Movies like EXCITER! (2009)
The best movies like EXCITER! (2009) are The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) and I Give My First Love to You (2009). If EXCITER! hooked you, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedCity Lights (1931)8.2/10 from 2,588 votes
- NewestBalhae Blurred in Rain (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseThe Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)Also in Japanese
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)
In late 19th-century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that the praise he receives is only due to his status as his father's heir. Devastated, he turns to Otoku, a servant of his family, for comfort, and they fall in love. Kikunosuke becomes determined to leave home and develop as an actor on his own merits, and Otoku faithfully joins him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGnomeo & Juliet (2011)
A version of Shakespeare's play, set in the world of warring indoor and outdoor gnomes. Garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud between neighbors. But with plastic pink flamingos and lawnmower races in the mix, can this young couple find lasting happiness?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
SnoozefestMovies like thisI Give My First Love to You (2009)
Takuma knows that his life is shorter than the others and he feels that his demise is getting near. He chose to stay away from the girl that he loves so that she can easily move on. What he didn't know is that he is under-estimating her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCity Lights (1931)
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisTokyo Decadence (1992)
A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that her lover has married.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Convert (2024)
Munro, a soldier turned lay preacher, comes to New Zealand to minister to the first British colonists, but he is converted by the powerful chief Maianui to serve a different purpose.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThrow Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)
An experimental, psychedelic odyssey through Japanese subculture experienced via the eyes of a disillusioned young man, who must contend with intense familial dysfunction, psychosexual alienation, and existentialist malaise.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDepartures (2008)
Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for work with departures of a more permanent nature – as an undertaker’s assistant.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLove & Pop (1998)
Tokyo schoolgirl Hiromi and her friends engage in a practice known as enjo kosai, or "compensated dating", where older men pay young girls for dates. Hiromi plunges deeper into this world to raise money for an expensive ring.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Colors Within (2024)
Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the most beautiful color of all. Although she doesn't play an instrument, Totsuko forms a band with Kimi and Rui, a quiet music enthusiast they meet at a used bookstore in a far corner of town. As they practice at an old church on a remote island, music brings them together, forming friendships and stirring affections.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisLittle Shop of Horrors (1986)
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very mysterious unidentified plant which he calls Audrey II. The plant seems to have a craving for blood and soon begins to sing for its supper.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKokuho (2025)
Nagasaki, 1964. After the death of his father, the leader of a yakuza gang, gifted Kikuo is taken under the wing of famed Kabuki actor Hanjirō Hanai. Alongside the great performer's only son, Shunsuke, he dedicates his life to the artform - a centuries-old Japanese theatrical tradition known for its costumes, elaborate makeup and innovative stagecraft.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Pornographers (1966)
A former Buddhist monk turned erotic filmmaker, Subuyan lives with hairdresser Haru and her two teenage children. Shooting two skin flicks per day, he somehow manages to stay out of the clutches of the yakuza, but real trouble starts when Haru discovers him lusting after her daughter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCOLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (2025)
Ichika is a high school musician who can enter a mysterious place called “SEKAI,” where she and her friends express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. One day after giving a live performance, Ichika meets a new Miku that she has never seen before. No matter how hard this new Miku tries to sing, she struggles connecting with the hearts of her listeners. Miku must rely on the help of others to find a way to sing again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisLove Like the Falling Petals (2022)
Haruto Asakura falls in love with hairdresser Misaki Ariake and asks her out. Watching Misaki Ariake work hard to achieve what she wants, Haruto Asakura, who almost gave up his dream to become a photographer, begins to pursue his dream again, but Misaki Ariake is diagnosed with a disease that ages her 10x faster than normal.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisA Certain Magical Index: The Miracle of Endymion (2013)
On the day Touma Kamijou and Index see Academy City's space elevator, Endymion in the distance, they meet a Level 0 girl with an amazing singing voice, Arisa Meigo. As the three enjoy their time together after school, magic-user Stiyl Magnus suddenly attacks them. His target: Arisa. Why would a girl from the science side be targeted by someone from the magic side, Touma wonders. In the chaos of Stiyl's attack, he tells Touma, Index and Arisa that she might cause a war between the magic side and the science side.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisEnter the Void (2010)
This psychedelic tour of life after death is seen entirely from the point of view of Oscar, a young American drug dealer and addict living in Tokyo with his prostitute sister, Linda. When Oscar is killed by police during a bust gone bad, his spirit journeys from the past -- where he sees his parents before their deaths -- to the present -- where he witnesses his own autopsy -- and then to the future, where he looks out for his sister from beyond the grave.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
Seymour works in a skid row florist shop and is in love with his beautiful co-worker, Audrey. He creates a new plant that not only talks but cannot survive without human flesh and blood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Court Jester (1955)
A hapless carnival performer masquerades as the court jester as part of a plot against a usurper who has overthrown the rightful king of England.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrive My Car (2021)
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an introverted young woman, appointed to drive his car. In between rides, secrets from the past and heartfelt confessions will be unveiled.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBalhae Blurred in Rain (2026)
Based on the life of Dae Inseon, the last king of Balhae.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Puck (Shinjin Kouen) (2014)
Shinjin Kouen performance of Moon Troupe's Puck.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Radio Prince: Edward VIII (Shinjin Kouen) (2012)
Shinjin Kouen performance of Moon Troupe's The Radio Prince: Edward VIII.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Valencian Passion (2007)
A larger-than-life musical about revenge and love set in Spain.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Twelfth Night (1999)
Takarazuka Revue's stage play based on Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
The Scarlet Pimpernel (Shinjin Kouen) (2008)
Shinjin Kouen performance of Star Troupe's The Scarlet Pimpernel.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Side Story: The Rose of Versailles -Andre- (2009)
Takarazuka Revue's stage play based on the manga The Rose of Versailles.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
Paradise Prince (2008)
Stuart Menfield was awarded first prize in so many contests of fine arts since he was ten years old that he has won the status as a most talented young artist and enjoys fame as a prince among creators of modern art. His cherished dream since childhood has been to become an animator and to produce a TV animated cartoon series, Paradise Prince, which he had been working on since he was a child.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
A Morning Breeze -The Challenge of Jiro Shirasu, the Samurai Gentleman- (2008)
Takarazuka Revue's stage play based on the life of Shirasu Jirou.
Why it matches: Similar story and style
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like EXCITER!?
The closest matches to EXCITER! are The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939), Gnomeo & Juliet (2011) and I Give My First Love to You (2009). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after EXCITER!?
Start with The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939), the closest match to EXCITER!.
What is the highest-rated movie like EXCITER!?
City Lights (1931), rated 8.2/10 by 2,588 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like EXCITER!?
Balhae Blurred in Rain (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like EXCITER!?
Yes: The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939), I Give My First Love to You (2009) and Tokyo Decadence (1992).
How are movies similar to EXCITER! chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside EXCITER!, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.