Nostalgic Showa-era tearjerkers share this list with war dramas, manga adaptations, CGI cartoons and giant-monster spectacle, plus one film that has only just reached theaters.
1Always: Sunset on Third StreetA 2005 adaptation of Ryohei Saigan's manga set in 1958 Tokyo as Tokyo Tower rises, winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year.1000pts
2Godzilla Minus OneA 2023 Toho film set in postwar Japan that won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects, the first Godzilla film to win an Oscar.990pts
3Godzilla Minus ZeroYamazaki's sequel to Godzilla Minus One, released in Japan on November 3, 2026 and in North America on November 6, 2026.832pts
4The Eternal ZeroA 2013 adaptation of Naoki Hyakuta's novel starring Junichi Okada as a Zero fighter pilot, winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Picture of the Year.757pts
5Lupin III: The FirstA 2019 film that was the first fully 3D computer-animated feature in the Lupin III franchise.524pts
6JuvenileYamazaki's 2000 debut feature, a family sci-fi adventure about a boy who befriends a small robot named Tetra.443pts
7Parasyte: Part 1A 2014 live-action adaptation of Hitoshi Iwaaki's manga starring Shota Sometani as a student whose right hand is taken over by an alien parasite.443pts
8Fueled: The Man They Called PirateA 2016 drama based on Naoki Hyakuta's novel inspired by Idemitsu founder Sazo Idemitsu, starring Junichi Okada.443pts
9Dragon Quest: Your StoryA 2019 computer-animated film based on the video game Dragon Quest V, written and chief-directed by Yamazaki.443pts
10Parasyte: Part 2The 2015 conclusion of Yamazaki's two-part Parasyte adaptation, released five months after the first film.443pts
11Always: Sunset on Third Street 2The 2007 sequel that returns to the same Tokyo neighbourhood in 1959 and opens with a fantasy sequence of Godzilla attacking the city.349pts
12Stand by Me DoraemonA 2014 computer-animated Doraemon film co-directed with Ryuichi Yagi, winner of the Japan Academy Prize for Animation of the Year.349pts
13Stand by Me Doraemon 2The 2020 computer-animated sequel co-directed with Ryuichi Yagi, built around Nobita's wedding day and his late grandmother.349pts
14Destiny: The Tale of KamakuraA 2017 fantasy based on Ryohei Saigan's manga, starring Masato Sakai as a mystery writer living in a Kamakura full of spirits.349pts
15Always: Sunset on Third Street '64The 2012 third film in the series, released in 3D and set in 1964 as Tokyo prepares to host the Olympics.238pts
16The Great War of ArchimedesA 2019 drama starring Masaki Suda as a mathematician drawn into the Imperial Navy's debate over building the battleship Yamato.238pts
17ReturnerA 2002 sci-fi action film starring Takeshi Kaneshiro as a hitman who teams up with a girl from the future to stop an alien war.0pts
18Space Battleship YamatoA 2010 live-action adaptation of the anime series, starring Takuya Kimura as Susumu Kodai.0pts
