Movies like A Girl on the Shore (2021)
The best movies like A Girl on the Shore (2021) are Fruits Basket -prelude- (2022), The Stranger by the Shore (2020) and Fire with Fire (1986). If A Girl on the Shore hooked you with its drama and romance, these 30 similar films are what to watch next, and every pick says why it matches.
Quick picks
- Highest ratedChainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025)8.5/10 from 1,291 votes
- NewestLove Me Love Me (2026)Released 2026
- In JapaneseFruits Basket -prelude- (2022)Also in Japanese
Fruits Basket -prelude- (2022)
Kyoko, who couldn't believe anything in the world and lived a desolate life, meets Katsuya Honda, who has been assigned as an educational trainee. She is at the mercy of Katsuya, who is rude and has a strong habit, and she is gradually attracted to her. However, she is disowned by her parents in the wake of an incident with her bad fellow. It's a punishment that I've been doing as much as I like. Katsuya appears in front of Kyoko who thinks so...
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Stranger by the Shore (2020)
Abandoned after coming out, Shun befriends Mio just before he has to move. Years later, Mio returns with a confession. How will Shun feel?
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Absolute CinemaMovies 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 thisOne Week Friends (2017)
High school student Yuki Hase wants to become close with classmate Kaori Fujimiya who is alway by herself. Kaori Fujimiya refuses to become close with Yuki Hase, because she forgets her friends every new Monday. Even though Kaori tells Yuki why she doesn't want to become friends, Yuki still wants to become close to her.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIt Feels So Good (2019)
When it rains it pours. Kenji divorced his wife, lost his job and his old squeeze Naoko is getting married back home in the north of Japan, specifically in Akita. He returns there in order to attend her wedding. Naoko surprises him by proposing that they have sex again. The one night stand is the new beginning.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Pillow Book (1995)
Nagiko has a fetish for calligraphy on the human body and meets her ideal soulmate Jerome, an English translator sent to Japan. However, once Nagiko's father's gay publisher rejoins the scene, the story is overtaken by treachery and bloodlust.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChemical Hearts (2020)
When a hopelessly romantic high school senior falls for a mysterious new classmate, it sets them both on an unexpected journey that teaches them about love, loss, and most importantly themselves.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisKeith (2008)
Natalie is high school royalty, but her queen bee status falls apart when she falls for the new guy at school. Although Keith ignores her at first, they soon become friends -- even though Natalie suspects that Keith has something to hide. As the free-spirited Keith shows Natalie how to embrace what life offers, they grow closer -- until a secret tests the bounds of their relationship
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisGO (2001)
Sugihara, a Japanese-born, third-generation Korean teenager struggles to find a place in a society that will not accept him.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisAfter We Collided (2020)
Tessa finds herself struggling with her complicated relationship with Hardin; she faces a dilemma that could change their lives forever.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like thisLove Me Love Me (2026)
After her brother's death, June moves to Milan for a fresh start, finding comfort in Will, the perfect honor student at her new international school. But when his troubled best friend James—hiding a dangerous life in clandestine MMA fights—sparks a rivalry that quickly turns into irresistible attraction, June must choose between safety and a love that upends everything she thought she wanted.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisIn the Realm of the Senses (1976)
A passionate telling of the story of Sada Abe, a woman whose affair with her master led to an obsessive and ultimately destructive sexual relationship.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisThe Fugitive Kind (1960)
Val Xavier, a drifter of obscure origins, arrives at a small town and gets a job in a store run by Lady Torrence. Her husband, Jabe M. Torrance, is dying of cancer. Val is pursued by Carol Cutere, the enigmatic local tramp-of-good-family.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance & drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisBlue Story (2019)
Blue Story is a tragic tale of a friendship between Timmy and Marco, two young boys from opposing postcodes. Timmy, a shy, smart, naive and timid young boy from Deptford, goes to school in Peckham where he strikes up a friendship with Marco, a charismatic, streetwise kid from the local area. Although from warring postcodes, the two quickly form a firm friendship until it is tested and they wind up on rival sides of a street war. Blue Story depicts elements of Rapman's own personal experiences and aspects of his childhood.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama & romance
Worth the HypeMovies like this10DANCE (2025)
Two dancers, opposites in all but their art, agree to train together for a competition. At first, they clash, but soon become drawn to each other.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · 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: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisBattle Royale (2000)
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like thisRiver's Edge (2018)
High schooler Haruna befriends loner Yamada, then is drawn into the tangled relationship between him, a model and the girl who loves him unreasonably.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisTaboo (1999)
Set during Japan's Shogun era, this film looks at life in a samurai compound where young warriors are trained in swordfighting. A number of interpersonal conflicts are brewing in the training room, all centering on a handsome young samurai named Sozaburo Kano. The school's stern master can choose to intervene, or to let Kano decide his own path.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisChainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025)
In a world where devils are born from humanity’s fears, Denji has only ever dreamed of living a simple life, eating good food, finding happiness, and experiencing the warmth of being loved. Then, one rainy afternoon, fate leads him to Reze, a mysterious girl working at a small café. With her disarming smile, playful charm, and unexpected kindness, she offers Denji something he has rarely known—a glimpse of an ordinary life beyond bloodshed and chaos.
Why it matches: Recommended by TMDB viewers · both romance
Absolute CinemaMovies like thisFlor do Ártico (2022)
Laura and Clarice live very different realities. While Laura tries to decide her life and take courage about her future, Clarice deals with her past tormented by an abusive relationship. Their lives intertwine as Laura's curiosity speaks louder, she takes her first dose of courage, and a passion arises with both facing their previous baggage and future plans along the way.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Sky Lovers (2002)
In a picturesque Guangxi village, deaf Wang Jiakuan falls for Zhu Ling, who is already in love with someone else. Cai Yuzhen, visiting to find her brother, stays with Wang Jiakuan and falls for him. Zhu Ling, pregnant and locked in her room, is discovered by villagers who also learn Cai Yuzhen is mute. Heartbroken, Wang Jiakuan leaves but returns, and Zhu Ling tries to match him with Cai Yuzhen.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
The Last Night (2019)
A young couple's last hours together before a trip that will separate them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance & drama
Otra Vez (2023)
Two young people, Álex and Casandra, coincide at a party to celebrate the end of high school. After a large conversation, emerges a connection between them that ends up revealing the past and the future that unite them.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
In Between Heartbeats (TBA)
Guided by a queer deity, a closeted man is forced to confront his parents as he tries to regain his lost sense of identity.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama & romance
Lower City (2005)
Best friends Deco and Naldinho co-own a cargo boat in Brazil's Salvador da Bahia. They give a ride to a sultry prostitute named Karinna, and soon both men fall prey to her considerable sexual charms, pushing the bounds of their friendship to the limit.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Popcorn FlickMovies like thisFurrows (1973)
Marta is a young, energetic girl who wants to become a tractor driver. Her husband, Adem, initially supports her, but then she discovers his true nature.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
The Class (2008)
Teacher and novelist François Bégaudeau plays a version of himself as he negotiates a year with his racially mixed students from a tough Parisian neighborhood.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Worth the HypeMovies like this10 (1979)
A Hollywood songwriter goes through a mid-life crisis and becomes infatuated with a sexy blonde newlywed.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both romance
SnoozefestMovies like thisActs of Mercy (2009)
Under the thumb of Nurse Baker, Nurse Maggie Collins struggles to care for the long-term residents of Moss Oak Manor, a home for the elderly. When good intentions are misinterpreted, Maggie must struggle to address issues of ambition and ethics.
Why it matches: Similar story and style · both drama
Like A Girl on the Shore and something else?
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Frequently asked questions
What are the best movies like A Girl on the Shore?
The closest matches to A Girl on the Shore are Fruits Basket -prelude- (2022), The Stranger by the Shore (2020) and Fire with Fire (1986). Below are 27 more, each with the reason it matches.
What should I watch after A Girl on the Shore?
Start with Fruits Basket -prelude- (2022), the closest match to A Girl on the Shore.
What is the highest-rated movie like A Girl on the Shore?
Chainsaw Man - The Movie: Reze Arc (2025), rated 8.5/10 by 1,291 TMDB users.
What is the newest movie like A Girl on the Shore?
Love Me Love Me (2026) is the most recent release on this list.
Are there Japanese movies like A Girl on the Shore?
Yes: Fruits Basket -prelude- (2022), The Stranger by the Shore (2020) and One Week Friends (2017).
How are movies similar to A Girl on the Shore chosen?
First come films that Trakt’s viewers watch alongside A Girl on the Shore, then TMDB’s recommendations and films it rates as similar in story and genre. Each pick says which signal put it there.