PrettyDramas Weekend Movie Recommendations

Hello, everyone! :D
Let me recommend you some good Japanese movies to pass the weekend with.

I tried to choose different genres: romance, comedy, suspense, music, slice of life; so you can pick whichever suits your mood but all of them are recommended.

Let's start!

You want something fun to watch with some romance mixed in it? Then this is the movie for you:

Drama Special (2011)

Country: Japan     

Year: 2011     

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Friendship, Manga, Martial Arts, Romance, Supernatural

Starring: Kaku Kento & Aragaki Yui

You may know Ranma 1/2 from your childhood days, it was a pretty popular manga/anime series.

Plot: Basically Ranma (the male lead) once fell into a cursed hot spring while training with his father. From then on whenever he is in contact with cold water, he will turn into a girl - this is only reversible by being in contact with hot water. His father, on the other hand, turns into a panda when in contact with cold water. Akane (the female lead) is one of three daughters and wants to take over her father's dojo BUTfor her to take over she has to marry Ranma. She doesn't know about his curse when they first meet but finds out real soon after. On top of that, one schoolmate of hers, who is madly in love with her, suddenly falls for Ranma's female form too. And thus begins their adventure and love.

Why I recommend this: It's a really cute story, it's comedy so don't take it too seriously. Also, don't expect a full-fledged series because this is a mere special and just one episode out of many. It was still fun to watch. Akane and Ranma are a good team, her schoolmate is ridiculous, and the girls can really fight. It's an easy watch with the unique element of Ranma being strong both in male and female form. The comedy is really good and seeing the romance form between Ranma and Akane, who upon meeting first don't really get along too well, is really nice.

Or do you prefer movies with good band music, cute band guys, and romance? Then check this movie out:

Country: Japan     

Year: 2013     

Genre: Drama, Friendship, Manga, Music, Romance, Youth

Starring: Sato Takeru

Plot: Aki (the male lead) is part of a famous band, still he wants to give up on it even though it was his dream. One day, he meets Riko (female lead), she's a normal high school girl with a passion for singing. She doesn't know about him being part of her favourite band thus "The liar". He doesn't want her to know either but soon she finds out and...

Why I recommend this: First of all, this movie has an amazing intro with the band playing, it really drew me in from the start. The music and singing are great. The band guys are cute with the male lead singer being played by Miura Shohei. The female lead is adorable. And the male lead's feelings are relatable. It's not all about music but most and foremost about her giving him some fresh new start and hope to not give up on his dreams. Plus their romance was depicted really nicely. So give it a shot because it's worth watching.

On a side note: This movie also has short side stories, Kanojo wa Uso Wo Aishisugiteru - Sidestory, with various viewpoints from the characters. It's not a must-watch but a little extra if you enjoyed the movie.

Oh, you don't really feel like watching romance stuff, you want something intriguing and interesting? Then how about some good suspense, slice of life movie.

Country: Japan     

Year: 2016     

Genre: Drama, Manga, Supernatural, Suspense, Thriller

Starring: Fujiwara Tatsuya

Fujiwara Tatsuya always takes the best suspense roles, look him up if you're into suspense and unique, interesting plots.

Plot: Satoru (male lead) suddenly has the ability to go back in time. He takes that chance to try and save his mother but along the way he finds himself entangled in an unsolved murder case involving his childhood classmate. He thought it would be easy to save his mother and his childhood classmate but the real criminal isn't easy to catch. Bit by bit, he uncovers the horrific truth behind his childhood classmate and the criminal.

Why I recommend this: It's a nice suspense movie with a lot of unexpected twists, it's almost like a mini drama. The plot unfolds nicely, you really want to know what happens next and what actually really happened. The real criminal is also not clear from the beginning. Like the protagonist, you find out bit by bit and that's what a good suspense story is all about.

Are you searching for a more realistic romance movie? How about one where the leads meet online? Then I really recommend one of my favourites:

Country: Japan     

Year: 2015     

Genre: Drama, Life

Starring: Tamamori Yuta & Nishiuchi Mariya

Don't watch the trailer for this movie because it kind of already uncovers the secret, finding out the secret while watching the movie is more enjoyable.

Plot: The male and female lead meet online. First, they exchange emails about their favourite book. Soon the male lead asks to meet with the female lead but she hesitates. She has a secret, she tries to hide from everyone, it makes her everyday life harder. Still, after some thought, she agrees on meeting him.

Why I recommend this: I watched this because the plot of meeting online with a secret seemed really interesting. I also like the leads, Tamamori is really cute and I like Mariya too. The secret was really unexpected. I especially liked Tamamori's character in this movie, he was gentle and kind. They were actually the total opposites of each other, while he seemed to have his life altogether, her life was not that rosy. They really had great chemistry and the romance was cute and not forced. I liked the encouraging tone of this movie and that change is possible and positive. It really is one of my favourite movies so if you're looking for a feel-good, romantic movie with a unique plot, then this is for you.

And that's it for now.

Did any of these movies pique your interest?

Hope you pick some of them up and enjoy them as much as I did.

If you've already watched some of these, did you like them?