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Isao Tomita

Composer · Died May 5, 2016, aged 84 · Tokyo, Japan

Born
April 22, 1932
Died
May 5, 2016 (aged 84)
From
Tokyo, Japan
Works as
Composer
Titles
14 on MovieCove · 79 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 28Down 7% in 30 days

What are Isao Tomita's films like?

Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Survival.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 91st percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Animation3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 60th percentile
: browse their Animation movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 43rd percentile
: browse their Action 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
Morality
32%
Survival
17%
Power
17%
Bonds
16%
Self
11%
Ideas
7%
Society
1%
Romantic love4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSurvival4 titles, browse their movies with this themeJustice3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose3 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty3 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 13 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 2 · Serious 5 · Dark 6

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

Grounded 3 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 5

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

Gentle 1 · Charged 7 · Intense 5

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

Steady 5 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 3

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 6 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 1

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

Slow burn 8 · Even-paced 5 · 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 2 · Engaged 9 · Full focus 2

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

A split, not a type: Easy watch 3 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 6

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

A split, not a type: Resolved 8 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
9
Melancholic
10
Absurd
4
Bittersweet
4
Romantic
2
Other
10

How their films linger

Bittersweet6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 2 with a twist

  • Bittersweet11
  • Tragic2
  • 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 Isao Tomita's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 6 of their 14 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (3).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Isao Tomita'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

79 credits, 14 with a MovieCove page.

  • About Her Brother (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

    Composer

  • Kabei: Our Mother(2008)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • Love and Honor(2006)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films

  • Black Jack: The Two Doctors in Black (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Composer

  • The Hidden Blade (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Composer

  • The Twilight Samurai(2002)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films

  • Sennen no koi - Hikaru Genji monogatari(2001)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • A Class to Remember IV: Fifteen (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    Composer

  • A Class to Remember III: The New Voyage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

    Composer

  • Jungle Emperor Leo(1997)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films

  • The Planets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Composer

  • A Class to Remember II (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

    Composer

  • A Class to Remember (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    Composer

  • Kimba the White Lion: Symphonic Poem (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

    Composer

  • Misty Kid of Wind – The Glass Cape (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

    Composer

  • Mighty Jack(1968)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 1st percentile of all films

  • Tokugawa Ieyasu (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Show 50 episodes · Composer

  • The Phantom Thief Nezumi Kozo and the Tattooed Judge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Composer

  • The Last Days of Planet Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)

    Composer

  • Demon Pond(1979)

    Composer · Music Director

    Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films

  • Zatoichi Monogatari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 100 episodes · Composer

  • Prophecies of Nostradamus(1974)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Akumyo: Notorious Dragon (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Composer

  • The Shinano River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Mute Samurai(1973)

    Show 26 episodes · Composer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows

  • Hanzo the Razor: The Snare (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Order of the Salaryman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Spider Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • The Morgue Murderer (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • When the Night Breaks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • The Woman Who Calls for Corpses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • Graveyard of Masks (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • A Mummy’s Love (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • A Woman Who Warns of Death (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Composer

  • The Witty Samurai (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Composer

  • Shin Heike Monogatari (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Show 52 episodes · Composer

  • Zatoichi and the One-Armed Swordsman(1971)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Epic Chushingura (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)

    Show 52 episodes · Composer

  • Cleopatra(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all films

  • Zatoichi Goes to the Fire Festival(1970)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Postwar Secrets (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • The Rokumeikan (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Aerial City 008 - Operation Spring (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Composer

  • Memoir of Japanese Assassinations (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • A Thousand & One Nights(1969)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films

  • Dororo and Hyakkimaru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 26 episodes · Composer

  • Yakuza on Foot (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Ex-Convict - Territory of Rampage (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Composer

  • Heaven and Earth (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Show 52 episodes · Composer

  • Wicked Priest 2: Ballad of Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Black Lizard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Bakeneko: A Vengeful Spirit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Return of the Outlaw (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • The Bandits (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • The Marked Man (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Gambler's Farewell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1968)

    Composer

  • Captain Ultra: The Movie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Composer

  • Dissolution Rites (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)

    Composer

  • Women Doing Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Composer

  • The Threat (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1966)

    Composer

  • Chained Bitch (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

  • 宇宙人ピピ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Show 52 episodes · Composer

  • A Fugitive from the Past(1965)

    Composer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

  • New Treasure Island (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1965)

    Composer

  • Mermaid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Composer

  • Wolves, Pigs & Men (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Composer

  • Big X (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Show 59 episodes · Composer

  • Life of a Flower (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Show 39 episodes · Composer

  • Police Precinct: Landfill No. 19 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Police Precinct: Mysterious Red Phone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Composer

  • Officer Morgan and a Man of Mystery (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Police Precinct: 15 Year Old Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Police Department Part 15: Alibi (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Composer

  • Police Precinct: Nothing Left at the Scene (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Brutal Battle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Police Precinct: Car 108 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • A Dead Drifter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • Police Precinct: The Woman Without A Face (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

  • A Man's Dark Finger (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1959)

    Composer

Career shape

A full career of 79 titles from 1959 to 2010.

Biggest box office

Love and Honor (2006)

$34M worldwide

Highest rated

The Twilight Samurai (2002)

Midcredits 99th

By role

only this rolewith another role
Music79 of 79: 78 only music, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score83rdOther crew1 of 79: 0 only other crew, 1 with another role

By decade

1950s6 · crew1960s30 · crew1970s24 · crew1980s5 · crew1990s6 · crew2000s7 · 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 Isao Tomita's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 13; across their 13 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 80th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

80thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Approval · how many liked their films

77thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Reach · how many have seen their films

62ndpercentile
Typical film, the median of 13

Midcredits score across 14 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up8
  • 50th to 74th2
  • 25th to 49th3
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 14 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Universally Panned1
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · composer

Prophecies of Nostradamus (1974)

72nd percentile spread · 25% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · composer

The Twilight Samurai (2002)

Midcredits 99th · 91% liked

Reviewers score the sound and music 62/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 69, detractors 45. 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.

Is Isao Tomita's work okay for kids?

Across a limited sample of up to 3 MovieCove titles with content scores.

Their medianMedian of all films
Sex & Nudity3 titlesmedian 82 · severeMedian of all films: 32

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.

Who does Isao Tomita work with?

People who share at least 2 of Isao Tomita's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Yōji Yamada shares the most, 3.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Cinematographers and editors

Producers