# The best Japanese films of the 1980s (Kinema Junpo)

Kinema Junpo's top ten Japanese films of the 1980s, chosen for the magazine's centenary: from number one, The Family Game, to Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, Nausicaä and My Neighbor Totoro (with ties).

- 28 votes · 11 items
- Jun 30, 2023 · 橋本 大輔
- https://even.best/en/l/4612/the-best-japanese-films-of-the-1980s-kinema-junpo

## Top 11

1. **Violent Cop (1989)** (5 · ▲5 ▼0) — Takeshi Kitano. His directing debut, as a brutal detective. Number five.
2. **The Family Game (1983)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Yoshimitsu Morita. A family, an entrance exam and an unorthodox tutor. Number one.
3. **Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)** (4 · ▲4 ▼0) — Hayao Miyazaki. The Toxic Jungle and the Ohmu. Number eight.
4. **Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence (1983)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Nagisa Ōshima. David Bowie and Ryuichi Sakamoto in a Java POW camp. Number four.
5. **I Are You, You Am Me (1982)** (3 · ▲3 ▼0) — Nobuhiko Obayashi. A schoolboy and schoolgirl swap bodies. Number seven.
6. **The Emperor's Naked Army Marches On (1987)** (2 · ▲2 ▼0) — Kazuo Hara. A documentary following former soldier Kenzō Okuzaki. Number two.
7. **Zigeunerweisen (1980)** (1 · ▲2 ▼1) — Seijun Suzuki. A Taishō-era ghost story. Number three.
8. **Typhoon Club (1985)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Shinji Sōmai. Teenagers trapped at school during a typhoon. Number six.
9. **W's Tragedy (1984)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Shinichirō Sawai. Hiroko Yakushimaru as a young drama student. Number nine.
10. **Dotsuitarunen (1989)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Junji Sakamoto. Hidekazu Akai as a former boxer seeking a comeback. Joint tenth.
11. **My Neighbor Totoro (1988)** (1 · ▲1 ▼0) — Hayao Miyazaki. Satsuki, Mei and the forest spirit Totoro. Joint tenth.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.