festival type movies I did not get.	-	- -
That’sカンニング! 史上最大の作戦? That's Cunning! The Ultimate Mission?	1996	Comedy/School	7	This is the only movie where my first J-Pop idol Amuro Namie had a significant role in. I've been wanting to see this movie forever. Watching Mononoke Hime in theaters over this was one of my biggest movie regret after seeing how easily available Ghibli films were in the internet. The movie is one of very rare Japanese movie that's produced in same style as American teen movies. It was really funny, though it has its share of cheesy scenes, and acting by the two leads; Yamaguchi Tatsuya (TOKIO) and Amuro were joke. Supporting cast did an extremely good job to compensate for it though. I know some people will hate this movie, but I'm extremely biased due to casting of my favorite actors and the "cunning" (test cheating) theme because "CunninGOOD" was one of my favorite mangas.	Amuro Namie - SWEET 19 BLUES	8 7
Love Letter Love Letter	1995	Drama/Romance	10+	This movie starts slow, but man does it build up! According to IMDB, this movie won 14 awards. Movies with numerous awards tend to be too artsy for my tastes, but this one is totally enjoyable by even the casual viewers. It actually makes you feel you've just seen a masterpiece. The story in this movie is possibly one of the best written one ever. Wonderfully acted by Nakashima Miho (2 roles) and Toyokawa Etsushi. Music was always perfect fit for all scenes, and beautiful sceneries. I'm starting to turn into a Iwai Shunji fan, who also directed April Story.	-	- -
台風クラブ Typhoon Club	1985	Seishun	7	I find movies before 90's to be extremely difficult to watch, but since this was considered to be a masterpiece by many, I decided to take a stab at it. It had interesting plots, and the actors were great in this movie. All the characters had their own story and they were played very well. Songs used in this movie fit the story very well too. Camerawork, direction, and the quality of scenery, unfortunately, are no match for movies today. But I can see why, especially to people who were in high school at the time, would consider this movie to be their favorite.	-	- -

Animated JMovie Reviews

Title	Year	Genre	Rating /10	Comment	Theme Song	Song rating /10 Compatibility /10
秒速５センチメートル -A chain of short stories about their distance- Byousoku 5 Senchimeetoru AKA: 5 centimeters per second, 5cm/s, Byousoku 5 Centimeters	2007	Seishun	10+	I watched this movie three times... And I cried three times. This movie replaces Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo and Sprited Away as my favorite anime movie ever. One of the reason it touched me so much... May be because I had a similar experience in the past, and still hasn't gotten over it yet. It felt like watching my own life, heavily dramatized. The movie follows the life of a boy from elementary school to adulthood in three different events in his life (each one a short segment: Oukashou, Cosmonaut, and Byousoku 5 Centimeters.) with numerous flashbacks. A story about the boy's struggle with his adolescent love, who keeps getting farther away as their families move. Animation/visual effects are simply stunning. It is hard to believe so many memorable scenes were packed into this 1 hour film. The voice actors/actresses were extremely talented, their emotions expressed exceptionally well, and voice changing slightly as their characters grow up. The contents of the boy's narration was very touching as well. Audio/visuals were the best I've ever heard/seen in anime, with a very touching story. This film is a masterpiece.	Yamazaki Masayoshi - One more time, One more chance	8 10
パプリカ Paprika	2006	Studio Madhouse	4	Another one of those movies internationally acclaimed by film critics, but was too artistic for me to comprehend. The animation and overall presentation was quite good, but the story itself made absolutely no sense to me. Another thing that bothered me was how this film seemed to copy many elements from other Ghibli and Madhouse anime movies. First few scenes in the movie was exactly same as Millennium Actress, and the villains seemed as if they came straight out of Howl's Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke, with parade scenes from Spirited Away (3 of these 4 are Ghibli films, looks like blatant plagiarism to me). This is a film I can't recommend to casual anime viewers.	-	- -
ゲド戦記 Tales from Earthsea	2006	Studio Ghibli	1	Absolutely worthless movie. Another Ghibli movie based on a Western novel without Miyazaki Hayao's input in story. This movie was even worse than Howl's Moving Castle... I can see why Ursula Le Guin didn't approve of this movie. Characters were uninspiring, voice actors unenthusiastic, poor creativity in character design. Maybe it makes more sense if I read the original novels, but it left me absolutely clueless after seeing this movie. There were also many elements that seemed to be recycled from previous Ghibli movies, I was particularly disappointed at the fact that they used the black goo thing from Mononoke Hime once again. It was also really cheesy with so many stupid lines throughout the movie, something not even Howl's Moving Castle managed to do. The quality of drawings were not up to par with other Ghibli movies either.	Teshima Aoi - Toki no Uta	1 1
時をかける少女 Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo AKA: The Girl Who Leapt Through Time	2006	Studio Madhouse	10	Well-deserved winner of Best Animated Film at Japan Academy Awards '07, Toki wo Kakeru Shoujo is one of the best anime movie I have seen to date. Exceptionally well directed, great music, and interesting story. Every single scene in this movie serves a purpose, and it kept me excited the whole time. This is a life-altering movie that teaches the importance of time and that we have to live the moment. The insert song is possibly the best theme song ever used in a movie; the feel of it and lyric was absolutely perfect for this movie, accompanied by a series of great memorable scenes. This is a movie that even non-anime lovers will enjoy.	Oku Hanako - Kawaranai Mono (INSERT SONG) Oku Hanako - Garnet	10 10+ 8 7
劇場版 NARUTO -ナルト- 大興奮!みかづき島のアニマル騒動だってばよ Naruto the Movie 3: The Animal Riot of Crescent Moon Island	2006	Action	7	I was glad the Naruto movie series didn't wind up like Inu Yasha. The third movie was a huge improvement over the second movie. Although the villains reminded me a lot from the first movie, there were some great actions, and many touching scenes. They overplayed the promise between friends a little bit, but a solid movie for Naruto fans.	MARIA - Tsubomi	5 6
劇場版 NARUTO -ナルト- 大激突!幻の地底遺跡だってばよ Naruto the Movie 2: Great Clash! The Illusionary Ruins at the Depths of the Earth	2005	Action	5	This movie turned out to be very cheesy. It wasn't as good movie as the first one. However, there are a lot more action, and it kind of keeps you in the edge of your seat. It was a really bad idea using Western-looking characters in this movie. It loses the whole ninja feel of Naruto series.	TUBE - Ding! Dong! Dang!	7 3
劇場版 NARUTO -ナルト- 大活劇!雪姫忍法帖だってばよ!! Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow AKA: Naruto the Movie 1	2004	Action	7	A highly enjoyable film for Naruto fans. Great action, interesting and sometimes touching story, and awesome graphics!	YUKI - Home Sweet Home	9 8
ハウルの動く城 Howl's Moving Castle	2004	Studio Ghibli	5	This is possibly the most overrated movie I have ever seen. Fantasy is a vital part of anime movies, but it's just rubbish if EVERYTHING makes no sense. I was expecting something more from Studio Ghibli, but I was very disappointed. Western novels should not be adopted into anime movies. However, I can't deny that this movie is very artistic, and very well-drawn, especially the castle itself.	Tanikawa Shuntarou - Sekai no Yakusoku	6 8
映画 犬夜叉 紅蓮の蓬莱島 Inuyasha the Movie 4: Fire on the Mystic Island	2004	Action/Adventure	5	The last Inu Yasha movie was a total disappointment. The producers obviously ran out of ideas, and this movie was extremely cheesy.	Do As Infinity - Rakuen	9 6
映画 犬夜叉 天下覇道の剣 Inuyasha the Movie 3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler	2003	Action/Adventure	7	Sesshoumaru finally fights in the third installment of Inu Yasha movie series. The brothers reunite to fight against evil.	Amuro Namie - Four Seasons	9 7
映画 犬夜叉 鏡の中の夢幻城 Inuyasha the Movie 2: The Castle Beyond the Looking Glass	2002	Action/Adventure	9	The second one is even better than the first one, it incorporates real works of literature and legends into the Inu Yasha story. The villains were also very interesting.	Every Little Thing - Yura Yura	10 9
映画 犬夜叉 時代を越える想い Inuyasha: The Love That Transcends Time	2001	Action/Adventure	7	The first one is a very good movie adaptation of Inu Yasha. It's quite interesting to see Kagome and Inu Yasha unite again, and the story was as well written as the anime series. Ending theme is my favorite song by Ayu, perfect lyric for this movie.	Hamasaki Ayumi - No More Words	10 10
千年女優 Millennium Actress	2001	Studio Madhouse	8	An extremely artistic animated film that has won many awards domestically and world-wide despite close release date to Spirited Away. It's a solid movie with a great sequence near the very end. However, it took me a while to get used to its rapid transition from reality to movie within movie, and sometimes too artistic that felt like a deliberate prop by the producers. Still, this is certainly one of most unique anime movie ever, and a great idea for story telling.	Hirasawa Susumu - Rotation[LOTUS-2]	5 6
千と千尋の神隠し Spirited Away	2001	Studio Ghibli	10	Studio Ghibli at its very peak, Spirited Away is a great film. This movie takes audience into a completely different world filled with fantasy. Many great scenes, excellent character development. One of the must-sees for Japanese movies. Picture Of The Year in Japan Academy Awards '02, Best Animated Feature in Academy Awards '02	Kimura Yumi - Itsumo Nandodemo	6 7
メトロポリス Metropolis	2001	Fantasy	10	This movie is the perfect example of what an anime movie should be. Characters have retained the original Tezuka Osamu feel to it with retro graphics, yet with the use of CG, it seemed very futuristic. This film addresses important issues like what it is to be human and our increasing dependance to machines. The script was very well written, exciting from the beginning to the very end, filled with suspense. All the characters that appear in this movie was very well designed and develop nicely, and there were many touching scenes. This movie will become a timeless masterpiece.	Mooki - THERE'LL NEVER BE GOOD-BYE	6 9
もののけ姫 Mononoke Hime AKA: Princess Mononoke	1997	Studio Ghibli	9	Another solid movie from Studio Ghibli. Action-packed thriller for the entire film. The drawing on this thing was perfect, and great adventure story. A beautiful film.	Mera Yoshikazu - Mononoke Hime	4 8
MEMORIES MEMORIES	1995	Adventure	9	This film consists of three short films: Magnetic Rose, Stink Bomb, and Cannon Fodder. The title "MEMORIES" is based on Magnetic Rose, where a group of garbage collectors in space investigate a SOS signal coming from an abandoned ship. The story is very deep and exciting. Stink Bomb is a hilarious bioterror comedy with lots of action. These two short films have incredibly good graphic effects for something made in the mid-90's. Cannon Fodder reminded me of Orwell's 1984, it's a boy's day in a totalitarian society that revolves around firing cannons toward an unknown enemy. The whole 15 minute of this short film is done in one shot using many advanced transition techniques. This was a very interesting experience for me with short animated films.	-	- -
幽☆遊☆白書 冥界死闘篇 炎の絆 Yu Yu Hakusho: The Movie - Fight for the Netherworld	1994	Action	4	I was a HUGE Yuu Yuu Hakushou fan back in the day, but this movie was a total disappointment. The story was SO cheesy, it doesn't do justice for the original series. For those who haven't seen it already, just watch the anime series, it's a masterpiece.	-	- -
魔女の宅急便 Kiki's Delivery Service	1989	Studio Ghibli	9	A classic from Studio Ghibli, Majo no Takkyuubin is a great fantasy anime movie. A great story wrapped in a single film, a girl goes on a journey to adulthood, yet discovers the greatness of childhood.	Arai Yumi - Yasahisa ni Tsutsumaretanara	8 7
アキラ　-AKIRA- AKIRA	1988	Adventure/Action	7	A famous classic anime, generally considered to be an epic, but it was just an okay movie for me. The story and characters were very interesting, but did not meet my expectation after hearing all those positive feedbacks about this movie.	-	- -
となりのトトロ Tonari no Totoro AKA: My Neighbor Totoro	1988	Studio Ghibli	8	A fantasy anime that shows the beauty of nature in Japan and the beauty that only kids can see... It is one of the most magical anime I've seen, but extremely overrated IMO. The story seemed to be too short and draggy for a feature length film, and largely aimed for kids. However, Totoro and many supernatural characters were very well designed and adorable.	Inoue Azumi - Tonari no Totoro	9 10
天空の城ラピュタ Castle in the Sky: Laputa	1986	Studio Ghibli	?	There are actually many Studio Ghibli movie I've seen, yet cannot fully remember the details, so I didn't include it in my review. But this film is the very first Ghibli movie I saw when I was in grade 1 (my teacher actually showed us in class), and although my Japanese was not very well at the time, but the theme song is still stuck in my momory. Any movie that sticks to my mind after more than 15 years must be good, I hope I get to see this movie again.	Inoue Azumi - Kimi wo Nosete	10 10
ドラえもん映画作品 Doraemon Movies	1980 ~ Present (Yearly)	Adventure	9~10	Doraemon movies are simply the best. Every single movie I've seen (before 1996) had been incredibly well-written, filled with adventure, friendship, and cool new tools. These movies are definitely worth a watch if you get the chance.	-	- -