The Japanese film and television industry may not quite have the financial sway of Los Angeles, but its influence can be seen almost everywhere. Rivaled perhaps only by French cinema, if you ask many Hollywood director about their favorite films, and works by Kurosawa, Miike, or Miyazaki are bound to be among those they list.
The LGBTQ+ community, and its struggles and potential, have not gone unnoticed by the directors, writers, and actors of Japan. There are countless movies about LGBTQ+ people in Japan, and we’ve collated a list of our top ten films and TV shows from Japan about gay men in Japan. So stay in your seats, do not be alarmed when he lights go down, and remember: there is no smoking in the theater.
Where to watch
His (2020)
A sequel to the TV show His: I Didn’t Intend to Fall in Love, this film is set 13 years after the conclusion of the 2019 series. The premise of the TV show was that Shun Igawa, taking some time off from school, goes to his father’s place in Enoshima, a beach town in Kagoshima prefecture, south of Tokyo. This is where he meets, befriends, and eventually falls for Nagisa Hibino.
This film picks up during Shun’s adult life. In the time that has passed, he has quit the job he once had in Tokyo to run a farm in a small countryside village, after Nagisa broke up with him. When who should arrive at his door one day but Nagisa himself — with daughter in tow. Now, Shun has to deal with his ex-lover (who he still has feelings for) living with him, and sheltering his daughter from a mother insistent on custody, while the village asks questions about this mysterious newcomer.
This is a film that could be considered bitter-sweet. Anyone who has been through a nasty break-up can appreciate the feeling of never wanting to see someone again, but being happy that they did. This is not a film about forbidden love or eroticism, but about coming to terms with the past, and even embracing it. While it is a sequel to the TV show, you do not need to have seen the show to enjoy it.
Ossan’s Love (2018)
Reviewed by your own beloved Japan Gay Guide last year, this is not one show, but a number, based on the life of one hapless real estate agent; our hero, Haruta Soichi. After being without a girlfriend for years, getting depressed and showing up to the house he shares with his mother one too many times, she leaves, letting him fend for himself.
After office newbie Ryota Maki mentions that he doesn’t have a place in Tokyo yet, and is a great cook, Haruta invites him to move in. Then, all of a sudden, he discovers that his boss is in love with him… and, reeling from this, he discovers that Ryota, too, has feelings for him.
This is a funny, compelling show, and one of the first mainstream live-action gay TV shows in Japan. It is heartfelt and thoughtful, but nowhere moreso than in the perfomance of Haruta’s boss, Musashi Kurosawa, played by Kotaro Yoshida. A revelation, his struggles between kind boss, horny suitor, and dutiful husband to a wife he can no longer lie to is the highlight of the series. An easy recommendation.
Close-Knit/Karera ga Honki de Amu Toki Wa (2017)
This film has an interesting point-of-view switch from most LGBTQ+ movies, Close-Knit follows Tomo Ogawa, an 11-year old girl with a neglectful mother. After she falls for a new man and abandons her progeny, poor Tomo moves in with her uncle, Makio. Upon arrival, she discovers that Makio is also living with somone, his girlfriend Rinko. Rinko, however, is a transgender woman.
This film does not technically belong in a list of films about gay men: trans women are women, and a man being in love with a trans woman may be a queer relationship, but it is not a gay one. Nevertheless, stigma still exists in Japan (and elsewhere) about such relationships. Through the eyes of Tomo, we learn that such relationships are not just normal, but fulfilling.
With a 100% critics Rotten Tomato score, this is a film that anyone can enjoy. Critics highlight its careful, slow, yet realistic depiction of a relationship that many would consider unusual, filtered through the eyes of a child who may be confused, but reminds us of the need for child-like lack of judgement.
Boys for Sale (2017)
Shinjuku Nichome is well known as the gay capital of Japan, and in some ways can be thought of as the gay capital of Asia. But for all the glitz of the drag shows and the glamour of the gogo boys, there is a dark underside. This documentary by director Itako details the stories of boys and young men who sell their bodies to the night.
Nominated for more awards than we have letters to spell, this film documents so-called “urisen” bars, where youngsters go to have sex with men for money. Itako carefully and thoughtfully interviews the youths who take part in this exchange, illuminating the difficulties, horrors, and even, sometimes, sweetness that can be part of this life.
This documentary does not shy away from the life of a gay sex worker in Japan — especially where youth is a prized commodity. Essential viewing for anyone who wants to know the underbelly of Nichome.
Taboo/Gohatto (1999)
Taboo is a period piece, set in the final years of the Edo period, when samurai still walked the roads of Japan, but even they knew their time was coming to an end. It follows the exploits of Kano Sozaburo, a new recruit to the elite Shinsengumi, whose beauty makes him an object of desire among many of the other group of soldiers, and so jealousy and lust ensue.
Hugely successful in Japan, this drama is the final piece of master director Nagisa Oshima, this is considered a subtle and interesting piece for film-goers. Considered polished and accomplished, it is nevertheless thought of as something of a lost classic, with very few people being aware of it now, a quarter of a century later. If you get the chance to see it, you should take it.
The Novelist/Pornographer (2018)
A TV drama, this show focuses on Haruhiko Kuzumi, a university student who gets into a bicycle accident with Rio Kijima, and breaks the latter’s arm. Being uninsured and too poor to pay for Rio’s medical care, Haruhiko agrees to transcribe the recovering writer’s story as he narrates it to him, unaware that it is an incredibly lewd tale.
Based on a manga, this charming story that brings characters together (almost like a reverse version of Misery) that has won hearts all over the world. Many viewers have praised the subtle storytelling, with little wasted in terms of words, actions, or screentime. Defintely worth a watch for all BL fans out there.
What Did You Eat Yesterday? (2019)
Highly acclaimed in the west when it debuted on Netflix, this show follows lawyer Shiro Kakei as he comes home daily to his partner, hairdresser Kenji Yabuki, and prepares him delicious homemade meals.
A slice-of-life comedy, although the setting is, technically, the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, the majority of the story is told within the three walls of Shiro and Kenji’s apartment. It deals with the basics of everyday modern life, from handling parents getting older to weighing whether or not to come out (still a fraught topic in Japan).
There is a reason it was extremely popular across the globe when it was released: this is a sweet, soulful, yet personal story between two people navigating the world around them, grounded by the medium of food. A must-watch.
My Brother’s Husband (2018)
Based on Gengoroh Tagame’s best-selling manga, we follow single father Yaichi and his daughter, Kana, after they are visited by Mike Flanagan, a Canadian who is the widower of Yaichi’s brother, Ryoji. While Kana is enthralled by this new relative, Yaichi is more hesitant.
The story is primarily concerned with homophobia, and while Yaichi may not be outwardly or actively homophobic, Mike believes that there is a latent homophobia which led him and his late brother to be estranged.
It is a touching, careful tale about kindness and learning to understand other people and their situations. Viewers are absorbed in Yaichi’s progress and journey towards tolerance as Mike slowly breaks down the illusions of prejudice.
Egoist (2022)
This story is about Kosuke, who lost his mother at the age of 14. Even after leaving his rural village and becoming a fashion magazine editor in Tokyo, he is still suppressing his sexuality. But he eventually meets Ryuta, a personal trainer who lives a humble life with his mother. Over time, the two begin to share thier time and their lives, becoming much closer.
Without wanting to spoil anything, the tone changes entirely in the second half of the film, bringing a raw emotion to complement the careful poetry of the first part. This is a watch that can be both charming, uplifting, and devestating. It is not to say this is not for the faint of heart, but it is perhaps not the kind of film you might want for a Friday-night comedy. Nevertheless, it is essential viewing for anyone who wants their heartstrings tugged at.
Cherry Magic! Thirty Years of Virginity Can Make You a Wizard?!: The Movie (2022)
The anime version of this show was reviewed last year, and the live-action follows much the same beats. The premise is simple if fantastical: Kiyoshi Adachi, an office worker who is terminally shy and has difficulty getting close to people, gains the magical power to read minds when he touches people on his 30th birthday, because he is still a virgin. After he does, he accidentally touches his colleague, the confident and handsome Yuichi Kurosawa, only to discover that his friend is besotted with him.
This is a weird but well-told story, which examines both Kiyoshi’s curiousity and trepidation while also giving us a look into Yuichi’s more lustful side. There are definitely interesting questions that it raises: if you could read your crush’s mind and use the knowledge to woo them, would you? What if you were Yuichi and discovered that the guy you like had essentially been reading your diary?
Whatever you think of the premise, it is well-executed, and has rightfully won fans all across the world. A sure-fire win.
