Best movies & TV Shows like Haru and Natsu

In a small Tokyo apartment, twelve-year-old Akira must care for his younger siblings after their mother leaves them and shows no sign of returning.

Set during World War II, the film follows a young brother and sister as they attempt to survive the aftermath of the firebombing of Kobe City.

A newborn monkey and its mother struggle to survive within the competitive social hierarchy of the Temple Troop, a dynamic group of monkeys who live in ancient ruins found deep in the storied jungles of South Asia.

As he nears graduation from university, Hira begins working as an assistant to the popular photographer Noguchi. Witnessing a professional job, he gradually distances himself from Kiyoi, not wanting to get in the way of him as he expands his career as an actor. Hira, who can only think "Kiyoi is a god" and a precious being, and Kiyoi, who wants to be an "ordinary" lover on an equal footing with Hira, miss each other little by little.

Haru Satonaka is the captain of an ice-hockey team, a star athlete who stakes everything on hockey but can only consider love as a game. Aki Murase is a woman who has been waiting for her lover who went abroad two years ago. These two persons start a relationship while frankly admitting to each other that it is only a love game. …The result is the unfolding of a drama of people with their respective pasts and with their pride as individuals.

Fukami Hiroki's younger sister was killed by a friend. Hiroki then meets the killer's sister, Toyama Futaba, 15 years after the incident. Both of their families have been burdened with grief, but through their meeting they struggle to find a brighter tomorrow.

Junna Tōno has a twin sister named Senna. He is an ordinary student at Sakurahama Private High School. However, in the past, a traffic accident deprived him of his parents and his memory. Junna survived the accident and since then, he lived only with his sister, though he's been looked after by his relatives. His present life with Senna at the same high school is so pleasant that he can forget his severe past. However, Junna begins to recall the memories he lost in the accident. He enjoys the happy and pleasant days, but he is tossed by his past, his present, and his future. What is the truth hidden in his memory?

The Hayashidas were a typical happy family of father, mother, two boys and two girls. Until it all changed suddenly with the untimely death of the father, Shinpei. While still mourning his passing, the children are hit by another bit of shocking news from their mother “Truth is… I'm pregnant.” The news of their mother's pregnancy at 51 sets into motion a new series of challenges for the four children, particularly for the eldest sister, Manami, who now becomes the family patriarch, forced to struggle with the pressures and responsibilities of “child rearing” and “family ties”, not to mention greater philosophical questions about the meaning of life. A moving, life-sized human drama..

Set in an old prestigious ryotei (Japanese-style restaurant) in a small town in the center of Tokyo, a young itamae (cook for Japanese dishes) struggles his life, love and work while the long-lasted ryotei and the beloved old town face the change to survive the time. This heartwarming drama shows the intimate relationship of the community that has been lost nowadays, asks what the most important things in your life is, and tells how difficult it is to make a decision. The story is told in the form of a letter from him to his unknown father with lots of humor and love.

Miyakawa Hikage is an elementary school girl, living with her older sister Hinata. Every day they have to struggle with the poverty and financial ruin that go along with an otaku spending lifestyle.

After the accidental death of her husband and being deemed ineligible for welfare, Koharu struggles to care for her two children.

Haru and Kanako have been married for four years. They don't have any children, but they both enjoy their job and are happy together. However their lives are suddenly disrupted when Kanako faints from subarachnoid hemorrhage. After the operation, it becomes evident that she has lost some of her memory...her memory of the five years with her husband. She decides to return home to her parents. Her younger brother takes care of her. Meanwhile, Haru's colleague notices that there is something troubling him. Life without his wife makes Haru realize how much his wife means to him and vows to propose to her once again...

A group of university students who belong to the same tennis club, Shino Yuta, Sakurada Miki, Sasaki Rinka, Takano Natsu, Fueki Mana, Tachibana Satsuki and Sakurada Wataru, go on a graduation trip to a cottage in the mountains in winter. Although the seven members seem to be good friends, each of them actually has secrets which they cannot tell anyone about; hidden feelings of love and jealousy. Yuta, the cool and brilliant president of the club, is attracted to the sociable and trusting Miki, and intends to tell her about his feelings on this trip, but things do not work out the way he wants. Miki is dating Yuta’s good friend, the free-spirited Natsu and is so into him that she is blind to her surroundings. The seven friends have conflicting positions and when love starts to go down the tubes, a murder occurs like a bolt from the blue. Amid the fear and doubt, hidden emotions begin to come into the open through exchanges which probe each other’s intentions.

The drama series depicts the life of Tokuzo Akiyama, head chef of the Imperial Household Ministry’s Imperial Cuisine Division during the Taisho (1912-1926) and early Showa (1926-1989) eras. Based on a true story and book by Hisahide Sugimori, 'The Emperor’s Cook' follows the life of country boy, Akiyama, who arrives in Tokyo in pursuit of the culinary arts. Driven by a deep love for his wife and family, a great reverence for his teachers, strong reliance on friends and an abiding love for cooking, Akiyama eventually rises to become 'the Emperor’s cook'.

Sawano has lost his job due to depression and isn't on good terms with his wife and 6-year-old son. After a failed suicide attempt, he discovers 7 letters which had not been delivered and sets out to give them to their intended recipients in a way of counting down to the end of his life.

The anime follows Machi, a middle school student who serves as a shrine maiden at a Shinto shrine and takes care of a bear, who lives on mountain in Japan's northern Tohoku region. The bear, Natsu, has the ability to talk and is Machi's guardian. When Machi explains to Natsu that she will attend a school in the city, he gives Machi a set of trials that she must pass in order to be able to survive city life.

Spanning over 50 episodes, we follow the historical fiction of the Sanada clansmen as they plotted and fought their ways to survive the changing political alliances during the Warring States Period of Japan.

An adaptation of Alex Haley's "Roots", chronicling the history of an African slave, Kunta Kinte sold to America and his descendants.

In 1930 and as a young child, Tsuneko Kohashi lives at Enshu in Shizuoka Prefecture. She has a happy life with her parents and two younger sisters. Things change after her father dies from tuberculosis. Her father asked Tsuneko Kohashi to take care of the family in his place. Due to financial difficulties, her mother Kimiko decides to move the family to Tokyo where Tsuneko's grandmother lives.

Hinako Todo (Haru) is a first-year detective who graduated from the police academy at the top of her class. She always carries with herself a bottle of shichimi chili peppers which was left by her late mother and sprinkles shichimi over everything she eats. Despite her a bit quirky/cheerful demeanor, she holds dark secrets locked deep within her heart… Hinako became a detective, because she wants to find the line between people who kill and those who don't. Once her "crime-solving switch" is on, nothing can stop Hinako from tackling even the most bizarre crime cases. Armed with her overwhelming memory and unstoppable curiously, will Hinako be able to find answers to her question through seeking to solve various crimes?

Koichi Miyazawa runs a small, but longstanding company which makes tabi (traditional Japanese socks). He is the CEO of the fourth generation company with about 20 employees. Due to a decrease of demand for tabi, the company is struggling to keep afloat. Koichi Miyazawa thinks about launching a new product line. The new product is running shoes. For the company's surival, Koichi Miyazawa begins to develop running shoes using their accumulated knowledge for making tabi.

Saigo Takamori, the hero of the Meiji Restoration, was born to a poor, low-ranking samurai family in the Satsuma domain (present day Kagoshima Prefecture). His simple honesty caught the attention of its charismatic feudal lord of Satsuma, Shimazu Nariakira. Nariakira’s assertion that the love of people is what will enrich and strengthen the nation captivated Saigo who took on Nariakira’s secret mission and eventually became a key person for Satsuma. Not a portrait of him survives today and much of his life is a mystery. He is a man who was twice exiled and thrice married. He overthrew the Tokugawa Shogunate with exceptional bravery and action. Although he accomplished the restoration, he lost his life in a fight with the new Meiji government.

Taizo Kitazawa works as a middle school principal. He has three children. His first child, Hirofumi, is 38 years old and works as a heart surgeon. His second child, Chiaki, is 27 years old and works as a lawyer. The youngest child, Shusaku, is 25 years old and works as a police officer. He is ambitious and has a strong sense of justice. In order to keep happiness in the Kitazawa family, the family uses any means they can. Shusaku comes into conflict between love for his family and professional ethics.

Sayaka Minami works as a designer for a company. She is 30-years-old, single and has not had any love experience due to her 15 year unrequited love for Ryosuke Sagisawa. They have been friends since they were kids. One day, Sayaka wakes up and a strange man is in front of her. She panics and the man introduces herself as Shohei Machida. He works as a salesman at the same company as Sayaka. He tells her that they are in a relationship and live together. Sayaka lost her memory for 3 months.

Dumped by a cheating fiancé and unemployed, 29-year-old Sayaka takes a job offer on the condition that she gets married in six months!

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.

When Hikari Morimura was 11-years-old, she dreamed of becoming a musical actress. She was close with a musical actress, but the actress was murdered. Her older brother Kunihiko was dating the actress and he was arrested for her murder. Hikari Morimura left her hometown and changed her family name from Morimura to her mother's maiden name of Kitazono. Hikari is now 26-years-old. She still dreams of becoming a musical actress, but her life is tough. She works at a bar and also takes care of her mother. She hears that her older brother Kunihiko has been released from prison. She wants to say goodbye to her brother for the last time as he ruined her life. When Hikari meets her brother, he tells her "I am innocent" and disappears.

Set during the final days of slavery in 19th century Jamaica, we follow the trials, tribulations and survival of plantation slave July and her odious mistress Caroline.

In 1999, a general trading company in Tokyo celebrates because Shinkansen of Japan wins priority negotiating rights for the Taiwan High Speed Rail. Haruka Tada (Haru) has been working at the general trading company for 4 years and she is sent to Taiwan for work. When Haruka Tada was a university student, she visited Taiwan for the first time during the summer. During that time, she happened to meet young Taiwanese man Eric and he showed her Taiwan for a day. She lost contact with him after that and she could not find him again. She then sealed away her thoughts about him in her mind. 6 years later, Haruka Tada arrives in Taiwan again.

Shiro runs the pension "Love Is Pink" ("Koi wa Momoiro") with the help of his daughter Haru.

10 high school students who are in the same class get caught and forced to play The Were Wolf game, where they have to kill each others to survive.

Sawada Kyoka is a yoga instructor with a rough personality and constantly fights with her father after her mother passed away. Due to having to spend the time taking care of her father, Kyoka doesn't have much time for herself and has very little desire to get married. Meanwhile, Sawada Rintaro is Kyoka's father and works as a freelance lexicographer. After the passing of his wife, Rintaro hasn't been living well which frustrates Kyoka. One day, Rintaro decides to find his second life partner and wants to start a "double marriage life" with Kyoka.

Nayuta is a young genius video game developer who works independently. His anonymity had gained him the moniker “the Banksy of video games,” until a certain incident caused him to shy away from games and live quietly. Meanwhile, the long-standing toy company Atom decides to delve into the video game industry in order to overcome their financial crisis. With no funds or experience, the people at Atom make a desperate attempt to contact Nayuta, the Banksy of video games, but will they succeed? Can they write a new chapter in the cut-throat world of video games

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.

The series takes place in 1962 Osaka. Hanaoka Machiko, 37, is single and works at a hardware store in Osaka City while doing literary work. One day, she falls ill due to overwork and falls in love with Tokunaga Kenjiro, the doctor who examines her. Kenjiro and Machiko marry. But Kenjiro, who lost his first wife to illness, lives not just with his five children, but his brother, sister, and parents. In a comical and heart-warming way, the drama depicts Machiko's struggle with the new family while pursuing her career as a novelist.