32 Films & TV Shows Set In Japan During The 1980s
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Godzilla 1985
Virginia Tokyo Prefecture Shizuoka Prefecture The 1980sPrepare yourself: the greatest star of all has returned. — Originally released in Japan as "The Return of Godzilla" in 1984, this is the heavily re-edited, re-titled "Godzilla 1985". Adding in new footage of Raymond Burr, this 16th Godzilla film ignores all previous sequels and serves as a direct follow-up to the 1956 "Godzilla King of the Monsters", which also featured scenes with Burr edited into 1954's "Godzilla". This film restores the darker tone of the original, as we witness the nuclear destruction of giant lizard terrorizing Japan.
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This Is Spinal Tap
California Georgia Illinois New York North Carolina Ohio Tennessee Washington Tokyo Prefecture The 1980sPrepare to crank those amps up to eleven — "This Is Spinal Tap" shines a light on the self-contained universe of a metal band struggling to get back on the charts, including everything from its complicated history of ups and downs, gold albums, name changes and undersold concert dates, along with the full host of requisite groupies, promoters, hangers-on and historians, sessions, release events and those special behind-the-scenes moments that keep it all real.
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The Challenge
Kyoto Prefecture The 1980s The 1940sHe has trained every thought, every muscle, every nerve, for the moment of truth! — Rick, a down-and-out American boxer, is hired to transport a sword to Japan, unaware that the whole thing is a set up in a bitter blood-feud between two brothers, one who follows the traditional path of the samurai and the other a businessman. At the behest of the businessman, Rick undertakes samurai training from the other brother, but joins his cause. He also becomes romantically involved with the samurai's daughter.
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The House Where Evil Dwells
Kyoto Prefecture The 1980s The 1840sAn ancient curse has turned their lives into a nightmare of lust and revenge. — At the prompting of his diplomat friend, Alex, writer Ted Fletcher takes his wife, Laura, and daughter, Amy, on an extended working holiday. Alex finds a house for them in Kyoto, Japan, and the Fletchers move in, laughing off rumors that the place is haunted. But the ghost of 19th-century samurai Shigero turns out to be very real, and is intent on making the family re-enact an ancient murder-suicide.
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Virus
🇰🇿 Kazakhstan 🇩🇪 Germany Tokyo Prefecture 🇦🇶 Antarctica The 1980sAutumn 1982: Mankind has been wiped out except 863 persons on Antarctica. Who will inherit the earth? — Scientists in Antarctica desperately try to find a cure to a military virus that was released in a plane crash and has wiped out the rest of the world.
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Gorath
Tokyo Prefecture 🇦🇶 Antarctica The 1970s The 1980sThe crisis of the colliding mystery star is imminent! Can the Earth break free of its orbit? — In 1980, a giant planetoid named Gorath is discovered to be on a collision course with Earth. Even though it is smaller than Earth, its mass is huge enough to crush the Earth and destroy it. A mission sent to observe Gorath is destroyed after all the orbiting ships are drawn into the planetoid. A later mission is sent to observe and the crew barely leaves before suffering the same fate. However Astronaut Tatsuo Kanai is left in a catatonic state due to his near death experience. The Earth's scientists then come up with a desperate plan to build giant rockets at the South Pole to move Earth out of Gorath's path before it is too late.
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Times of Joy and Sorrow
Mie Prefecture Hokkaido Prefecture The 1980s The 1940sThe story of the trials and tribulations of a lighthouse keeper and his wife.