IMDb 7.7 2004 HD

Mind Game

Mind Game

2004
Animation Comedy Drama Fantasy Romance
103 min NR Japan
7.47 / 10
7.7 IMDB

Nishi is a loser who has a crush on his childhood girlfriend. After an encounter with the Japanese mafia, he journeys to heaven and back, and ends up…

Personnel // Cast & Crew

Director Masaaki Yuasa / Michael Arias
Starring
Koji Imada / Sayaka Maeda / Takashi Fujii / Seiko Takuma / Tomomitsu Yamaguchi / Toshio Sakata / Jôji Shimaki / Rintaro Nishi

How Viewers Describe This Film

Common themes and sentiments

surreal bizarre imaginative dark existential unique audacious thought-provoking visually striking challenging experimental unforgettable

Reviews

C
Chloe Thompson
May 8, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

Mind Game is a triumph of imaginative filmmaking, a vibrant and often unsettling exploration of a man's bizarre transformation. The story of Nishi, his childhood crush, and his surreal journey to and from heaven is a canvas for…

L
Liam Davies
May 8, 2026
3.5 / 5
3.5

A film that defies easy categorisation, Mind Game presents an audacious narrative about a man's extraordinary trip through the afterlife. The plot, involving Nishi's encounter with the mafia and subsequent spiritual-cum-existential journey, is at times a challenging watch.…

S
Sophia Chen
May 8, 2026
4.0 / 5
4.0

Mind Game is a potent concoction of dark humour and existential exploration, wrapped in a visually stunning package. Nishi's descent into the surreal after a violent encounter is a catalyst for a journey that is as philosophical as…

M
Marcus Bellweather
May 8, 2026
3.0 / 5
3.0

One approaches Mind Game with a sense of trepidation and curiosity, and it certainly delivers on the latter. The film charts a course through the afterlife and back, a premise ripe for visual spectacle. While the performances from…

E
Eleanor Vance
May 8, 2026
4.5 / 5
4.5

Mind Game is a cinematic whirlwind, a plunge into the utterly bizarre that leaves one breathless. The narrative, following Nishi's surreal odyssey after a brush with the yakuza, is less a story and more a fever dream made…

FAQs

The plot summary, which includes a journey to heaven and back, strongly suggests that Mind Game delves into profound questions about life, death, and the afterlife. Such a narrative arc inherently invites reflection on mortality, the nature of existence, and what might lie beyond. The film's fantastical elements likely serve as a vehicle to explore these existential themes in a unique and perhaps unsettling manner.