Best movies & TV Shows like Smart-San

A unique, carefully handpicked, selection of the best movies like Smart-San Starring Ichiro Nagai, Reiko Suzuki, Atsuko Mine, Katsuji Mori, and more. If you liked Smart-San then you may also like: Drowning Love, From Up on Poppy Hill, The Cat Returns, Helter Skelter, Peach Girl and many more popular movies featured on this list. You can further filter the list even more or get a random selection from the list of similar movies, to make your selection even easier.

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Benio Hanamura is a 17-year-old schoolgirl in Tokyo during the Taisho era. Benio lost her mother when she was very young and has been raised by her father, a high-ranking official in the Japanese army. As a result, she has grown into a tomboy—contrary to traditional Japanese notions of femininity, she studies kendo, drinks sake, dresses in often outlandish-looking Western fashions, and isn't as interested in housewife duties as she is in literature. She also rejects the idea of arranged marriages and believes in a woman's right to a career and to marry for love. Benio's best friends are the beautiful Tamaki, who is much more feminine than Benio but equally interested in women's rights, and Ranmaru, a young man who was raised to play female roles in the kabuki theater and as a result has acquired very effeminate mannerisms.

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Drowning Love

Natsume Mochizuki works as a teen model in Tokyo, but she learns that she has to move to her father's hometown of Ukigumo. She is in a desperate situation because she can't do the things she wants to do in Ukigumo. One day, she meets Koichiro Hasegawa. He is the successor of the Hasegawa family. His family is wealthy and is respected in the area. Natsume Mochizuki and Koichiro Hasegawa become attracted to each other, but something changes their fate.

From Up on Poppy Hill

Two high schoolers find hope as they fight to save an old wartime era clubhouse from destruction during the preparations for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.

The Cat Returns

Young Haru rescues a cat from being run over, but soon learns it's no ordinary feline; it happens to be the Prince of the Cats.

Helter Skelter

Top star Lilico undergoes multiple cosmetic surgeries to her entire body. As her surgeries show side effect, Lilico makes the lives of those around her miserable as she tries to deal with her career and her personal problems.

Peach Girl

It's not easy being beautiful. The envy, the jealousy, the vicious rumors spread by your best friend. That's life for young Momo. While everyone thinks that Momo is a wild party girl, the reality is that she is shy and lonely. Can Momo confess her love to her classmate, Toji, or will her best friend Sae steal him away. It's a bittersweet drama of growing up and fitting in that will charm readers everywhere.

Haikara-san: Here Comes Miss Modern Part 1

The story follows Benio "Haikara-san" Hanamura, who lost her mother when she was very young and has been raised by her father, a high-ranking official in the Japanese army. As a result, she has grown into a tomboy - contrary to traditional Japanese notions of femininity, she studies kendo, drinks sake, dresses in often outlandish-looking Western fashions instead of the traditional kimono, and is not as interested in housework as she is in literature. She also rejects the idea of arranged marriages and believes in a woman's right to a career and to marry for love.

Hana Yori Dango: Final

Four years have passed since that emotional marriage proposal at Tsukushi Makino's high-school prom, and Tsukasa Dōmyōji announced his engagement to Tsukushi to the entire world. At an engagement dinner between their families, Dōmyōji's mother, who has been strongly against their relationship before, presents Tsukushi a tiara, which is estimated to be worth roughly 10 billion yen, as a token of their engagement. But that night, the tiara is stolen by somebody! Then, Dōmyōji and Tsukushi travel around the globe to Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and even a deserted island to get the tiara back—the legendary tiara that has been believed to "bring eternal love." In the meantime, where and what are the "F4" fellows, who have just gone separate ways, doing now?

Revolutionary Girl Utena

Utena is a tomboyish school girl who attends the prestigious Ohtori Academy. Her strong sense of chivalry pulls her into a series of duels with other members of the Student Council for the possession of the Rose Bride.

Honey and Clover

Takemoto Yuuta, Mayama Takumi, and Morita Shinobu are college students who share the small apartment. Even though they live in poverty, the three of them are able to obtain pleasure through small things in life. The story follows these characters' life stories as poor college students, as well as their love lives when a short but talented 18 year old girl called Hanamoto Hagumi appears.

NANA

Nana Osaki is a guarded and ambitious young woman with a strong will and a rough past. She is the vocalist for a punk band called Black Stones and she desires fame and recognition more than anything else. Nana Komatsu is an outgoing and flighty young woman with a weak will and a stable past. Her life revolves around her desire to find love and marriage. The two meet for the first time while traveling to Tokyo - in pursuit of their respective dreams - and they later decide to be roommates. Although drastically different people, the two become very close and together they find out if their biggest dreams have room for their best friend.

Fushigi Yugi: The Mysterious Play

Junior high school student Miaka lives a normal life in Tokyo until she finds a mysterious book in the library, and she and her friend Yui are transported the Universe of the Four Gods. Upon arriving in this new universe, the girls are immediately attacked by would-be slavers and saved by a dashing young man. When Miaka isn't looking, both Tamahome and Yui vanish. Unbeknownst to Miaka, Yui has been sucked back into the real world. Back in the library, all she can do is read on as Miaka sets out for the city to find the mysterious young boy and save her friend. But what awaits for Miaka isn't what either of the girls expect—and now Miaka's only way back to her world is to become the Priestess of Suzaku and save their world.

Super GALS!

Sporting designer clothes, make-up, and nails, Ran Kotobuki is the very picture of a trendy, young Shibuya girl, but don't let that fool you. This girl comes from a family of cops, and she’s ready to lay you out flat if you even think about causing trouble in her town! At least, she will... when she’s not distracted with karaoke, shopping, and dodging her homework. Join Ran and her friends as they defend the streets of Shibuya and attempt to shop their way into the history books as the most famous Gals ever!

Taisho Baseball Girls

In 1925 (year 14 of the Taishō period), after being told by a baseball player that women should become housewives instead of going to school, two 14-year-old Japanese high school girls named Koume and Akiko decide to start a baseball team in order to prove him wrong. During this time, when even running was considered too vulgar for women, baseball is known as "what the boys do" and they face many difficulties when searching members, getting permission from their parents and when learning about the sport itself.

Gokujo

Aya Akabane is anything but typical. She's arrogant, believes her bra is a fashion accessory that's meant to be worn in public, and takes out her aggression on her closest friends – especially poor Konatsu, who is frequently picked up and spun around by her ponytail. Together with her friends, Aya enjoys an action-packed, event-filled high school life, whether she's trying to steal the panties her friends are wearing or secretly trying to film her classmates' underwater!

Strange Love

Yoshida Chizuru is the sexiest co-ed in her class. Secretly, she's been appearing in TV commercials - despite the fact that students are forbidden from working. But one of her professors has uncovered her secret and hopes to use this information to his advantage. Yoshida's got plans of her own and has no intention of giving up her acting career...

Sally the Witch

Sally is the witch princess of the Magic Kingdom who longs to visit the mortal realm, presumably to make friends her own age. One day, by mistake, Sally teleports to the "mid world" (Earth), where she uses her magic to fend off a couple of burglars menacing two schoolgirls. Immediately befriended by her new acquaintances — tomboyish Yoshiko Hanamura (known affectionately as "Yotchan") and girly Sumire Kasugano — Sally decides to stay on Earth indefinitely, leading to mischief. As with Samantha Stevens in Bewitched, Sally tries to keep her supernatural abilities secret, assuming the role of a human child. In the final episode, Sally's grandma informs her she must return to the Magic Kingdom. Before leaving, Sally tries to tell her friends about her origins, but no one will believe her. Then her elementary school catches on fire, and Sally uses her magic to put it out. Her powers thus exposed, Sally's time to leave has finally come. She waves farewell to her friends, and returns to the Magic Kingdom. Being so popular in Japan, mostly the same way as classic Hanna-Barbera characters are in America, a second series was produced 20 years later. The second series continues a few years after the original ending, and finishes with the Original video animation Sally the Witch: Mother's Love is Eternal, in which, at the end, Sally finally becomes the ruler Queen of the Magic Kingdom, but worries about leaving her friends behind.

Laughing Under the Clouds

When swords were outlawed in the eleventh year of the Meiji era, the mighty samurai population began to dwindle. Those who rejected the ban on blades rebelled, causing violent unrest to erupt throughout the countryside. To combat the rise in criminal activity, an inescapable lake prison was constructed. Three young men, born of the Kumo line, were given the duty of delivering criminals to their place of confinement – but could there be more to their mission than meets the eye?

Twin Star Exorcists

Rokuro is from a family of exorcists, but he'd rather be a singer, a soccer player or anything but an exorcist! He's forced to own up to his own incredible potential when new arrival Benio stirs his competitive spirit. But their rivalry gets a twist when they earn the prestigious title of "Twin Star Exorcists"—two supreme fighters fated to marry and birth the ultimate spiritual warrior!

Izetta: The Last Witch

If I am promised to the princess, then I will fight for her sake. In 1939 C.E., the imperialist nation of Germania invaded a neighboring country. All at once, that war spread throughout Europe, and the era was dragged into a spiral of a great war. Then, in 1940, Germania's attack turned towards the Principality of Eylstadt, a small Alps country abundant with beautiful water and greenery.

Konohana Kitan

Konohana Kitan is the heartwarming story of a new apprentice named Yuzu, and the other fox girls who work at a hot spring hotel called Konohatei. The staff at Konohatei live by one belief: no matter who one may truly be, no matter what, anyone who is a guest is a god. Of course, that includes you. Let the hospitality of Yuzu and the Konohatei heal your tired soul.

Golden Kamuy

In the early twentieth century, Russo-Japanese War veteran Saichi “Immortal” Sugimoto scratches out a meager existence during the postwar gold rush in the wilderness of Hokkaido. When he stumbles across a map to a fortune in hidden Ainu gold, he sets off on a treacherous quest to find it. But Sugimoto is not the only interested party, and everyone who knows about the gold will kill to possess it! Faced with the harsh conditions of the northern wilderness, ruthless criminals and rogue Japanese soldiers, Sugimoto will need all his skills and luck—and the help of an Ainu girl named Asirpa—to survive.

Domestic Girlfriend

Natsuo is a high school boy who is experiencing the crushing despair of unrequited love. To make matters worse, the person he is in love with is his teacher, Hina. In an attempt to lift his spirits, he attends a mixer where he meets a girl named Rui. The two sleep together, expecting never to see one another again, but fate has other plans. His life suddenly becomes more complicated when his father comes home and announces he has remarried a woman with two daughters whom Natsuo has met before: Hina and Rui!

Arte

In the 16th century, Arte, a delightful young lady from an aristocratic family, dreams of being an artist and contributing to the renewal of civilization. However, with her father's death, she ends up losing the only person who believed in her passion for art. Now she is expected to marry a nobleman and live as a refined housewife without disgracing her family name. Reluctant to accept her fate, the headstrong Arte steps into the streets in search of a master artisan to take her on as an apprentice. But no one believes that women are capable of fine craftsmanship, so none are willing to accept her. Luckily, a renowned artisan by the name of Leo is persuaded to take her as his disciple since he has none anyway. And thus, Arte's new life begins, far from the comfort of her noble upbringing. As an apprentice, she must earn her keep while tackling various challenges along the difficult path to becoming a full-fledged, master artisan.

Tokyo Mew Mew New

The scientists of the μ(Mew) Project use DNA of endangered species to create a team of heroines imbued with amazing abilities. Armed with the skills of an Iriomote cat, Ichigo must band together with other Mew Mew girls to repel an alien incursion.

Kageki Shojo!!

The curtain rises on Sarasa Watanabe, a starry-eyed 5'10" student who hopes to perform as a male lead role in the all-female Kouka Acting Troupe. She forms a friendship with her new roommate, a former idol. Together, they’re in for the role of a lifetime.

Taisho Otome Fairy Tale

Tamahiko Shima has been exiled to the country because of his disability, but the sudden arrival of an arranged bride upends his lonely life.

The Executioner and Her Way of Life

The Lost Ones are wanderers who come here from a distant world known as "Japan." No one knows how or why they leave their homes. The only thing that is certain is that they bring disaster and calamity. The duty of exterminating them without remorse falls to Menou, a young Executioner. When she meets Akari, it seems like just another job...until she discovers it's impossible to kill this girl! And when Menou begins to search for a way to defeat this immortality, Akari is more than happy to tag along! So begins a journey that will change Menou forever...

More Than a Married Couple, But Not Lovers

The story centers on third-year high school student Jiro Yakuin, who gets saddled with his gyaru classmate Akari Watanabe for the class's "marriage training" project about practicing to be a married couple. Jiro is the complete opposite of Akari, but the two know that if they do well they will be able to switch partners to end up with their respective crushes, and so they force themselves to act like the perfect married couple.

My Love Story with Yamada-kun at Lv999

Recently dumped, Akane is just about to quit the game she used to play with her boyfriend, when she meets Yamada in the same RPG. Yamada in real life turns out to be somewhat of a legend. The only problem is - he is ONLY interested in the game. As Akane's feelings grow, will Yamada's focus stay on the game?

The Apothecary Diaries

Maomao lived a peaceful life with her apothecary father. Until one day, she's sold as a lowly servant to the emperor's palace. But she wasn't meant for a compliant life among royalty. So when imperial heirs fall ill, she decides to step in and find a cure! This catches the eye of Jinshi, a handsome palace official who promotes her. Now, she's making a name for herself solving medical mysteries!

Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss But I'm Not the Demon Lord

This college kid wants nothing more than a quiet life. So when she's reborn as Yumiella, the hidden villainess of an Otome RPG, she's not exactly thrilled. Still yearning for peace, she abandons her evil duties to live a more discreet life. Until her gamer side kicks in, and she accidentally reaches level 99! Now, everyone suspects that she's the infamous Demon Lord. What future awaits her?

BARTENDER Glass of God

At Eden Hall, each glass has a story. A quiet bar lies tucked away in the streets of Tokyo, and it seems only the most desperate souls burdened by their own troubles manage to find its doors. But after a glass of God poured by the brilliant bartender Ryu, they leave renewed. Ryu has a gift—he knows how to soothe the soul with the perfect drink. Who will he meet next?

A Sign of Affection

Yuki Itose is just a typical student dealing with the pressures of college. She is struggling one day on the train when an upperclassman named Itsuomi Nagi helps her out. As he gradually opens a new world to her, Yuki develops feelings for Itsuomi. A pure love story begins to grow.

MURAI in LOVE

The story tells a romantic comedy between Tanaka, a high school teacher who loves otome games, and Murai, a high school boy who is in love with Tanaka. Tanaka, who has never been involved in a real-life romance, is confessed to by Murai but rejects his confession. On the next day, Murai transforms himself into the exact likeness of Tanaka's favorite character from her favorite otome game.

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