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Yasushi Akutagawa

Yasushi Akutagawa

Composer · Died January 31, 1989, aged 63 · Tabata, Kita, Tokyo, Japan

Composer and conductor.

Biography from TMDB.

Born
July 12, 1925
Died
January 31, 1989 (aged 63)
From
Tabata, Kita, Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Composer
Titles
9 on MovieCove · 85 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 39 days to Oct 28Up 5% in 30 days

What are Yasushi Akutagawa's films like?

Across their 9 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Morality.

Genres

Drama4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 84th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 80th percentile
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
28%
Morality
26%
Survival
18%
Society
17%
Ideas
7%
Bonds
5%
Obsession3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 9 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 1 · Serious 2 · Dark 6

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 4 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 3

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 5 · Intense 4

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 2 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 0 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 4

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 0 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 5

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 2 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
8
Melancholic
6
Dread
2
Cold
2
Contemplative
2
Other
3

How their films linger

Haunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet2
  • Tragic4
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Yasushi Akutagawa's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 5 of their 9 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, on The Criterion Channel (5).

Subscription and free streaming for Yasushi Akutagawa's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

85 credits, 9 with a MovieCove page.

  • Maboroshi no mizuumi(1982)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Suspicion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)

    Composer

  • Writhing Tongue (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • The Wicked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)

    Composer

  • The Three Undelivered Letters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • Nichiren (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1979)

    Composer

  • The Demon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Composer

  • The Incident(1978)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • Village of Eight Gravestones(1977)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • Mount Hakkoda (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1977)

    Composer

  • The Castle of Sand(1974)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • The Shadow Within (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Portrait of Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Nami kage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

  • The Scarlet Camellia (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Composer

  • Alone Across the Pacific (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • A Million Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • To Your Majesty, The Emperor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • When Women Lie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • An Actor's Revenge(1963)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Being Two Isn't Easy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Get Married, Mother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Tokyo Bay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • The Broken Commandment (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Love's Family Tree (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Haitoku no mesu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • As the Clouds Scatter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Ten Women in Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Eternity of Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Zero Focus (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Hunting Rifle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Her Brother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • The Last Trump Card (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • Shiroi Kiba (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • Bonchi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • White Cliffs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • A Woman's Testament (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • When a Woman Loves (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • Fires on the Plain(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Pilgrimage at Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Chogolisa: The Bride's Peak (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • The Key(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Bringing Up Husbands (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Flower Shop Curtain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Maria of the Ant Village (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Dosanko (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • The Naked Sun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Flower's Yearning (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Yoku (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Firefly Light (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • Island of Fury (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Composer

  • The Decoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Hole in One (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Elegy of the North (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • A Dangerous Hero (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Stepbrothers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • A Tale of Dung and Urine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Evening Calm (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Rice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Yellow Crow (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Typhoon Furor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Shozo, a Cat and Two Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Twice on a Certain Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Avalanche (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Floating Weeds Diary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • A Hole of My Own Making (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • The Heart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Twilight Saloon(1955)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)

  • Salaryman Mejiro Sanpei (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Growing Up (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • The Last Women (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • The Valley Between Love and Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • An Inn at Osaka (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • Autumn Interlude (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)

    Composer

  • Gate of Hell(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films

  • Adolescence Part II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Battleship Yamato (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The End of the Night (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Last Embrace (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • Where Chimneys Are Seen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • My Wonderful Yellow Car (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1953)

    Composer

  • The Whisper of Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • Forbidden Path (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • The Skin of the South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

  • A Meeting of Youths (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 84 titles from 1952 to 1982.

Biggest box office

Gate of Hell (1953)

$7.4K worldwide

Highest rated

Fires on the Plain (1959)

Midcredits 97th

Most popular right now

The Castle of Sand (1974)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music83 of 84: 83 only music, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score72ndOther crew1 of 84: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

By decade

1950s47 · crew1960s25 · crew1970s8 · crew1980s4 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Yasushi Akutagawa's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 81st percentile, the median of all 9; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Reach · how many have seen their films

59thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 9

Midcredits score across 9 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th1

Shape of the crowd

6 of their 9 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser6
  • Mixed1

Most divisive · composer

Maboroshi no mizuumi (1982)

80th percentile spread · 32% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

Fires on the Plain (1959)

Midcredits 97th · 85% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 69/100 in their films, across 5 reviewed titles; fans 74, detractors 63. The element that speaks to their work as a composer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Who does Yasushi Akutagawa work with?

People who share at least 2 of Yasushi Akutagawa's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yoshitarō Nomura shares the most, 4.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers