6 Recommended Time Travel Japanese Movies

 

After I posted 5 recommended Japanese time travel dorama, now it’s time for me to recommend you time travel movies. You might have known some of them, but some others were kind of underrated. So, let’s start!

1. Enoshima Prism (2013)

Story about friendship is always heartwarming as well as heartbreaking, especially when it comes to love triangle. Well, nope, this story was not all about love triangle, it was more about how to maintain broken friendship. Shuta (Fukushi Sota), Saku (Nomura Shuhei), and Michiru (Tsubasa Honda) were friends when they were in school. They had been together since they were kids. Saku had heart problem since he was kid so his two best friends really took care of him. Saku died of heart attack when he was in high school. Shuta who felt that it was his responsibility regretted why he couldn't do anything.

On the second year anniversary of Saku's death, Shuta went to Enoshima to attend the anniversary. In Saku's bedroom, Shuta found a watch that apparently a tool that could bring him back to the time before Saku died. Shuta somehow attempted to save Saku by changing the past.

I highly recommend this movie since it covers all genre (IMHO): romance, friendship, comedy as well as tragedy. Provide a roll of tissue by your side 😉

Check out the trailer

2. Tomorrow I Will Date Yesterday's You (2016)

Another Fukushi Sota's time travel movie. Well, it's not exactly time travel though, but I intentionally put this into time travel movie since one character here knows the future since she comes from the future.

Takatoshi Minamiyama (Fukushi Sota) studies in art major at a university in Tokyo. On the train to go to college, he meets Emi Fukuju (Nana Komatsu) and falls in with her on his first sight. Emi apparently has the same feeling that they start dating and enjoy happy times together.

But one strange thing occasionally happens when Emi sometimes blurts out something that hasn't happened. Takatoshi thinks that she might have a capability to see the future. The secret is revealed about Emi that is going to break your heart.

Check out the trailer

3. Cafe Funiculi Funicula (2018)

I have written this movie in my old post here. Time travel story doesn't have to be heartbreaking, but it can be heartwarming. Check out my old post, will you? 😉

Check out the trailer

4. Orange (2015)

This movie might be my first encounter to know Kento Yamazaki and Tao Tsuchiya. Both of them were like the king and the queen of shoujo drama from manga adaptation. And I was glad to get to know them, moreover, to see their acting talent grow rapidly.

What would you do if you get a letter from your future self? Are you going to toss it down or believe that you from the future write down the letter and do what the letter asks you to do? Takamiya Naho (Tsuchiya Tao), on her 16th year, received a letter from her future self. The letter mentioned someone called Naruse Kakeru. She didn't have a friend whose name was Naruse Kakeru. While reading the letter in her class, a new student from Tokyo was introduced in her class, and his name was Naruse Kakeru! She then realized that the letter was an account of the things her future self had experienced and regretted the most. Naho didn't believe what the letter said so she stopped reading the letter. But as her interest towards Kakeru bloomed, Naho eventually decided to support him. Together with her friends, Naho tried her best to avoid having the same regrets their future self might encounter.

Frankly speaking, I was a bit confused by the end of the movie. However, it's tear-jerking movie. So, tissue must be available by your side 😉

Fanmade clip of Orange

5. Erased/ The Town where Only I am Missing (2016)

I have written down this one as one of time travel dorama recommendation in my previous post. The storyline is more or less is similar. Different from the previous ones, this movie includes thriller in genre with some mysterious murder that happened in the past. The main lead here, Satoru Fujinuma (Tatsuya Fujiwara) has the power of revival to go back in time before the incidents happened and try to avoid the incident to happen.

The plot twist at the end of the movie would make you stunned for a few hours or even days. I saw the dorama in Netflix, I tried to watch a few episodes, but I think I cannot finish it since I still remember the bitter truth at the end of the movie.

Give it try if you don't mind with the unexpected plot twist.

Check out the trailer

6. The 100th Love With You (2017)

This time travel movie might hit you in reality bitterly. No matter how hard you try to change the past, even yu have the ability for it, but when God stated your fate, you can do nothing. Time travel is and will be forever fantasy, that's what physicists say. Regret, huh? Well, yeah. If only time travel really exists, or if someone really has the ability to revive, what would this world be like? Better or worse?

Aoi (Miwa) gets an accident and finds herself one week before when she regains consciousness. Riku (Sakaguchi Kentaro), Aoi's bestfriend has been in love with her and couldn't tell her how he feels. He travels back to save Aoi as well as to tell her how he feels. When the secret is revealed, how would Aoi feel?

I remember, I cried a river watching this 2-hour-movie.  🤭😁🤫

From 6 time travel Japanese movies I mentioned here, actually there are others that you might find interesting as follows. Click in each title, the link will direct you to mydramalist and the green italicized font is my nonsense comment. you can just ignore it 😃😃 

Time Trip App (2014) with Hiroshi Tamaki and Satomi Ishihara as the main leads

Nobunaga Concerto (2016) with Oguri Shun and Shibasaki Ko as the main leads

Time Traveler (2010) that has several adaptations from movies to dorama,

Calling You (2006) with Narumi Riko and Koide Keisuke,

A Boy and his Samurai (2010) with Nishikido Ryo and Tomosaka Rie (young Ryo-chanwas still 26 years old when he got this role. Check out if you want to see young Ryo 😉

Thermae Romae (2012) and Thermae Romae 2 (2014) with Hiroshi Abe and Uto Aya as the main leads (does Hiroshi Abe ever get older?) 😊

Brave: Gunjou Senki (2021) with Mackenyu as the main lead together with the late Haruma Miura. (it might be Miura’s last movie. It’s so sad to find this)

The Returner (2002) with Kaneshiro Takeshi and Suzuki Anne as the main leads (I knew Kaneshiro Takeshi from Chinese dramas instead of Japanese movies or dramas, though)

Summer Time Machine Blues (2005) with Ueno Juri and Nagayama Eita as the main leads (I can't believe I found their old movie when they were very young! 😍😍)

Tokyo Revengers (2021) with Kitamura Takumi as the main lead

Samurai Angel Wars (2011) with Arimura Kasumi and Kaku Kento as the main leads

Second Summer, Never See You Again (2017) with Nijiro Murakami, Kato Rena and Yoshida Madoka as the main leads

Nin X Nin: Ninja Hattori-kun (2004) with Yuri Chinen and Katori Shingo as the main leads (oh my gosh, Yuri Chinen was still 11 years old when he performed in this movie! 😃😆)

The Door into Summer (2021) with Yamazaki Kento as the main lead (I can't wait to see this movie. Whatever movie or drama when Yamaken is in it, it's a guarantee for you to watch) 😁😂

A Heartful of Love (2005) with Ito Hideaki and Katsuji Ryo as the main lead. 

New Type: Just for Your Love (2008) with Aya Omasa and Takezai Terunosuke as the main leads.

Bubble Fiction: Boom or Bust (2007) with Hiroshi Abe and Hirosue Ryoko) as the main leads.  

Milocrorze: A Love Story (2012) with Takayuki Yamada as the main lead.

 Our War (2006) with Ueno Juri and Moriyama Mirai as the main leads.

Time Scoop Hunter (2013) with Kaname Jun and Watanabe Anne as the main leads. 

Bolt from The Blue (2014) with Oizumi Yo and Shibasaki Ko as the main leads. 

Honnoji Hotel (2017) with Ayase Haruka and Tsutsumi Shinichi as the main leads.

Bridge Over Troubled Water (2018) with Suzuki Anne as the main lead.

Linking Love (2017) with Tano Yuka, Ishibashi Anna and Jin Shirasu as the main leads.

The Master Samurai (2017) with Ichihara Hayato as the main lead. The dorama version was adapted in 2015.

Well, it's hard for me to scroll more than I have done with the list. Just don't ask me if I have watched those time travel movies listed. So far, I only have watched the first 6 movies. And, don't ask me where to watch those movies. Just use your luck to find the movies. OK? 😄😄😄

Ja, matta ne..   

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