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Asian cinema: Japanese films

Asian cinema: Japanese films
From Akira Kurosawa to Yasujiro Ozu, from Takeshi Kitano to Hirokazu Koreeda, from samurai to yakuza to the Japanese New Wave, and from anime to J-horror to pink films, this is the place to go for reviews, interviews and features about movies both classic and new from Japan.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
Wanrong and Puyi, in Tianjin, circa 1925. Photo: Getty Images

Paul French lifts veil on final months of China’s last emperor in the Forbidden City

It is not the first biography of China’s Puyi, but Paul French’s latest book brings with it a feminine voice of modernity and fully exploits its place in the ‘doomed-monarchy’ sub-genre.

Reading Time:6 minutes
The city of Baguio, on Luzon island, in the Philippines, was favoured by American administrators for its climate. Photo: Thomas Bird

Escape Manila’s heat for northern Luzon’s pine-scented hills and Sagada’s hanging coffins

Reading Time:6 minutes
Nurbol Baimukhanov’s Zhabe horse, Ayan, near Almaty, Kazakhstan. Photo: courtesy Nurbol Baimukhanov

Ode to the horse: 5,000 years of human-equine connection on display in new Kazakh museum

Reading Time:7 minutes
Soy-glazed, fish-sauce-marinated chicken thigh with black-garlic oil at Chiu San. Photo: courtesy Chiu San

Hong Kong’s hottest new openings, from Sugar Daddy’s creamy pastries to Japanese-Chiuchow fusion fare at Chiu San

Reading Time:2 minutes
Architect Kisho Kurokawa with his creation, Japan’s Nakagin Capsule Tower, in 1972. Photo: Tomio Ohashi/M+

How Japan’s innovative Nakagin Capsule Tower is finding new life

Reading Time:6 minutes
John Yiu, an art historian and the deputy director of the Jao Tsung-I Petite Ecole academic research and cultural centre, at the University of Hong Kong, with his guqin. Photo: Alexander Mak

Hong Kong’s guqin revival bridges ancient philosophy and modern passions

Reading Time:6 minutes
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Tokyo’s Mori Art Museum is staging a retrospective exhibition tracing Japanese artist Mariko Mori’s cosmic journey. The show, which runs from October 31 to March 28, 2027, includes this 1995 work Birth of a Star. Photo: Handout
Art

Mariko Mori’s landmark Tokyo retrospective traces an extraordinary cosmic journey

From 1970s anime to ancient Jōmon culture and Buddhist thought, the Japanese artist’s retrospective explores cosmic connections.

European cinema

Best movies from the 2026 Venice Film Festival, including Possible Love and Musk

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

Review | Arrested Memory: Ethan Ruan leads Sabu’s muddled police thriller

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Asian cinema

Review | Look Back: Hirokazu Koreeda explores childhood manga dreams

A deep, intense friendship between two schoolgirls is explored in Hirokazu Koreeda’s adaptation of a manga by Tatsuki Fujimoto.

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Natsuki Deguchi as the grown-up Fujino in a still from Look Back (category I, Japanese), directed by Hirokazu Koreeda. Aju Makita, Furi Nanase and Rokka Okada co-star.
Asian cinema

Review | Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People? is a striking portrait of Vietnam war trauma

The Vietnam war drama, in competition at the Venice Film Festival, explores trauma, redemption through a US Marine’s true-life journey.

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Asian cinema

Review | The Last Song You Left Behind: Japanese teen romance plays a familiar tune

Shunsuke Michieda and Meru Nukumi star as classmates who slowly develop feelings for each other over an unusual musical collaboration.

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Asian cinema

10 must-see movies and programmes at Hong Kong’s Summer IFF 2026

This year’s Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival boasts 37 features, from regional premieres to 4K restorations of Hong Kong classics.

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Hwang Jung-min in a still from Hope, one of our picks of features to catch at the 2026 Cine Fan Summer International Film Festival in Hong Kong.
Studio Ghibli

The appeal of Ghibli: why films like Totoro continue to find fans

The US-based Studio Ghibli Fest began in 2017 and, as Ghibli films continue to attract new fans of all ages, it keeps growing.

Books and literature

Author Eiko Kadono is 91, loves pink and never tires of writing

Eiko Kadono has written 200 books and does not intend to stop. One of her stories, Kiki’s Delivery Service, became a Studio Ghibli anime hit.

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TV shows and streaming video

Review | Human Vapor: Shun Oguri, Yu Aoi anchor Netflix’s bold sci-fi thriller reboot

This exciting tale of a mysterious serial killer who can turn into a murderous cloud of gas is a reimagining of a classic Japanese thriller.

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Uta Uchida in a still from Human Vapor. Photo: Netflix.
Cinema

From the Vault: culturally significant films

In the From the Vault feature series, the South China Morning Post’s film experts reflect on culturally significant films celebrating notable anniversaries.

South China Morning Post’s From the Vault series looks back at culturally significant films. Photo: Shutterstock
Asian cinema

Why Hirokazu Koreeda paired Haruka Ayase and a TV comic in Sheep in the Box

A-lister Haruka Ayase and television comic Daigo Yamamoto star as a grieving couple confronting an AI ‘resurrection’ in Sheep in the Box.

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American cinema

The rise of liminal space horror movies like Backrooms and Exit 8

Box-office hit Backrooms highlights a growing obsession with eerie liminal spaces like hallways, alleyways and empty shopping centres.

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European cinema

Best movies from the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, from Fjord to Minotaur

The 2026 Cannes Film Festival may have lacked its usual blockbusters, but that gave indie films more exposure. Here are 10 of the best.

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Virginie Efira in a still from All of a Sudden – one of the highlights of the Cannes Film Festival – directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Asian cinema

Review | The Samurai and the Prisoner: Kiyoshi Kurosawa back with feudal-era thriller

The veteran Japanese director’s new film with Masahiro Motoki as a besieged warlord is an intelligent, captivating spin on the samurai genre.

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(From left) Yuriko Yoshitaka, Masahiro Motoki and Ryota Miyadate in a still from The Samurai and the Prisoner.
Asian cinema

Review | Sheep in the Box: Hirokazu Koreeda tackles grief in sci-fi drama

Hirokazu Koreeda’s Cannes entry probes grief, artificial intelligence and family bonds, but its subplots leave the film scattered.

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TV shows and streaming video

Meet Karen Fukuhara, who plays Kimiko Miyashiro, aka The Female, in The Boys

The actress is back for the fifth and final season of the Amazon Prime Video series also starring Karl Urban, Erin Moriarty and Antony Starr.

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Asian cinema

Review | All of a Sudden: Ryusuke Hamaguchi wows with Paris-set drama

Starring Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto, the three-hour movie on caregiving and capitalism is anchored by a profound bilingual conversation.

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Tao Okamoto plays a Japanese theatre director in All of a Sudden. The Paris-set drama is directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
Asian cinema

Review | Nagi Notes: Koji Fukada ponders the meaning of art in wartime

Featuring nuanced performances and beautiful camerawork, Nagi Notes asks what art should mean in the chaotic world we live in.

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Asian cinema

Review | Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express is a riotous sci-fi anime ride

A 47-minute compilation of Yohei Kameyama’s animated series, Milky Subway provides more laughs and surprises than many feature-length films.

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Asian cinema

Best movies to watch at the Hong Kong International Film Festival 2026

Silent Friend, Sirat, Good Boy and Pillion are among our top picks at this year’s festival, which is celebrating its 50th edition.

Tony Leung Chiu-wai in a still from Silent Friend.
Tourism

Gripping samurai exhibition explores Japan’s warrior class, cuts through myths

From armour to art, ‘Samurai’ at the British Museum traces the Japanese elite class’ evolution and cultural impact, from anime to Star Wars.

A samurai suit of armour and helmet are seen at “Samurai”, a new exhibition at London’s British Museum running until May 4.
Asian cinema

Who is Hikari, the Japanese director behind Beef and Rental Family?

The filmmaker talks about her journey from Osaka to Hollywood and how her new film with Fraser as a fake dad was inspired by her childhood.

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Pokemon

How Pokemon took over the world as the beloved franchise turns 30

On Pokemon Day 2026, we look at the history of the global multimedia phenomenon and how it captured the hearts of children and adults alike.

Asian cinema

Review | A New Dawn: climate crisis meets fireworks in confusing Japanese anime

Yoshitoshi Shinomiya’s beautiful debut feature is sure to excite fans of Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki, even if a muddled plot lets it down.

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A still from A New Dawn, directed by Yoshitoshi Shinomiya. Lead characters voiced by Riku Hagiwara and Kotone Furukawa. Photo: A New Dawn Film Partners
Tourism

Ponyo exhibition invites visitors into Hayao ⁠Miyazaki’s ocean world

The ‘Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo’ exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles includes rare artwork and production sketches.

A visitor interacts with a Ponyo exhibit at “Studio Ghibli’s Ponyo”, a new exhibition at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, on February 12, 2026. Photo: AFP
Asian cinema

What is it like to win the lottery? These 10 Asian movies have the answers

Winning the lottery can change your life forever, for good or bad. These 10 films from across Asia explore luck, wealth and greed.

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Asian cinema

Review | Tokyo Taxi: Takuya Kimura and Chieko Baisho lead moving Yoji Yamada drama

Tokyo Taxi is an utterly captivating ride that sees an elderly woman bond with her taxi driver while reminiscing about her eventful life.

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