Top 25 Japanese Romance Movies as of 2018
by Uxorae | created - 11 May 2013 | updated - 03 May 2018 | PublicA collection of the top 25 Japanese romance titles in my opinion. Will be updated as I watch more movies. I listed them in order starting from the best.
For my Korean romance movie list check out Top 40 Must See Korean Romance Movies as of 2016
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1. Love Exposure (2008)
Unrated | 237 min | Action, Comedy, Drama
A bizarre love triangle forms between a young Catholic upskirt photographer, a misandric girl and a manipulative cultist.
Director: Sion Sono | Stars: Takahiro Nishijima, Hikari Mitsushima, Sakura Andô, Yutaka Shimizu
Votes: 15,916
Not exclusively romance, but I think it deserves to be number 1 due to the breadth of life lessons and concepts covered in this almost 4 hour epic. If you don't like thinking too much while watching, this won't be the movie for you, but for everyone else this is perfect!
2. Heavenly Forest (2006)
116 min | Drama, Romance
A photographer named Makoto travels to New York during Christmas to look for his best friend, Shizuru. The two first met when Makoto attended his university entrance ceremony. Due to his ... See full summary »
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Hiroshi Tamaki, Munetaka Aoki, Saori Ban
Votes: 3,602
Aoi Miyazaki is absolutely adorable in this film
3. Midnight Sun (2006)
119 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Kaoru has a sickness that hindered her to go out when the sun is up. Despite this sickness, she fell in love with a boy named Koji. If she decides to pursue her love, it will mean risking her life.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Yui, Takashi Tsukamoto, Kuniko Asagi, Eri Fuse
Votes: 1,951 | Gross: $9.03M
4. Sky of Love (2007)
120 min | Drama, Romance
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.
Director: Natsuki Imai | Stars: Yui Aragaki, Haruma Miura, Yûko Asano, Yôsuke Asari
Votes: 3,763
5. Josee, the Tiger and the Fish (2003)
116 min | Drama, Romance
Tsuneo is a university student working part-time in a mah-jong parlour. Lately the customers have been talking about an old lady who pushes a baby carriage through the streets. They say she... See full summary »
Director: Isshin Inudô | Stars: Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chizuru Ikewaki, Juri Ueno, Hirofumi Arai
Votes: 2,304
18+
6. I Give My First Love to You (2009)
122 min | Drama, Romance
Takuma knows that his life is shorter than the others and he feels that his demise is getting near. He chose to stay away from the girl that he loves so that she can easily move on. What he didn't know is that he is under-estimating her.
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Mao Inoue, Masaki Okada, Natsuki Harada, Keiko Horiuchi
Votes: 2,845
7. Dogwood Tree (2010)
128 min | Adventure, Drama, Romance
This is a love story of a couple over the span of 10 years. Kouhei fell in love with Sae at first sight and soon they became a couple. But they had to part as Sae aims to go to a college in Tokyo while Kouhei is an aspiring fisherman.
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Yui Aragaki, Tôma Ikuta, Nichola Grant, Manatsu Hayashi
Votes: 1,305
8. Cyborg She (2008)
115 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
A lonely university student develops a romance with a beautiful interesting woman, who turns out to be a cyborg from the future.
Director: Jae-young Kwak | Stars: Haruka Ayase, Keisuke Koide, Risa Ai, Nya Daigo
Votes: 4,249
9. We Were There: First Love (2012)
123 min | Drama, Romance
It chronicles the love relationship between a boy called Motoharu Yano and a girl called Nanami Takahashi, starting from their teenage years and continuing during their early twenties.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Tôma Ikuta, Yuriko Yoshitaka, Sôsuke Takaoka, Yuika Motokariya
Votes: 701
Also includes We Were There: True Love (This is a two part series)
10. Ima, ai ni yukimasu (2004)
119 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A young woman returns from the dead to her guilt-ridden husband and son, but she cannot remember them.
Director: Nobuhiro Doi | Stars: Yûko Takeuchi, Shidô Nakamura, Akashi Takei, Karen Miyama
Votes: 5,022
11. Niji no megami (2006)
118 min | Drama, Romance
Incompetent film set gopher Tomoya finds out that the girl he loved has died in a plane crash, after he e-mails a picture of a rainbow to her. While her family sets off to retrieve a body, he recalls the love affair they never really had.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Hayato Ichihara, Juri Ueno, Yû Aoi, Wakana Sakai
Votes: 1,495
12. I Like (2005)
104 min | Drama, Romance
A high school student named Yu has a crush on one of her classmates, Yosuke. The boy spends most of his time sitting outside and playing his guitar, and Yu sits nearby and listens. One day,... See full summary »
Director: Hiroshi Ishikawa | Stars: Aoi Miyazaki, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Hiromi Nagasaku, Eita Nagayama
Votes: 1,207
13. Dolls (2002)
114 min | Drama, Romance
Three stories of never-ending love.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Miho Kanno, Hidetoshi Nishijima, Tatsuya Mihashi, Kyôko Fukada
Votes: 17,366 | Gross: $0.00M
14. A Scene at the Sea (1991)
101 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
The lives of a young, hearing-impaired and gloomy couple are fulfilled after the boy holds interest in surfboarding.
Director: Takeshi Kitano | Stars: Claude Maki, Hiroko Ôshima, Sabu Kawahara, Toshizo Fujiwara
Votes: 6,689
15. Love Letter (1995)
PG | 117 min | Drama, Romance
When exchanging letters two women discover new things about a man they knew.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Miho Nakayama, Etsushi Toyokawa, Bunjaku Han, Katsuyuki Shinohara
Votes: 11,009
16. Crying Out Love in the Center of the World (2004)
138 min | Drama, Romance
While searching for his fiancee Ritsuko, Sakutarou rediscovers through flashbacks the void deep within him caused by the events from his high school days.
Director: Isao Yukisada | Stars: Takao Osawa, Kô Shibasaki, Masami Nagasawa, Mirai Moriyama
Votes: 3,896
17. Paradise Kiss (2011)
115 min | Drama
A chance encounter leads Yukari, a burnt out high school student, to a group of dedicated fashion design students. She becomes their model for their graduating exhibition and discovers her talent for modeling.
Director: Takehiko Shinjô | Stars: Keiko Kitagawa, Osamu Mukai, Shunji Igarashi, Kento Kaku
Votes: 1,768
18. From Me to You (2010)
128 min | Drama, Romance
A girl that resemble "Sadako" of the movie Ring is being feared by her classmates. She is avoided by everyone.While everyone is avoiding her, the popular boy Shota Kazehaya befriends her, and their love begins to grow.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Mikako Tabe, Haruma Miura, Misako Renbutsu, Haru Aoyama
Votes: 2,945
19. Laundry (2002)
126 min | Drama, Romance
A young man named Teru, mentally altered by a childhood injury, runs a laundry and falls for Mizue, a lonely young woman with internal scars.
Director: Jun'ichi Mori | Stars: Yôsuke Kubozuka, Koyuki, Takashi Naitô, Ken'ichirô Tanabe
Votes: 658
20. April Story (1998)
67 min | Drama, Romance
In spring, a young girl leaves the island of Hokkaido to attend university in Tokyo.
Director: Shunji Iwai | Stars: Takako Matsu, Seiichi Tanabe, Kazuhiko Kato, Kaori Fujii
Votes: 4,088
21. The Liar and His Lover (2013)
117 min | Romance
A love story between a famous 25-year-old songwriter, who keeps his identity hidden from the public, and a 16-year-old high school student who possesses a gifted voice.
Director: Norihiro Koizumi | Stars: Takeru Satoh, Ryô Yoshizawa, Masataka Kubota, Takashi Sorimachi
Votes: 1,593
22. The Girl in the Sun (2013)
128 min | Drama, Fantasy, Romance
A salesman named Kosuke Okuda happens to meet Mao Watarai, a friend from his middle school days. Back then Mao was bullied, but now she is an attractive woman. Kosuke and Mao fall in love and decide to marry, but Mao has a secret.
Director: Takahiro Miki | Stars: Takumi Kitamura, Masaki Suda, Tôko Miura, Tetsuji Tamayama
Votes: 1,023
23. From Me to You (2010)
128 min | Drama, Romance
A girl that resemble "Sadako" of the movie Ring is being feared by her classmates. She is avoided by everyone.While everyone is avoiding her, the popular boy Shota Kazehaya befriends her, and their love begins to grow.
Director: Naoto Kumazawa | Stars: Mikako Tabe, Haruma Miura, Misako Renbutsu, Haru Aoyama
Votes: 2,945
24. Days with You (2009)
103 min | Drama, Romance
Natsuki takes care of her young autistic brother. She then meets her old childhood friend and falls in love, unfortunately he suffers from a serious illness.
Director: Amiy Mori | Stars: Erika Toda, Kazuki Katô, Mitsuru Fukikoshi, Midoriko Kimura
Votes: 108
25. I Just Wanna Hug You (2014)
122 min | Romance
Tsukasa got into a severe car accident when she was a high school student. She still suffers from the effects of that accident, with memory impairment and needing to use a wheelchair. ... See full summary »
Director: Akihiko Shiota | Stars: Keiko Kitagawa, Ryô Nishikido, Jun Fubuki, Aya Hirayama
Votes: 377
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