Fantasy - Japan, non-anime
by sharptongue | created - 25 Nov 2020 | updated - 6 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Tenshi (2005)
117 min | Fantasy, Romance
One day, an angel materializes before Kato's eyes. While the angel seems like an average girl with a passion for gin and lime, she sports a pair of big white wings. Only lonely-hearted ... See full summary »
Director: Mayumi Miyasaka | Stars: Kyôko Fukada, Shigeru Izumiya, Akemi Kobayashi, Ei Morisako
Votes: 158
2. Tobu yume wo shibaraku minai (1990)
90 min | Fantasy, Romance
Director: Eizô Sugawa | Stars: Toshiyuki Hosokawa, Eri Ishida, Mariko Kaga, Shinnosuke Furumoto
Votes: 34
3. Kwaidan (1964)
Not Rated | 183 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A collection of four Japanese folk tales with supernatural themes.
Director: Masaki Kobayashi | Stars: Rentarô Mikuni, Michiyo Aratama, Misako Watanabe, Kenjirô Ishiyama
Votes: 19,996
4. Destiny: The Tale of Kamakura (2017)
129 min | Crime, Drama, Fantasy
Not only is Kamakura-based Masakazu Isshiki a mystery novelist, but he is also a good detective himself. His wife Akiko and he are acquainted with all manners of creatures and gods who are ... See full summary »
Director: Takashi Yamazaki | Stars: Masato Sakai, Mitsuki Takahata, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Min Tanaka
Votes: 1,406
5. The Discarnates (1988)
108 min | Drama, Fantasy
A recently divorced writer is reunited with the ghosts of his parents who died when he was a boy. However, every time he sees them he loses more life energy. Now, he must choose between starting a new life or staying forever in the past.
Director: Nobuhiko Ôbayashi | Stars: Morio Kazama, Kumiko Akiyoshi, Tsurutarô Kataoka, Atsuko Kawata
Votes: 487
6. Ugetsu (1953)
Not Rated | 96 min | Drama, Fantasy, War
A tale of ambition, family, love, and war set in the midst of the Japanese Civil Wars of the sixteenth century.
Director: Kenji Mizoguchi | Stars: Masayuki Mori, Machiko Kyô, Kinuyo Tanaka, Mitsuko Mito
Votes: 25,820 | Gross: $0.01M
7. Honnouji Hotel (2017)
120 min | Action, Comedy, Fantasy
A woman decides to stay in a quaint hotel in Kyoto's historic quarter, but soon finds herself in the middle of 16th Century Japan, playing a major role in one of the country's most important historical events.
Director: Masayuki Suzuki | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Shin'ichi Tsutsumi, Gaku Hamada, Hiroyuki Hirayama
Votes: 514
8. Shinobi: Heart Under Blade (2005)
R | 107 min | Action, Drama, Fantasy
Star-crossed lovers must fight on opposing sides in a battle that will determine the next Shogun.
Director: Ten Shimoyama | Stars: Yukie Nakama, Joe Odagiri, Tomoka Kurotani, Erika Sawajiri
Votes: 12,943
9. Aragami (2003)
78 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
A raging god of battle and a master samurai duke it out in a series of sword fights in a remote temple.
Director: Ryûhei Kitamura | Stars: Takao Osawa, Masaya Katô, Kanae Uotani, Tak Sakaguchi
Votes: 2,296
10. Turn (2001)
112 min | Drama, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Maki is a young nursery teacher and talented copper plate printing artist. One day she's hit by a truck and awakes on a deck chair in her house in the empty city. She seems to have died and... See full summary »
Director: Hideyuki Hirayama | Stars: Riho Makise, Kankurô Nakamura, Akira Emoto, Ayako Kawahara
Votes: 194
11. Dreams (1990)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Fantasy
A collection of tales based upon eight of director Akira Kurosawa's recurring dreams.
Directors: Akira Kurosawa, Ishirô Honda | Stars: Akira Terao, Mitsuko Baishô, Toshie Negishi, Mieko Harada
Votes: 29,190 | Gross: $1.96M
12. Tonight, at the Movies (2018)
109 min | Fantasy, Romance
An assistant director and film fan gets his wish come true when his favourite heroine, a princess from an old film, appears in the real world.
Director: Hideki Takeuchi | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Kentarô Sakaguchi, Akira Emoto, Tsubasa Honda
Votes: 1,199
13. Death of a Ninja (1982)
R | 95 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A fortuneteller prophesizes that whoever marries the beautiful Ukio will become the ruler of the world. Naturally, this makes her very popular with those vying for power, particularly the ... See full summary »
Director: Kôsei Saitô | Stars: Hiroyuki Sanada, Noriko Watanabe, Jun Miho, Yuki Kazamatsuri
Votes: 616
14. Crane (1988)
93 min | Fantasy, History
Based on the folk tales "Repayment from a crane". One snowy night a beautiful woman named Tsuru (Crane) visits poor peasant Taiju sand says she will become his wife...
Director: Kon Ichikawa | Stars: Sayuri Yoshinaga, Hideki Noda, Takuzô Kawatani, Kirin Kiki
Votes: 40
15. Demon Pond (1979)
123 min | Fantasy, Romance
Outside of a small village in Japan, a mysterious pond is inhabited by mythic creatures. Their story is of revenge, tragedy, and the power of real love. A classical tale which translates ... See full summary »
Director: Masahiro Shinoda | Stars: Tamasaburô Bandô, Gô Katô, Tsutomu Yamazaki, Kôji Nanbara
Votes: 537
16. The Three Treasures (1959)
112 min | Adventure, Drama, Fantasy
A prince, framed for murder and starved for affection from his father, is sent on a quest.
Director: Hiroshi Inagaki | Stars: Toshirô Mifune, Yôko Tsukasa, Akihiko Hirata, Kyôko Kagawa
Votes: 368
17. Brave: Gunjyo Senki (2021)
115 min | Adventure, Fantasy, History
Like most students Aoi is a member of an extracurricular club at school and practices archery. Due to ample practice, Aoi is good at it. The members are mostly good friends. All is well ... See full summary »
Director: Katsuyuki Motohiro | Stars: Mackenyu, Haruma Miura, Ken'ichi Matsuyama, Suguru Adachi
Votes: 239
18. Thermae Romae (2012)
108 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Lucius, a Roman architect, is transported through time to modern-day Japan, where he learns about Japanese bathhouses and uses this to his gain back home.
Director: Hideki Takeuchi | Stars: Hiroshi Abe, Aya Ueto, Kazuki Kitamura, Riki Takeuchi
Votes: 2,694
19. Gemini (1999)
84 min | Drama, Fantasy, Horror
A successful doctor, Yukio's picture perfect life is gradually wrecked, and taken over by his avenging twin brother, who bumps off his family members one by one and reclaims his lover who is now Yukio's wife.
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Masahiro Motoki, Ryô, Yasutaka Tsutsui, Masako Motai
Votes: 2,883
20. Gamera vs. Barugon (1966)
Not Rated | 106 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
A giant monster that emits a destructive ray from its back attacks Japan and takes on Gamera.
Directors: Shigeo Tanaka, Noriaki Yuasa | Stars: Kôjirô Hongô, Kyôko Enami, Yûzô Hayakawa, Takuya Fujioka
Votes: 2,838
21. Gappa the Triphibian Monster (1967)
PG | 84 min | Action, Adventure, Comedy
Magazine reporters Hiroyuki Kurosaki and his colleagues brought back to Japan a monster child who had just hatched from an egg issued on the isolated island of Obelisk in the South Sea.
Director: Hiroshi Noguchi | Stars: Tamio Kawaji, Yôko Yamamoto, Yûji Odaka, Kôji Wada
Votes: 1,741
22. Tetsuo: The Iron Man (1989)
Not Rated | 67 min | Horror, Sci-Fi
A businessman accidentally kills The Metal Fetishist, who gets his revenge by slowly turning the man into a grotesque hybrid of flesh and rusty metal.
Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto | Stars: Tomorô Taguchi, Kei Fujiwara, Nobu Kanaoka, Shin'ya Tsukamoto
Votes: 25,936
23. Illusion of Blood (1965)
105 min | Fantasy, Horror
A samurai warrior is haunted by the spirit of his first wife.
Director: Shirô Toyoda | Stars: Tatsuya Nakadai, Mariko Okada, Junko Ikeuchi, Mayumi Ôzora
Votes: 321
24. Samurai Reincarnation (1981)
122 min | Action, Fantasy, Horror
Centuries ago, a samurai survives the massacre of 35,000 Christians and denounces God for ignoring the pleas of the believers. He sells his soul to the devil and receives the power to resurrect the dead to join him on a murderous rampage.
Director: Kinji Fukasaku | Stars: Shin'ichi Chiba, Kenji Sawada, Akiko Kana, Ken Ogata
Votes: 1,187
25. Ranpo jigoku (2005)
134 min | Fantasy, Horror
This four-part anthology takes its cue from the short fiction of legendary horror writer Edogawa Rampo.
Directors: Akio Jissôji, Atsushi Kaneko, Hisayasu Satô, Suguru Takeuchi | Stars: Tadanobu Asano, Yûko Daike, Chisako Hara, Masami Horiuchi
Votes: 1,195
26. Saga of the Phoenix (1989)
93 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
The Holy Maiden of Hell, Ashura possesses immense power that can destroy humanity. Buddhist monks trap her in a deep cave to keep her from falling into evil hands. Kindhearted Abbot Jiku grants her wish to enjoy the human world for 7 days.
Directors: Ngai Choi Lam, Sze Yu Lau | Stars: Biao Yuen, Gloria Yip, Hiroshi Abe, Loletta Lee
Votes: 218
27. Peacock King (1988)
86 min | Action, Adventure, Fantasy
Two magically powerful monks are sent on a quest to fight the King of Hell.
Directors: Ngai Choi Lam, Biao Yuen | Stars: Biao Yuen, Hiroshi Mikami, Narumi Yasuda, Gloria Yip
Votes: 426
28. The Taste of Tea (2004)
143 min | Comedy, Fantasy
A spell of time of a rural family's slightly surreal life.
Director: Katsuhito Ishii | Stars: Maya Banno, Takahiro Satô, Tadanobu Asano, Satomi Tezuka
Votes: 7,196
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