Cherry blossoms are finally in full bloom once again! Although many of us Filipinos are now stuck in the sweltering heat, that doesn’t necessarily mean we have to totally miss out on the beauty and romance that come with the much-anticipated sakura season.

In this post, we rounded up eight Japanese films that won’t just transport you to where the sakura trees burst into clouds of pink, but also make your heart feel all the feels. Make sure to add these to your watch list—we’ll be laughing and crying with you. 

Kimi Ni Todoke (2010)

Before Netflix Japan dropped its most recent original series From Me To You last week, there was the movie adaptation of the award-winning manga of the same title. 

Kimi Ni Todoke stars Mikako Tabe as the introverted Sawako, whose name and appearance earned her the moniker “Sadako,” from the famous horror movie The Ring. After one fateful spring morning, she is befriended by Haruma Miura’s Kazehaya, a good-natured and outgoing guy in her class. Sawako’s life then takes a complicated turn as she tries to break through her shell. 

A heartwarming story about unlikely friendships and first love, Kimi Ni Todoke is one of Japan’s most loved teen romance movies.

Let Me Eat Your Pancreas (2017)

Don’t let this movie’s morbid title stop you from watching it! 

Let Me Eat Your Pancreas shuttles back and forth between the present time and the early 2000s as Haruki (Shun Oguri), a demotivated high school teacher, recounts the time he spent as a nonchalant teenage boy (Takumi Kitamura) who stayed by the side of his terminally ill yet free-spirited classmate Sakura (Minami Hamabe), as she ticked off the items on her bucket list. 

Based on the 2015 novel I Want To Eat Your Pancreas by Yoru Sumino, this film stands as a reminder that life can be taken away from you in the most unexpected of ways, so you might as well enjoy it while you can.

5 Centimeters Per Second (2007)

One of the earlier works of Makoto Shinkai—who is best known for his blockbuster hits like Your Name, Weathering With You, and the recently-released Suzume—5 Centimeters Per Second is an animated film that follows the story of a boy named Takaki Tono (Kenji Mizuhashi) through three stages of his life, from his charmed childhood to his tough adulthood. 

In a true Makoto Shinkai fashion, 5 Centimeters Per Second gets a bittersweet conclusion that will either move you to tears or leave you feeling stone-cold as you sit and watch the credits roll in. 

Love Like The Falling Petals (2022)

Just as rookie hairdresser Misaki (Honoka Matsumoto) and aspiring photographer Haruto (Kento Nakajima) start to grow deeper feelings toward each other, Misaki discovers the grim truth behind what has been affecting her health of late. 

Not wanting to get in the way of Haruto achieving his dreams, she shuts him off completely as she comes to terms with the fact that her life is as temporal as the blooming of the cherry blossoms. 

An underrated gem in Netflix’s roster of original films, Love Like The Falling Petals is a definite must-watch for fans of romance flicks who love a hint of tragedy.   

Your Lie In April (2016)

Love classical music? Then you might find yourself immersed in this heart-rending movie adaptation of Naoshi Arakawa’s manga series of the same name. 

Your Lie In April tells the story of Kosei (Kento Yamazaki) an ex-piano prodigy who now refuses to play music because of his traumatic past, and Kaori (Suzu Hirose), a headstrong violinist who puts her own spin to classical music pieces. 

The two young musicians’ awkward first meeting develops into a strong partnership as they agree to perform onstage together, despite the differences in their playing styles. 

A Silent Voice (2016)

Another animated film on our list, A Silent Voice is a coming-of-age drama that tackles surprisingly dark themes. It gives viewers a glimpse into the life of Shoya (Miyu Irino), a former bully who turned into a loner as he reached his teens. 

Burdened by guilt and deserted by those he used to consider his friends, Shoya tries to make peace with Shoko (Saori Hayami), a hearing-impaired girl he used to pick on back in elementary school. Little did he know, Shoko is also facing a battle that she hides behind her sweet smile. 

Throughout its 130-minute running time, A Silent Voice doesn’t hold itself back from showing how cruel even youngsters can be and the lasting effects of the pain they can leave on each other. 

One Week Friends (2017)

When high school student and budding manga artist Yuki (Kento Yamazaki) crosses paths with aloof Kaori (Haruna Kawaguchi) during spring break, he is certain about one thing: He wants to be friends with her. 

Yuki takes every opportunity to befriend Kaori, but gets rejected every time. He soon finds out the reason why Kaori prefers being on her own—she suffers from both retrograde and anterograde amnesia, keeping her from storing memories for more than a week. Yuki then devises a plan to help Kaori keep track of past events, while slowly becoming her only trusted confidante in school. 

A bittersweet tale of first love found and lost, One Week Friends is sure to take you on a roller coaster ride of emotions that will get you screaming at your screen out of kilig, frustration, and everything in between. 

My Little Monster (2018)

Capping off our list is the light-hearted My Little Monster.

The mundane life of cold and grade-conscious high school student Shizuku (Tao Tsuchiya) is turned upside-down when misunderstood social outcast Haru (Masaki Suda) starts hanging around her and openly expresses his love for her. With their own quirks, they unintentionally form a circle of friends, which includes popular girl Asako (Elaiza Ikeda), jock Sasayan (Gaku Sano), and rich brat Yamaken (Yuki Yamada), making them feel a true sense of belongingness. 

A genuinely fun watch complete with a zappy original soundtrack and a happy ending (yes, we’re letting you know that much!), My Little Monster is one of those films you’d love to rewatch over and over again. 

Do you have a favorite springtime flick? Let us know in the comments!

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