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Takanobu Saitō

Composer · Died April 11, 2004, aged 79 · Tokyo, Japan

Born
December 8, 1924
Died
April 11, 2004 (aged 79)
From
Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Composer
Titles
7 on MovieCove · 35 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 37 days to Oct 26

What are Takanobu Saitō's films like?

Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Society.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 98th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 97th percentile
: browse their Comedy 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
Bonds
56%
Society
20%
Morality
11%
Survival
10%
Self
3%
Family bonds6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief2 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 7 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Grounded: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their grounded movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 6 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0

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

Gentle 3 · Charged 4 · Intense 0

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

Steady 7 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0

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

Straight-faced 5 · Some laughs 2 · 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 0 · 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 3 · Engaged 4 · Full focus 0

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 4 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
6
Contemplative
7
Warm
3
Bittersweet
3
Tense
1

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy1
  • Bittersweet5
  • Ambiguous1

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 Takanobu Saitō's films?

As of October 24, 2026, all 7 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (7).

Subscription and free streaming for Takanobu Saitō'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

35 credits, 7 with a MovieCove page.

  • Lil’ Tokyo Story (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Composer

  • Talking with Ozu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • I Lived, But... (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Composer

  • Youth After School (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Composer

  • Children of Izu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • An Autumn Afternoon(1962)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

  • Shashō monogatari tabi wa michidzure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Ashita no Kaze (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Show 306 episodes · Composer

  • 君恋し (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Cat Changed Into Tiger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Season of Farewell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • The Song of the Season (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Dawn of a Canvas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Dai shusse monogatari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Late Autumn(1960)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Ajisai no uta (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Composer

  • Floating Weeds(1959)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Equinox Flower(1958)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

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

    Composer

  • Mountain Pass (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • The Barefoot Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • The Way of Youth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Shiroi natsu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Tokyo Twilight(1957)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

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

    Composer

  • 孤独の人 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Composer

  • Ai wa furu hoshi no kanata ni (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Densuke no senden kyō (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Nuesan no oyomeiri (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    Composer

  • Early Spring(1956)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Forever a Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Shōnen shikeishū (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • The Moon Has Risen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1955)

    Composer

  • Tokyo Story(1953)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 35 titles from 1953 to 2016.

Biggest box office

Tokyo Story (1953)

$110K worldwide

Highest rated

An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Midcredits 98th

Most popular right now

Tokyo Story (1953)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music35 of 35: 35 only music, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score97th

By decade

1950s19 · crew1960s13 · crew1980s1 · crew1990s1 · crew2010s1 · 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 Takanobu Saitō's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 97th percentile, the median of all 7; across their 7 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 96th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Approval · how many liked their films

96thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Reach · how many have seen their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 7

Midcredits score across 7 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up7

Shape of the crowd

None of their 7 titles divides audiences: 7 are Universally Loved.

  • Universally Loved7

Most loved · composer

An Autumn Afternoon (1962)

Midcredits 98th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 55/100 in their films, across 6 reviewed titles; fans 70, detractors 49. 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 Takanobu Saitō work with?

People who share at least 2 of Takanobu Saitō's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yasujirō Ozu shares the most, 7.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers