Top 10 Japanese Romantic/Love School Movies

Here is a list of Japanese Romance/Teen Movies that I would recommend.

Paradise Kiss 

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.

My views
Paradise Kiss contains all the necessary ingredients to have made the comics wildly popular, such as romance love triangles, pretty lasses, handsome boys,  and fashion from head to toe. It's quite easy to spot a manga series targeted at the female population for all its wistful looking images often adorned with beautiful imagery, and one thing I can never fathom is how unrealistically slim everyone looks, even the guys turn out tall, lanky and personally, very feminine looking too. Narratively, like most romances for teens, it's really lightweight with threads on relationships, unrequited affections, young puppy love with romantic triangles. I generally liked the outfits in the animation series more.

Kinkyori Renai | Close Range Love

A smart high school student falls in love with her new handsome English teacher after she begins to receive one-on-one tutoring from him.

My views
Good story and a show of unconventional love. The student and teacher love is not so taboo anymore, her it happens and is natural among humans, but why would the man choose the student over the much cooler and prettier new teacher? or at least pick Nami Chan that would be more natural. Still, if you are interested in taboo love that society has forbidden this is a good film. It also makes a good point. Really enjoy Yamashita's in this movie. He did a great job!

Heroine Shikkaku | No Longer Heroine

Hatori is in love with her childhood friend Rita, but when Rita gets himself a girlfriend Hatoris world turns upside down.

My views
The comedy aspect is strong in the first half of the movie. Extremely hilarious and unexpected, refreshing, at first you may think "Hey, it's really one time watching." Pity it turns out into a boring usual high-school love drama. I watched the movie until the end, with the hoping that there would be some twist in the story or unexpected comedy scene, but nothing more than cute romantic scenes. Nakajima acting is amazing; her "I-don't-give-a-damn" attitude is amazing. The 'illogical' thing is how she don't seem really mind that Hatori keeps calling her 'stupid' over and over. Nakajima looks like a good girl, instead.



Ao Haru Ride | Blue Spring Ride 


Futaba lost her first love, Kou, in middle school when he suddenly moved. In high school, she met a guy who resembled Kou, but has a different last name. She needs to know if he is the same guy, and why he moved without letting her know.

My views
When she was a middle school student, Futaba Yoshioka liked Kou Tanaka who was unlike the other boys and quite gentle. Kou then moved away and they lost contact. At the end of Futaba's first year as a high school student she meets Kou again. Tanaka-kun who was always so warm, shy and liked to smile is now cynic and slightly dark nature Mabuchi Kou. The movie do lack in a few of great movie elements but still enjoyable if you like anime. The movie is cute and can be emotional if you can bare some clingy spots.

Sukitte iinayo. | Say "I love you" 

 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 likes Mei and tells everyone unilaterally that Mei is his friend. One day, Yamato saves Mei from a stalker by kissing her. From that kiss, their love story begins.

My views
The movie is an up and down Topsy curvy high school drama and romance, but with many problems. As always, a high school girl is being bullied, she hates everyone in the school but soon is fallen in love with main character played by Haruna. Then there is the matter of the flick of the switch where the film literally changes tempo on the fly and goes from hatred and loneliness to sympathy and friendship i.e. with all genre of the movies. I believe a little more character development and explanation would have helped this transition.

L-DK 

Aoi lives in an apartment by herself. Shusei moves in next to Aoi's apartment. Shusei is a very popular student. Due to a mistake, Aoi makes the sprinkler go off in his room. Until his room is fixed, he stays with Aoi.

My views
Great romantic comedy movie with great chemistry for the leads. Actor does the justice to the movie. I really liked the manga, so I watched the movie. It's really cute and didn't let me down.

Orange 

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.

My views
Orange is a 2015 Japanese teen fantasy drama film based on the manga series of the same name by Ichigo Takano. Naho Takamiya is a 2nd year high school student. During the spring, Naho Takamiya receives a letter sent by herself from 10 years in the future. In the letter, she liked transfer student Kakeru Naruse. Kakeru Naruse carried emotional scars from his mother's suicide and he died one year later. 26-years-old Naho Takamiya thinks about Kakeru Naruse often. 2nd year high school student Naho Takamiya, with the knowledge of what she feels 10 years in the future, takes action to change her future. Condensing the story would have been more fluid and more impact. This movie absolutely did not need to be almost 2 and a half hours long!

Kimi ni Todoke | From Me To You 

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.

My views
Kuronuma Savako, is a silent girl with long black hair, which resembles the hairstyle of ‘Sadako’, a ghost from Japanese Movie ‘The Ring’. Because of this, and her silent nature, everyone in the High school is scared of her, calls her ‘Sadako’, and there are many scary rumors spread around about her. But Savako who believes in doing one good deed a day, thinks that for her classmates’ happiness, she should not speak with them, and continue to be the ghostly girl for their sake. However, Kazehaya Shouta, the most popular boy in the school thinks different. He try to speak with Savako and with his help, she gets new friends and starts to interact with the class more.It's the first anime that's made me tear up and the movie did it to me also. If you like watching anime, I recommend this movie.


Koizora | Sky Of Love 



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.

My views
This movie is excellent, very sweet and true. It is a touching love story between Tahara Mika and Sakurai Hiro which spans high school years through to early college years. Mika is in her first year of high school when she encounters Hiro, a boy in the year above hers. When Mika loses her phone, she finds it in the school library. She starts receiving mysterious phone calls from a boy who won't reveal his identity, but they start getting to know each other. Finally, they arrange to meet a day after Mika's birthday. The boy is none other than Hiro, and he stands in front of Mika holding a bunch of baby breath flowers, wishing her a happy birthday. From there, their romance unfurls.


Boku no Hatsukoi wo Kimi ni Sasagu | I Give My First Love to You 


Takuma knows that his life is shorter that 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.

My views
Takuma and Mayu had been friends since childhood. Takuma had been the patient of Mayu’s dad who is a doctor. Takuma was born with a hole in his heart and doctors had declared that he would not live past age 20, if he does not get a heart transplant before that. Takuma (Okada Masaki) and Mayu (Inou Mao) grow up together and naturally develops romantic feelings for each other and naturally becomes a couple. However, when they step in to High School, Takuma decides to break up with Mayu, because he thinks being with him is just making her sad because of his condition. I will not deny this makes a perfect date movie, since the message here is quite clear on the appreciation of someone else no matter how quirky they can be, and never to doubt anyone's commitment. Between the two leads whose performances were key in fleshing out the intricate characters and making them believable and engaging, Mao Inoue shines as that cheerful ray of sunshine in Takuma's life, and her antics are what brings about the light hearted moments in the film. It's melodramatic territory sometimes, but your typical Japanese romantic movie that will tug at your heartstrings this will be. Be prepared and pack those tissues. Recommended.

(Source: MyDramaList, Wikipedia)

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