Best movies & TV Shows like Arakawa Under the Bridge

When she was a middle school student, Futaba Yoshioka liked Kou Tanaka who was unlike the other boys and quite gentle. Kou Tanaka then moved away and they lost contact. At the end of Futaba Yoshioka's first year as a high school student she meets Kou Tanaka again. Kou Tanaka’s name has changed to Kou Mabuchi and his personality seems different from his middle school days.

Ever since his mother died, Kazuna Takashiro has been living under the roof of Mr. And Mrs. Eda, who are his father’s friends. One day, he passes out while working as a model in an art class. Repeated nightmarish imageries invade his mind, and, without even knowing, he heads toward his old home. Once he gets there, he is reunited with his older sister, Chizuna, who tells him about the secret of the grave “illness” that runs in their family. An illness that make them overcome with a desire for blood of others. When Kazuna’s symptoms are all apparent with shivering fit and all, Chizuna tries to give him her own blood, and remarks that nothing can be done about it…

Every day, a young girl wearing a mask stands by the beach and sings a nostalgic melody. After experiencing two sudden heart-wrenching partings when she was only a child, Nino Arisugawa has been singing her songs to the ocean, bound by a promise made with her two childhood friends—her first love, Momo Sakaki, and a boy who composed music, Kanade "Yuzu" Yuzuriha. Having never met each other, the boys both individually promised that if Nino was ever separated from them, her voice would be the beacon to reunite them once again.

Riku, the heir to a corporate conglomerate, is determined to go through life never owing anything to anyone on principle. However, one day he nearly drowns in a river and is saved by a homeless girl named Nino. To repay his debt, he begins living together with her on the banks of the river as her lover.

A homeless man meets a medical school student who pays him to volunteer for a surgical procedure known as trepanation, drilling a hole in his skull, which ends up giving him the ability to communicate with the dark side of people’s subconscious minds.

3 years after the ultimate life-or-death game with Teiai Group, Kaiji was entrapped by Teiai and again back in the underground, forced to do hard labour. One day, Kaiji wins a bet to get out of the underground with 1 million yen, and promises the other workers that he will save them. But to do so, he only has 14 days and needs 200 million yen! Kaiji meets his former rival Tonegawa and learns that there is a chance to turn the tables in the game. It was a monster casino machine that will make 1 billion yen if you win...

In 19th-century London, class lines are sharply drawn, and the social standing to which people are born dictates the path their lives will follow. Emma, an honest and hardworking young maid, never felt her place in life to be a burden. But then she met William, a member of the gentry and the eldest son of a wealthy family. His warm smile and earnest affection threaten to capture her heart... but can love truly conquer all?

Nao Kanzaki, a student, was blackmailed into joining a "Liar Game" and ended up losing 100 million yen. In order to repay the debt, she enlists the help of Shin'ichi Akiyama, a genius swindler who was only recently released from jail for bankrupting one of Japan's largest scam companies.

Ko Ichinomiya's family motto is "Never be indebted to anyone," but after losing his pants and falling into the Arakawa River, he quickly finds himself in debt to his savior, the cutely insane Nino who happens to live under the bridge. To repay her, he vows to help her with her desire to "experience love." Along the way he'll meet the river's other residents, including a hot-blooded kappa, a Sister in drag, and a literal rock star.

Moriyama plays a temp worker who has never had any luck with women. One day, he suddenly starts getting invitations from several beautiful women, and he finds himself confused about how to deal with this new experience of having a "moteki" (a period when one is very popular and attractive to others).

High school student, Kamishiro Yu doesn't fit in and is constantly bullied; fed up with the abuse Yu secretly trains in boxing and takes revenge on those who once bullied him. Eventually Yu's defeats call the attention of the local thugs, and Yu soon finds himself forced to keep fighting in order to keep his place, his holyland.

Kaoru Ushijima's Kaukau Finance is the lender of last resort for many of the poorest people in the area: He collects without mercy and without fail.

Fujisaki Aya is a young college student whose family is 150 million yen in debt after her father's corporation went bankrupt. To earn the money, she enters the Hostess Grand Prix.

The boy who sits next to Yokoi in class, Seki-kun, is always up to something at his desk. He manages to somehow play very elaborate games without attracting the teacher's attention. From dominos, to shogi, to go, to mecha models, to playing with cats and more, he always has something new to do. Yokoi often finds herself getting reluctantly interested in his games, even though they always seem to end up getting HER in trouble with the teacher!

Kokoro Kurosawa used to be a contender for the Olympic Judo Team, but she had to give up on her dream due to an injury. In the end, she ends up working at weekly manga magazine "Vibes." The publishing industry is going through a turbulent time due to ebooks. Members of the editorial department struggle to come up with ways to sell more manga books. She learns about editing from her senior editors and becomes fascinated with the edition world, interacting with manga writers, and discovering new manga artists. But what surprises her the most is that in a competitive world such as manga publishing, not all dreams come true, and even when they do, they come with a price...

Asuka Takanashi is a twenty-something woman who works for a megabank and holds various professional qualifications in finance. Despite her successful career, she is extremely eager to get married and become a stay-at-home housewife. One day, she suddenly gets damped by her boyfriend of five years. Desperate to find her next potential husband, she immediately starts searching to find the "love of her life." Then she meets Ryu Nanami, a very popular TV newscaster. He appears to be the most ideal man for Asuka, except that Ryu is 100% against the idea of marriage and determined to never get married. However, despite their different views on marriage, they eventually fall in love and start their relationship. It seemed as though everything was going so well, but this was the beginning of their “Battle of Values.” Where is their romantic relationship headed? Will Asuka be able to announce her marriage and make her dream come true?

Yuji Tomioka is a 38-year-old single man who has never dated a woman. He works the night shift as a security guard at a supermarket. He experiences loneliness during this time. One night, during a shooting star, he wishes to have friend. A mysterious neighbor, Azusa Hada, appears in front of him. They fall in love, but Yuji's life changes.

After finding his mom killed, Satoru's time-traveling ability takes him back 18 years for a chance to prevent her death and those of three classmates.

18-year-old Urano Suzu marries Hojo Shusaku and moves from Eba City to Kure City in Hiroshima Prefecture in the middle of the Pacific War. As Japan slides into a war it cannot get out of, the townspeople go on with their “ordinary” lives. Supplies are short, and family and friends get sent to the battlefield. Suzu and the Hojo family battle such anxieties as they try to live positively.

Wako Taira is 31 years old. She works part-time at a cinema close to her home. Her boyfriend is Fu-kun and they have lived together for three years. She has never thought of breaking up with her boyfriend, considering her age. One day, she meets high school student Yumeaki Iko. She can't resist him. Wako Taira has an affair with Yumeaki Iko.

I never thought I would see him again. Aki Terada said goodbye to her first love long ago. When her current boyfriend is caught cheating on her, Aki moves out of her apartment and into a sharehouse, where she's reuinted with her first love. When things get heated between them, he drops a major bomb… Heart and body and everything in between intersect in this fresh new adult love story.

An infamous yakuza sets out to master the Way of the Househusband! "The Immortal Dragon"—an infamous and feared yakuza who has left behind countless legends in the underworld—has decided to wash his hands of his dark past and become… a "househusband"! Under the watchful eye of the neighborhood, the yakuza, and the police, witness this gangster-turned-husband's style of "justice and family love." A thrilling slapstick drama where the ultimate househusband faces struggles from every side! Can Tatsu protect his beloved family and neighborhood when they are caught up in an incident?

An aging pro wrestler returns to fight for his inheritance when his father — a respected Noh actor — threatens to leave his fortune to his caregiver.

When a successful ad executive who's got it all figured out becomes pregnant, he's forced to confront social inequities he'd never considered before.

Togoku Kyosui runs a traditional Japanese style cafe called Rokuhodo. He has a tender voice and hardly ever raises it. He is an honest person with a bright personality. At the cafe Togoku Kyosui works with three other young men. They each wear a kimono and serve drinks, meals and deserts to their customers. These 4 men interact with their customers, who all have their own problems, and provide them with comfort. While performing their jobs, they also face their own problems and grow as a person.

Mitsu became a college student while dragging along the trauma of her first boyfriend and a broken heart in her years back in junior high school. She was thinking about going to college and finding a new love, but the person in the room next to hers is Kaede, her ex-boyfriend! It had been 5 years and he has become sophisticated and grown-up, but his gentle smile has not changed. Mitsu wants to forget her old love and enjoy university life, but she finds herself trapped between her grown-up ex-boyfriend and her best friend.

When feisty college student Yuri is attacked at a party, she's saved by Oya Toshiomi, the underboss of a yakuza syndicate. Despite her obvious attraction to him, she convinces herself that she's not in the market for a bad boy type. But when they meet again, she finds herself irresistibly drawn to him—kicking off a steamy and dangerous love affair that threatens to consume her, body and soul.

Upon learning their employer is transferring an unmarried person to Alaska, coworkers Rika and Takuya decide to tie the knot in order to dodge a bullet.

Minare Koda, a floor manager at a small restaurant in Sapporo, tries to deal with her bad breakup with an ex-boyfriend. In the process, she drunkenly vents her frustrations to an older man sitting next to her at a local bar. The following day, she discovers that the man works as a producer at a nearby radio station, which broadcast her drunken ramblings over the airwaves. As Minare's voice gains her more attention than her work at the restaurant, she ends up becoming a late-night radio talk show host at the same station, trying to balance her talk show with her daytime life to make ends meet.

Though handsome and successful, Satoru Mukai suddenly realizes he's been single for ten whole years and has no idea how to initiate a new relationship

At the end of the first year of high school, Futaba Yoshioka meets Kou Tanaka who was her first love. In their middle school days, they attended the same school, but he suddenly transferred to another school. Three years later, he appears in front of her again with the different last name of Kou Mabuchi. His personality also seems to have changed from warm to cold. He is like a totally different person from three years ago. Futaba Yoshioka slowly learns what happened to Kou Mabuchi for the past three years and she become to have feelings for him again.

General of the Three Kingdoms, Kongming had struggled his whole life, facing countless battles that made him into the accomplished strategist he was. So on his deathbed, he wished only to be reborn into a peaceful world and was sent straight to modern-day party-central, Tokyo! Can even a brilliant strategist like Kongming adapt to the wild beats and even wilder party people.

Toki-Kun is a yankee who gets into fights. But despite his appearance he is actually a gentle guy. He gains favor with Mr. Sahara, who is not only a physical education teacher but his homeroom teacher. The loud gong of a straight-gay unrequited love echoes out!!

Miyata, a business magazine editor who just entered the 10th year of his career and receives a proposal for a new column from a popular college professor named Iwanaga, who happens to be his first love. Miyata promised to elope with Iwanaga in their high school years, but got teased for it, leading to their eventual breakup. With their new professional reunion, a relationship both old and new begins.