Question 1

What are the best movies of modern Japanese cinema?

Accepted Answer

These 25 titles would be a great place for you to start exploring.

Question 2

How did the beloved Studio Ghibli begin to dominate the animation business?

Accepted Answer

Studio Ghibli was formally set up in June 1985, and it has been making history ever since.

Question 3

Is the iconic actor-director Takeshi Kitano still working today?

Accepted Answer

Yes but perhaps not for long, as he is reportedly making his last film.

Question 4

Which movie is the biggest-ever box office hit in Japan?

Accepted Answer

Demon Slayer the Movie: Mugen Train, and here's your complete guide to the film before watching it.

Question 5

What makes animator Hayao Miyazaki's films so special?

Accepted Answer

The stories he animates may be full of whimsy, but the Japanese genius is a hard taskmaster who sets exacting standards for himself, his peers and studio staff.

Question 6

Who was the creator behind the seemingly never-ending Ju-On: The Grudge series?

Accepted Answer

Takashi Shimizu, and he has turned one scary premise into a horror franchise that’s spanned decades.

Question 7

How did Akira Kurosawa come to be considered Japan’s most famous film director of all time?

Accepted Answer

Kurosawa studied the Westerns of John Ford, and put what he learned from them into his films about samurai. Here are his best movies.

Question 8

Which classic animation predicted Tokyo hosting the 2020 Olympics – and cancelling them?

Accepted Answer

Akira, and the 1988 movie also influenced a wide range of titles that include Stranger Things and The Matrix, too.

Question 9

How does J-horror classic Ring (1998) compare to its 2002 Hollywood remake?

Accepted Answer

The original low-budget Japanese version of the horror film used dread instead of jump scares, was claustrophobic and had a great ending.

Question 10

What does The Last Samurai star Hiroyuki Sanada think about working in Hollywood?

Accepted Answer

Sanada works behind the scenes too, as a kind of cultural adviser ensuring that the various productions in which he appears get the Japanese elements right.

Question 11

Why is Ghost in the Shell (1995) sometimes labeled the greatest and most philosophical anime ever made?

Accepted Answer

Not only that, but this story of an artificial intelligence that evolves to such an extent that it demands to be treated as a new life form is more relevant today than when the film was made.

Question 12

What does Memoirs of a Geisha star Koji Yakusho think about today's Japanese cinema?

Accepted Answer

Compared to the glory days of the 1990s when he made his name internationally, Yakusho believes that Japanese cinema has been in a slump in recent times.

Japanese Cinema