Movies Like School Meals Time Final Battle

If you liked School Meals Time Final Battle (2020), a drama movie directed by Shinya Ayabe, 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
Look Back (2024)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
Popular, outgoing Fujino is celebrated by her classmates for her funny comics in the class newspaper. One day, her teacher asks her to share the space with Kyomoto, a truant recluse whose beautiful artwork sparks a…
2
From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Yokohama, 1963. Japan is picking itself up from the devastation of World War II and preparing to host the 1964 Olympics—and the mood is one of both optimism and conflict as the young generation struggles to throw off…
3
Totto-chan: The Little Girl at the Window (2023)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
This engaging series of childhood recollections tells of an unconventional school in Tokyo during World War II that combined learning with fun, freedom, and love. The school had old railroad cars for classrooms and was…
4
100 METERS (2025)
★ 7.8/10Also drama
A gifted runner trains a determined but unskilled classmate, unaware he's creating a rival who will challenge him on the track for years to come.
5
Initial D Legend 2: Racer (2015)
★ 7.9/10Also drama
The leader of rival group Myogi NightKids, Takeshi, wants to challenge the now infamous Takumi in a race down Akina. As Takumi questions his identity as a racer, he discovers that, behind the wheel, there’s more to…
6
Initial D Legend 3: Dream (2016)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Takumi Fujiawara has garnered the attention of the street racer Ryousuke Takahashi, leader of the RedSuns. As he prepares for the biggest race in his life, Takumi finds himself trying to juggle his passion for racing…
7
Twenty-Four Eyes (1954)
★ 7.7/10Also drama
From 1928 to 1946, the lives of 12 young people and their school teacher in a poor Japanese village are profoundly affected by historical events and personal circumstances.
8
Kids Return (1996)
★ 6.9/10Also drama
Shinji and Masaru spend most of their school days harassing fellow classmates and playing pranks. They drop out and Shinji becomes a small-time boxer, while Masaru joins up with a local yakuza gang. However, the world…
9
Battle Royale (2000)
★ 7.3/10Also drama
In the future, the Japanese government captures a class of ninth-grade students and forces them to kill each other under the revolutionary "Battle Royale" act.
10
Steve (2025)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
Over one intense day, the devoted head teacher of a last-chance reform school strives to keep his students in line while facing pressures of his own.
11
Stand by Me Doraemon (2014)
★ 7.5/10Also drama
Sewashi and Doraemon find themselves way back in time and meet Nobita. It is up to Doraemon to take care of Nobita or else he will not return to the present.
12
Tokyo Story (1953)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
The elderly Shukishi and his wife, Tomi, take the long journey from their small seaside village to visit their adult children in Tokyo. Their elder son, Koichi, a doctor, and their daughter, Shige, a hairdresser, don't…
13
Samurai Rebellion (1967)
★ 8.2/10Also drama
The mother of a feudal lord's only heir is kidnapped by the lord. Her husband and his samurai father must decide whether to accept the unjust decision, or risk death to rescue her.
14
Haikyu!! The Movie: Battle of Concepts (2017)
★ 8/10Also drama
A recap film depicting the match against Shiratorizawa Academy in the third season of the anime series.
15
Cheaters (2000)
★ 6.3/10Also drama
In the fall of 1994, a teacher at Chicago's run-down Steinmetz High conspires with the school's academic decathlon team to cheat on an academic competition.
16
Sound! Euphonium the Movie - Our Promise: A Brand New Day (2019)
★ 7.1/10Also drama
The next piece begins! Kumiko is now in her second year at Kitauji High School, and with a new year comes new problems. As if making it to Nationals wasn't hard enough, Kumiko is tasked with mentoring the concert…
17
Whisper of the Heart (1995)
★ 7.9/10Also drama
Shizuku lives a simple life, dominated by her love for stories and writing. One day she notices that all the library books she has have been previously checked out by the same person: "Seiji Amasawa."
18
Bridge to Terabithia (2007)
★ 7.4/10Also drama
Jesse Aarons trained all summer to become the fastest runner in school. So he's very upset when newcomer Leslie Burke outruns him and everyone else. Despite this and other differences including that she's rich, he's…
19
Armageddon Time (2022)
★ 6.4/10Also drama
In 1980, Queens, New York, a young Jewish boy befriends a rebellious African-American classmate to the disapproval of his privileged family and begins to reckon with growing up in a world of inequality and prejudice.
20
Stand by Me (1986)
★ 7.8/10Also drama
After learning that a boy their age has been accidentally killed near their rural homes, four boys decide to go see the body. Gordie, Vern, Chris, and Teddy encounter a mean junk man and a marsh full of leeches, but…