Best movies like Star Watching Dog
Last updated March 2024
Looking for movies similar to Star Watching Dog? Contribute your knowledge to direct others to tv series and films you've seen before that might interest them too. Facilitate widening the network of individuals proposing videos to each other. We welcome your involvement!
Plot Summary:
An abandoned car is discovered near a camping ground and inside it is the body of an identified middle-aged man and a dog who seems to have died months later. This is the story of the life of the loving and faithful dog and his owner told from the dog's point of view. City hall employee Kyousuke Okutsu is assigned to uncover the man's identity for a proper funeral. As he investigates the situation, he remembers his late family and his own dog's unfailing loyalty.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 247
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: depressing, sad, tear jerker, tearjerker
Best tv shows and movies like Star Watching Dog (2011):
Similar in 88%
The Cherry Orchard: Blossoming (2008)
Plot Summary:
Remake of a hit film from 1990, "The Cherry Orchard" which Nakahara himself directed, based on a popular comic book from Akimi Yoshida. The story takes place at a prestigious girls high school where everyone is oppressed with rules. One girl who just transferred to this school finds a long lost script of Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard" which was banned from school 11 years ago. Breaking strict school rules and boundaries, she and her friends decide to perform the play. With sentiment, love and passion, the girls cherish the moment of their life before taking the next step towards adulthood.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 89
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 77%
Hitoshi Tadano, the Extraordinary Undercover Detective (2003)
Plot Summary:
Hitoshi Tadano is an assistant manager of an advertisement company who seems to be nothing but a dull and incapable “nobody”. While most of the employees wonder why such a passive and incompetent person like Hitoshi is yet to be laid off, there is just one person who heavily relies on him as a “savior” to the company, the CEO. In fact, the “Mr. Nobody” is simply a disguise from the real Hitoshi, as he is under various special missions of the CEO to quietly carry on his “extraordinary” task to fight against the corruption of the company.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 20
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 55 min
Plot tags: sexy
Similar in 90%
All About My Dog (2005)
Plot Summary:
A series of short stories all about dogs.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 201
Genere: Drama, Family
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: tear jerker, tearjerker
Similar in 78%
Dusty (1983)
Plot Summary:
Plot The eponymous Dusty is an appropriately named dingo, or wild dog. Roaming the fertile fields of Australia, Dusty is captured as a puppy. Though dingoes are normally averse to human companionship, Dusty attaches himself to an old, worn-out shepherd, played by Bill Kerr. The dog gives Kerr a reason for living, and vice versa. Be sure to have plenty of Kleenex handy for some of the mistier passages of Dusty.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 133
Genere: Drama
Country: Australia
Duration: 88 min
Plot tags: independent film
Similar in 80%
Antarctica (2011)
Plot Summary:
Set in the 1950's, a Japanese Antarctic research exploration team and 19 dogs that accompanied the team are stationed at the Showa Base in Antarctica. After a year, the exploration team is ordered to withdraw from the Antarctic station due to severe weather conditions. The dogs have to be left behind. The following year, the next team arrives at the Showa Base station and a miraculous reunion occurs between a dog handler accompanying the new tean and two dogs, Taro and Shiro, that are brothers.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 285
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Lad: A Dog (1962)
Plot Summary:
The story of the rough collie hero, Sunnybank Lad. Based on the book by Albert Payson Terhune.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 117
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 76%
Always: Sunset on Third Street '64 (2012)
Plot Summary:
The Tokyo Olympics are about to open, and Rynosuke Chagawa is excited to receive a new TV set to watch the upcoming events. His wife Hiromi is pregnant and he has built a second level on his shop to provide his adopted son Junnosuke with a private space to study for entrance to Tokyo University to set up a career with a major company. He dreams of sparing Junnosuke the struggles that he has faced as a writer. The family continues to rely upon Hiromi's income from her bar. Meanwhile a rival story, The Virus, by a new writer has appeared in the periodical that has been publishing his stories "Boy's Adventure Book" and he fears the new competition. Norifumi Suzuki also receives a new TV, but more of a deluxe model. Mutsuko Hoshino (Roku) is still the principal mechanic in the Suzuki family's auto repair shop, but she dresses up some mornings to go to a nearby street with the hope of a "chance" meeting with Dr.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 719
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family
Country: Japan
Duration: 142 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
Reon (2018)
Plot Summary:
Dumped, fired from her job, Reon’s day couldn't get any worse. Then a freak accident causes her to swap bodies with her old company’s womanizing CEO.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 55
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 88%
So What (1988)
Plot Summary:
In a small town, high school students in their final year try to balance their studies while also playing together in a rock band.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 18
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 98 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 84%
A Tale of Mari and Three Puppies (2007)
Plot Summary:
The touching and dramatic tale of the relationship between a Japanese family, their dog and her three puppies, set against the backdrop of a devastating earthquake and the ensuing chaos, rescues and heroism.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 318
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: sincere, captivating, realistic, disturbing, sad
Similar in 78%
Antique: Western Antique Cake Shop (2001)
Plot Summary:
This story is about four men who work in a confectionary. Tachibana Keiichiro (Shiina Kippei) is the owner; Ono Yusuke (Fujiki Naohito) is the superb baker that has a mysterious and mesmerizing aura; Kobayakawa Chikage (Abe Hiroshi) is the waiter and close bodyguard of Tachibana; and last but not least is Kanda Eiji (Takizawa Hideaki), the ex-boxer who loves cake so much that he becomes a waiter at 'Antique'. This is a refreshing, yet heartfelt comedy about the 4 very unique personalities that work until the wee hours of the night at the small confectionary. The series follows the romance, family life, and most importantly friendship that these 4 men from different generations experience. This is a confectionary with a "flavor" not like most. Located in the middle of an ordinary residential area, "Antique" stays open until 2 a.m. Every single thing in the shop is antique, in fact even the sherry glasses that water comes in look like they would cost 50,000 yen. On top of this, all the sweets that are sold are unbelievably delicious. The thing that is most peculiar about "Antique" though is that all 4 of the men that work here are very handsome, and each has an interesting past. Those that frequent the store also have a story to tell. Edited Excerpt from JDorama.com.
IMDB Rating: 7.6
IMDB Votes: 85
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration:
Plot tags: dorama
Similar in 87%
Belong To Us (2018)
Plot Summary:
An injured dog finds it's way into the hearts of a family after escaping an underground dog-fighting ring.
IMDB Rating: 4.9
IMDB Votes: 210
Genere: Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 84 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 79%
Tokyo University Story (2006)
Plot Summary:
Murakami Naoki is the most intelligent student at his high school, but he can't stop obsessing over a girl named Mizuno Haruka. He finally asks her out, and to his surprise, she accepts. After several months of a loving yet obviously doomed romance, it comes time for them to take the entrance exams for Tokyo University. What will happen to their relationship if only one of them is accepted?.
IMDB Rating: 5.0
IMDB Votes: 35
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 105 min
Plot tags: manga
Similar in 78%
Beck (2010)
Plot Summary:
Yukio is your average high school student who spends his days going to class and avoiding bullies. That is until he meets Ryusuke, a guitar prodigy. Together with Taira, Chiba, and Saku they form the rock band BECK. As their popularity increases so does the danger as Ryusuke's past catches up with him.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Music
Country: Japan
Duration: 145 min
Plot tags: light, unusual plot structure, captivating, visually appealing, uplifting
Similar in 89%
Seven Days of Himawari and Her Puppies (2012)
Plot Summary:
Set within an animal shelter, where if the owner of an animal doesn't claim their pet in 7 days, the animal is put to sleep. Himawari, is a female dog and a mother. She tries to desperately save her baby dogs.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 144
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 117 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, captivating, suspense
Similar in 76%
Quill: The Life of a Guide Dog (2004)
Plot Summary:
As a Labrador puppy, Quill is sent to live with a couple, Isamu and Mitsuko Nii, who work as volunteers, training guide dogs (seeing eye dogs). When he grows to an adult dog, he is taken to a guide dog school, by a friendly, yet firm trainer Satoru Tawada. Although Quill is a little slower than the other dogs at the school, he seems to have an unusual 'empathy' and remarkable patience with his trainers. Tawada decides that Quill would be the ideal guide dog for Mitsuru Watanabe, but Wanatabe, a lonely and ill-tempered middle aged man, isn't as enthusiastic - he would "would rather sleep than be dragged around by a dog.". From here, the story is narrated by Wanatabe's daughter, Mitsuko, and slowly, Wantanbe is rehabilitated, venturing into the outside world, and learning, not only to trust other humans, but the animal at his side who guides him.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: touching, uplifting, sentimental, emotional, sincere, captivating, tear jerker, serious, realistic, tearjerker
Similar in 85%
Farewell, Kuro (2003)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story set in Matsumoto city, Nagano, during 1960s. A stray dog wanders into a high school's grounds. The dog, named Kuro, stays at the school and becomes a special friend to everyone.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 100
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: tear jerker, tearjerker
Similar in 86%
Silver and Gold (2017)
Plot Summary:
Morita, a man who never succeeds in anything, takes his anger out in gambling. He meets an underworld fixer named Ginji Hirai, who introduces him to the underworld trade, where billions of yen changes hands every moment, and speculators and other influential people bet their lives for greed.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 29
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 30 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 82%
Solanin (2010)
Plot Summary:
Meiko Inoue is a recent college grad working as an office lady in a job she hates. Her boyfriend Shigeo is permanently crashing at her apartment because his job as a freelance illustrator doesn't pay enough for rent. And her parents in the country keep sending her boxes of veggies that just rot in her fridge. Straddling the line between her years as a student and the rest of her life, Meiko struggles with the feeling that she's just not cut out to be a part of the real world.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 900
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 126 min
Plot tags: psychological, sentimental, captivating, realistic, sweet, shoujo
Similar in 85%
The Cherry Orchard (1990)
Plot Summary:
At an all girl school, a group of girls annually stages a play. This year they pick Anton Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard." After vigorous rehearsals the play faces cancellation because one student gets caught smoking after school.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 266
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags:
Similar in 86%
Hana Yori Dango: Final (2008)
Plot Summary:
Domyoji holds an extravagant press conference to announce his wedding to Makino the following spring. The press is playing her up like a modern-day Cinderella and everything seems to be going well. Later, the families offer congratulations to the couple. Even Domyoji’s mother, who was formerly opposed to the relationship and tried desperately to break them up at every opportunity is suddenly happy for them. She even offers Makino a family heirloom: a tiara worth 10 billion yen (about $95 million USD) called “Smile of Venus”.r be meddling again, hoping to make it look like Makino carelessly lost the tiara herself? Or is someone at the hotel trying to cover up the crime? Domyoji and Makino are determined to get to the bottom of things and end up going on a wild adventure together which takes them through Las Vegas, Hong Kong, and various places throughout the world.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: dorama, sentimental, touching, sincere, disturbing, shoujo, anime
Similar in 86%
The Castle of Crossed Destinies (2012)
Plot Summary:
In the inner chambers of the Shugun's castle, 3,000 men attempt to vie for the affection of the female shogun. Based on the 4th-6th volumes in the manga series "Ooku" by Fumi Yoshinaga.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 106
Genere: Drama, Sci-Fi
Country: Japan
Duration: 124 min
Plot tags: psychological, captivating, suspense, disturbing, romantic
Similar in 90%
Kids on the Slope (2018)
Plot Summary:
Two different students—a successful but aloof academic and a rebellious but kindhearted delinquent—form a friendship through their love of jazz music.
IMDB Rating: 6.7
IMDB Votes: 797
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 120 min
Plot tags: emotional, light, captivating, realistic, anime
Similar in 75%
Blue Spring (2001)
Plot Summary:
Soon after being named the new leader of his high school's gang system, Kujo grows bored with the violence and hatred that surround him. He wants desperately to abandon his post… but his once-enviable position of power has a strange way of making him feel powerless.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 4000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 83 min
Plot tags: bleak, realistic, disturbing, serious, manga
Similar in 82%
Ikigami: The Ultimate Limit (2008)
Plot Summary:
In an attempt to spur citizens into taking more productive roles in society, the Japanese government issues death messages, or "ikigami", informing them that they have only 24 hours left to live. The film follows a young man tasked with delivering these messages, as well as the victims.
IMDB Rating: 7.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: tense, suspense, disturbing, philosophical
Similar in 78%
Kaiji 2: The Ultimate Gambler (2011)
Plot Summary:
3 years after the ultimate life-or-death game with Teiai Group, Kaiji was entrapped by Teiai and again back in the underground, forced to do hard labour. One day, Kaiji wins a bet to get out of the underground with 1 million yen, and promises the other workers that he will save them. But to do so, he only has 14 days and needs 200 million yen! Kaiji meets his former rival Tonegawa and learns that there is a chance to turn the tables in the game. It was a monster casino machine that will make 1 billion yen if you win.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 133 min
Plot tags: anime, tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 84%
Liar Game: Reborn (2012)
Plot Summary:
To exact revenge, the Liar Game office is revived. The target is only one person: Shin'ichi Akiyama. Because of new heroine Shinomiya, Shin'ichi, who kept refusing to take part in the game, finds himself in the game. Along with Akiyama, there's 19 other players competing for the prize of two billion yen. Omega, who revived the game, plays the game at the Liar Game office with Alice. Alice sets up the game, chooses the players, and sets the traps.
IMDB Rating: 6.2
IMDB Votes: 678
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: tense, captivating, suspense, disturbing
Similar in 83%
Mushi-Shi: The Movie (2006)
Plot Summary:
Mushi are beings in touch with the essence of life, far more basic and pure than normal living things. Most humans are incapable of perceiving Mushi and are oblivious to their existence, but there are a few who possess the ability to see and interact with Mushi. One such person is Ginko who travels from place to place to research Mushi and aid people suffering from problems caused by them.
IMDB Rating: 6.0
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Fantasy
Country: Japan
Duration: 131 min
Plot tags: exciting, serious, stylized, captivating, anime, psychotronic, weird, bizarre
Similar in 84%
Kakera: A Piece of Our Life (2009)
Plot Summary:
The story of the relationship between a college student whose relationship with her boyfriend is going nowhere and a bisexual medical artist who makes prosthetic body parts. Haru is a college student ignored by her boyfriend yet believes she is still in love with him. One day at a café, Haru meets Riko, a medical artist (prosthetist) who creates body parts in order to disguise clients’ missing pieces, lost due to accident or disease. Both were alone, but struck up an immediate friendship and closeness. Riko doesn't care about gender when it comes to relationships, and believes that love itself is the most important thing a human can achieve. Haru struggles in her life between friendship and a deeper relationship with Riko.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 381
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, realistic, semi serious, captivating, manga, clever
Similar in 89%
Kaiji: The Ultimate Gambler (2009)
Plot Summary:
Itou Kaiji is a bum who steals car emblems and slashes tires on what seems to be a regular basis. This routine changes one day when he is paid a visit by a man in a trench-coat. Once the two get talking, it seems that the visitor (Calling himself Endou) is a debt collector. The reason for his visit is an unpaid loan which kaiji had previously co-signed for a work-mate (Furuhata Takeshi). The original loan was 30000 yen and once Takeshi had disappeared, the loan then fell on Kaiji. Kaiji is then told of a way to clear the interest compounded debt (which stood at 3,850,000 yen), which involved getting on a boat with others in his position. Once on the boat the debtors would then have to gamble with loaned money, which would end with a few winning, and others getting into deeper debt and having to work to pay of their debts. After some coercing kaiji accepts a position on the boat, in order to clear himself and make a bit of money as well.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama
Country: Japan
Duration: 130 min
Plot tags: tense, psychological, captivating, anime, atmospheric, exciting, rough, serious, realistic, suspenseful