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Asian Movies That Feel Like a Warm Hug
105
items Movies that make you feel safe — that let you laugh, cry, and feel understood.
Sections
4
Korean
Japanese
Thai
Chinese / Taiwanese / Hong Kong
Korean
Synopsis: Lee Hyeong is a talented songwriter. He happens to connect people who are not good with love. Those include Hyeong-Gyeong who wants to become a singer, but she suffers from stage fright. Scully is a high school student. She helps Lee Hyeong...
Because I Love You (2017)
Synopsis: South Korean has a different person's body, changing every morning to a body borrowed for a day - man, woman, old, child and sometimes a foreigner. He works as furniture designer. He loves a girl. She loves him for the beauty inside.
Wh...
The Beauty Inside (2015)
Synopsis: A dweeby, mild-mannered man comes to the aid of a drunk young woman on a subway platform. Little does he know how much trouble he's in for.
I know some of you already know this movie because it’s popular. But this movie is one of my comf...
My Sassy Girl (2001)
Synopsis: A doctor tries to woo a grieving, widowed firefighter in her attempt to get him to testify on her behalf in a medical malpractice case.
This movie makes my heart flutter, and it also made me laugh so much! 🥰
Love 911 (2012)
Synopsis: A former boxer turned parking lot attendant finds hope in the love of the blind telemarketer who walks into his booth one day.
As you can see, I really love Han Hyo-joo’s movies. This one is very heartwarming and a little dramatic. I’m al...
Always (2011)
Synopsis: In the year 1999, a young woman leaves her quaint seaside house and returns to the city, leaving in the mailbox a card for the next owner, with instructions to forward any mail of hers to the new address. In the year 1997, a jaded young arc...
Il mare (2000)
Synopsis: Dong-hyun is a high school student. One day, he falls from the rooftop and bumps into Pan-soo who is a passerby. Pan-soo is a member of a criminal organization. When the two men wake up in the hospital, they discover that they have switched...
The Dude in Me (2019)
Synopsis: In a rural town in 1982, a young girl is a feared gang leader of her school, but she secretly has a crush on a playboy. When a transfer student arrives, the playboy falls in love with her and this stirs up chaos at school.
If you want a ...
Hot Young Bloods (2014)
Synopsis: A college student (Son Ye-jin) finds a diary detailing a long-ago love triangle involving her mother, her future father, and his best friend (Cho Seung-woo).
If you haven’t watched this one, please do—trust me! It’s very heartwarming, sho...
The Classic (2003)
Synopsis: Seven girls become good friends in high school, then events pull them apart for 25 years. When one of the friends lies dying in a hospital, she wishes to see each of them one last time.
I love them and their friendship so much! 😭
Sunny (2011)
Synopsis: Su-Jin and Chul-Soo's relationship and marriage is put to the test when Su-Jin is diagnosed with early-onset Alzheimer's disease.
This one made me ugly-cry the first time I watched it.
A Moment to Remember (2004)
Synopsis: Su-ho is a plain high school boy, and Su-eun is a bright and beautiful girl in the same school. For some unknown reason, Su-eun has a crush on the boy, and for equally mysterious reasons she rescues Su-ho in the sea (though he doesn’t know ...
My Girl and I (2005)
Synopsis: During the 1990s, hardworking Mi Soo and optimistic Hyun Woo meet at a bakery and fall in love while exchanging stories on a radio station, but while their paths keep crossing, the timing never seems to work out.
This one is very romantic...
Tune in for Love (2019)
Synopsis: Young-ho doesn't have any dreams for his life. He has been studying for three years to enter a university. He decides to send a letter to his childhood friend So-yeon. But her younger sister So-hee receives the letter instead of her sick si...
Endless Rain (2021)
Synopsis: A woman dies, leaving her husband and young son, but during the rain season, she comes back to life and has no memories. The three get together and are happy again, but she has to go back when the rain season ends.
This movie healed some...
Be With You (2018)
Synopsis: Yeo-min is a matured and thoughtful 9 year old boy who lives in a small mountain village. Even at his young age, he has too many things to take care of. First, he has to protect his friends from the neighborhood bully Black Bird and keep pe...
When I Turned Nine (2004)
Synopsis: A young couple, both of whom are 17-years-old, learns that they will have a baby. The couple feels uneasy and with their heart beating faster than ever, they wait for the birth of their first child. Finally, they have a beautiful boy. Thei...
My Brilliant Life (2014)
Synopsis: Jina, who works at a credit card company call centre, avoids building close relationships, choosing instead to live and work alone. When one day her irritating neighbour is discovered dead, having died alone in his apartment, relationships ...
Aloners (2012)
Synopsis: During a summer of adventure, a young man escapes his difficult life at home and travels to a remote village, where he quickly falls for a local.
I love this movie so much—you have no idea! It gave me butterflies and made me cry a lot. It...
Once in a Summer (2006)
Synopsis: A daughter needs to go on her first date, and the father needs to perform well at work. However, they change bodies, and it creates a big problem.
funny and a bit weird and enjoyable movie!
Daddy You, Daughter Me (2017)
Synopsis: A high school dance duo and a soccer team on a remote island. Two girls create a cheer leading club to pursue their love of dance, but they soon find themselves enthusiastically cheering on the soccer team and the entire island.
Very fun ...
Victory (2024)
Synopsis: While searching for her parents' village, a postal worker (Jeon Do-yeon) meets a younger version of her mother.
My Mother, the Mermaid (2004)
Synopsis: Middle-schooler Cheon-ji's unexpected suicide causes her mother Hyeon-sook and older sister Man-ji to be driven out of their home and into another apartment. Man-ji happens to hear a story that might relate to the suicide after meeting Cheo...
Thread of Lies (2014)
Synopsis: Incheon, South Korea in 1993, Doo-Seok (Sung Dong-Il) works as a debt collector. He looks intimidating, but he actually has a warm heart. One day, he goes to see Myung-Ja (Kim Yunjin) to collect debt. Unexpectedly, Myung-Ja gives her young ...
Pawn (2020)
Synopsis: Mi-Young (Ra Mi-Ran) was once a legendary detective. After she married, Mi-Young began working in the public service center at a police station. Ji-Hye (Lee Sung-Kyung) is a rookie detective. She causes trouble and gets assigned to work in ...
Miss & Mrs. Cops (2019)
Synopsis: Yeongju meets Heecheol in a train to Busan, and she unwillingly visits his town to get back her bag. However, she meets his family with the ring on her hands, so she acts as his lover.
Too Beautiful to Lie (2004)
Synopsis: A clerical error in heaven leads to Yeon-woo's untimely death. To fix the mistake, she must live as another woman for a month.
Wonderful Nightmare (2015)
Synopsis: An elderly woman (Na Moon-hee) regains her youthful appearance, changes her name and embarks on a quest for happiness.
Miss Granny (2014)
Synopsis: During the Korean War, a soldier encounters a children's choir who have lost everything and tries to protect them.
A Melody to Remember (2016)
Synopsis: Dong-hoon and Mi-hee start the day with their beloved daughter, So-won. However, an unexpected and miserable event happens to So-won on her way to school. Dong-hoon and Mi-hee fight against the world to bring hope back into So-won's life.
...
Hope (2013)
Hello Ghost (2010)
Love Reset (2023)
Love Untangled (2025)
Love in the Big City (2024)
The Harmonium in My Memory (1999)
Bungee Jumping of Their Own (2001)
Ditto (2022)
Oasis (2002)
Soulmate (2023)
Ballerina (2023)
Hear Me: Our Summer (2024)
The Witch: Part 1 - The Subversion (2018)
Herb (2007)
Midnight Runners (2017)
You Are the Apple of My Eye (2024)
Christmas in August (1998)
Seoul Vibe (2022)
Poetry (2010)
May 14th (Short 2018)
3-Iron (2004)
Japanese
Synopsis: Lazy schoolgirls poison and replace members of the school's brass band while cutting math class.
My favorite comforting japanese movie! 💞
Swing Girls (2004)
Synopsis: Japanese teenagers (Aki Maeda, Yû Kashii, Shiori Sekine) recruit a Korean exchange student to become the singer of their rock band.
Linda Linda Linda (2005)
Synopsis: Released from prison, a young woman decides that life could be much easier if she were to move to a new place every time she can save enough money.
One Million Yen Girl (2008)
Synopsis: Two childhood friends, Kazuo and Kazumi, who reunite after Kazuo moves back to their hometown and inexplicably switch bodies. Forced to live each other's lives, the film explores the themes of identity, growing up, and empathy as they navig...
Switching: Goodbye Me (2007)
Synopsis: After the death of their estranged father, three siblings (Haruka Ayase, Masami Nagasawa, Kaho) invite their half sister (Suzu Hirose) to live with them.
Our Little Sister (2015)
Synopsis: Hirayama feels content with his life as a toilet cleaner in Tokyo. Outside of his structured routine, he cherishes music on cassette tapes, reads books and takes photos. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on finding beauty in the wo...
Perfect Days (2023)
Synopsis: On the margins of Tokyo, a dysfunctional band of outsiders are united by fierce loyalty and a penchant for petty theft. When the young son is arrested, secrets are exposed that up-end their tenuous, below-the-radar existence
Shoplifters (2018)
Synopsis: An appassionato art student and a dispassionate college girl make a vow, saying they would meet each other again in the Florence Cathedral after 10 years.
Between Calmness and Passion (2001)
Synopsis: Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger's life, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada) and Toshiko (Kirin Kiki) welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) still f...
Still Walking (2008)
Synopsis: Preteen Akira Fukushima (Yûya Yagira) and his young siblings have been abandoned by their mother, Keiko (You). Keiko, who has moved in with a new lover, has left Akira in charge of his brother, two sisters and a whole apartment, with little...
Nobody Knows (2004)
Synopsis: The Haruno family makes its way in a small town in rural Japan. Yoshiko (Satomi Tezuka) is an artist and her husband, Nobuo (Tomokazu Miura), is a hypnotist. Their son, Hajime (Maya Banno), has fallen in love with a girl at school, while hi...
The Taste of Tea (2004)
Synopsis: Soon after buying an expensive cello, Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) learns that his orchestra is disbanding. Daigo and his wife move back to his hometown in northern Japan, where he answers an ad for what he thinks is a travel agency bu...
Departures (2008)
Synopsis: A group of people who have recently died find themselves in a limbo realm resembling a relatively mundane building. Counselors, including Takashi (Arata) and Shiori (Erika Oda), are on hand to help new arrivals pick one memory from their li...
After Life (1998)
Synopsis: Despite the years that have passed, Hiroko Watanabe (Miho Nakayama) is still grieving the death of her fiancé, who died unexpectedly while climbing a mountain. When Hiroko discovers her deceased lover's childhood address, she impulsively wr...
Love Letter (1995)
Synopsis: Country girl Uzuki Nireno (Takako Matsu) packs her bags and travels to Tokyo to begin her first year at Musashino University. As Nireno struggles to adjust to the concrete jungle, she befriends Saeko Sono (Rumi) -- a fellow transplant from ...
April Story (1998)
Synopsis: Chizuko's Younger Sister (1991) is about Mika, a shy girl who has always lived in the shadow of her "perfect" older sister, Chizuko. After Chizuko dies in a freak accident, Mika struggles to cope with her grief and find her own identity, on...
Chizuko's Younger Sister (1991)
Synopsis: After a boy she likes has a run-in with a wall, a teen convinces him that he has amnesia and that she's his girlfriend. Complications arise when her best friend decides she also fancies him.
Hana and Alice (2004)
Synopsis: Production assistant Tomoya recalls a deep friendship with Aoi when he hears of her death in a plane crash. They met as film students and bonded while working on a school project, but their relationship never quite blossomed into a love aff...
Rainbow Song (2006)
This film is adapted from the anime series about five art school students who navigate the emotional peaks and valleys of university life. Three male students all live in the same apartment building, and, when two of them fall for the same girl, thei...
Honey & Clover (2006)
Synopsis: Twenty-year-old Matsuri Takabayashi learns that she only has 10 years to live due to an incurable disease. She decides to not dwell on her life and not to fall in love, but she meets Kazuto Manabe at a school reunion.
The Lasy 10 Years (2022)
Synopsis: Takahashi and Aoi Sonoda were both born in 1989. They met for the first time at the age of 13 and became each other's first love, but they separated. At the age of 21, they met again. They were unable to undo their past. Now, they are 31-ye...
Threads - Our Tapestry of Love (2020)
Synopsis: A pioneering roboticist awakens in 2025 after decades of cryosleep. To change the past and reunite with his adopted sister, he seeks a way back to 1995.
The Door Into Summer (2021)
Sakura (2020) is a Japanese family drama about the Hasegawa family and their beloved dog, Sakura. The synopsis centers on the family's life changing after the oldest son, Hajime, is involved in a tragic accident. The film, based on a novel by Kanako ...
Sakura (2020)
Synopsis: Abandoned by her mother, young Ichiko leaves her life in the city to live off the land in Komori, a small town nestled among the mountains in rural Japan. Despite the void left by her mother’s disappearance, Ichiko comes to enjoy her indepe...
Little Forest: Summer/Autumn (2014)
Synopsis: Kazuko Yoshiyama is a third-year junior-high-school student. One day, while cleaning the lab, she smells lavender and faints. From then on, she has the power to travel through time.
The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (1983)
Synopsis: A former prostitute, Chihiro, is rebuilding her life in a small seaside town. She now works in a bento shop, where she imperceptibly changes the lives of her new customers.
Call Me Chihiro (2023)
Synopsis: In her search for answers, 17-year-old Haru sets out on a long journey across the country to the town where, in 2011, the devastating tsunami swept away her brother and parents. This road trip takes the young woman, who is still haunted by ...
Voices in the Wind (2020)
Synopsis: A young Tokyo businessman joins an online movie forum and develops a special bond with one of its members through back and forth e-mails.
Haru (1996)
Synopsis: Desperate to reverse their economic fortunes, the elders of a small Japanese coal-mining town decide to create a Hawaiian center tourist attraction. They hire Madoka (Yasuko Matsuyuki), a professional dancer from Tokyo, to recruit and train...
Hula Girls (2006)
A Bride for Rip Van Winkle (2016)
Ritual (2000)
Thai
Synopsis: A 14-year-old girl falls in love with an older student and tries desperately to win his attention.
My first Thai movie! This one will always have a special place in my 💗.
A Little Thing Called Love (2010)
Synopsis: An average high-school girl, May Who, is on a quest to win the love of a high-school senior heart-throb, Fame; however, May has a secret: she shoots electricity when she gets excited.
Romantic Comedy 💞
May Who? (2015)
Synopsis: Since the day his classmate Ern shares her love for music, Ped has wanted to reveal his true feelings for her. He forms a band to impress her, but romantic rivalries bloom.
SuckSeed (2011)
Synopsis: After an argument with his father, a teenager is magically transported back to the 1990s where he tries to fix his parents' relationship.
Back to the 90s (2015)
Synopsis: Tong and his group of friends are in love with the same girl, Lin. Tong is forced to be supervised by another student due to his bad behaviour. And his school life changes as he learns, plays and finds his first love. His luck changes for t...
My Precious (2023)
Synopsis: Identical twin sisters share every aspect of their lives with one another until a boy puts their strong bond to the test.
You & Me & Me (2023)
Synopsis: A group of high school students who dream of making films set out to make a short film based on the life of a classmate. However, they discover a secret that could change their vision of filmmaking forever.
Not Friends (2023)
Synopsis: A man quits work to care for his dying grandmother, motivated by her fortune. He schemes to win her favour before she passes.
How To Make Millions Before Grandma Dies (2024)
In a love triangle that miraculously mirrors her mother's romance years ago, a young woman lets her heart lead. A remake of a 2003 South Korean drama.
Classic Again (2020)
Synopsis: An online-gaming aficionado overcomes many trials and tribulations to become a business tycoon at a young age.
The Billionaire (2011)
Synopsis: Jeab learns his childhood sweetheart is getting married. He travels to his home town and memories from his childhood come flooding back.
My Girl (2003)
Synopsis: A woman goes on a cleaning binge to create a home office, and reminisces about the past when she discovers some possessions from an ex-boyfriend.
Happy Old Year (2019)
Chinese / Taiwanese / Hong Kong
Chungking Express (1994)
A Beautiful Life (2011)
CJ7 (2008)
Blue Gate Crossing (2002)
Yi Yi (2000)
18×2 Beyond Youthful Days (2024)
Us and Them (2018)
Lost and Found (1996)
Man in Love (2021)
In the Mood for Love (2000)
Our Times (2015)
Better Days (2019)