Movies like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend (2026)
The best movies like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend (2026) are Fireworks (2017), maboroshi (2023) and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010). If Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend hooked you with its animation and drama, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedViolet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)8.3/10 from 562 votes
- NewestMononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024)Released 2024
- In JapaneseFireworks (2017)Also in Japanese
Fireworks (2017)
Moshimo, Japan. The annual fireworks festival is about to take place and a group of schoolboys, arguing over whether they are round or flat when viewed from different angles, set out to find it out.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thismaboroshi (2023)
A factory explosion plunges a small town into a timeless freeze, leaving teenage Masamune and his pals to grapple with a quickly collapsing reality.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisThe Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010)
A week before Christmas, Kyon wakes up in a world where the SOS Brigade doesn't exist. Mikuru and Yuki don't recognize him, and Haruhi and Itsuki seem to have vanished.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisViolet Evergarden: The Movie (2020)
As the world moves on from the war and technological advances bring changes to her life, Violet still hopes to see her lost commanding officer again.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPsychic School Wars (2012)
It's a new school year at the local Junior High School i Kamakura. The school year starts off with a new transfer student Ryoichi Kyogoku who joins the 8th grade class. He has been ordered to join the school, and use his special gift of telepathy and take over their school. This boy who happens to be handsome, and be a charismatic person, gains popularity, and using his powers takes over the entire school, except for Seki. This begins a war to regain their freedom for their school and themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDetective Conan: Dimensional Sniper (2014)
A rash of sniper attacks leaves the streets of Tokyo empty and the public terrified to go outside. It’s up to Conan and his friends to find the culprit, but the case goes deeper than it seems. Military cover-ups, conspiracies and murder abound in this fast-paced, thrilling mystery!
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie Part 2 (2023)
One by one, Sailor Moon’s friends and loved ones are targeted by a formidable new enemy who threatens to destroy everything and rule over the cosmos. After devastating losses, Sailor Moon endures her battle against Shadow Galactica. Will despair crush her, or will she find light in the darkness?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisPretty Guardian Sailor Moon Cosmos the Movie Part 1 (2023)
The Sailor Guardians enjoy a brief moment of peace until Mamoru's Golden Crystal is stolen by Sailor Galaxia and the mysterious Sailor Starlights appear. One by one, Sailor Moon’s friends and loved ones are targeted by a formidable new enemy who threatens to destroy everything and rule over the cosmos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Me, the One Who Loved You (2022)
Koyomi Hidaka and Shiori Sato meet at his father’s research center and begin to fall in love, but so do their parents, who eventually marry. To avoid becoming stepsiblings, they decide to run away to a parallel universe. Traveling between dimensions is common in their world, but not without repercussions. Does a universe exist for the young couple, and what will it cost them to find it?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies 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 animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024)
In the chambers of the Edo harem, two newcomers uncover political intrigue, rivalry and a vengeful spirit only one traveling medicine seller can vanquish.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisDetective Conan: The Time Bombed Skyscraper (1997)
Once brilliant teenage detective Shinichi Kudo was given a poison that reverted him to a 4-year-old. He's adopted the pseudonym Conan Edogawa so no one (save for an eccentric inventor) will know. Now he's got to solve a series of bombings before his loved ones become victims. Who is this madman and why is he doing this? Only the young genius can save the day but will even he be up to the task?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Worth the HypeMovies like thisTo Every You I've Loved Before (2022)
While struggling to make friends after his parents’ divorce, Koyomi Takasaki meets Kazune Takigawa, but apparently, they already have. Kazune reveals that she’s from World Line 85, an alternate universe in which she and Koyomi are lovers. But in a reality where moving between dimensions is natural, could Koyomi be the one from another world?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisSteins;Gate: The Movie - Load Region of Déjà Vu (2013)
One year after the events of the anime, Rintarou begins to feel the repercussions of extensive time travel, and eventually completely fades from reality. Kurisu, being the only companion to remember him, now must find a way to bring him back.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms (2018)
Fleeing the war, the immortal Maquia, graced with eternal youth, finds a baby abandoned in the forest and decides to raise it as her own child, sparking a moving story between a mortal and a being who does not age.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisColorful (2010)
Upon reaching the train station to death, a dejected soul is informed that he is lucky and will have another chance at life. He is placed in the body of a 14-year-old boy named Kobayashi Makoto, who has just committed suicide. Watched over by a neutral spirit named Purapura, the soul must figure out what his greatest sin and mistake in his former life was, before his time limit in Makoto's body runs out. He also has a number of other lesser duties he must complete, such as understanding what led Makoto to commit suicide in the first place and learning how to enjoy his second chance at life.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisCase Closed: The Crimson Love Letter (2017)
Bombing case at Nichiuri TV in autumn. The Satsuki Cup, which crowns the winner of Japan's Hyakunin Isshu, is currently being filmed inside the facility. The incident results in a big commotion and, while the building is burning to ashes, the only people left inside are Hattori and Toyama Kazuha. They get rescued just in time by Conan , who rushes to the scene. Both the identity and purposes of the bomber are unknown.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both animation & mystery
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlack Butler: Book of Murder (2014)
At the Queen’s request, Ciel and the demon butler Sebastian host an extravagant dinner party for the who’s who of the London underground. But an evening that begins with the promise of unmatched elegance quickly spirals into mayhem when their most distinguished guest is found murdered in his room. Now, trapped in the Phantomhive Manor by a dark and stormy night, Ciel and Sebastian must work together with their high-class guests, including the legendary author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, to find the murderer in their midst before the blame falls on the host and his somewhat suspicious staff.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both mystery & animation
Worth the HypeMovies like thisMaison Ikkoku: The Final Chapter (1988)
Yagami comes to Maison Ikkoku, not knowing of Godai's and Kyoko's wedding, stating that she is now an adult, which she is, not knowing how to tell her, they panic, but she finds out in the end, and is heart broken.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & romance
xxxHOLiC The Movie: A Midsummer Night's Dream (2005)
Invited to a wealthy client's mansion, time-traveling witch Yuko and her companions arrive to find a group of collectors assembled to participate in a mysterious auction. And the mystery only deepens when the collectors go missing one by one. As more guests disappear and strange occurrences abound, Yuko and her friends realize they must solve the mystery before they vanish as well.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTomorrow's Joe The Movie (1980)
An abridged remake of the first Ashita no Joe TV series, released in 1980 to provide back-story for the second TV series to new fans who were not familiar with the first TV series or the manga.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Unico in the Island of Magic (1983)
A young unicorn named Unico must fight an evil magician and save everyone who's trapped under his spell.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation & drama
Reckless (1984)
Teenager Johnny Rourke is reckless. Born on the wrong side of the tracks, he breaks the law and girls' hearts with equal cool. Cheerleader Tracey Prescott is reckless too. She dumps her conventional life and boring boyfriend to follow Johnny wherever his dangerous path leads.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Year of the Wolf (2007)
Sari is a young, beautiful and intelligent girl who is busy studying at university,but she suffers from epilepsy and has to face death on a daily basis. Mikko is hersomewhat older university teacher, who is tired of life, and who one day decides toabandon his wife, children and idea of a perfect life. Both characters have been tooscared to live their lives to the brim for too long. But they meet, and in spite oftheir prejudices and reserved natures, they manage to create a dramatic and movingmodern romance which confronts numerous taboos. While the imagery explores theboundary between life and death in a most poetic way, the odd couple's romance istold with both bite and humour. Society - be it in the shape of angry ex-wives,overprotective parents, conservative aunts or embittered colleagues - is doing whatit can to put a spanner in the works."
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Moldiver (1993)
A naïve young girl accidentally modifies her brother's secret superhero uniform and becomes the unwilling superheroine Moldiver.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest (1990)
The evil Dr. Kochin uses the dragon balls to resurrect his mentor, Dr. Wheelo, in an effort to take over the world. Dr. Wheelo, his body having been destroyed by the avalanche that killed him fifty years before, desires the body of the strongest fighter in the world as his new vessel. Believing Roshi to be the world's strongest warrior, Dr. Kochin abducts Bulma and forces Roshi to surrender himself to save her. When Goku hears of their abduction, he goes to their rescue.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisDragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990)
Goku and friends must stop a band of space pirates from consuming fruit from the Tree of Might before it's destructive powers drain Earth's energy.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both animation
Popcorn FlickMovies like this
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?
The closest matches to Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend are Fireworks (2017), maboroshi (2023) and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?
Start with Fireworks (2017), the closest match to Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend.
What is the highest-rated movie like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?
Violet Evergarden: The Movie (2020), rated 8.3/10 by 562 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?
Mononoke the Movie: The Phantom in the Rain (2024) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend?
Yes: Fireworks (2017), maboroshi (2023) and The Disappearance of Haruhi Suzumiya (2010).
How are movies similar to Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside Rascal Does Not Dream of a Dear Friend, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.