WAce Attorney is a 2012 Japanese legal comedy-drama film, directed by Takashi Miike and based on the Capcom video game Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney. The film stars Hiroki Narimiya, Mirei Kiritani, and Takumi Saitoh. In the film, rookie defense attorney Phoenix Wright takes on a series of court cases, culminating in one that pits him against Manfred von Karma, a prosecutor who has remained undefeated throughout his forty-year career.
WArrietty, titled Arrietty the Borrower in Japan and The Secret World of Arrietty in North America, is a 2010 Japanese animated fantasy film directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi as his feature film debut as a director, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and Wild Bunch, and distributed by Toho. The screenplay by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, was based on the 1952 novel The Borrowers by Mary Norton, an English author of children's books, about a family of tiny people who live secretly in the walls and floors of a typical household, borrowing items from humans to survive. The film stars the voices of Mirai Shida, Ryunosuke Kamiki, Shinobu Otake, Keiko Takeshita, Tatsuya Fujiwara, Tomokazu Miura, and Kirin Kiki, and tells the story of a young Borrower (Shida) befriending a human boy (Kamiki), while trying to avoid being detected by the other humans.
WBelle is a 2021 Japanese animated science fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu. It is based on and inspired by the 1756 French fairy tale Beauty and the Beast by Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont.
WThe Boy and the Beast is a 2015 Japanese animated action-adventure fantasy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda. The film stars the voices of Kōji Yakusho, Aoi Miyazaki, Shōta Sometani, Suzu Hirose, Kazuhiro Yamaji, Mamoru Miyano, Kappei Yamaguchi, Keishi Nagatsuka, Kumiko Asō, Haru Kuroki, Sumire Morohoshi, Momoka Ōno, Masahiko Tsugawa, Lily Franky and Yo Oizumi. It was released on July 11, 2015. It won Animation of the Year at the 37th Japan Academy Prizes and grossed ¥5.85 billion at the Japanese box office.
WThe Case of Hana & Alice is a Japanese rotoscoped youth drama film written and directed by Shunji Iwai. It is the prequel to Iwai's 2004 live-action film, Hana and Alice. The film was released on February 20, 2015. A manga adaptation by Dowman Sayman began serialization in Shogakukan's Yawaraka Spirits magazine from February 16, 2015.
WChihayafuru: Kami no Ku (ちはやふる 上の句) is a 2016 Japanese sports romantic teen drama film written and directed by Norihiro Koizumi and starring Suzu Hirose, Shūhei Nomura, Mackenyu, Mone Kamishiraishi, Yūma Yamoto, Yūki Morinaga, Hiroya Shimizu, Miyuki Matsuda and Jun Kunimura. It is the first of three live action film adaptations of the manga series Chihayafuru, written and illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu. The film was released in Japan by Toho on March 19, 2016. It was followed by Chihayafuru: Shimo no Ku, released in Japan on April 29, 2016. Chihayafuru: Musubi, the third and final film in the series, was released in Japan on March 17, 2018.
WChihayafuru: Musubi is a Japanese 2018 youth sports drama film written and directed by Norihiro Koizumi and starring Suzu Hirose, Shūhei Nomura and Mackenyu Arata. It is the third and final installment of the live action film adaptations of the manga series Chihayafuru, written and illustrated by Yuki Suetsugu. It was first announced at Sanuki Film Festival 2017.
WDeath Note is a 2006 Japanese supernatural thriller film based on the manga series of the same title by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. It was followed by a sequel, Death Note 2: The Last Name, released in the same year. The films primarily center on a Tokyo college student who attempts to change the world into a utopian society without crime, by committing a world-wide massacre of criminals and people whom he deems morally unworthy of life, through a supernatural notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in the pages, while being hunted down by an elite task-force of law enforcement officers within Tokyo, led by an enigmatic international detective.
WDeath Note 2: The Last Name is a 2006 Japanese supernatural thriller film directed by Shūsuke Kaneko. The film is the second in a series of live-action Japanese films released in 2006 based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The film primarily centers on a university student named: Light Yagami, who decides to rid the world of the crime element with the help of an otherworldly notebook that kills anyone whose name is written in it, under the alias of a controversial serial-killer/vigilante: "Kira", while evading capture from a Tokyo police task-force, led by an enigmatic and highly-intelligent criminal profiler: "L", who is determined to find and apprehend Light. The film was produced by Nippon Television, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Japan. It was licensed by VIZ Pictures. A spin-off, L: Change the World, was released in 2008. A sequel, Death Note: Light Up the New World, was released in 2016.
WDeath Note: Light Up the New World is a 2016 Japanese film directed by Shinsuke Sato. The film is based on the manga series Death Note written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata and is a sequel to Death Note 2: The Last Name (2006), but features an original story and thematically takes place after the Death Note: New Generation miniseries. It premiered in Japan on October 29, 2016, by Warner Bros. It was later released on Philippines on March 15, 2017.
WEiga ST Aka to Shirō no Sōsa File is a 2015 Japanese suspense mystery police drama film directed by Tōya Satō. The film is a spinoff of the television series ST Aka to Shirō no Sōsa File. It was released on January 10, 2015.
WFrom Up on Poppy Hill is a 2011 Japanese animated drama film directed by Gorō Miyazaki, scripted by Hayao Miyazaki and Keiko Niwa, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, and Toho, and distributed by the latter company. It is based on the 1980 serialized manga of the same name illustrated by Chizuru Takahashi and written by Tetsurō Sayama. The film stars the voices of Masami Nagasawa, Junichi Okada, Keiko Takeshita, Yuriko Ishida, Jun Fubuki, Takashi Naito, Shunsuke Kazama, Nao Ōmori and Teruyuki Kagawa.
WGantz is a Japanese series of live-action action horror science fiction films. The Gantz series is based on Hiroya Oku's manga series, Gantz. The films are titled Gantz, the sequel Gantz: Perfect Answer, and a made-for-TV movie titled Another Gantz.
WGatchaman (ガッチャマン) is a 2013 Japanese tokusatsu superhero film directed by Toya Sato based on the classic 1970s anime television series Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.
WGhost: Mouichido Dakishimetai is a 2010 Japanese remake of the 1990 American film Ghost. It is directed by Taro Otani and it stars Nanako Matsushima, Song Seung-heon, Mana Ashida and Kirin Kiki.
WGokusen: The Movie is a 2009 Japanese film, based on manga series Gokusen. It was directed by Tōya Satō, who also directed the live-action film version of Kaiji. This film is the sequel to the television drama Gokusen season 3, and the last of the series. This film has action, comedy and drama just like the TV series. It was released on July 11, 2009.
WGrave of the Fireflies is a live-action TV drama adaptation of Grave of the Fireflies, made by NTV in Japan. It was produced in commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II. The drama aired on November 1, 2005. Like the anime, the live-action version of Grave of the Fireflies focuses on two siblings, Seita and Setsuko, struggling to survive the final days of the war in Kobe, Japan. Unlike the animated version, however, it tells the story from the point of view of their cousin and also deals with the issue of how the war-time environment could change a kind lady into a hard-hearted woman. The film stars Nanako Matsushima as the aunt and Mao Inoue as the cousin.
WHunter × Hunter: Phantom Rouge is a 2013 Japanese animated feature film based on the Hunter × Hunter franchise created by Yoshihiro Togashi. It follows the four main characters, Gon, Killua, Kurapika and Leorio as they face a dangerous individual who once was a member of their greatest enemies, the criminal organization known as the Phantom Troupe.
WHunter × Hunter: The Last Mission is a 2013 Japanese animated feature film directed by Keiichiro Kawaguchi. Released on December 27, 2013, it is the second film based on the Hunter × Hunter manga series created by Yoshihiro Togashi. Viz Media released the film on home video in North America on March 12, 2019.
WI Are You, You Am Me , also known as Exchange Students, is a 1982 Japanese fantasy film directed by Nobuhiko Obayashi. Obayashi himself directed and co-wrote a second film based on the same novel, premiered in 2007 and titled Switching: Goodbye Me .
WI Give My First Love to You is a 2009 Japanese film. It was based on a manga of the same name by Kotomi Aoki, and it was released on 24 October 2009 in Japanese cinemas. The story revolves around Takuma Kakinouchi, a boy who is told he will die before he is 20, and Mayu Taneda, a girl who is in love with him.
WInitiation Love (イニシエーション・ラブ) is 2015 Japanese romance film directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi. It was released in Japan on May 23, 2015. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Kurumi Inui, both of which feature a significant twist at the very end.
WJinsei no Yakusoku (人生の約束) is a 2016 Japanese drama film directed by Kan Ishibashi and written by Masahiro Yoshimoto. It was released in Japan on January 9, 2016.
WJoker Game is a Japanese novel series written by Koji Yanagi. It has inspired a live-action film and an anime television series. This adaptation was produced by Production I.G aired from April to June 2016.
WK-20: Legend of the Mask at film festivals, The Fiend with Twenty Faces on home video in the United States and The Legend of the Black Mask in the United Kingdom) is a 2008 Japanese action film written and directed by Shimako Satō and based on a novel by Sō Kitamura and its sequel. The film released worldwide on December 20, 2008. Takeshi Kaneshiro and Takako Matsu portray a fictional roles in the film. Tōru Nakamura and Kanata Hongo also starred in the film, just as Takeshi Kaga, Fumiyo Kohinata, Reiko Takashima, Toru Masuoka and Yuki Imai.
WKimi ni Todoke , also known as From Me to You, is a 2010 Japanese romantic drama film based on the manga of the same name. The film is directed by Naoto Kumazawa, who also co-wrote the film's script with Rika Nezu. The film stars actress Mikako Tabe, who plays the role of Sawako Kuronuma, also known as "Sadako", and Haruma Miura, who plays the role of Shota Kazehaya, an outgoing teenager who is popular with his classmates.
WThe Kirishima Thing is a 2012 Japanese high school drama film directed by Daihachi Yoshida and based on a novel by Ryo Asai. It was released on August 11, 2012. The film won several awards, including the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year, and also received several nominations.
WL: Change the World is a 2008 Japanese thriller film and a spin-off to the Death Note film series. Although the film is inspired by the manga Death Note that was written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata, it follows an original storyline. It is set during the events of Death Note 2: The Last Name and Matsuda Spinoff.
WThe Lion Standing in the Wind is a 2015 Japanese drama film directed by Takashi Miike. It was released on March 14, 2015. It is based on the true story of a Japanese doctor working in Africa using information from letters sent home to the girl he left behind in Japan. The letters originally formed the basis for the popular 1987 Japanese song "Kaze ni Tatsu Lion" by Masashi Sada, who was encouraged by actor Takao Osawa to adapt the song into a novel. The novel was released in 2013 and was later adapted into the 2015 film directed by Takashi Miike.
WMaiko Haaaan!!! (舞妓Haaaan!!!) is a Japanese comedy film released in 2007. Hitoshi Ueki made his final film appearance in the film.
WMegane is a 2007 Japanese comedy film written and directed by Naoko Ogigami. Set on an unnamed Japanese island, the film tells the story of a vacationing university professor who comes in contact with several eccentric local inhabitants. It serves as a follow-up to Ogigami's 2006 film Kamome Shokudo, and features two of the same actors. It was featured at several film festivals including the Sundance Film Festival. During production, Ogigami decided the title of the movie after an impromptu realization that all of the characters in the film wore glasses.
WMemoirs of a Murderer , also known as Confession of Murder, is a 2017 Japanese detective thriller film that is a remake of the 2012 South Korean film Confession of Murder. The film was directed by Yū Irie and stars Tatsuya Fujiwara as Sonezaki and Hideaki Itō as Ko Makimura.
WMirai is a 2018 Japanese animated adventure fantasy comedy film written and directed by Mamoru Hosoda and produced by Studio Chizu. It premiered on May 16, 2018 at Directors' Fortnight and released in Japan on July 20, 2018. The film stars the voices of Moka Kamishiraishi, Haru Kuroki, Gen Hoshino, Kumiko Aso, Mitsuo Yoshihara, Yoshiko Miyazaki, Koji Yakusho and Masaharu Fukuyama.
WMonsterz is a 2014 Japanese fantasy horror thriller film directed by Hideo Nakata. It is a remake of the 2010 South Korean film Haunters.
WMy Love Story!! is a 2015 Japanese high school romantic comedy film directed by Hayato Kawai and based on the manga series of the same name written by Kazune Kawahara and illustrated by Aruko. It was released on October 31, 2015. Southeast Asian anime distributor ODEX began to release the film in Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines between January and February 2016.
WParasyte: Part 1 is a 2014 Japanese science fantasy action horror film directed by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Shota Sometani. It is the first film of the two Parasyte films, and was followed by Parasyte: Part 2. The films are based on the Parasyte manga series.
WParasyte: Part 2 is a 2015 Japanese science fiction action horror film directed by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Shota Sometani. It is the second film of the two Parasyte films, and was preceded by Parasyte: Part 1.
WPersona Non Grata is a 2015 Japanese biographical drama film directed by Cellin Gluck. It depicts the life of Japanese diplomat Chiune Sugihara who was appointed a vice-consul and later a consul in Lithuania and served there from 1939 to 1940 and who saved lives of some 6,000 Jewish refugees by issuing transit visas to the Japanese Empire.
WPonyo is a 2008 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi, and distributed by Toho. The film stars Yuria Nara, Hiroki Doi, Tomoko Yamaguchi, Kazushige Nagashima, Yūki Amami, George Tokoro, Rumi Hiiragi, Akiko Yano, Kazuko Yoshiyuki and Tomoko Naraoka. It is the eighth film Miyazaki directed for Studio Ghibli, and his tenth overall. The film tells the story of Ponyo (Nara), a goldfish who escapes from the ocean and is rescued by a five-year-old human boy, Sōsuke (Doi) after she is washed ashore while trapped in a glass jar. As they bond with each other, the story deals with resolving Ponyo's desire to become a human girl, against the devastating circumstances brought about by her acquisition and use of magic.
WReal Girl is a 2018 Japanese film adaptation of the manga series by Nanami Mao. A live-action film adaptation directed by Tsutomu Hanabusa and distributed by Warner Bros. was released in Japanese theaters on September 14, 2018. The theme song of the film, Bedtime Stories by Kana Nishino.
WRudolf the Black Cat is a 2016 Japanese computer-animated family adventure drama film directed by Kunihiko Yuyama and Motonori Sakakibara. It was released in Japan by Toho on August 6, 2016.
WShield of Straw is a 2013 Japanese spy thriller film directed by Takashi Miike. It was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival and it was released on 26 April 2013.
WThe Sky Crawlers is a 2008 Japanese animated war film, directed by Mamoru Oshii. It is an adaptation of Hiroshi Mori's novel of the same name. It was released across Japanese theatres by Warner Bros. Japan on August 2, 2008. Animated by Production I.G, the film was written by Chihiro Itō, featuring character designs by Tetsuya Nishio and music by Kenji Kawai. The 3D CG animation for the movie was produced by the Polygon Pictures studio, who also produced the 3D CG for Oshii's previous film Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence.
WStrayer's Chronicle (ストレイヤーズ・クロニクル) is a 2015 Japanese science fiction action film based on the novel of the same name by Takayoshi Honda. It was directed by Takahisa Zeze, who is known for Heaven's Story (2010). The film was released on June 27, 2015.
WSummer Wars is a 2009 Japanese animated science fiction film directed by Mamoru Hosoda, produced by Madhouse, and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film's voice cast includes Ryunosuke Kamiki, Nanami Sakuraba, Mitsuki Tanimura, Sumiko Fuji and Ayumu Saitō. The film tells the story of Kenji Koiso, a timid eleventh-grade math genius who is taken to Ueda by twelfth-grade student, Natsuki Shinohara to celebrate her great-grandmother's 90th birthday. However, he is falsely implicated in the hacking of a virtual world by a sadistic artificial intelligence named Love Machine. Kenji must repair the damage done, and find a way to stop the rogue computer program from causing any further chaos.
WA Tale of Mari and Three Puppies is a 2007 Japanese film directed by Ryuichi Inomata. It was released in Japanese cinemas on 8 December 2007. It is based on a true story in the 2004 Chūetsu earthquake. This story has frequently been reported in the media and has also made into a book.
WThe Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a 2013 Japanese animated historical fantasy film co-written for the screen and directed by Isao Takahata, based on The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, a 10th century Japanese literary tale. It was produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI, and distributed by Toho.
WTales from Earthsea is a 2006 Japanese anime epic fantasy film directed by Gorō Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Mitsubishi and Toho, and distributed by the latter company. The film is based on a combination of plot and character elements from the first four books of Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series, as well as Hayao Miyazaki's manga series The Journey of Shuna. The film's title is named from the collection of short stories Tales from Earthsea, published in 2001. The plot was "entirely different" according to the author Ursula K. Le Guin, who told director Gorō Miyazaki, "It is not my book. It is your movie. It is a good movie", although she later expressed her disappointment with the end result. A film comic adaptation of the film has been published in Japan.
WWhen Marnie Was There is a 2014 Japanese anime psychological drama film written and directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi, produced by Studio Ghibli for Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DYMP, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI and distributed by Toho. It is based on Joan G. Robinson's 1967 novel of the same name.
WThe Wind Rises is a 2013 Japanese animated historical drama film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, animated by Studio Ghibli for the Nippon Television Network, Dentsu, Hakuhodo DY Media Partners, Walt Disney Japan, Mitsubishi, Toho and KDDI and distributed by Toho. It was released on 20 July 2013, in Japan, and was released by Touchstone Pictures in North America on 21 February 2014.
WWolf Children is a 2012 Japanese anime film directed and co-written by Mamoru Hosoda. This is the second original feature film directed by Hosoda, and the first work written by him. The film stars the voices of Aoi Miyazaki, Takao Osawa and Haru Kuroki. The story's central theme is "parent and child," and depicts 13 years in the life of a young woman, Hana, who falls in love with a werewolf while in college, and following his death must raise the resulting half-wolf half-human siblings, Ame and Yuki, who grow and find their own paths in life.
WYatterman is a 2009 Japanese action comedy film directed by Takashi Miike and based on the anime television show of the same name. The film premiered in Japan on March 7, 2009. The film was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom by Eureka on May 12, 2012, while Discotek Media released the film in North America in 2013.