KineJun Best Ten 2006

[Aaron Gerow]

The Best Ten issue of Kinema Junpo is out now (no. 1477).

As with Eigei, it is interesting to see what just missed out on the 
best ten, especially since there were a number of respected critics 
like Ueno Koshi, Yamane Sadao or Matsuda Masao who only put one or two 
of the eventual KineJun Best 10 films in their lists. Here is the list 
for 11-20:

11. Strawberry Shortcakes
12. Yawarakai seikatsu
13. Noriko no shokutaku
14. Mamiya kyodai
15. Ari no heitai
16. Nagai sanpo
17. The Yuchoten Hotel
17. Toki o kakeru shojo
17. Yokohama Mary
20. Nezu no ban

Alex asked about the readers' best ten poll:

1. Hula Girl
2. Yureru
3. Bushi no ichibun
4. Kamome shokudo
5. Kiraware Matsuko no issho
6. Hakase no aishita sushiki
7. Kamiya Etsuko no seishun
8. Yuki ni negau koto
9. The Yuchoten Hotel
10. Ashita no kioku

It is mostly the same as the critics poll, which is why some people are 
finding the KineJun critics poll to be getting duller and duller these 
days.

Here is also the Bunka Eiga (Documentary) film best ten:

1. Ano Takasu-cho no sono go (Haneda Sumiko)
2. Ari no heitai (Iketani Kaoru)
3. puujee (Yamada Kazuya)
4. Rokkasho-mura Rhapsody (Kamanaka Hitomi)
5. Arigato (Ise Shin'ichi)
6. Ima, Ariakekai wa (Iwanaka Katsutoshi)
7. Yokohama Mary (Nakamura Takahiro)
8. Miike (Kumagai Hiroko)
9. Dear Pyongyang (Yang Yonghi)
10. Senso o shinai kuni Nihon (Katagiri Naoki)

(Forgive me if I got anything wrong here.)

The issue contains a lot of statistics and reports on the industry. In 
relation to our discussion of the health of the industry, Nomura 
Masaaki's report on the Japanese industry was telling. Pointing to the 
fact 400 films were released last year, but that probably 700 were made 
in total (with about 100 still waiting for a release date; he said not 
a few films have to wait 1 or 2 years to get released), he argues that 
"the balance between supply and demand for Japanese films is completely 
screwed up" and that the current boom is "a classic case of a bubble." 
He tries to find a silver lining in the appearance of new directors, 
but I found his argument to be kind of forced.


Aaron Gerow
KineJapan owner

Assistant Professor
Film Studies Program/East Asian Languages and Literatures
Yale University

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