I still can’t believe Sonatine wasn’t well received in Japan, those 90’s beat Takeshi films were my introduction to the genre, and I love them so much. Boiling point is probably my favourite.

I have watched Battles Without Honor and Humanity first film. Was a very good insight on grassroots level where Yakuza started from in the post war Japan.

I found you because of my love of the RGG games. I love that you use the music from the games in your videos! keep up the good work i'm cheering for you over here!

My first Kitano’s movie was Outrage,after that i sought every single film by Kitano especially his Yakuza movie,thankyou for giving this new information,nice video!

Got a hunch that this will be the best video yet.

This channel needs more love🙏

Great summary. One of my favourite Yakuza movies of all time is "A Family" (2020), directed by Michihito Fujii and starring Gô Ayano. Not your usual yakuza flick because if its evocative themes, this had me in tears. "Battles Without Honor and Humanity" Film series (better known as the Yakuza Papers) starring Bunta Sugawara and "New Battles" Without Honor and Humanity", also starring Bunta Sugawara but in another role were brilliant masterpieces of the Yakuza genre. I am also a fan of Takeshi Kitano's movies...especially the Outrage trilogy. I find it bizarre that the audiences laughed at KItano's character in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence. To me he was cold and brutal soldier, but as most Japanese people (who were at the time still in denial of the atrocities in Japanese prison camps in WWII) were already familiar with him as a comedian, it makes sense. It is disappointing they couldn't see him in a new role. However, I don't think many Japanese people would have laughed at him after when he started making yakuza films. His characters were no less brutal than the prison guard he played in Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence.

My all-time favourite Yakuza film is called Pale Flower, 1964. It's a masterpiece in my opinion. Very moody, very ominous, very serious, and just a little experimental and avant garde.

always in-depth, thoroughly researched & high quality. great channel.

RIP Itami Juzo.

Takeshi is the GOAT

Feel like Takashi Miike movies,specially the first Dead or Alive,deserved a mention in the vid,while not entirely focused on the yakuza,it defo had alot of themes about how criminals effected the life of refugees in japan,and the bizarre and unpridictable tone of it was defiantly one of the biggest inspirations of the RGG games

Great video. I'm glad you talked about Itami's 'suicide', definitely an interesting case.

Question: I want to make a Yakuza movie day. Suntory Whiskey and cigarettes are already at hand. But which three movies should I watch?

I love Takashi Miike movies.

What an amazing documentary, i am big fan of Yakuza movies for many many years now, you have mentioned mostly i like myself, Street Mobster is my favorite by Fukasaku, Bunta Sugawara is just amazing in that role, violent and wild. I would also mention Sympathy for the underdog from 1971 also directed by Fukasaku, which probably influenced a lot Kitano Sonatine, it is also happening in the Okinawa, fantastic crime movie, also Yakuza Graveyard from Fukasaku, movie from 1979 with Tetsuya Wattari is just brilliant. Also i would mention Takashi Miike specifical Yakuza movies, Bird People in China (1998) and Dead Or Alive 2:Birds (2000), really special experiences, also Agitator (2001) from Miike is pure brilliance, from Kitano my favorite is for sure Sonatine, like it more than Hana-Bi/Fireworks and Boiling Point is also special experience for me (1990).

I’ll be sure to check out A Family thanks for the recommendation

Takeshi Kitano is by far my favorite movie director. His movies are incredible

japanese cinema and RGG games?! my kinda channel! (i freaked out when kurosawa and ozu were mentioned in a sidequest in LAD 8)

I'll watch them all.

man , i want to watch all of the movies

I too like the velvety smooth jazzy tones of the Street Fighter 6 battle hub theme

Gotta say I love the vid, what are your intial thoughts on Ridley Scott's Black Rain?

I like your vlog content about Japanese culture, Aniki. More power to this channel. May your subscribers grow more also your Patreons subs. More money more content! 🎉

ruling the guy's death suicide then giving the wife 20 years of protection is the most blatant tell ive ever seen

Great video. Thanks! 2021 Family is a great film too

Another one to recommend would be Takeshi Kitano's Ryuzo and the seven henchmen. Really enjoy that movie!

Awesome video! I will definitely check out a few of the movies you recommended 🙏 😃

Thanks for the primer. I've been wanting to get into yakuza films ever since I played 龍が如く0.

NAILED IT!

Drunken Angel was my fave movie. I watched it on Criterion Channel which starred the legendary Toshiro Mufune. Well worth watching.

Kitano is awesome! A request: and japanese police stories? There must be some proper heroes standing up to the yakuza

Love the topic Edit: After watching, I am curious if there are any more connections between the actors in the RGG/Yakuza series and Yakuza movies? From what I know, the trio of Dojima lieutenants in Yakuza 0 were all famous actors from Japanese cinema, for example.

Minbo is one of my favorite movies of all time.

Great beginners guide! shame there was no mention of the Ninkyo genre and it's fascinating early reception, or the deep roots of the Jitsuroku genre and I feel like some REALLY important names were missed out (Ozawa,Yamashita,Nakajima, Taoka and his son etc) but I'm guessing time restraints were a factor there. Also I feel like Toei abandoning the genre in the early 90's isn't actually true, it just moved to V-Cinema.where it was still WILDLY popular.

Now is time go looking for places to watch this long list (subtitled).

Interesting as always :) Out of curiosity, would it be possible to someday do something about the bōsōzuku/ the bōsōzuku to yakuza pipeline?

thank you for this

Nice, as always. ;)

If I had to recommend any good yakuza films that have come out in the last 10 years, it would the "Wolves" series that was produced by Toei studios. "The Blood of Wolves" and "The Last of The Wolves" are solid Jitsuroku inspired films that are worth checking out. Unfortunately Blood is only available for streaming on AMC+ in the states and Last has not been released yet internationally.

Iichi-san! Do the candle trick!

Shozo Hirono!

make a video about the yakuza influence on the comedy scene in japan

After mentioning "Battles w/o honor and Humanity" "Street Mobster" and "Graveyard of Honor" I feel like thats the holy trinity of yakuza movies. i have seen alot of violence up close and fukasaku gets the tension and insanity of dudes in a room together who know its about to kick off and stressing it. The way he films fights is super realistic but i always wish somebody would redub the gunfire because they sound like "pew pew" instead of a good old american 357 magnum sound. I love the first "Outrage" movie but i feel like "Cold Fish" the japanese "Unforgiven" remake, "Vengance is mine" and some classic sukiban movies like "Girl Boss Guerilla" "Sex and Fury" "Terrifying Girls High School" and "Female Convict Scorpion" series should get honorable mention. I know girl gangs, pinky violence, period gambler films and meiji era yakuza films are a slightly different genre. Honorable mention, most insane japanese movie ever. "Shoguns Joy of Torture 2."

im surprised you didnt mention Miike, Dead or Alive, Deadly Outlaw Rekka and Ichi the Killer were the first yakuza movies i remember non nerds and japan obcessed wierdos knowing about.

I liked the movie Young Boss Takeshi, the hero quits being in the navy to take over the family business

Yakuza and anime/manga

I think a major reason that Yakuza and gangsters so often portray these groups in a heroic, or at least honorable, light is that the people paying for the propaganda rarely want to be the object of scorn in it 😊

Takeshi Kitano Yakuza movies are awful and grotesque, although I can understand why foreigners may enjoy his films, he has always been playing the sensationalistic borderline card. Takeshi is a shock value director, he relies on sheer violence and brutality, but his scenarios are shallow as hell, lacking depth in character, consistence and originality. Nikkatsu and Kadokawa also produced and distributed a large number of Yakuza films. To be honest, most of the best Yakuza movies are unknown to foreign audiences.

You make too many judgmental statements without backing them with evidence. Additionally, there is incorrect information, such as saying Takeshi Kitano's movie "Violent Cop" was a massive success at the box office. There are also reckless statements, like claiming the Yakuza involvement was the definitive reason why the genre lost popularity.

🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶🫶

A Family had a wildly different take on Yakuza in cinema, I thought. More pitiable than anything else. Portraying the original meaning of the term, "A bad hand". People who got the short end of the stick from day 1.

Watching Prison Break, great Yakuza movie!!!