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Best Asian Movies of 2023

Written by YumCha! Editorial Team Tell a Friend

Here are our editors' picks for the best Asian films released on DVD or Blu-ray in 2023!

SANWEI'S PICKS

Blue Giant
Based on Ishizuka Shinichi's manga, Blue Giant is a classic making-of-the-band story with buoyant jazz and shonen spirit to spare. Produced by NUT and directed by Tachikawa Yuzuru, the stirring animated feature follows teen wunderkind Miyamoto Dai, who heads to Tokyo with little more than his saxophone and a dream to become the best in jazz. With his sheer talent and tenacity, Dai motivates his roommate Shunji to take up drums, and convinces piano prodigy Sawabe Yukinori to form the band JASS and together take the jazz scene by storm. Though a story of youth passion, Blue Giant also has a mature, self-aware, seize-the-moment tone – jazz bands don't stay together, Yukinori points out early on – that makes the trio's journey to the stage all the more brilliant and bittersweet. Blue Giant lives up to its billing with effervescent original music composed by jazz musician Uehara Hiromi and performed by a top-notch team of musicians. You don't need to know jazz to know that the stunning extended scenes of JASS's performances are the apex of the film. One of the best musical anime ever, and that's no easy feat.

Chang An
Titled after the capital of Tang China, this epic film from Light Chaser Animation Studios animates the turbulent times and immortal poetry of Tang Dynasty poets like Gao Shi, Li Bai, Du Fu, Cui Hao, Wang Wei, and more. Set in the aftermath of the An Lushan rebellion, Chang An opens with Gao Shi in a military camp preparing for battle with Tibetan forces. A military inspector suddenly arrives to inquire about Gao's old acquaintance Li Bai, who has been arrested for treason. Jumping back and forth in time, the film reveals various episodes of Gao's lifelong friendship with Li Bai, who is a free-spirited but foolhardy literary wonder for the ages. Li Bai enters Gao's life like a force of nature in their youth when both are nameless poets knocking on the doors of greatness. The two meet and part through the years under changing circumstances that witness the steadfast Gao's growth from struggling poet to military governor, as well as Li Bai's wild ups and downs that mirror the rise and wane of Chang'an. Over 50 classic Tang poems are referenced in this magnificent reimagining of history and poetry that clocks in at 168 minutes but never feels long. Spotting the famous poems and poets being name-dropped is delightful fun for those familiar with the material, but those unversed in Tang poetry will also easily appreciate the romanticism and lyricism depicted in the film, even in translated form.

The Falls
Following A Sun, Chung Mong Hong brings another meticulously crafted examination of family and mental health crisis in The Falls, which won Best Film, Best Original Screenplay and Best Actress at the 58th Golden Horse Film Awards. Alyssia Chia and Gingle Wang play a mother and daughter whose relationship becomes increasingly strained during home quarantine. After the former experiences a psychosis episode, the family dynamics suddenly reverse, with the teenage girl putting on a brave front to protect her mother who struggles to cope with reality. Alyssia Chia won the Golden Horse but the award could have just as well gone to Gingle Wang. Both actresses give extraordinary performances in this intimate portrait of how mental illness affects a family, and how the pandemic exacerbated financial and psychological troubles. Chung Mong Hong's direction and cinematography are as carefully measured as ever, with the film's toned-down visual mood, shifting pacing and restrained script capturing the emotional changes of the family.

Full River Red
Zhang Yimou's historical comedy suspense thriller Full River Red divided Chinese audiences for taking liberties with Song Dynasty lore while taking everyone on a 159-minute wild goose chase – but what a chase it is! When a Jin diplomat is killed in the compound of famously treasonous Prime Minister Qin Hui (Lei Jiayin), two soldiers – crafty corporal Zhang Da (Shen Teng) and stabby battalion commander Sun Jun (Jackson Yee) – are given two hours to solve the murder and find a secret letter that has gone missing. The search turns into a twisty puzzle that yields dark humor, myriad secrets and Machiavellian machinations as the duplicitous characters readily lie, kill and plot for show and survival. Bombastic opera music transitions scenes of characters rushing around the stone-walled labyrinthine interrogating and killing various suspects, pulling more and more people into the political intrigue. Nothing if not entertaining, Full River Red speeds with off-kilter energy through a sinuous cat-and-mouse game of designed chaos that keeps on doling out unexpected twists, betrayals and heroics, usually accompanied with a healthy amount of stabbing and scenery-chewing. So much stabbing.

Gaga

Gaga
Laha Mebow won Best Director at the 59th Golden Horse Awards for this multi-generational family drama about the modern-day life and indigenous culture of Atayal people. The word "Gaga" refers to Atayal traditions, which continue to guide the daily lives of the Hayung family. After the grandfather dies, changes and conflicts ripple through the extended family and community. Granddaughter A-li (Lin Ting Li), who just returned home from New Zealand, is pregnant, and her boyfriend soon comes to visit. A-li's father (Wilang Lalin) decides to run for village chief to protect their family land, but the election campaign creates more problems. Amid the family drama of messy mistakes, drunken fights and resilient bonds emerges a greater picture of the mediation between tribal customs and modern values for a changing way of life.

Journey to the West
Premiering at the Pingyao Film Festival back in 2021, Kong Dashan's offbeat sci-fi comedy Journey to the West finally got a theatrical release this year. Thematically inspired by the classic Journey to the West novel, this charming oddball starts as a fake documentary profiling middle-aged alien-life researcher and magazine editor Tang Zhijun, brilliantly essayed by Yang Haoyu. After hearing about alien signals, Tang and his team head to a remote village to investigate. A quirky youth, who claims to receive alien messages, leads them on a strange quest into the mountains. Produced by Wandering Earth producer Wang Hongwei and director Frant Gwo, Journey to the West goes far on a modest budget, delivering absurdist and magical realism elements through a naturalistic lens. The UFO-chasing may be detached from reality, but the characters' personalities and interactions feel realistic, no matter how farcical the situation.

A Man

A Man
At her husband's memorial service, a woman (Ando Sakura) suddenly learns that the man (Kubota Masataka) she knew as Taniguchi Daisuke was, in fact, not Taniguchi Daisuke. At some point before their encounter, her husband had assumed the identity of another man. But then who was he? Sweeping most categories at the 46th Japan Academy Film Prize, A Man is an interesting chameleon of a film: part heartwarming story of a single mother and shy lumberjack making a new life together, and part enigmatic mystery following a lawyer's efforts to uncover the truth behind the secrets. Director Ishikawa Kei and Tsumabuki Satoshi's follow-up collaboration after Traces of Sin is thankfully less dark, despite the unsettling premise and constant shadow of prejudice that runs through Japanese society. As Tsumabuki's character traces the footsteps of people who chose to abandon their identities and pasts, what emerges is a deeply human drama about pain, loss and renewal.

The Narrow Road
Director Lam Sum shines a light on The Narrow Road that low-income workers traverse in Hong Kong just to make a living. Set and shot during the COVID pandemic, the film stars Louis Cheung in a Hong Kong Film Critics Society Awards-winning performance as a kind cleaning business owner trying to stay afloat amid rising costs and dwindling supplies. He hires a young, sticky-fingered single mother (Angela Yuen) and gives her a second chance even when she errs. However, good people don't always come out ahead during bad times. The Narrow Road depicts realistic challenges and circumstances faced by the working poor whose income and livelihoods are easily shaken. Tellingly, the people of The Narrow Road also have no time to dwell on unhappiness, as life must continue after losses and setbacks. This classic Hong Kong spirit gives The Narrow Road an edge of tenacious hope and world-weary integrity – a love letter to the city's late-night streets and hardy workers.

Next Sohee
Director July Jung collaborates again with Bae Doo Na for her sophomore feature Next Sohee, which like their previous A Girl at the Door, shows how Korean society fails to protect vulnerable youth. For the first half of the film, we follow the eponymous Sohee (Kim Si Eun), a high school girl who begins an internship at a call center. It turns out being an intern means being paid less for doing the same high-stress job where everyone gets yelled at by customers and berated by higher-ups for missing targets. The harder Sohee tries at work, the greater the toll on her mental health. In the latter half of the film, Bae Doo Na appears as a police officer looking into Sohee's case. The investigation brings her to Sohee's workplace, school and home, as well as the department that overlooks school internship programs – all to reach the gut-wrenching realization that much is wrong and yet no one is accountable for the dire consequences. Inspired by a true story, Next Sohee lays bare the feelings of anger and helplessness in the face of labor exploitation and systemic failure. Moving slowly but purposefully, the film empathetically explores the life and emotions of an ordinary teenage girl – and it's this realistic portrait that makes the film's gradual warning signs and sudden tragedies so recognizable and heartbreaking.

Small, Slow But Steady
Small, Slow But Steady is an apt English title for Miyake Sho's understated film loosely based on the autobiography of Japanese deaf female boxer Ogasawa Keiko. Kishii Yukino shines in a restrained and natural performance as the tough athlete who works in hotel housekeeping while training for competition. A woman of few words and many bruises, Keiko makes history without fanfare in this boxing drama that sidesteps sports film tropes and mawkish moments. Small, Slow But Steady is at once a highly personal story of Keiko's relationship with boxing, her coach (Miura Tomokazu) and herself – and a universal story of thought and growth as one reaches a crossroad in life. For Keiko, this process is small, slow but steady, as she quietly navigates internal doubts and external changes at her gym before making the decision to step into the ring.

VIOLET'S PICKS

Day Off
In her first silver-screen appearance in over two decades, Lu Shao Fen stars as A-Rui who has devoted her life to being a barber in the countryside of Taichung. As a hairdresser, she gives new life to her clients by not only cutting and stylying their hair, but also listening to their stories. A-Rui forms heartwarming connections with her clients over four decades' time, from old regulars who no longer remember to come, to a young boy forced to cut his hair short. One day, she decides to travel afar to visit a longtime customer and cut his hair one last time. Adapted from the experiences of writer-director Fu Tien Yu's mother, Day Off delicately brings up stories of motherhood, family and neighborhood bonds that are valuable beyond money. Though her job may seem old-fashioned and outdated, A-Rui's professionalism and dedication remind us that it's always the human touch that matters.

Even if This Love Disappears From the World Tonight
A false confession leads to a star-crossed romance between two high schoolers in the Japanese romantic film Even if This Love Disappears From the World Tonight. Based on Ichijo Misaki's same-titled novel, the coming-of-age romance casts Fukumoto Riko as Maori, who accepts a fake love confession from Toru (Naniwa Danshi's Michieda Shunsuke). She agrees to fake dating under three conditions: Don't talk to her at school, always keep his words concise, and never fall in love with each other. Not long after they start "dating," Toru realizes that Maori has anterograde amnesia, and she reads and writes her diary every day to keep track of her memories. Toru is determined to fill her diary with happy and positive days until a serious accident occurs. Slow-paced yet beautifully visualized, this melodramatic film is pure and poignant enough to make us believe that even if memories of the past disappear, it's still possible to "live in the present, hope for tomorrow and cherish every moment."

A Guilty Conscience
"We used to say 'all people are equal before the law.' But we don't say that anymore." Topping Hong Kong's box office for the highest-grossing domestic film of all time, courtroom drama A Guilty Conscience unravels a child abuse and murder case under the sharp writing and directing of Jack Ng. Dayo Wong leads the film as sharp-tongued attorney Lam who makes a critical mistake while defending single mother Tsang (Louise Wong) from charges of assaulting her late daughter. Two years into Tsang's 17-year sentence, Lam receives new evidence to support a retrial. Together with Fong (Renci Yeung) and Prince (Dee Ho), Lam stands on the side of the egg against the solid wall – a tycoon family that uses money and power to get away with foul play. Packed with memorable lines, an intriguing plot and impressive acting, A Guilty Conscience candidly attacks injustice in the legal environment and throws shade at those who manipulate the system. This crowd-pleaser deserves all the love.

Rebound

Rebound
Director Jang Hang Jun and screenwriters Kwon Seong Hui and Kim Eun Hee bring the true story of the 2012 Busan Jungang High School basketball team to the silver screen in Rebound. Ahn Jae Hong plays a former basketball player who takes charges of his alma mater's team that is on the brink of disbanding. The newbie head coach gathers a bunch of ragtag players of different physical sizes, backgrounds and hard skills to fill the minimum roster, only to taste massive failure in their first game. Through a year of practice and hard work, the hot-blooded teens bounce back with strong teamwork at the 2012 National Basketball Championships, despite facing many obstacles including limited support from the school, no players for substitution, and their own physical limits. Creating a rebound whenever they can, these underdogs never give up as they run unstoppably towards the championship trophy. Rebound moves and inspires with the inexplicably passionate vibe that only a sports film could offer.

Smugglers
2023 was a tough year for Korean cinema, but writer-director Ryoo Seung Wan's crime action feature Smugglers is one of the few bright lights at the box office. Led by big names including Kim Hye Soo, Yeom Jung Ah and Jo In Sung, the action-packed film follows haenyeo (female divers) in the 1970s struggling to make a living due to chemical pollution. Witty Chun Ja (Kim Hye Soo) grabs the opportunity to smuggle gold, but her bestie Jin Sook (Yeom Jung Ah) and other haenyeos get caught and sent to prison. As the only person who escaped, Chun Ja comes back to town years later with a larger plan while partnering up with smuggling king Sergeant Kwon (Jo In Sung). Clearing up their misunderstandings, Chun Ja and Jin Sook play mind games and work with other haenyeos to fight against the villains in the sea, using their swimming talents as their weapon. Comedy, action, plot twist, thriller, revenge, girl power – Smugglers has it all!

Soulmate
Kim Da Mi and Jeon So Nee delicately illustrate the growth of two friends and their intricate relationship over the span of 16 years in Soulmate, Korea's adaptation of the award-winning 2016 Chinese film Soul Mate. In 1998, free-spirited and rebellious 13-year-old Mi So (Kim Da Mi) meets true-blue girl Ha Eun (Jeon So Nee) who is raised in a loving family. They swiftly become best buddies and spend their brightest childhood years together, as Mi So begins living in Ha Eun's home. The soulmates are inseparable until Ha Eun's first love Jin Woo (Byeon Woo Seok) enters the picture, and the three get lost and confused in an emotional tangle of insecurity, jealousy, fear and uncertainty. As adults, Mi So and Ha Eun part ways and drift apart, but at the same time, they still have each other's back when needed. Soulmate spotlights the sensitive sentiments of young women in a soul-stirring storyline that comes alive through the actresses' fine acting and indescribable chemistry.

Table of Six

Table for Six
Originally slated for the 2022 Lunar New Year, Table for Six was eventually released in Hong Kong around Mid-Autumn Festival of the same year, matching its satirical theme about family togetherness. Chen Hong (Dayo Wong), his half-brothers Chen Li (Louis Cheung) and Chen Xi (Chan Charm Man), and Xi's girlfriend Josephine (Ivana Wong) all live under the same roof inherited from their parents. While this family eats together, they don't stay together at heart. Their relationships couldn't get any messier after Li brings home his girlfriend Monica (Stephy Tang) who is Hong's ex, and Hong's so-called new girlfriend Little Meow (Lin Min Chen) suddenly joins their dinner table. Table for Six mocks forced bonds in a dysfunctional family that serves as a metaphor for homeland ties, but it also brings great laughter as a lighthearted comedy for the whole family. With the sequel coming out during 2024 Lunar New Year, Table For Six may become the All's Well, Ends Well series of this generation.

The Tunnel To Summer, The Exit Of Goodbyes
Anime writer-director Taguchi Tomohisa visualizes a poignant first love drifting in time and space in The Tunnel To Summer, The Exit Of Goodbyes, the film adaptation of an award-winning Japanese light novel. On a rainy day, Kaoru encounters transfer student Anzu and they exchange numbers at a train station. Running away from his toxic father, he slips into the Urashima Tunnel – a mysterious tunnel rumored to have the ability to grant wishes – and finds a shoe of his late little sister Karen. Anzu, a desolate girl whose only hope in life is to be a manga artist, helps Kaoru experiment and study the patterns of his tunnel explorations, and they realize that time passes immensely slowly in the tunnel. They are determined to bring back Karen from the tunnel, until Anzu receives an offer that gives her second thoughts. The budding lovers must choose their own paths, be it in the real world or in the tunnel, in this sci-fi, coming-of-age romance anime that exquisitely draws the fluttering and aching moments of young hearts.