Are you feeling a bit low and need a good laugh? Searching for a perfect comedy to take your mind off of things and change your mood? Never fear, we got you! Here are our recommendations for a few Japanese comedies that will leave you in stitches and laughing for days. Let's get started.
No More Cry- Naku Monka(2009)
No more cry (Naku Monka) is a story of two brothers, Yuta and Yusuke Shimoigusa played by Abe Sadao and Nagayama Eita, who were separated in childhood. The older brother, Yuta was abandoned by his father at a restaurant and raised by the owner. He works like crazy to show his gratitude to the family. He has a hard time saying no to anyone and that usually lands him in tricky situations.
The younger brother, Yusuke, raised by relatives and foster homes after the death of his mother, is now part of a comedic duo and they pretend to be brothers. Circumstances bring the two brothers together once more and reunion is rather complicated.
The films deal with sensitive issues like abandonment issues and imposter syndrome with sensitivity and a touch of humour. The movie will move you to tears be it with its humour or heart touching emotional scenes. Watch out for that twist at the end!
The Apology King-Shazai no Ousama (2013)
Have you ever made a mistake in life and just had no idea how to apologize for it? Did you ever feel no matter what you do, your apology won’t be enough? You would definitely find ‘The Apology King’ by director Nobuo Mizuta very relatable.
Yuzuru Kurojima, brilliantly played by Abe Sadao, runs the business of teaching others to apologize. And when a simple sorry won’t do, he will go to any extreme to get you forgiven. This includes sending flowers and live singing performances to some very unconventional ways of apologies. The movie is a laugh riot till the end and focuses on a simple message; if we accept our mistakes and apologize sincerely world would be a better place.
The Uchōten Hotel/ Suite Dreams (2006)
New year’s night at Uchōten Hotel, a five-star hotel in Tokyo is a busy affair for the staff with various events and parties happening simultaneously. With two hours remaining until New Year, Suite Dreams (2006) follows the misadventures of hotel staff, as well as various guests, leading up to midnight The movie introduces and catches us up on various characters facing different problems all of them contributing to the chaos as the staff of Uchōten Hotel hopelessly tries to save the new celebrations. A perfect screwball comedy, the movie will make you laugh out loud with each of its twists and turns.
Suite Dreams (2006) was the third highest-grossing movie of 2006 at the Japanese box office. It was also nominated for 11 awards by the Japanese Academy in 2006.
A Ghost of a Chance (Suteki na Kanashibari) (2011)
Meet Emi Hosho, a struggling lawyer. She has been given a case to defend Goro Yabe who is accused of killing his wife. Luckily there is a witness for his alibi.
The only problem is, the witness is.. a 421-year-old ghost of a fallen samurai.
Is the court is going to allow a ghost to testify? The prosecution denies the existence of the ghost insisting his testimony is inadmissible. The movie follows the hilarious struggle of Emi as she tries her best to convince the court of the existence of the ghost and prove the innocence of her client.
Lingering spirits (2014)
Talking about ghosts, another recommendation on our list is lingering spirits (2014). The protagonist, Gajirou Honda (Masaki Okada) is a no-good womanizer. He gets into an accident and almost dies. After his near-death experience, he is now haunted by the spirits of four people who were also killed in the same accident. These spirits offer him the money they had kept hidden in exchange for fulfilling their last wishes( spoiler: one of them is pole dancing) so they can transition onto the afterlife. Gajirou agrees for the money but as he complete these requests he realizes he is changing as well.
The premise of the plot is quite old but it will sure to make you laugh and may even cry a bit with its emotional scenes. Do not miss this feel-good comedy of ghosts and their last hope for finding peace.
Too Young To Die! (2016)
A 17-year-old high school student Daisuke, played by Ryunosuke Kamiki, dies and finds himself in hell. Turns out Hell, however, isn’t exactly what he envisioned it. For one, there is a lot of singing.
After reaching hell Diauske laments he was killed before confessing to his crush or even his first kiss. He is then initiated into a Rock band in hell ( yes you read it right, a Rock band.. in hell) by the demon Killer K (Tomoya Nagase). Together they start Diauske's training to leave hell so he can go confess to his crush. Except, unfortunately, leaving hell is not so easy.
As the plot suggests, there are a few dark jokes and references, but the movie film is absolutely hysterically funny.The comedic chemistry between Killer K and Daisuke is unrivaled. Further, the music of the film was hit as well and brings everything in the movie together. Do give it a watch!
Fine, Totally Fine (2008)
We can’t end the list without at least one love triangle, right?
Directed by Yosuke Fujita, Fine, totally fine, is the story of two childhood friends, Teuro Tohyama (YosiYosi Arakawa) and Hisanobu Komori (Yoshinori Okada). Teuro has a dream, to build the scariest haunted house in the world. Soon to be 30, they decide it's time to get serious in life. However, that becomes secondary when they fell in love with the same girl, a clumsy, mysterious woman, Akari Kinoshita (Yoshino Kimura). The movie follows their (hilarious) attempts and childish fights to win Akari’s love and affection. So who you will you root for in this love triangle?
Also a few honorary shout-outs to Warai no Daigaku- University of Laughs (2004), Turtles Are Surprisingly Fast Swimmers (2005), and Tampopo (1985).
Hope you found your next comedy watch from the list. Did you enjoy these recommendations? What’s your favorite Japanese comedy of all time? Tell us in the comments!