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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
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

They may not make for a typical Philippine holiday, but the highlands of northern Luzon are a world apart from Manila and the tropical lowlands, finds Thomas Bird

Reading Time:6 minutes
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

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
Wing Shya, Hong Kong-based photographer, artist and director, in Tai Hang. Photo: Alexander Mak

Wing Shya: photographer to Wong Kar-wai on working with the great and good of Hong Kong cinema

Reading Time:6 minutes
Chef-nun Jeong Kwan at the Bukhara Biennale, in Uzbekistan, as part of a kimchi-fermentation collaboration with the Koryo-saram community. Photo: courtesy Andrey Arekelyan and Uzbekistan Art and Culture Development Foundation (ACDF)

Bukhara Biennial spearheads cultural blossoming of the city as well as the wider Uzbekistan

Reading Time:6 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
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Content from SCMP's Specialist Publications
Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai in a still from Hachiko (1987), one of the best dog movies ever made.
American cinema

Loved Heart of the Beast? 10 more great movies where the dog takes the lead

From Hachiko to Good Boy, pooches not people deliver the biggest performances in these movies ranging from tear-jerkers to horror.

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Art

Manga mania: how Japanese comics conquered the world

Art

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

European cinema

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

Indie dramas and documentaries, rather than big Hollywood productions, took the spotlight at this year’s festival. Here are 10 of the best.

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Asian cinema: Chinese films

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

Ethan Ruan plays a detective with memory issues investigating a kidnapping case in this action-packed if confused police procedural.

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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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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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Rodney Hicks in a still from Mr. Nelson, Did You Kill People?, directed by Shinya Tsukamoto. Geoffrey Rush, Mark Merphy and Tatyana Ali co-star.
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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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.

A scene from the 1988 film My Neighbour Totoro. Studio Ghibli films like Totoro and Spirited Away continue to captivate audiences even today. In the US, the annual Ghibli Fest has been running since 2017. Photo: GKids via AP
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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Eiko Kadono, the author of Kiki’s Delivery Service, in Kamakura, Japan, in June 2026. Photo: AP/Ayaka McGill
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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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.

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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Haruka Ayase in a still from Sheep in the Box, Hirokazu Koreeda’s latest sci-fi drama. Daigo Yamamoto co-stars.
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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Renate Reinsve in a still from Backrooms.
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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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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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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(From left) Daigo Yamamoto, Rimu Kuwaki and Haruka Ayase in a still from Sheep in the Box.
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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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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Takako Matsu as the sculptor Yoriko (front) and Shizuka Ishibashi as her model in a still from Nagi Notes, which played in the 2026 Cannes Film Festival’s main competition.
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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A still from the animated film Milky Subway: The Galactic Limited Express (category IIA; Japanese), directed by Yohei Kameyama.
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.

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.

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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Hikari at the 76th Berlin International Film Festival on February 21, 2026. The Japanese director shares her story and mission to “leave people feeling inspired”. Photo: AFP
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.

Pokemon fans take part in the Pokemon Go City Safari event in Hong Kong in December 2024, a two-day event that saw players able to “catch” the virtual creatures at the city’s landmarks. Photo: Dickson Lee
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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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.

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