Whilst watching The Smile Has Left Your Eyes I had many reminders of Come and Hug Me - especially towards the end as the themes grew even more similar.

••|SPOILER FREE VERSION|••

Come and Hug Me and The Smile Has Left Your Eyes are both centered around a tragic incident that has entangled the two main characters together yet they appear to find love despite this, along with the overprotective brother theme in both. They both mention a lot of violence and mystery involving the police. The main girls (who are actually similar in personality) also tries to "heal" the guy.

However, the theme of Amnesia isn't present in CAHM quite like TSHLYE - in fact, the main leads are well aware of their past and it is what tries to pull them apart. In addition, the male leads are not similar in personality.

••|SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT|••

SIMILARITIES:
• A tragic incident that entangles the two main leads.
• Main girl trying to "heal" guy
• The girl's disapproving and overprotective brother (who isn't actually blood related in both cases lol)
• Police themes
• A lot about guns lmao
• Both are very romantic and melodramas
• Powerful OST
• The female main leads are similar in personality and are both mentally strong (they grow to be even stronger later)

DIFFERENCES:
• Amnesia in TSHLYE but not in CAHM where the two main leads are well aware of their past
• (REAL SPOILER HERE) happy ending in CAHM but not in TSHLYE.
• CAHM doesn't have any worries about the main leads being siblings lol (even tho it appears to not be true)
• The male leads are very different in personality

Whilst The Smile Has Left Your Eyes is only four episodes in, I wanted to share this recommendation because I genuinely am getting so many reminders of Hello Monster (also called I Remember You) whilst watching this. I shall now list some similarities as well as differences without spoiling either the dramas.

SIMILARITIES
• Seo In Guk plays the main lead in both dramas
• They both have a dark undertone and lots of mystery
• Circled around police investigations and wrongful accusations
• Brilliant and talented cast
• Crimes which are tangled up with the main leads and their lives
• Both of Seo In Guk's characters have that sort of 'dark aura of mystery' but are soft babies on the inside whom we all must protect <333

DIFFERENCES
• The Smile Has Left Your Eyes clearly involves romance into its plot whilst you see this much less in Hello Monster. There is a bit of romance in the latter drama but it does not tangle into the plot quite like the former.
• The female leads are completely different in personality and careers.
• Hello Monster's plot is more heavily based on crimes and the police. Whilst this is seen in The Smile Has Left Your Eyes it is not as prominent.

Both are magnificent dramas which I both thoroughly enjoyed. I have high hopes for the rest of The Smile Has Left Your Eyes and once I have finished it, I will edit this post with my preference and reasoning (which will have both a spoiler and spoiler-free version).

Reply 1997 and A Love So Beautiful are both brilliant dramas and similar in various ways.

Reply 1997 is a Korean drama, whilst A Love So Beautiful is a Chinese web series. Both dramas have similar plots - a boy and a girl who grew up together and one eventually falls in love with the other, along with side couples who you root for secretly. I will try not to spoil the plots of the two shows too much.

Other similarities:

- The romance between characters doesn't start heavily until they grow older, I really enjoyed the slow pace of both these dramas.

- What appears to be unrequited love

- EXCRUCIATINGLY PAINFUL LOVE TRIANGLES

- A problem in the relationship which causes a time gap until the characters meet again

Differences:

- The characters and their personalities are very different in the two dramas

- In Reply 1997, the main two are much more comfortable with each other

- Reply 1997 has more family involvement, whilst ALSB has a bit of family but is majorly focused on the romance of the main characters

- Xiaoxi is open about her feelings whilst Yoon Jae keeps it a secrect

- Reply 1997 is an older drama, whilst ALSB is relatively new.


MY OPINION:
Whilst I loved A Love So Beautiful and am greatful that it is my first Chinese drama, I do have a soft spot for Reply 1997. I also found the characters in Reply 1997 more interesting than in ALSB. At times, Jiang Chen would bother me for his inability to communicate his feelings towards Xiaoxi, as much as I loved him. The plot and character development was also much more interesting for me in Reply 1997, but I do have to say that ALSB's side couple was so beautiful. I adored the chemistry between them, and whilst side couples usually are a nuisance for me, I couldn't help but LOVE those two! :) x

I'm sure many people would disagree with this recommendation because the dramas are actually quite different, however, I watched Hit the Top directly after I had finished Sassy Go Go and I have to say that the dramas do compliment each other in various ways. I will try not to spoil the plots too much to either of the dramas.

SIMILARITIES:

• A general light-hearted tone that is easy to follow
• Still some conflict but not to an excessive amount
• The main couples are adorable and have good chemistry
• There isn't too much relationship drama between main couples to where you're slamming your head against a desk
• Lovely side characters with interesting stories too

I'd say that Hit the Top is slightly better than Sassy Go Go even though I greatly enjoyed both, simply because I absolutely adored the chemistry and development of the main couple much more in Hit the Top, as well as the plot and time travel theme.

Both dramas are absolutely fabulous, and I recommend them if you are looking for an easy watch, interesting characters and an absolutely beautiful cast :) x