[Personal] Best Movies of 2025: Looking Back on the Year

There is less than an hour left in 2025.
Looking back on this year, I would like to choose my personal top 10 movies out of the 148 I watched throughout the year.

More than in previous years, this year was one that strongly forced me to think about 'what a movie is' and 'what a movie theater is for now'.

Following the COVID-19 pandemic, the so-called "Western movie genre," which was once considered the royal road of film exhibition, is clearly losing its appeal. On the other hand, theatrical releases linked to TV anime, such as "Demon Slayer" and "Chainsaw Man," have begun to exert an unprecedented presence. It is not uncommon to walk into a movie theater shop during a new release and wonder, "Is this an Animate store?"

We are no longer in an era where "shallow and broad, known by every citizen" works become hits. Works that were originally intended to be "deep and narrow, hitting only maniac fans" are now becoming long-running hits based on enthusiastic support. I feel that this year was a year where this way of consumption was clearly visualized.

This is also a manifestation of the fact that movies have changed their character from mere "objects to be watched" to "experiences to participate in as an event."

The acceleration of movie theaters becoming "event spaces" is a symbol of this. Cases where the act of "watching a movie" is designed as an event from the start—such as cheering screenings, distribution of bonus items, live broadcasts of stage greetings, and links with experiential exhibitions—have increased. While this is an inevitable trend in terms of box office, it is also creating new distortions.

This is a phenomenon where movies that did not become a topic on the internet, or works that carried a negative atmosphere before release, are excessively consumed as "bombs" or "how did it end up like this," and the bashing itself becomes a "festival."

The fact that "Endless Scarlet" became the target of a battle of harsh criticism mainly on YouTube and X after its release is still fresh in our memory.Entering an environment where the initial atmosphere and the success or failure of promotion influence evaluations more than the content of the work itself, I feel that we have entered an era where the very way of "delivering" a movie is being questioned more severely than ever before.

On the other hand, it was also a year in which the presence of Chinese films and animation increased dramatically. "Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In," "The Legend of Hei 2: The Future We Wish For," and "Shadows Edge" are symbolic works of this.

The exotic worldview, the highly physical action based on kung fu, and the royal road story structure that feels fresh after coming full circle. The fact that they achieved these through analog, labor-intensive craftsmanship, in the opposite direction of the efficiency-first approach of heavy CG use, left a strong impression. I think these works clearly showed that they are no longer just "one genre of Asia," but are establishing their own unique expressions within global film culture.

In contrast, it was also a year in which Marvel movies faced a clear tone-down. A presence that was once the representative of "movies you should check out anyway" is gradually falling out of that position in 2025. It can be said that it was a year that gave such an impression.

Since Phase 4, the perfection of each individual film has by no means been low. However, the hesitation of the series as a whole is visible. It is not that the genre of hero movies itself has expired, but I think the question of how to redefine "good" and "evil" in the midst of the real political situation surrounding the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza is being posed more severely than ever before. In such a situation, I felt that the sincere stance shown by the DC movie "Superman" was one important answer.

Furthermore, the emergence of movies that look back on the post-COVID era head-on was also a movement that characterized this year. Works such as "Welcome to Eddington" and "Frontline" are trying to take on the memory of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has not yet been fully sorted out, as a story. It must have been a year in which the film side also began to capture the signs that society has finally begun to move to the next stage.

And alongside these social changes, what left a strong impression on me personally was the movie experience with my 10-year-old daughter.

She, who used to watch children's works as her parents took her, has had clear tastes and values since the beginning of this year, and I feel that her understanding of the quality of works and the stories has visibly deepened. After watching a movie, a time was born where we naturally talked about our impressions and exchanged opinions, saying, "What did you think of that scene?"

In the latter half of this year, there was an experience where we, as parent and child, got hooked on the same work and could talk about the same themes and characters. I think that was more than just "watching a movie together"; it was a time when we could share the same world through movies.

The personal top 10 of 2025 listed below is a ranking chosen from these changes in the entire film world and the accumulation of time experienced as an audience member and as a father.

10th Place: Ultraman Arc The Movie: Great Decisive Battle! The Arc of Light and Darkness

I went to the movie theater with my daughter every year for the Ultraman series, but to be honest, since "Taiga," my daughter's reaction gradually faded, and I felt, "Maybe it's time to graduate from Ultraman..." However, "Ultraman Arc" was a hit for both parent and child for the first time in a while.

The comfortable buddy feeling between the protagonist Yuma and Shu-san, and the refreshing team image of the SKIP members. Layered on top of that is a story centered on "imagination." This work does not treat "light" and "darkness" as a simple binary opposition, but depicts both as having hesitation and wavering. And it carefully accumulates the "difficulty of continuing to choose what is right" in a form that can be conveyed to children. I was deeply moved by that stance. I honestly think that "Ultraman Arc" was a hero movie that both parent and child could share the same excitement, and one that was truly appropriate for the era of 2025.

No. 9: Welcome to Eddington

This film depicts the process by which anxiety, victim mentality, and division during the COVID-19 pandemic are amplified by smartphones and social media, in a way that is uncomfortably "true to life." Information gains value through the speed of its spread, and personal frustration is converted into politics and violence—the film confronts us with this structure, not as a fable or metaphor, but with a nightmarish reality. The characters may seem foolish and shallow, but they are also reflections of ourselves. By presenting social media not as a "critique" but as a "mirror," it was one of the most significant films of the year.

No. 8: The Bird of the End

At first glance, it is a fable-like dark fantasy, but at its core is a deeply authentic "story of loss." The film delves into the most severe form of loss, where the order of time is reversed: a parent losing a child. It is a brilliant structure that entrusts this heavy theme to a bird that talks and sings, delivering it to the audience with humor. It does not explain death, but provides a distance from which to engage in dialogue with it. It was a sincere and unforgettable work that does not sell out salvation, yet quietly affirms the choice to keep living.

No. 7: About a Certain Place in the Kinki Region

This year was a bumper crop for J-Horror films, with hits like "Exit 8," "Mieruko-chan," and "Dollhouse" released one after another. Among them, this was the film that personally scared me the most and left the deepest impression. It is an ambitious work that spans the Showa, Heisei, and Reiwa eras, incorporating the "transition of media that conveys fear" into its very structure. The composition is excellent, building up fear with good pacing while switching between different textures of footage—social media videos, Nico Nico Douga, and Showa-era TV programs—before connecting them all into a single thread. The contrast between the "sense of a lost gaze" inherent in old footage and the feeling of the modern digital space becoming a habitat for the supernatural is vivid. I felt this was a film that challenged the update of Japanese horror while maintaining its entertainment value.

No. 6: The Great Feature Film: Taroman - World Expo Explosion

At first glance, it looks like a parody, but it was actually a surprisingly serious film. In an age dominated by CG, the very act of presenting such a bold love for analog special effects and the joy of craftsmanship is thrilling. Taroman, as an existence swaying between Taro Okamoto-esque "explosion" and Toru Narita-esque "order," stands not as mere nostalgia, but as a modern reconstruction of the Showa era. While it is a "Showa that reaches the present" safely packaged, it re-questions human barbarism and chaos. The strength of its ideological core remains impressive. It was a cinematic drug that just made me happy to watch.

No. 5: Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In

This film hits you with the density of the legendary Kowloon Walled City as a physical sensation. The sweat, dust, and heat of the people come through the screen, and for the first time in a while, I strongly felt the "necessity of watching it in a movie theater." The story is very classic, but the fact that it is realized through analog, labor-intensive craftsmanship—the opposite of CG efficiency—combined with relentless action, feels both nostalgic and fresh. It was a film that strongly signaled the resurgence of Chinese cinema, reminding me not only of the power of its world-building and action, but also of the primal pleasure of the medium of film itself.

No. 4: Superman

Amidst the aimlessness of hero movies, this film tackles the most difficult choice head-on: "to still believe in goodness." The focus is placed more on how to use and restrain power rather than just having it, and that stance was sincere. Against the backdrop of real-world conflicts and divisions, I want to praise the fact that it did not escape into easy updates or cynicism when faced with the question of "how to redefine good and evil." It is a hero movie that symbolizes 2025, winning not with flashy visuals but with the weight of ethics: "Lives are being taken!"

No. 3: The Substance

This is a film that hits you with an abnormally "intense" visual expression of the body, desire, aging, and self-loathing. It is not a comfortable movie to watch. However, on the other side of the cruelty, a strange kindness and affirmation emerge. That balance was rare. While rejecting moral lessons or salvation, an affirmation of "living it out anyway" remains. I think it was one of the most challenging works of the year, combining an abnormal visual experience with a quiet lingering effect.

No. 2: We Live in Time

This is a love story that depicts dreams and family, self-realization and responsibility, without sugarcoating them. It was impressive how it carefully depicted not only the perspective of the person challenging their dreams while knowing their remaining time, but also the perspectives of those supporting them and those left behind. In particular, the way the character takes on the role of a father has a reality different from the "patriarchal father figure" seen until now. It was a heart-touching film that depicts the preciousness of time quietly continuing in daily life and gently asks the viewer to reconsider their own life choices.

No. 1: The Legend of Hei 2: The Future We Desire

This is the film that moved me the most this year. The gaze toward women and children is surprisingly pure, and a rationality that does not affirm violence permeates the entire work. The importance of the ethics that those who have power choose not to dominate others is conveyed naturally through the story and direction, without being preachy. Including the experience of watching the same film with my child and talking about the same themes, this movie made me realize the power of "film connecting people to people." It is a masterpiece worthy of being number one in 2025. It's still in theaters, and I want to go see it again during the New Year holidays!

Below are the works I struggled to decide whether to include in the top 10; if I think about it again tomorrow, the ranking might have changed.

Movie theaters and the ways movies reach us continue to change. Even so, the moments spent in dialogue with a single film enrich my life.

Here is to more wonderful movie encounters next year!