Movies like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There (1977)
The best movies like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There (1977) are Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971), Intentions of Murder (1964) and Gate of Flesh (1988). If Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedTokyo Godfathers (2003)7.9/10 from 1,597 votes
- NewestStardom in Korakuen 2026 Feb. (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseThrow Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971)Also in Japanese
Throw 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 · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisIntentions of Murder (1964)
The neglected common-law wife of a Japanese librarian is repeatedly harassed by a young man with a heart condition who seduces her with the prospect of a better life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGate of Flesh (1988)
Prostitutes in burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-WWII Japan peddle their flesh and save one-third of their money for a proposed dancehall to be named Paradise. The hookers live in a bombed-out building, but they accept the precarious situation with typical resolve.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSakuran (2006)
Kiyoha rises from the lowly courtesan ranks to the high class position of Oiran in the steamy red-light district of Yoshiwara. She is determined to stand on her own two feet and live life as she pleased.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisCafé Lumière (2004)
In a distinctly contemporary Tokyo that looks backwards to the city’s disappearing past, Yoko is a writer investigating the life of a modernist composer of the 1930s. She is pregnant by a man she does not want to marry and has found a kindred spirit in a used bookstore owner who aids her research.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHouse of Bamboo (1955)
Eddie Kenner is given a special assignment by the Army to get the inside story on Sandy Dawson, a former GI who has formed a gang of fellow servicemen and Japanese locals.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisGate of Flesh (1964)
In the shady black markets and bombed-out hovels of post–World War II Tokyo, a tough band of prostitutes eke out a dog-eat-dog existence, maintaining tenuous friendships and a semblance of order in a world of chaos. But when a renegade ex-soldier stumbles into their midst, lusts and loyalties clash, with tragic results. With Gate of Flesh, visionary director Seijun Suzuki delivers a whirlwind of social critique and pulp drama, shot through with brilliant colors and raw emotions.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisPassion (2008)
A young couple's announcement of their engagement to their friends is followed by a series of interactions and conflicts that forces everyone to reflect on their lives.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTokyo Family (2013)
An elderly couple journey to Tokyo to visit their grown children, only to find them preoccupied and self-involved.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSwallowtail Butterfly (1996)
The struggles of a group of outcasts living in "Yentown", in an alternate-future Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Outsider (2018)
A former American G.I. joins a yakuza family after his release from prison in post-World War II Osaka.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAll About Lily Chou-Chou (2001)
Charts the troubled teenage years of students Yūichi Hasumi and Shūsuke Hoshino, exploring the shifting and complex power dynamics of their relationship against the backdrop of Yūichi's love for the dreamy and abstract music of pop star Lily Chou-Chou.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe End of Summer (1961)
The family of an older man who runs a small sake brewery become concerned with his finances and his health after they discover him visiting an old mistress from his youth.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPastoral: To Die in the Country (1974)
A director faces creative block while working on his latest film – a reimagination of his adolescence growing up in a mountain village in rural Japan.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisA Perfect Murder (1998)
Millionaire industrialist Steven Taylor is a man who has everything but what he craves most: the love and fidelity of his wife. A hugely successful player in the New York financial world, he considers her to be his most treasured acquisition. But she needs more than simply the role of dazzling accessory.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMidnight Diner (2014)
A restaurant opens at midnight. Both the menu offerings and personality of the owner draw a series of flawed patrons including Tamako, whose boyfriend has passed away, live-in worker Michiru, and ruckus-raising Kenzo.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Ballad of Narayama (1983)
In a small village in a valley everyone who reaches the age of 70 must leave the village and go to a certain mountain top to die. If anyone should refuse they would disgrace their family. Old Orin is 69. This winter it is her turn to go to the mountain. But first she must make sure that her eldest son Tatsuhei finds a wife.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAll Day and a Night (2020)
While serving life in prison, a young man looks back at the people, the circumstances and the system that set him on the path toward his crime.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSalomé (2013)
After the lewd and frenetic Dance of the Seven Veils, and with the solemn pledge from the very lips of Herod himself that she could have whatever her heart desires up to half his kingdom, wanton and proud young Salomé comes before her king with an unreasonable demand. Beguiled by John the Baptist, and then scorned for the sake of his god, lascivious Salomé—encouraged by her mother, the vindictive, Herodias—commands that John be executed and his head delivered on a silver platter.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisMarigold Summer Gold Shine 2024 ~ Day 11 (2024)
Marigold Summer Gold Shine 2024 ~ Day 11 was a professional wrestling event promoted by Dream Star★Fighting Marigold, held on August 24, 2024 at Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Marigold Summer Gold Shine 2024 ~ Day 12 (2024)
Marigold Summer Gold Shine 2024 ~ Day 12 was a professional wrestling event promoted by Dream Star★Fighting Marigold. It took place on August 25, 2024, at Shin-Kiba 1st RING in Tokyo, Japan, and featured Giulia's last Marigold appearance before moving to the United States to become a part of the WWE/NXT roster.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tokyo Sonata (2008)
The winds of change blow as a family grapples with unemployment, alienation, mistrust and a lack of communication. When a Japanese salaryman loses his job to outsourcing to China, it's simply the beginning of a series of shattering incidents, leading to the implosion of the family unit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTokyo! (2008)
Three distinct tales unfold in the bustling city of Tokyo. Merde, a bizarre sewer-dweller, emerges from a manhole and begins terrorizing pedestrians. After his arrest, he stands trial and lashes out at a hostile courtroom. A man who has resigned himself to a life of solitude reconsiders after meeting a charming pizza delivery woman. And finally, a happy young couple find themselves undergoing a series of frightening metamorphoses.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisStardom in Korakuen 2026 Feb. (2026)
Stardom in Korakuen 2026 Feb. was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom, held on February 28, 2026 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan. In the main event, Konami defended the Wonder of Stardom Championship against Hina.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling in Shinjuku FACE ~Acceleration~ (2026)
Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling in Shinjuku FACE ~Acceleration~ was a professional wrestling event promoted by Sendai Girls' Pro-Wrestling, held on February 8, 2026, at Shinjuku FACE in Tokyo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Stardom Nighter in Korakuen 2026 Feb. (2026)
Stardom Nighter in Korakuen 2026 Feb. was a professional wrestling event promoted by World Wonder Ring Stardom, held on February 13, 2026 at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
TJPW club eX: Chapter Pause (2026)
TJPW club eX: Chapter Pause was a professional wrestling event promoted by Tokyo Joshi Pro-Wrestling (TJPW). It was held on February 15, 2026 at Shinagawa Prince Hotel Club eX in Tokyo, Japan.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Always - Sunset on Third Street (2005)
In 1958 postwar Tokyo, the residents of a humble Third Street neighbourhood struggle, dream, and grow together as rapid modernisation transforms their lives beneath the shadow of the newly rising Tokyo Tower.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTokyo Godfathers (2003)
On Christmas Eve, three homeless people living on the streets of Tokyo discover a newborn baby among the trash and set out to find its parents.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There?
The closest matches to Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There are Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971), Intentions of Murder (1964) and Gate of Flesh (1988). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There?
Start with Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971), the closest match to Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There.
What is the highest-rated movie like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There?
Tokyo Godfathers (2003), rated 7.9/10 by 1,597 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There?
Stardom in Korakuen 2026 Feb. (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There?
Yes: Throw Away Your Books, Rally in the Streets (1971), Intentions of Murder (1964) and Gate of Flesh (1988).
How are movies similar to Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Shinjuku Messy District : I’ll Be There, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.