Movies Like Michelangelo: The Man Who Would Become God

If you liked Michelangelo: The Man Who Would Become God (2001), a movie directed by Masasumi Tani, here are 20 movies with a similar feel, based on TMDB's recommendations. Each one links to its cast, trailer and where it's streaming.

1
City Lights (1931)
★ 8.2/10
A tramp falls in love with a beautiful blind flower girl. His on-and-off friendship with a wealthy man allows him to be the girl's benefactor and suitor.
2
Gnomeo & Juliet (2011)
★ 5.9/10
A version of Shakespeare's play, set in the world of warring indoor and outdoor gnomes. Garden gnomes Gnomeo and Juliet have as many obstacles to overcome as their quasi namesakes when they are caught up in a feud…
3
The Colors Within (2024)
★ 6.9/10
Totsuko is a high school student with the ability to see the 'colors' of others. Colors of bliss, excitement, and serenity, plus a color she treasures as her favorite. Kimi, a classmate at her school, gives off the…
4
Tokyo Decadence (1992)
★ 6/10
A submissive hooker goes about her trade, suffering abuse at the hands of Japanese salarymen and Yakuza types. She's unhappy about her work, and is apparently trying to find some sort of appeasement for the fact that…
5
The Story of the Last Chrysanthemum (1939)
★ 7.8/10
In late 19th-century Tokyo, Kikunosuke Onoue, the adopted son of a legendary actor, himself an actor specializing in female roles, discovers that the praise he receives is only due to his status as his father's heir…
6
Linda Linda Linda (2005)
★ 7.6/10
Only three days before the school festival, a newly formed high school band rushes to put together a set for their big show — including a hit single by '80s by the Japanese punk rock band The Blue Hearts.
7
Avanti! (1972)
★ 6.9/10
A successful businessman travels to Italy to arrange for the return of his tycoon father's body, only to learn that dear old dad died with his longtime mistress.
8
Love Live! The School Idol Movie (2015)
★ 7.6/10
Although μ's, the defending champions of the school idol tournament, plans to dissolve their group after the graduation of their senior members, they receive news that leads them to holding a concert event! The 9 girls…
9
Knightriders (1981)
★ 6.2/10
A medieval reenactment troupe struggles to maintain its family-like dynamic amid pressure from local authorities, interest from talent agents, and their so-called king's delusions of grandeur.
10
Swing Girls (2004)
★ 7.9/10
A group of delinquent high school girls form a band when they accidentally poison their school's brass band and have to replace them.
11
Kokuho (2025)
★ 7.9/10
Nagasaki, 1964: Following the death of his Yakuza father, 15-year-old Kikuo is taken under the wings of a famous Kabuki actor. Alongside Shunsuke, the actor’s only son, he decides to dedicate himself to this…
12
Love Like the Falling Petals (2022)
★ 7.9/10
Haruto Asakura falls in love with hairdresser Misaki Ariake and asks her out. Watching Misaki Ariake work hard to achieve what she wants, Haruto Asakura, who almost gave up his dream to become a photographer, begins to…
13
Departures (2008)
★ 7.9/10
Daigo, a cellist, is laid off from his orchestra and moves with his wife back to his small hometown where the living is cheaper. Thinking he’s applying for a job at a travel agency he finds he’s being interviewed for…
14
An Actor's Revenge (1963)
★ 6.6/10
In Edo Japan, a kabuki actor seeks revenge against the three men who drove his parents to their deaths years ago.
15
Gracie (2007)
★ 6.2/10
A teenager faces an uphill battle when she fights to give women the opportunity to play competitive soccer.
16
One Piece Heroines (2026)
★ 7/10
After failing to stop the thieves due to ill-fitting shoes, Nami storms into the shop where she bought them for a refund. However, the head designer offers to make her a new pair from scratch on one condition: she must…
17
COLORFUL STAGE! The Movie: A Miku Who Can't Sing (2025)
★ 8.2/10
Ichika is a high school musician who can enter a mysterious place called “SEKAI,” where she and her friends express their innermost emotions through music alongside Hatsune Miku. One day after giving a live…
18
Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
★ 7/10
Seymour Krelborn is a nerdy orphan working at Mushnik's, a flower shop in urban Skid Row. He harbors a crush on fellow co-worker, Audrey Fulquard, and is berated by Mr. Mushnik daily. One day, Seymour finds a very…
19
Drive My Car (2021)
★ 7.4/10
Yusuke Kafuku, a stage actor and director, still unable, after two years, to cope with the loss of his beloved wife, accepts to direct Uncle Vanya at a theater festival in Hiroshima. There he meets Misaki, an…
20
The Little Shop of Horrors (1960)
★ 6.3/10
Seymour works in a skid row florist shop and is in love with his beautiful co-worker, Audrey. He creates a new plant that not only talks but cannot survive without human flesh and blood.