I have to write this down or I'l go crazy.
Asian films are really that much different from Western ones. And it's not just the plot of cultural differences. I'm not talking about all of them of course but I saw quite a few and there's this pattern that goes for many Japanese films and Korean as well to a lesser degree. That said, I have no interest whatsoever in acclaimed directors. Too much angst and mind-fuck. I've been there and I don't want to go back. What I'm talking about is simple, down-to earth films that deal with quite normal events. As a white person I'm used to concentrating on the plot and using my mind to watch the film. But when I watch this kind of films I begin to feel. It's something I've never felt before so I can't really explain it, it's just an overwhelming feeling of calmness but not the sleepy kind, the alert kind. If that even makes sense. Rather than having a complicated plot, these films have a really strong atmosphere. Partly this effect is due to unique directing, partly due to deliberate use of colours and settings, but there's more. I like to think of it as magic) I love how there are many scenes that aren't really related to the plot. When a girl watches people in a train or just random landscapes of the city. Another thing is how there are scenes where nothing really happens and time seems to stretch out yet it's not boring at all. On the contrary, it only helps to pull you into the image. And of course there's the whole Japanese aesthetics thing. I've watched a lot of films in my life. A lot of films I considered good. Yet, somehow in the last couple of years the Japanese films have managed to capture my heart and if you ask me what my favourite non-Asian film is I will get confused trying to remember what was it again that I liked before. The genre doesn't matter either. In a way I think maybe it's because Asains aren't bound by the rules and traditions that exist in the West that they are able to film to freely.
There are also Asian films dealing with not-so-normal events. Those are a little different because here the symbolism and the overall imagery plays a crucial part. Take Kagen no Tsuki and Heaven's Postman. Both are romantic films with a mystical plot. Yet the plots as such aren't that special. What really leaves an impression is the amazing atmosphere that gets embedded in one's mind. I dare say Japanese films have more soul in them.
In a way I feel these films are very underrated but at the same time I'm sort of glad because it means they are mine.