Japan's decade of 'closed country' cinema www.japantimes.co.jp

At first glance, it has been a lucrative period for the domestic movie industry, too.
From an international perspective, it’s fair to say that Japanese cinema isn’t inspiring the kind of excitement it was at the turn of the century.
Directors raised within the TV industry, like Nishiura, have infiltrated cinema, bringing the rote aesthetics and narrative conventions of serial dramas with them.
According to movie critic Tomohiro Machiyama, the average budget for a commercial Japanese film is just ¥350 million.
By the quotidian standards of much mainstream Japanese cinema, he’s practically a superhero.