Movies like The Tales of Kurashiki (2025)
The best movies like The Tales of Kurashiki (2025) are All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2023) and Happyend (2024). If The Tales of Kurashiki hooked you with its drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedLook Back (2024)8.2/10 from 718 votes
- Newest100 METERS (2025)Released 2025
- In JapaneseAll About Lily Chou-Chou (2001)Also in Japanese
All 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 thisRascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2023)
Finally, the day of Mai's high school graduation has arrived. While Sakuta eagerly waits for his girlfriend, an elementary schooler who looks exactly like her appears before him. Suspicious, and for all the wrong reasons... Meanwhile, Sakuta and Kaede's father suddenly calls, saying that their mother wants to see her daughter. She was hospitalized because Kaede's condition had been too much for her to bear, so what could she possibly want now?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisRascal Does Not Dream of a Sister Venturing Out (2023)
After a draining December, Sakuta is quickly nearing the end of his second year of high school. Since Mai is a third-year student, they don't have much time left together before graduation rolls around. Meanwhile, his sister, Kaede, is slowly but steadily venturing outdoors again. Just as she begins to find her footing, she announces her most ambitious goal yet—attending her brother's high school! Sakuta knows better than anyone how difficult this will be for Kaede, and he's ready to support her however he can. He's just not sure if that's what's best for her...or what she really wants...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLook Back (2024)
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a competitive fervor in Fujino. What starts as jealousy transforms when Fujino realizes their shared passion for drawing.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFrom Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off the shackles of a troubled past. Against this backdrop of hope and change, a friendship begins to blossom between high school students Umi and Shun—but a buried secret from their past emerges to cast a shadow on the future and pull them apart.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Kirishima Thing (2012)
A story about the disappearance of Kirishima, a star athlete of the volleyball club, and how his disappearance affects every person in school.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisOrange (2015)
A girl mysteriously receives advice from her future self and as a result her group of friends, along with a newly arrived, troubled classmate, learn how to be better friends and a better community.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
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 · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisHaikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts (2017)
A recap film depicting the match against Shiratorizawa Academy in the third season of the anime series.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisSound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day (2019)
The next piece begins! Kumiko is now in her second year at Kitauji High School, and with a new year comes new problems. As if making it to Nationals wasn't hard enough, Kumiko is tasked with mentoring the concert band's troublesome first years – each with their own distinct personality and problems to solve. With Kumiko busy juggling both the concert band and her new role as senpai, how does her relationship with Shuuichi fit into the picture?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSing a Bit of Harmony (2021)
Satomi is fine being alone until an AI named Shion joins her class with a song and a promise to make her happy. While Shion’s musical numbers and princess gowns don’t quite pass as human, her antics bring Satomi closer to four other classmates. Together, they make memories worth saving, but even our most precious data can be erased.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisSummer Ghost (2021)
An urban legend says that lighting fireworks at an abandoned airfield will beckon the "summer ghost," a spirit that can answer any question. Three teenagers, Tomoya, Aoi, and Ryo, each have their own reason to show up one day. When a ghost named Ayane appears, she reveals she is only visible to those "who are about to touch their death." Compelled by the ghost and her message, Tomoya begins regularly visiting the airfield to uncover the true purpose of her visits.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLiz and the Blue Bird (2018)
In their last year of high school, two girls in the brass band club perform a song inspired by a fairy tale that parallels their friendship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this100 METERS (2025)
A gifted runner trains a determined but unskilled classmate, unaware he's creating a rival who will challenge him on the track for years to come.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBleach the Movie: Fade to Black (2008)
A strange disturbance in the World of the Living sends Ichigo and Kon to the Soul Society, where the Seireitei has been devastated by an explosion of reishi and Rukia is missing. Stranger still, none of the Soul Reapers remember Ichigo, and they think he’s the one responsible for the destruction. Now on the run, Ichigo is forced into a lonely battle in order to find Rukia and stop the real culprits!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisWhisper of the Heart (1995)
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisMai Mai Miracle (2009)
Inspired by her grandfather's stories, young Shinko embarks on wild flights of fancy about the history of the little town she lives in. But dreams can't fend off the realities of growing up.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlack★Rock Shooter (2010)
The story of two girls bound in friendship, as well as Black Rock Star's struggle unfolding in another world. But when the two worlds come together... what will happen?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)
When 17-year-old Makoto Konno gains the ability to 'leap' backwards through time, she immediately sets about improving her grades and preventing personal mishaps. However, she soon realises that changing the past isn't as simple as it seems, and eventually, will have to rely on her new powers to shape the future of herself and her friends.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrom the End of the World (2023)
Hana, a high school student who lost her parents in an accident, does not fit in at school and cannot find any reason to live. Suddenly one day, a man claiming to be from a special government organization visits her and asks her to tell him about a dream she had. Hana is confused and has no idea what is happening, but that night she has a strange dream.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Sidekicks (1992)
Asthmatic teenager Barry Gabrewski is a daydreamer. Troubled by bullying, he escapes into a fantasy world where he is the sidekick to his martial arts hero, Chuck Norris, in a series of high-octane adventures taken right out of his movies. With help from his teacher's wise old uncle, Mr. Lee, Barry learns the finer points of martial arts and enters a karate championship.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
SnoozefestMovies like thisChihayafuru: Part III (2018)
Story takes place 2 years after "Chihayafuru Part 2" and Chihaya is now a high school senior.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
After My Death (2018)
When a school girl disappears, suicide is suspected, and one of her classmates is suspected of having goaded her into it.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDebating Robert Lee (2004)
A group of jaded high school students sign up for a debate class taught by a tough, combative teacher from the Georgia Military Academy who teaches them that life is debate and DEBATE IS WAR.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Tokyo Ghoul: Jack (2015)
Who needs school, who needs baseball, and who needs friends? That's the attitude of high school delinquent, Taishi Fura, who became a loner after falling out with his peers. One day, he witnesses the brutal attack of a ghoul, which left one of his former friends in the hospital and the other dead. Determined to avenge them, Fura decides to pursue the man-eating monster. His efforts allow him to cross paths with Kishou Arima, a quiet student who also attends his high school. Arima, however, is no ordinary student. Despite his young age, he is a full-fledged investigator of the CCG, a government task force that strives to deal with the ghoul threat. Together, Fura and Arima hunt down the ghoul, known as Lantern, but it soon becomes apparent the monster may be closer than anyone suspects. In this side story, Tokyo Ghoul: "Jack" offers a glimpse into the past of Kishou Arima, well before he ever became the CCG's feared God of Death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBlue Spring (2001)
Soon after being named the new leader of his high school's gang system, Kujo grows bored with the violence and hatred that surround him. He wants desperately to abandon his post… but his once-enviable position of power has a strange way of making him feel powerless.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisFrom Today, It’s My Turn!!: Special (2020)
Three years after the event of the series, Takashi Mitsuhashi and Shinji Ito face the new enemies.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Haikyu!! The Movie: Talent and Sense (2017)
A compilation film depicting the match against Aoba Johsai High School in the second season of the anime series. It will also include new scenes portraying what happened after the match.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Green Harvest (1959)
In 1943, a group of high school students decide to take action against the Nazi occupying forces. Showing courage and imagination, they manage to blow up the Kommandantur and to release hostages. But after the killing of a German soldier the Nazi police apparatus strikes back. The young resisters are arrested and two of them are condemned to death.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like The Tales of Kurashiki?
The closest matches to The Tales of Kurashiki are All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2023) and Happyend (2024). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after The Tales of Kurashiki?
Start with All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), the closest match to The Tales of Kurashiki.
What is the highest-rated movie like The Tales of Kurashiki?
Look Back (2024), rated 8.2/10 by 718 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like The Tales of Kurashiki?
100 METERS (2025) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like The Tales of Kurashiki?
Yes: All About Lily Chou-Chou (2001), Rascal Does Not Dream of a Knapsack Kid (2023) and Happyend (2024).
How are movies similar to The Tales of Kurashiki chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside The Tales of Kurashiki, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.