10 Best Toho Movies, According to IMDb (original) (raw)
Published Mar 22, 2024, 10:00 AM EDT
Jeremy has more than 2500 published articles on Collider to his name, and has been writing for the site since February 2022. He's an omnivore when it comes to his movie-watching diet, so will gladly watch and write about almost anything, from old Godzilla films to gangster flicks to samurai movies to classic musicals to the French New Wave to the MCU... well, maybe not the Disney+ shows.
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It’s hard to compare Toho to a Western/American equivalent, because as far as movie-related companies go, few seem to dominate within its given market quite like Toho dominates the Japanese film industry. Even those who don’t watch Japanese films particularly often will have likely come across some in the past that were funded in part or wholly by this entertainment company, given how many anime movies, kaiju films, and samurai classics it's produced.
IMDb handily allows users to look at every single movie Toho has had a part in producing, and the results are honestly overwhelming, given there are almost 3000 Toho titles listed. The following represent the best of the best, and are all able to be appreciated as classics of Japanese cinema, with the highest-rated on IMDb encompassing classics and newer films alike.
10 'Godzilla Minus One' (2023)
IMDb Rating: 8.3/10
Godzilla destroys a city in Godzilla Minus One - 2023
Image via Toho
For now, the exceedingly successful Godzilla Minus One can quite surprisingly count itself as the single greatest Godzilla movie, at least if one judges such a thing by IMDb ratings. It was a back-to-basics approach for the long-running kaiju series that stands as one of the best movies of the 2020s so far, taking place just after World War II, featuring a desperate battle against an unstoppable monster while still trying to recover, as a nation, from the aforementioned global conflict.
Godzilla Minus One succeeds for many reasons, with a couple of key ones being the fact that it has great human drama alongside monster action, and because it pays homage to Godzilla movies that came before in interesting and oftentimes subtle ways. It’s just a very entertaining and incredibly well-made film all around, making its international success (including an Oscar win) easy to understand.
Release Date
November 3, 2023
Runtime
124 minutes
Director
Takashi Yamazaki
9 'High and Low' (1963)
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Toshiro Mifune as Kingo Gondo on a phone call, while his fellow cast members listen in, in 'High and Low'
Image via Toho Company
While there were some Akira Kurosawa movies that were produced by studios other than Toho, many of his films were made while he worked for the company; principally, his films that came out between 1943 and 1970. Of those Kurosawa films produced and/or distributed by Toho, one of the very best – and among the highest-rated on both IMDb and Letterboxd – is 1963’s High and Low.
This is one of those rare thrillers that feels like it’s hardly aged a day in the six decades since its release, because its story about mistaken identity, kidnapping, and extortion remains gripping and thoroughly intense all these years later. It was also one of numerous movies where Akira Kurosawa directed the legendary Toshiro Mifune, and, without a doubt, he gives one of his greatest-ever lead performances in the film.
High and Low
8 'Your Name' (2016)
IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Taki and Mitsuha looking at each other with a worried expression in Your Name
Image via Toho
Though it didn’t come out all that long ago, it still feels reasonable to call Your Name one of the best-ever anime films, and certainly one of the most popular of the 21st century so far. It has a mind-bending premise, revolving around two teenagers who find themselves swapping bodies for some unknown reason, and then complicating the phenomenon when the two decide to meet up in person.
As far as fantastical movies go, Your Name does feel quite grounded and authentic, with believable characters and compelling human drama that just so happens to be complemented by a more fantastical and unusual thing that’s occurring throughout. It blends drama, fantasy, and some romance elements well throughout, being an all-around easy film to get into, and certainly one of the more approachable – and likely mass-appeal – animated films from Japan in recent times.
Your Name
Cast
Ryunosuke Kamiki (Taki Tachibana voice)
Mone Kamishiraishi (Mitsuha Miyamizu voice)
Ryo Narita (Katsuhiko Teshigawara voice)
Aoi Yuki (Sayaka Natori voice)
Release Date
August 26, 2016
Runtime
106 minutes
Director
Makoto Shinkai
7 'The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity' (1959)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
The Human Condition trilogy is a massive achievement in storytelling, with one narrative playing out over the course of about 9.5 hours, each of the three movies being about three hours long (or longer). To the surprise of no one, The Human Condition II: Road to Eternity is the second part in the trilogy, and though the entire narrative concerns World War II, this is the film that feels most like a standard war movie.
While the first movie shows how the protagonist, Kaji, tries to get out of service on account of being a conscientious objector, and the third movie is all about survival, this second film sees him being forced into certain combat situations, following a long boot camp sequence. It’s harrowing and intense, but an essential chapter in the overall story, also functioning as a powerful and well-crafted film when judged on its own.
6 'The Human Condition I: No Greater Love' (1959)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Image via Shochiku
Speaking of The Human Condition trilogy, the first of the three films, The Human Condition I: No Greater Love, has the same rating on IMDb as the second. It sees Masaki Kobayashi at the height of his powers as a filmmaker, with this installment feeling like the most complete and wholly satisfying film of the trilogy (though it also wouldn’t feel right to only watch No Greater Love and then not finish the others).
It begins what later goes on to become an epic saga, with the early days of World War II being seen largely from the point of view of a conscientious objector who disagrees with the conflict he’s asked to be involved with. It’s about standing up for one’s morals, no matter what, though the series continually shows how difficult this can be in trying times, with the lead character, Kaji, gradually becoming more of a tragic and despairing character as the narrative goes along across three films.
Release Date
December 14, 1959
Runtime
208 Minutes
Director
Masaki Kobayashi
5 'Woman in the Dunes' (1964)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Woman in the Dunes is a great example of arthouse cinema, because it’s a strange, perplexing, and somewhat overwhelming film that might not be for everyone, though it is likely to have some kind of impact on those who choose to watch it. The central premise is fairly simple, given it centers on one man who effectively becomes a prisoner in a small village filled with people who don’t want him to leave.
There’s a vaguely nightmarish feeling that pervades throughout Woman in the Dunes, so to call it a disquieting and uneasy film might well be an understatement. It unfolds slowly across nearly 2.5 hours and offers little by way of easy answers, but it’s certainly bold, atmospheric, and compelling enough to rank as one of the most interesting – if not one of the best – movies of the 1960s.
4 'Grave of the Fireflies' (1988)
IMDb Rating: 8.5/10
Image via Toho
Showing the horrors of war through the eyes of children in stark and upsetting detail, Grave of the Fireflies has earned a reputation for being one of the most emotionally devastating movies of all time. The main characters are a young boy and his even younger sister, with the two struggling to survive in Japan toward the end of the Second World War after losing their mother.
As far as anti-war movies go, few drive home the terror and sadness of war – and how it impacts those who aren’t soldiers directly engaged in combat – quite as effectively as Grave of the Fireflies. It’s likely the most well-known Studio Ghibli movie that wasn’t directed by Hayao Miyazaki, and was the crowning achievement of filmmaker Isao Takahata, who co-founded Studio Ghibli with Miyazaki.
Release Date
April 16, 1988
Runtime
89 Mins
Director
Isao Takahata
3 'Seven Samurai' (1954)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Image via Toho
If anything, it’s a little surprising that Seven Samurai isn’t the highest-rated Toho film according to IMDb users… though it is right up there and certainly close to the top. Still, it’s perhaps the definitive action epic, and a film that’s proven remarkably influential in the decades following its release, given how many movies released since 1954 have either taken Seven Samurai’s narrative and used it, either wholly or in part.
Across approximately 3.5 hours, Seven Samurai tells the story of a group of villagers who hire seven warriors to defend their small town from constant bandit attacks, with plenty of build-up to one final amazing action set piece in the film’s final act. It’s just perfect filmmaking across the board, really, and for a film to be this long and this lacking in anything that could be considered a flaw? It’s something of a movie miracle, really.
Runtime
207 Minutes
Director
Akira Kurosawa
2 'Spirited Away' (2001)
IMDb Rating: 8.6/10
Chihiro and No-Face wait on the train in 'Spirited Away'
Image via Studio Ghibli
Ranking the films of Hayao Miyazaki is never an easy task, but when it comes to picking a number one at least, Spirited Away is usually a contender, if not an automatic winner. It’s a fantasy film that’s suitable for most ages, though it certainly doesn’t feel like a kid’s movie, having appeal to anyone of any age and meaning different things when watched at different stages of life, too.
The narrative focuses on a young girl’s attempts to rescue her parents and escape from a strange fantastical world she finds herself in, but the narrative feels secondary when the imagination and beauty found within Spirited Away prove to be what most sticks with you. It’s a film that’s been praised to the moon and back multiple times in the last 20-ish years, and it more than earns its reputation as one of the best Japanese movies of all time.
Release Date
July 20, 2001
Runtime
125 minutes
Director
1 'The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer' (1961)
IMDb Rating: 8.8/10
Completing the epic saga that is The Human Condition trilogy in a devastating fashion, The Human Condition III: A Soldier's Prayer is such an effective conclusion that it’s easy to see why it’s the highest-rated of the three films. Much of it focuses on what’s to be done after combat is largely over, following Kaji and some other defeated Japanese soldiers as they struggle to survive and potentially get home in one piece.
Of all The Human Condition films, A Soldier’s Prayer is the most grueling and emotionally distressing, but such qualities serve a purpose in further driving home the anti-war sentiments that were already found earlier in the trilogy. It’s a masterful, long, challenging, but ultimately rewarding film, and considering how well it wraps up a saga that goes for almost 10 hours, its status as the highest-rated Toho film on IMDb is understandable.