
Known for
8.3Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Ikiru
1952
8.0A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...
Professional Killers
1972
7.6Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
Godzilla
1954
A television serial that was in turn adapted from a radio series and a novel, My Daughter And I featured a Japanese novelist who is married to a French woman who have one daughter. The man and his daughter begin a new life when the woman dies. Having difficulty spending time with his daughter, the man sends his daughter to a Christian boarding school. He remarries and brings his daughter back home. After the end of the World War his lot improves professionally, yet his second wife dies.
Musume to Watashi
1961
6.8Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
Invasion of Astro-Monster
1965
7.4Follow the exploits of motorcycle racer turned super hero Takuya Yamashiro, as he slings and swings, battling the evil Iron Cross Army along the way.
Japanese Spiderman
1978
Film credits
2000s · 1 titles
1990s · 2 titles
6.8A college senior, Shuhei, is blackmailed by a professor into joining the school's sumo team. He is aided by a group of misfits who must team together to defeat their rivals or face disgrace and the disbandment of the sumo club.
Sumo Do, Sumo Don't
1992
7.0Rica and Kengo have been living together for the past four years. It's been a very happy time for Rica; the only dark spot being an accident she caused during a shoot for a commercial in which Kengo's good friend, Shibata, nearly lost his life. The memory of this event weighs heavily on Rica's conscience. One night Kengo tells Rica that he has fallen in love with a charming but inscrutable woman named Hanako.
Falling into the Evening
1998
1970s · 4 titles
5.5Terry Sugury is hired to recover one of two tapes containing a formula for making heroin for a price of 200 dollars a pound. But he gets double crossed. So he wants the tape back.
The Street Fighter's Last Revenge
1974
6.8A re-edited Italian-language dubbed version of the original Godzilla, using as a basis the U.S. version, "Godzilla, King of the Monsters!" (1956), plus WWII newsreel footage and clips from other science fiction films. The re-edited film was then colorized via a process called "Spectrorama 70" consisting of applying various colored gels to the black and white footage. The film's opening and ending also features new music composed by musicians Fabio Frizzi, Franco Bixio, and Vince Tempera (under the pseudonym Magnetic System).
Godzilla
1977
6.3The Iron Cross Army are sabotaging oil-tankers with the help of their monster, the Sea-Devil, a semi-mechanical anthropomorphic swordfish with an ability to shoot torpedoes from its mouth. Spiderman employs the help of the interpol agent Juzo Mamiya to help him stop the Iron Cross Army.
Japanese Spiderman: Episode 0
1978
8.0Based on the life of artist Yumeji Takehisa, who is most famous today as the definitive artist of "Taisho Romanticism" and for his melancholic paintings of beautiful women (bijinga). His early career was deeply intertwined with Japan's socialist and anarchist movements.
The Story of Yumeji Takehisa: In Love
1975
1960s · 15 titles
6.8Astronauts Glenn and Fuji investigate Planet X and encounter mysterious aliens known as the Xiliens, who ask Earth's people to help save their world from "Monster Zero". In exchange for borrowing Godzilla and Rodan, the Xiliens offer a cure for cancer. As Glenn investigates, he develops a romance with Miss Namikawa and uncovers the Xilien's true intentions.
Invasion of Astro-Monster
1965
7.1A failed science experiment gives a librarian the ability to turn into a gaseous substance. He goes on to rob banks to fund his dancer girlfriend's career, killing those who interfere. Now Tokyo's most wanted criminal, can authorities stop him?
The Human Vapor
1960
4.4In an effort to find an economic means of purifying salt water, a joint U.S.-Japanese military command is set up on an isolated Japanese island where an unusual salt water lake is situated. However, their purifying experiments arouse the prehistoric monster Obaki from hibernation at the lake's bottom, and it proceeds to attack Japan. Although made by a U.S. independent film company, this film was based on a Japanese Toho monster film of 1958, "Daikaiju Varan", from which all of the monster effects scenes and a few incidental dramatic shots were edited into it.
Varan the Unbelievable
1962
7.8A man is involved in a fatal car accident, and though he is blameless, his company transfers him to a remote branch in a small town. Before he leaves, he gives the man's widow a large sum of money that she uses to move back to her hometown.
Two in the Shadow
1967
8.5As Japan joins in a political pact with Nazi Germany and fascist Italy, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto is appointed supreme commander of the Japanese fleet. With Japan headed inexorably toward war, Yamamoto, despite his misgivings, believes the only possible victory lies in destroying the American fleet by surprise at Pearl Harbor. The attack succeeds, but fails to sink the American carrier fleet. Thus Yamamoto must lead the Japanese navy into war with ever-diminishing likelihood of success.
Admiral Yamamoto
1968
6.5Men are being murdered by a killer who uses a matter-transmitting device to locate his victims.
The Secret of the Telegian
1960
7.3A dramatisation of the 24-hour period in which the Japanese government was deadlocked over the decision to accept or reject the Allies' demand for an unconditional surrender following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Japan's Longest Day
1967
7.2After her mother runs away from home, Tomoko is raised to be a geisha. One day Tomoko meets her mother in a red-light district in Tokyo and her life deeply gets in trouble.
The Scent of Incense
1964
9.0The story is of two people. One is deaf, the other deaf and mute. They marry after meeting at a school reunion, and the film follows their trials and tribulations ... and joys.
Happiness of Us Alone
1961
6.2Japanese police detective Saburo Fujioka is suspected of corruption, demoted, and sent to the city of Kojin. Kojin is the scene of fierce fighting between rival gangs. Fujioka is assigned to investigate the death of the wife of gangster Tetsuo Maruyama of the Kozuka gang, probably at the hands of one of the Oka gang. During a gang gunfight, Maruyama is rescued by Detective Fujioka and the two become friends. But Maruyama insists on avenging his wife's murder, even if it means conflict with his new friend.
The Last Gunfight
1960
6.4Grown up son arrives home to learn his father, the newly elected mayor, has been assassinated. So he journeys down a path to find the assassin and gets involved with two opposing yakuza gangs.
Big Shots Die at Dawn
1961
10.0The final film by Yuzo Kawashima.
Fifty-Fifty
1963
7.0After being mistaken for counterfeiters by the police, an inventor and reporter try to track down the real counterfeiters.
The Crazy Adventure
1965
9.01962 Japanese movie
The Crimson Sky
1962
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Happicoat Comedian
1960
1950s · 36 titles
8.3Kanji Watanabe is a middle-aged man who has worked in the same monotonous bureaucratic position for decades. Learning he has cancer, he starts to look for the meaning of his life.
Ikiru
1952
7.6Japan is thrown into a panic after several ships are sunk near Odo Island. An expedition to the island led by Dr. Kyohei Yamane soon discover something far more devastating than imagined in the form of a 50 meter tall monster whom the natives call Gojira. Now the monster begins a rampage that threatens to destroy not only Japan, but the rest of the world as well.
Godzilla
1954
6.5Mining engineer Shigeru investigates the disappearance and death of his fellow coworkers when prehistoric nymphs are discovered emerging from the mines. After an attack on the local village, Shigeru heads deeper into the mines only to make a more horrifying discovery in the form a prehistoric flying creature. Soon a second monster appears as the two converge in Fukuoka.
Rodan
1956
6.5During an assignment, foreign correspondent Steve Martin spends a layover in Tokyo and is caught amid the rampage of an unstoppable prehistoric monster the Japanese call 'Godzilla'. The only hope for both Japan and the world lies on a secret weapon, which may prove more destructive than the monster itself.
Godzilla, King of the Monsters!
1956
7.7A married Japanese forester during WWII is sent to Indochina to manage forests. He meets a young Japanese typist and promises to leave his wife. He doesn't and after the war, she turns up and the affair resumes.
Floating Clouds
1955
8.6Obscure French version of the original Godzilla. The film combines elements of the original Toho version and the American King of the Monsters! in a unique assemblage exclusive to the Francophone market. Released by Les Films du Verseau.
Godzilla, the Monster of the Pacific Ocean
1957
6.7Fumiko and Ryōtarō Namiki's marriage has gone stale, with both constantly arguing over what to do on a day off, or about her cutting out recipes from the newspaper before he finishes reading it. Their animosities are witnessed by Fumiko's niece Ayako, who visits to complain about her own husband's inattentiveness, and their new neighbours, the Imasatos.
Sudden Rain
1956
6.3In Japan, scientifically advanced invaders from the war-destroyed planet Mysteroid cause an entire village to vanish, then send a giant robot out to storm the city by night, after which they request a small patch of land on Earth and the right to marry earthling women, claiming to be pacifists. Mankind must decide whether to capitulate or to resist.
The Mysterians
1957
5.9In 1965, the space station JSS-3 is destroyed by a fleet of UFOs, which then begin a global siege on Earth, using rays to manipulate gravity and control the minds of men. In response, a global council meeting is held to determine the source of the attacks and prepare a rocket ship armada for a counter-attack, a true battle in outer space. . . The film is a sequel of sorts to Toho's THE MYSTERIANS in the reprise of the Etsuko Shiraishi character of that film as its heroine. It was edited to 74 minutes for its American release.
Battle in Outer Space
1959
5.8When a rare species of butterfly is found in a mysterious valley in Japan, a pair of entomologists go to investigate and find more. They discover Varan, a giant monster, who decides to leave the valley and head straight for Tokyo.
Varan
1958
No synopsis available yet.
In Case of One Woman
1956
NRAfter graduating from detective school, Achao and Entaro received their certificates and launched a private detective agency. One night, while investigating Otoyo, the wife of a soba shop owner, the two went to the basement of a theater and unexpectedly stumbled upon the murder of model Ranko Nemoto. Using the earring she was wearing as a clue, they began their investigation.
Cheerful Detective
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Beyond The Stars
1956
NRNo synopsis available yet.
Gendai no yokubô
1956
7.8Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, a brilliant tactician, is a loyal subject of the emperor, despite his grave misgivings about leading Japan's navy into war with the United States. He opposes the attack on Pearl Harbor, but, overruled, he leads his forces to the best of his ability.
The Eagle of the Pacific
1953
6.5A math teacher loses his job while falling in love with a local girl.
Mr. Pu
1953
8.0Following the Second World War, the lives of various people in a poverty-stricken area of Tokyo are entertwined. Pachinko parlor girls, shoeshine boys, a maker of costume jewelry, and a streetcorner artist all struggle to make their livings and to find happiness in difficult surroundings.
Tokyo Sweetheart
1952
8.1A squadron of Japanese fighter pilots realise that they are never going to win the war when they understand that Japanese military tactics have little regard for life. Seeking the companionship of any woman who will have them, they spend their days indulging in every fantasy in order to escape the overwhelming fear of death looming just over the horizon.
Farewell Rabaul
1954
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Wicked Boy
1956
7.0Judo expert Saburô Watari fights his judo master, Tsujido, while simultaneously in conflict with a karate expert.
A Man in the Storm
1957
NRIn post-war Japan, The Second Drawer follows Funada, a devoted company man whose planned family trip is disrupted by the sudden death of his boss. Thrust into a delicate business negotiation and a chance encounter with a mysterious woman, he becomes entangled in a quiet storm of corporate intrigue, personal sacrifice, and emotional complexity. As relationships shift and secrets surface, Funada must navigate the fine line between duty and desire in a world where ambition and morality rarely
Executive Chair
1958
10.0No synopsis available yet.
All is Well
1955
8.0The third installment in the Shacho Series.
Three Generations of Company Presidents
1956
8.01958 Japanese movie
Yajikita dōchū sugoroku
1958
NRNo synopsis available yet.
The Luckiest Dai
1957
7.0No synopsis available yet.
Brilliant! The First Detective: Zenigata Heiji in His Youth
1953
9.0An Ishiro Honda film. The second part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the first film.
A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 2
1957
NRAn Ishiro Honda film. The first part of A Rainbow Plays in My Heart released the same day as the second film.
A Rainbow Plays in My Heart: Part 1
1957
10.0A story of unhappy youths and the perils of lack of sex education.
Adolescence Part II
1953
10.01953 jidaigeki directed by Nobuo Nakagawa of Jigoku and Ghost of Yotsuya fame.
Kisan Detective Story: The Mysterious Doll-Maker
1953
6.7When an invisible man is run down by a car it’s up to an eager young reporter and a strange clown to bring a dangerous gang to justice.
Invisible Man
1954
10.0No synopsis available yet.
Yasugorō shusse
1953
10.0Parent apathy to sexual education leads to various troubles for the young cast.
Adolescence
1952
1955 Toho adaptation of Natsume's novel.
Stray Sheep
1955
NRSet during Japan's Bakumatsu period, the film follows Fukuzawa Yukichi, a poor samurai's son who defies societal norms to study Dutch and English. Despite facing opposition from his family and nationalist factions, he founds Keio University, becoming a key figure in Japan's modernization amid political turmoil.
How the Bell of Liberty Rings
1954
8.0Ushinosuke returns to his hometown to become a farmer. Part three (of four) of the film adaptation of Bunroku Shishi’s novel, Oban.
Zokuzoku Ôban: Dotô hen
1957
Series credits
8.0A shikakenin was an under-the-cover trade that undertook killing in Edo. Hanemon of Otowa, an agency that introduced laborers and maids, was also one of these. Katsugoro Iseya was a timber dealer who had come in as a client. His target was the constructions magistrate Hanno, and the Tatsumiya who sipped on the benefits. Hanemon who had a stong code towards killing, where he would only kill those who do no good to be in the world, accepts this request. Baian Fujieda, a needle doctor would carry out the killing. However, the professional killer Baian fails to bring down Tatsumiya. Hanemon then looks to another shikakenin, the ronin Sanai Nishimura for the role. Although Sanai's ability with the sword is good, he lives poorly in a tenement, and accepts this commission on the condition that it is kept a secret from his wife and child. Here, they close in on Hanno and Tatsumiya again...
Professional Killers
1972
A television serial that was in turn adapted from a radio series and a novel, My Daughter And I featured a Japanese novelist who is married to a French woman who have one daughter. The man and his daughter begin a new life when the woman dies. Having difficulty spending time with his daughter, the man sends his daughter to a Christian boarding school. He remarries and brings his daughter back home. After the end of the World War his lot improves professionally, yet his second wife dies.
Musume to Watashi
1961
7.4Follow the exploits of motorcycle racer turned super hero Takuya Yamashiro, as he slings and swings, battling the evil Iron Cross Army along the way.
Japanese Spiderman
1978
NRBattle between international criminal organizations and the secret team of international police formed against these organizations. An action drama incorporating element of children's hero program, Tokusatsu, such as characters with superhuman motor nerves and the appearance of super machines. "Strada 5" is the name of this secret team.
Blitz!! Strada 5
1974



