The Best Japanese Filmmaker You've Never Heard Of 

Mindblowing video Jai. Made me cry. My grandfather is Koki Mitani, and even I didn't know about him.

The best RU-vidr you've never heard of

Welcome Back, Mr McDonald is one of the best films I've ever seen

excellent video lowercasejai. two years from now, we'll collectively look back on it as the first domino in the chain leading to welcome back mr. mcdonald's criterion collection release

the little DDR fact blew my mind. can't believe I didn't know that lol. great video brother, congrats

I just saw an episode furuhata ninzanburo and i am mind blown by its creativity.

I think there is something to be said for having a movie education. It can introduce people to staples or classics from countries that don't have their films spotlighted. The film canon is broader and more interesting than we know. It's always interesting the people who get popular in their home country and are obscure/unknown overseas and vice versa.

finally, japanese movies for real, this is so clean. really well executed video! I'm excited to check out Mitani's work. Congrats on the release

had no idea mitani was a playwright!! makes so much sense now with how tight he writes his characters and weaves everything together with amazing emotional impact. gotta go watch furuhata ninzaburo ASAP... tamura's body language in all the clips was killing me lmao

Hell yeah! Glad to see more attention brought to some of my favourite films!

Its been a whole year since I watched this video but I've just stumbled unto watching Furuhata Ninzaburo. What an amazing show! And I'm so glad I remembered your video.

love the new thumbnail! hard to argue that your videos haven't only gotten better with time but this one's always going to have a special place for me for introducing me to some really incredible stuff

I don't usually leave comments, but I want to thank you for this video. Kōki Mitani is one of my favourite directors and seeing there's no video about him in English is really sad. I'm sure he would be very proud of this essay, and I surely will watch more videos from you!

Watched your video this morning. As soon as it ended, got to search for any movie from Koki Mintani. Watched the first one I managed to find, "Suite dreams"... That was so excellent. Really good movie, with amazing use of one shots, and a wholesome feel throughout it. Thank you. I know I'll watch more movies from him in a short while. Brilliant!

That bit about The University of Laughs is both a genuinely excellent recommendation and gag tie-in, and also one of the smoothest bits of editing cuts to your own speech I've seen. I genuinely watched your film analysis and started to conduct film analysis on it.

I watched "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald" after an offhand recommendation from another video essay I was watching, and the whole time I kept thinking it would make such a good play! It makes so much sense that he was a playwright! I really need to check out more of his works. I also really enjoyed the shot composition throughout "Welcome Back..." so I'm looking forward to getting more of that

I can't thank you enough for this tip ..I had never heard of this filmmaker...and what a joy it was to be able to discover such a talent..thank you very much for the nomination

The one-two punch of WBMM and The Magic Hour is pure cinematic joy! Amazing video!!!

Also I'm glad you mentioned House too. I remember I watched that in 35mm at the AC in Los Feliz and it was amazing. Felt like a fever dream.

Great video. Can't wait for more.

I finally came around to watching this vid. Stellar work! Welcome Back Mr. Macdonald is such a goddamn good movie.

Love your use of background music, very emplemon

Hitting my head with a magazine to make the fireworks sound while I watch this.

Yo thanks for the reccomendations im looking forward to watching these. your editing and presentation is very good

golok - Today at 8:15 PM comment on the video you freaks its good for the algo

Amazing video. Very grateful, sounds like the perfect director for my taste. Will check him out immediately! Thank you!!

Wonderful stuff, Jai. Had a lovely time with this one

This video was excellent. Didn't know about the Ace Attorney / Furuhata Ninzaburo connection!

I love how your videos are both informative and have little visual gags here and there. "And the version I'm writing right now" [University of Laughs but gay] based

so true!!! great video. koki mitani is really the best, more people should check him out!

extremely good video about an extremely good movie... what can be better than this

Ozu really is amazing. I know how like you mentioned he's one of the more well known Japanese filmmakers, but I feel like he needs more recognition. An Autumn Afternoon might be my favorite film, though Itami is really good also.

13:45 I'm WHEEZING dude!

Great vid!

I actually heard of 'A Taxing Woman' before, there was a Famicom (NES) game based on it by Capcom - one of the many licensed games they made at the time.

Super clean vid, hbd too

games rolfe

I just rented Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald (thanks, Videodrome in Atlanta!), and it is one of the best films I've ever seen! I love that even Ken Watanabe is in it!

I'm so sold on Mitani, this was wonderfully persuasive

Great editing work ❤ now I want to watch “films”

this was awesome

Pls release more videos I have watched them all twice :(

I couldn't think of a good joke to make so I'll just write in a real-world example where I got out of my comfort zone by playing the indie games Viviette and Evil Tonight by DYA Games, Survival Horror games which pull a lot from Resident Evil, a series I had never gotten into, but with those games in the pocket, I finally took the plunge and I'm probably going to beat Resident Evil 1 the night I post this.

wow what an incredible video!! i sure wish there was some sort of group for this director.... a koki club, if u would 🤔

I came from letterboxd, I’m the guy who randomly recommended University of Laughs without knowing you’ve seen it. Honestly I didn’t expect to love this video this much, you introduced and showcased a bunch of films and directors in a very fun interesting way, that I’m now immediately interested in more of Mitani’s works(plus a random old show about murder cases that now I wanna watch too). This video is a gem, your commentary is very great, and I hope that this video gets more recognition, it will also serve as a bridge between us and japanese works over this language barrier. Great stuff bro, I wish to see more of you from now on.

one thousand views….Mama, We Made It!

Welcome Back Mr. McDonald is maybe my favourite comedy film of all time.

Well. I've been into all sorts of japanese media since I started knowing about it in the 90s... And even I had never heard of the vast majority of this... Like. I may have heard of a title or two. But you have convinced me. I am now scowering the archive of the internet to find as many of these as possible. He seems to be making movies and shows so right up my alley that I feel a bit betrayed by the mainstream that this is my first real exposure to his work.

looks like I've got a New Guy to check out

Directly finishing the movie, I watched *Welcome Back, Mr. Mcdonald*. It was a beyond genius movie, thank you so much

golok?

Apparently I already had Welcome Back Mr. McDonald on my watchlist, but this made me actually watch it and then Airplane 2013 and soon Suite Dreams so congrats it worked

Great video, thanks Jai. I'm sure I'll love watching that detective show!

I've been a fan of Mitani Koki for well over a decade. His films are incredible and really easy to watch for English viewers. It's very easy to digest! Everyone I know who tries it, loves it. The reason it's not on Blu ray here is because movie studios and labels are all cowards!!!

Wow I'm unfamiliar with Koki Mitani, but now I'm very eager to check out his work! Maybe Criterion Channel can promote him soon.

I already loved your video on Two and A Half Men but I’m subscribing over your choice of music from Rebels of the Neon God, king shit

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald sounds like it would make a great double feature with State and Main

good video.

I loved Welcome Back but this has me wanting to check out the rest of his stuff… i’ve been looking for a good TV show…

I loved this! Keep up the good work and I will see you in the bunker...

Video Pick of the Week - Siskel and Ebert

That battle royal clip took me off guard so much I’m instantly adding it to my watchlist lmaoo

TIL don't get arrested in Japan.

9:35 incredibly common based LowercaseJai comment

let's rock c: wonderful viddy

ALGORITHM WOOOOOOOO

LETS GO!!!!

you sold me when you said his work influenced ace attorney

Banger vid

>Hirokazu Koreeda writes him into a show just to fanboy Aite, I'm sold. Also ur delivery reminds me a lot of Hbomberguy.

good video!!!!!!!!!

One Mitani movie down, however many more there are left to go. (Just watched Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald and it was such an excellent film, honestly. Thank you.)

really great viddy golok recomended it to me

Nice.

i like this

The critics agree, it's the best video on the internet this year . . .

what a beautiful Duwang

Nice to know

please continue talking about japanese directors

Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald was an absolute banger, really reminded me of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World and What's Up Doc. Does anyone know any ways to watch his other films besides buying DVDs or Japanese streaming platforms?

I think playwrights make the best film scripts, tbqh

I watched Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald right after watching this video. Such a great movie!

Where is The Gentle 12 available to watch that’s the parody of 12 angry men where is it I can’t find it on dvd or the internet anywhere subtitles or not does anyone know where and English subtitles version is?

Great Video! No notes.

GOOOOOOO

I saw Tampopo and A Taxing Woman.

❤

Hey, whats the movie in 5:32! Ive seen it but cant remember the namee

C-WIZZY???

hot vid

15:56 nodnodnodnodnodnod

Dota's dragon blood is based on probably the greatest game ever created Dota 2. The anime is also good, bit underrated imo

i liked when he said "im gonna morb"

Lmao the Dota anime has a wild origin story

I love j-dramas, need to watch Furuhata.

If you do want watch something out of your comfort zone that is superhero shit, watch black scorpion. Its a strange world I just don't understand how it exists.

HENRY KISSINGER GONNA DIE WHEN HE SEES PEOPLE ROASTING HIM IN THE COMMENT SECTION. also, everyone go see welcome back, mr mcdonald

me da died for this

2:50 , whats the song???

found this video as a McDonald's fan