Kaoru Kobayashi’s Typical Vibe
Signature vibe

Highest-ranked title
Highest-ranked title
Kaoru Kobayashi has 4 titles in the CriticCrunch catalog across a career spanning the 1990s through the 2020s. 1 sits in the Top 1% of all titles we track — including Princess Mononoke.
Recurring themes

Orlando
1992
Drama · Fantasy

Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio
2022
Animation · Fantasy

Deep Sea
2023
Animation · Adventure

From Time to Time
2009
Adventure · Fantasy

Drifting Home
2022
Animation · Fantasy

The Boy and the Heron
2023
Animation · Fantasy

Three Thousand Years of Longing
2022
Drama · Fantasy

A Whisker Away
2020
Animation · Drama

Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
Dir. Hayao Miyazaki · With Yoji Matsuda, Yuriko Ishida, Yuko Tanaka

Two people meet each other after missing the last train home, leading to a beautiful relationship over five years.
Dir. Nobuhiro Doi · With Masaki Suda, Kasumi Arimura, Kaya Kiyohara

Blamed by some, hailed as heroes by others, those involved with Fukushima Daiichi face a deadly, invisible threat — an unprecedented nuclear disaster.
With Koji Yakusho, Yutaka Takenouchi, Fumiyo Kohinata

Something bizarre has come over the land. The kingdom is deteriorating. People are beginning to act strange... What's even more strange is that people are beginning to see dragons, which shouldn't enter the world of humans. Due to all these bizarre events, Ged, a wandering wizard, is investigating the cause. During his journey, he meets Prince Arren, a young distraught teenage boy. While Arren may look like a shy young teen, he has a severe dark side, which grants him strength, hatred, ruthlessness and has no mercy, especially when it comes to protecting Teru. For the witch Kumo this is a perfect opportunity. She can use the boy's "fears" against the very one who would help him, Ged.
Dir. Goro Miyazaki · With Junichi Okada, Aoi Teshima, Bunta Sugawara