Best movies like March Comes in Like a Lion

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.

As a child, Ono Tsubasa saw a Shirato baseball game on TV and was amazed at the Trumpet player in the band playing. Now, in order to play the Trumpet, she enters Shirato High School. There, she meets Yamada Daisuke, a catcher for the baseball team. With each others support, they go towards their dream of playing at Koushien.

When Chihaya Ayase was in the 6th grade of elementary school, she met Arata Wataya. Arata Wataya transferred from Fukui Prefecture. Taichi Mashima was Chihaya Ayase's friend since they were little. Arata got close to Chihaya and Taichi from the card game karuta. Four years later, Chihaya is a high school student. Chihaya learns that Arata, who went back to Fukui Prefecture, doesn't play karuta anymore. Believing they will meet Arata again, Chihaya and Taichi starts a karuta club at their high school.

Between competitive swim team practice and cramming for classes the anime Buffalo Kotek is Minami’s only respit from her hectic life. So it feels a lot like kismet when she discovers that her classmate Shohei, and aspiring manga artist, shares her obsession—and that his brother is an amateur detective. It seems as though Minami’s finally formed the perfect team to help her unravel a big mystery of her own, following a recent trail of clues that just might lead to her long lost father. The timing couldn’t be better when an out-of-town swim competition presents itself as the perfect alibi, and she sneaks off to the Japanese coast to discover a whole new side of herself in this bold and charming story of anime, friendship, family, and the life aquatic.

Kogure Nao is a shy and cute high school student. One day, Onise Taiga asks her "would you like to date with me on the promise that we will get married?" Nao is unable to turn down his proposal because she is scared of him. Taiga has red hair and piercing eyes. His appearance gives off the impression that he is a bad boy, but he is actually considerate to others and good at cooking. After getting to know Taiga, Nao begins to have feelings for him.

A teenage girl transfers to a new high school. She and a boy in the class join the same school club and during one of the activities she confides in him that she was previously a male. Later admitting that the sex change was a lie, she agrees to date him as a form of apology. On their first date, however, he finds himself handcuffed by her class-mate.

Female students, including Hikari Tomonaga, from a high school cheerdance club follow strict instructions from their teacher Kaoruko Saotome. They compete at the USA Cheerdance Championship.

A high school girl with overwhelming literary talent shakes up the lives of those around her with her brilliant spontaneity.

In this high-octane slugfest, a group of badass female students are forced to battle a gang of criminals. Even with their short skirts and leather boots, the HIGH KICK ANGELS prove to be martial arts masters.

Story follows high school student Saki Miyanaga and her classmates as they become absorbed in the game of mahjong. They target an upcoming national competition.

A group of junior high school must find out the truth of their classmate's death is he was killed by someone or committed suicide.

A tale of delinquent and lazy school girls. In their efforts to cut remedial summer math class, they end up poisoning and replacing the school's brass band.

Three aimless kids at a seaside high school have just one goal this summer break: to shed the virgin tag. One day, they rescue a pretty girl named Narumi by chance. Immediately smitten, Narumi makes it the summer to remember for the boys.

Two swim-team members, a hairless boy and a hirsute girl, discover the pangs and tangles of first love.

Kaori is a single mother and she raises her high-school age daughter Futaba. Her daughter is in a rebellious phase and ignores her mother. Kaori decides to take measures to communicate with her daughter and also get some revenge. Kaori creates messages in her daughter's bento meals.

An unemployed man learns that his ex-girlfriend was murdered. He suddenly finds himself travelling through time to his middle school years and has chance to change the future and save the girl. He aims to rise to the top of the most brutal delinquent gang.

Only three days before their high school festival, guitarist Kei, drummer Kyoko, and bassist Nozomi are forced to recruit a new lead vocalist for their band. They choose Korean exchange student Son, though her comprehension of Japanese is a bit rough! It's a race against time as the group struggles to learn three tunes for the festival's rock concert—including a classic '80s punk-pop song by the Japanese group The Blue Hearts called "Linda Linda".

Ninako Kinoshita has never been in love until an encounter with the school's most popular boy, Ren Ichinose, leads the two to befriending each other. Ren's patient and kind personality is a far cry from his unapproachable idol status at school, and soon Ninako falls in love with him. However, she must cope with the fact that he already has a long-time girlfriend.

The movie Tokyo Shutter Girl, based on the comic series by Kenichi Kiriki, consists of three separate works by three separate directors, each set in Tokyo. It is about three Japanese schoolgirls in a photo club.

An island in Japan is the site for the dumped and the refuse. Nanakusa and Yu who were childhood and school friends meet on this island that is called Kaiden, a scary name that only refers to things not normal or earthly. The reunited friends strike a bargain and are soon involved in cases most would not dare be involved in or become entangled in.

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.

A car accident occurs in Tanabe, Wakayama Prefecture. Natsumi's (Aimi Satsukawa) classmates Maki (Mitsuki Tanimura), Risa (Yuria Haga) and Mika (Ayu Higashi) die in the car accident. Natsumi becomes isolated at school. Her three friends then come back as ghosts.

High school student Jinta is a hikikomori and lives in Chichibu, Saitama Prefecture, Japan. One summer day, when Jinta is absorbed in a video game, a girl suddenly appears in front of him. The girl is Jinta's childhood friend Meiko, but it seems impossible because Meiko died on a summer day. Meiko wears the same white dress when she died, but she looks a little taller. She tells Jinta that she has a wish and that's why she came back as a ghost, but Meiko can't remember what her wish was. To grant Meiko's wish, Jinta along with his friends Atsumu, Naruko, Chiriko, Tetsudo and Meiko gather together for the first time in 7 years. Jinta soon realizes that he is the only one able to see Meiko.

A new salesman named Kosuke Okuda happens to meet Mao Watarai, a friend from his middle school days. Back then, Mao was called stupid and bullied, but now she is an attractive woman. Kosuke and Mao fall in love and decide to marry, but Mao has a secret…

Story takes place 2 years after "Chihayafuru Part 2" and Chihaya is now a high school senior.

After successfully won the Tokyo qualifying tournament, Chihaya and her friends are set to go on to the nationals. As they prepare, Chihaya is faced with new personal issues as her childhood friend and inspiration, Arata, has announced that he has quit competitive karuta. Not only that, but a new rival emerges in the reigning female champion karuta player, Shinobu Wakamiya, a karuta prodigy who became the nation's and the world's greatest female karuta player as a 9th grader. All of this forces Chihaya to reexamine her love of the game in the midst of preparing for one of the biggest tournaments of the year.

Young women in a small Japanese town look to revive their home's declining fortunes by building a Hawaiian village tourist attraction.

Hatori Matsuzaki is a female high school student. She has a crush on her childhood friend Rita Terasaka and believes he will eventually choose her as her heroine, but Rita Terasaka begins dating Miho Adachi. Meanwhile, the most popular male student, Kosuke Hiromitsu takes an interest in Hatori Matsuzaki.

Mysterious transfer student Mitsukuni Naruto (Ryo Narita) appears in front of Koizumi (Akari Hayami). Koizumi and Mitsukuni have different opinions about ramen which leads them into arguments. They decide to have a battle over who has a deeper love of ramen. --asianwiki

Fleeing heartbreak in the big city, Ichiko returns to Komori, her rural hometown. She battles summer's rain and humidity, bakes her own bread, grows hothouse tomatoes and tills the fields. During autumn, the time for pickling and preserving fish and sweet potatoes, Ichiko begins reaping rice and recalls her departure five years before.

Kiyosumi’s affection for his schoolmate Hari grows after he saves her from bullying, but a dark secret she’s unwilling to share threatens their bond.

Akira is widowed and left with a pre-teen stepson. Travelling with him to her late husband's hometown, she meets her odd father-in-law and yet decides to make a go of living and working there. She attends training and joins the railway company where her father-in-law works and her late man dreamt of ending up as a child.

The time spent between professional Shogi player Kiriyama and his three stories helps to heal his wounds. As he prepares to secure another win in an upcoming tournament, the father who left the three sisters appears and disturbs the peace.

A schoolboy has a crush on his pretty class-mate Keiko on the inland island of Awaji. He figures her routine of taking baths at the public one is a good way to get to know her, but he first has to overcome his sensitivity to hot water, the presence of other school-mates and of course his shyness. He has never mustered the courage to speak to her in class after all.

Having failed with his business and gone absolutely penniless, Masao (45) divorced with his wife, and is currently leading a hopeless life in Ibaraki. One day, a mysterious high school girl, going by the name Emiko, showed up before Masao. Every now and then, Masao would be toyed around by Emiko, but little by little he started taking a liking to her loveliness. As days went by, Masao started opening up to Emiko – something that he rarely did to others. However, there was just something about Emiko – something that bothered Masao - that wouldn’t go away.