Movies like We Were There: First Love (2012)
The best movies like We Were There: First Love (2012) are Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017), Honey Lemon Soda (2021) and ReLIFE (2017). If We Were There: First Love hooked you with its romance and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedDrawing Closer (2024)8.4/10 from 240 votes
- NewestHappyend (2024)Released 2024
- In JapaneseLet Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017)Also in Japanese
Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017)
A dying girl meets a nonchalant boy who found out her secret. She decided to fulfill her bucket list with none-other-than the boy who couldn't care less about the world.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisHoney Lemon Soda (2021)
Ishimori Uka is very shy and has a hard time making friends. When she was a middle school student, students made fun of her by calling her "stone". Around that time, she met Miura Kai with lemon color hair. Because of him, she entered the same high school. Uka now wants to overcome her shyness and have friends. Kai is a popular student at the school, but he doesn't talk much or seem interested in others. He doesn't know why, but he becomes concerned with Uka. Uka has admired Kai, and she now has feelings for him. Kai has a secret, which no one knows.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
ReLIFE (2017)
Arata Kaizaki, a jobless adult, undergoes an experiment that makes him 10 years younger. He goes back to high school and falls in love with Chizuru Hishiro, who is more than she seems.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisL♡DK (2014)
Aoi Nishimori's parents moved to another city for work, but Aoi didn't want to transfer to a new high school. She stays behind and lives in an apartment by herself. Shūsei Kugayama moves in next to Aoi's apartment. Shūsei is a very popular student at their high school. Due to a mistake, Aoi makes the sprinkler go off in his room. Until Shūsei's room is fixed, he stays with Aoi.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFrom Me to You (2010)
Sawako Kuronuma looks miserable on the outside, but is actually a positive-minded girl, who looks up to Shota Kazehaya, a sociable and friendly boy. Perceiving Sawako's good intentions, he secretly has feelings for her. Sawako meets Kazehaya and makes her first friends, Chizuru and Ayane but in comes Kurumi proclaiming her love for him... Will Sawako and Kazehaya ever find out about each other's feelings?
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisOur Secret Diary (2023)
Nozomi Kuroda is in the 2nd grade of high school. One day, she finds a letter in a classroom desk. The letter has only the word "like" written on it. The person who wrote the letter is Jun Setoyama. He happens to be the most popular boy at the high school. Nozomi Kuroda feels embarrassed, but she eventually leaves a reply in a shoe closet at school. This is how their secret exchange diary begins. Nozomi Kuroda soon learns that the intended recipient for the first letter was her best friend. Nevertheless, Nozomi Kuroda is attracted to Jun Setoyama, who expresses his thoughts and feelings unlike her. She's unable to tell him the truth that the person exchanging messages is her and not her best friend.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSky of Love (2007)
Mika is a fresh high school student who starts texting a mysterious boy. She is shocked when he reveals who he is - Hiro, a delinquent attending her school. What she doesn't know is that Hiro isn't as bad as he seems.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCry Me a Sad River (2018)
Qi Ming is a handsome boy and he is also a top student at school, but Yi Yao is a so-called bitch on everyone’s lips. Qi and Yi grew up together and they have been maintaining a good relationship. However, everything is interrupted and changed by Tang Xiaomi. Rumors have become a sharp weapon to destroy people. Yi Yao's life falls into darkness, and she suffers all kinds of cruel bullying at school.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Hana & Alice (2004)
Two teenage best pals attracted to the same boy end up scrambling his life after he walks into a door and is knocked unconscious.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClosest Love to Heaven (2017)
When Ninon finds out that her neighbor and popular classmate Yuiji Kira only has one year to live, she decides to go out of her way and help him attain happiness on his remaining time.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisI've Always Liked You (2016)
Love is blooming at Sakuragaoka High School. Natsuki Enomoto has finally mustered the courage to confess to her childhood friend, Yuu Setoguchi. However, in the final moments of her confession, an embarrassed Natsuki passes it off as a "practice confession." Oblivious to her true feelings and struggling with his own, Yuu promises to support Natsuki in her quest for love. While Natsuki deals with her failed confession, fellow classmate Koyuki Ayase struggles with his own feelings for Natsuki. Despite his timidness, he is determined to win over her heart. This movie follows Natsuki as she dreams of one day ending her practices and genuinely confessing to Yuu. Meanwhile, close friends also find themselves entangled in their own webs of unrequited love and unspoken affections.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSilhouette of Your Voice (2017)
Kohei, a deaf university student, meets lively Taichi and finds rare connection. But as their bond deepens, Kohei must confront his fear of growing too close.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Love 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: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like this18x2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024)
Having lost his job and the company he built, a 36-year-old man at rock bottom goes on a wistful solo trip to Japan in search of the love he left behind.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCall Me Chihiro (2023)
An unapologetic former sex worker starts working at a bento stand in a small seaside town, bringing comfort to the lonely souls who come her way.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDrawing Closer (2024)
With only a year left to live, 17-year-old Akito finds new meaning in life by bringing joy to a terminally ill girl who has just six months remaining.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisHappyend (2024)
In a near-future Japanese city bracing for a devastating earthquake, a group of teenage friends navigate personal struggles and fractured bonds amid rising tension.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAsako I & II (2018)
Asako lives in Osaka. She falls in love with Baku, a free-spirit. One day, Baku suddenly disappears. Two years later, Asako now lives in Tokyo and meets Ryohei. He looks just like Baku, but has a completely different personality.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisAnoHana: The Flower We Saw That Day (2015)
Friends grow apart after a tragic accident claims one of their number. Years later, the dead girl appears to them to ask for their help in crossing over to the afterlife.
Why it matches: Fans watch both · both drama
Even If This Love Disappears Tonight (2022)
A high school girl wakes up each day with no memory of the day before. When she agrees to date a shy classmate, Toru, he begins to fall for her—despite her rule against falling in love.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlue Spring Ride (2014)
In middle school, Futaba Yoshioka was madly in love with Tanaka Kou but he moves away with his mother. She is reunited with him later in life but he is not the same person anymore.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHoney (2018)
Kogure Nao is a shy and cute high school student. One day, Onise Taiga asks her "would you like to date with me on the promise that we will get married?" Nao is unable to turn down his proposal because she is scared of him. Taiga has red hair and piercing eyes. His appearance gives off the impression that he is a bad boy, but he is actually considerate to others and good at cooking. After getting to know Taiga, Nao begins to have feelings for him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisStrobe Edge (2015)
Ninako Kinoshita has never been in love until an encounter with the school's most popular boy, Ren Ichinose, leads the two to befriending each other. Ren's patient and kind personality is a far cry from his unapproachable idol status at school, and soon Ninako falls in love with him. However, she must cope with the fact that he already has a long-time girlfriend.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSay 'I Love You' (2014)
Mei Tachibana is a high school student. Due to a traumatic incident when she was a kid, Mei has been unable to make friends or have boyfriends. By mistake, Mei then injures the most popular male student named Yamato Kurosawa. Somehow, Yamato Kurosawa likes Mei Tachibana and tells everyone unilaterally that Mei is his friend. One day, Yamato Kurosawa saves Mei Tachibana from a stalker by kissing her. From that kiss, their love story begins.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFire with Fire (1986)
A tough, street-smart kid serving a sentence in a state youth reformatory meets a beautiful, innocent girl studying at a nearby convent. When forbidden love blossoms between them, they must fight the prison authorities, their parents and the law.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDogwood Tree (2010)
A young girl tries to maintain a long-distance relationship with an aspiring fisherman.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRevenge Porn: PAIN OF LOVE (2019)
Rei is a college student in the midst of finding a job. She confesses her love to Mikio, a senior whom she admires. Mikio soon demands that she perform perverted acts.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisThe Best of Me (2014)
A pair of former high school sweethearts reunite after many years when they return to visit their small hometown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClannad: The Motion Picture (2007)
Plagued by a seemingly endless stream of haunting dreams, Tomoya drifts through life with an almost overwhelming sense of anger and emptiness. Then, one fateful day, he meets the mysterious and beautiful Nagisa, and his world begins to change. While helping Nagisa revive the defunct Drama Club at their high school, Tomoya discovers that she has the same dreams. Their story starts beneath the cherry blossoms, but where will fate lead them?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisClose Range Love (2014)
A smart high school student falls in love with her English teacher after she receives one-on-one tutoring from him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like this
Like We Were There: First Love and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like We Were There: First Love?
The closest matches to We Were There: First Love are Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017), Honey Lemon Soda (2021) and ReLIFE (2017). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after We Were There: First Love?
People who watched We Were There: First Love most often go on to Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017), Honey Lemon Soda (2021) and ReLIFE (2017).
What is the highest-rated movie like We Were There: First Love?
Drawing Closer (2024), rated 8.4/10 by 240 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like We Were There: First Love?
Happyend (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like We Were There: First Love?
Yes: Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017), Honey Lemon Soda (2021) and ReLIFE (2017).
How are movies similar to We Were There: First Love chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside We Were There: First Love, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.