Movies Like Sakuran (2006)

Sakuran is a 2006 drama, history film from Mika Ninagawa with a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Dawn of the Felines and Always - Sunset on Third Street.

Drama History

Dawn of the Felines

2017

A story of three escort girls living in Ikebukuro, Tokyo. They work at the same escort service while feeling lonely in their urban lives.

5.8

MagicScore

Always - Sunset on Third Street

2005

Teenage Mutsuko comes to Tokyo for work but ends up at a repair shop. She befriends the owner's family. Neighbors Hiromi, writer Chagawa with admirer Junnosuke strive alongside them in postwar Tokyo's evolution.

7.6

MagicScore

Always: Sunset on Third Street 2

2007

Would-be writer Ryunosuke Chagawa is still living across the street from Norifumi Suzuki and his auto repair shop, though now he shares his home with Junnosuke, an orphan he's taken under his wing at the urging of pretty Hiroi, who continues to manage a nearby tavern. Chagawa dreams of publishing a successful novel and settling down with Hiroi and Junnosuke, but his day job running the candy store keeps him busy, and Hiroi mistakes his tight schedule for a lack of interest in her. Hiroi has also embarked on a secret career as a burlesque dancer, which isn't doing much to improve her opinion of men. At the Suzuki household, seven-year-old Ippei isn't happy to be sharing the house with a guest, his distant cousin Mika who is the same age but far more demanding. Mutsuko, the apprentice female auto mechanic, is still staying with the Suzukis, and she's becomes the object of the affections of Takeo, a downbeat young man who is studying cooking.

6.9

MagicScore

Museum

2016

In Tokyo, Japan, several grotesque murders take place on rainy days. Detective Sawamura, who is in charge of the case, soon discovers that his own family is connected to the crimes.

6.7

MagicScore

River's Edge

2018

High schooler Haruna befriends loner Yamada, then is drawn into the tangled relationship between him, a model and the girl who loves him unreasonably.

5.9

MagicScore

Inuyashiki

2018

A middle-aged office worker encounters aliens and is gifted with alien technology and limitless powers.

7.6

MagicScore

Gantz: Perfect Answer

2011

Summoned by the black sphere, Kei and Masaru fight against extraterrestrials until Masaru grows tired of fighting and refuses to continue.

6.7

MagicScore

Gantz

2010

After trying to rescue a man on the subway tracks, two teens wake up in a room dominated by a mysterious black sphere that sends them to hunt down and kill aliens hiding on Earth.

6.5

MagicScore

Les Misérables

2012

An adaptation of the successful stage musical based on Victor Hugo's classic novel set in 19th-century France. Jean Valjean, a man imprisoned for stealing bread, must flee a relentless policeman named Javert. The pursuit consumes both men's lives, and soon Valjean finds himself in the midst of the student revolutions in France.

7.3

MagicScore

#10

Man's Job

2007

Juha is 38 years old and has three small children and a depressed wife. He sees himself as strong and believes a man should provide for his family. But one day Juha is fired from his job. Ashamed, he weaves a web of lies to hide the fact from his family. With the help of his friend Olli, Juha begins prostituting himself to support his wife and children. With this he makes in two hours what it took him two days to earn before. The shame and deception mushroom, but the pay from the new profession seems to offset the downside.

5.7

MagicScore

#11

On the Doll

2007

A lurid, dark look into the lives of sex workers, where victims of child abuse deal with the consequences later in life.

4.8

MagicScore

#12

THE LEGEND & BUTTERFLY

2023

Oda Nobunaga and Nōhime were originally married to mend a hostile relationship between neighbouring regions. Unfortunately, they were like oil and water, making for a somewhat unhappy marriage. When Oda's enemy, Imagawa Yoshimoto, attacks Owari with his vast army, Oda is devastated by the overwhelming gap in military strength. However, Nohime encourages him not to despair, and the pair draw up a tactical plan that will allow them to overcome the odds.

6.6

MagicScore

#13

Ugetsu

1953

In 16th century Japan, peasants Genjuro and Tobei sell their earthenware pots to a group of soldiers in a nearby village, in defiance of a local sage's warning against seeking to profit from warfare. Genjuro's pursuit of both riches and the mysterious Lady Wakasa, as well as Tobei's desire to become a samurai, run the risk of destroying both themselves and their wives, Miyagi and Ohama.

8.0

MagicScore

#14

The Twilight Samurai

2002

Seibei Iguchi leads a difficult life as a low ranking samurai at the turn of the nineteenth century. A widower with a meager income, Seibei struggles to take care of his two daughters and senile mother. New prospects seem to open up when the beautiful Tomoe, a childhood friend, comes back into he and his daughters' life, but as the Japanese feudal system unravels, Seibei is still bound by the code of honor of the samurai and by his own sense of social precedence. How can he find a way to do what is best for those he loves?

7.8

MagicScore

#15

Love and Honor

2006

A look at the relationship between a young blind samurai and his wife, who will make a sacrifice in order to defend her husband's honor.

7.5

MagicScore

#16

Lost in Translation

2003

Two lost souls visiting Tokyo -- the young, neglected wife of a photographer and a washed-up movie star shooting a TV commercial -- find an odd solace and pensive freedom to be real in each other's company, away from their lives in America.

7.4

MagicScore

#17

Aristocrats

2021

Hanako Haibara was born and raised in the city of Tokyo. After she gets dumped by her boyfriend, while in her late 20's, she goes on blind dates to find a man to marry. Miki Tokioka was born in a province. She studied very hard and entered a prestigious university in Tokyo. She experienced difficult financial times, but she now works at an IT company. Due to a man, Hanako Haibara and Miki Tokioka meet each other.

6.9

MagicScore

#18

Helter Skelter

2012

Top model Lilico, having recently undergone multiple cosmetic surgeries, begins to experience troubling side effects. As she desperately tries to retain her perfect image, Lilico descends into a world of nightmares and makes those around her miserable.

6.6

MagicScore

#19

Gate of Flesh

1988

Prostitutes in burnt out Tokyo ghetto of post-WWII Japan peddle their flesh and save one-third of their money for a proposed dancehall to be named Paradise. The hookers live in a bombed-out building, but they accept the precarious situation with typical resolve.

6.0

MagicScore

#20

Samurai Assassin

1965

Japan, 1860. The men of the Mito clan, victims of the Ansei purge, anxiously prowl around the Sakurada Gate of Edo Castle with the intention of assassinating Naosuke Ii of Hikone, tairō of the Tokugawa shogunate and responsible for their misfortune.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Sakuran?

The top films similar to Sakuran by MovieMagicScore are Dawn of the Felines (5.8), Always - Sunset on Third Street (7.6), Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 (6.9). Each shares drama/history themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Sakuran worth watching?

Sakuran holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.5/10 from 65 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Sakuran?

Sakuran (2006) is a drama, history film directed by Mika Ninagawa, starring Anna Tsuchiya, Kippei Shiina, Hiroki Narimiya.

Where can I find more recommendations like Sakuran?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Dawn of the Felines Movies like Always - Sunset on Third Street Movies like Always: Sunset on Third Street 2 Movies like Museum Movies like River's Edge Movies like Inuyashiki

About movies like Sakuran

This ranked list pairs Sakuran (2006), a drama and history film from Mika Ninagawa, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Anna Tsuchiya take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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