Japan Synopsis
ええじゃないか
The film depicts carnivalesque atmosphere summed up by the cry "Ei ja nai ka" ("Why not?") in Japan in 1867 and 1868 in the days leading to the Meiji Restoration. It examines the effects of the political and social upheaval of the time, and culminates in a revelrous march on the Tokyo Imperial Palace, which turns into a massacre. Characteristically, Imamura focuses not on the leaders of the country, but on characters in the lower classes and on the fringes of society.
Other Titles From Imamura Productions
The 1980–1982 Japan Window
Why Not? holds position #27 of 67 Japan films in the 1980–1982 window, below highlighted by audience rating.
The 1980s Japan Landscape
Catalog density by release year across the 1980s in Japan, 280 titles in total. Highlighted year (yellow) is when Why Not? premiered alongside 28 others.
Position in Catalog
Released alongside 28 other Japan films in 1981.
The 543rd Japan title from Japan we index (earliest catalogued entry: 1899).
Our Japan catalog contains 4,579 titles in total (2,908 films).
Audience Engagement
13 audience reviews — more than 20% of Japan films in our index.
Popularity sits at the 16th percentile among Japan films.
Reception Benchmarks
Ranked #2,440 of 4,579 Japan films indexed here (47th percentile by TMDB audience score).
Among Japan Drama productions specifically: #1,079 of 1,933 (top 56%).
Production Details
| Primary Country | Japan |
|---|---|
| Original Language | Japanese |
| Production Companies | Imamura Productions, Shochiku |
| Runtime | 2h 31m |
| Release Date | January 8, 1981 |
| IMDb | tt0082313 |