From the first episode of My Dearest I was reminded of The Princess’s Man. Both are romance-centered historical dramas that begin with a light-hearted youthful feeling, but are set against the backdrop of serious historical events that darken the tone and bring the angst as the story goes on. Both take liberties with the time period, but not in a way that feels like the setting has been completely thrown out to just dress up a contemporary drama in period clothes. I even felt there were some similarities in certain scenes and aspects of the lead characters. The Princess’s Man is a beloved classic, though (so far) I think My Dearest surpasses it in the quality of the plot and depth of the story.

Both are poignant romantic melodramas set against the backdrop of foreign invasions. Both follow the stories of fictional characters who become involved in major historical events without being the main players (major historical figures appear as supporting characters). Mr. Sunshine is set at the turn of the 20th century in a period of transition — Westernization and modernization at the eve of the Japanese Colonial period. My Dearest begins just before the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1636. Although there are some significant differences in time period and style memorable characters, stellar performances, gorgeous production, and moving portrayals of momentous and tragic events in Korean history make both of these dramas standouts of the genre.

Both depict the same historical event — the Qing invasion of Joseon in 1636 and the court besieged at Namhansanseong. The Fortress is entirely devoted to portraying the siege, while My Dearest is larger in scope, thus these events are only one element of the story. Certain scenes in My Dearest were extremely reminiscent of the The Fortress, not only in content but also in how they were shot. I do think the depiction of the siege and debates between the king and ministers is more effective in The Fortress (and one would hope so, as that is the entire focus of the movie), but My Dearest offers a broader perspective on the war that goes beyond the fortress walls. Both touch on themes such as the hardships of war, the relationship between leaders and their people, the confrontation of honor and ideals with a harsh reality. The Fortress is a slow-paced, dialogue-heavy historical war movie that is entirely somber in tone. My Dearest balances moments of levity with the darker aspects and integrates war with romance; its pacing is far less glacial.

The dynamic between the couple in The Forbidden Flower reminded me of the couple in Aishiteiru to Ittekure. In both dramas a youthful female lead with an outgoing, vibrant personality quickly falls for and pursues an older man with a quieter more reserved presence (in Aishiteiru to Ittekure the male lead doesn't speak because he's deaf; in The Forbidden Flower he's just a more introverted personality and man of few words). Both dramas stood out to me for the how natural the actors felt together, especially something about the physicality of their interactions. The storylines aren't particularly similar; The Forbidden Flower is more melo (and has an unfortunate sideplot that interrupts the main storyline) while Aishiteiru to Ittekure is quite uneventful through much of the drama (can border in boring); but both have mostly mellow, down-to-earth atmosphere.

There's a similarity I'm premise — the female lead is wealthy and sheltered, due to serious illness in her teenage years she's on the cusp of adulthood having never truly lived. She falls for a working class man and a quietly melodramatic romance (by which I mean the storyline is melo but neither the tone nor plot is over-the-top) ensues. The Forbidden Flower focuses less on the class difference and adds the additional element of a large age gap, with a middle-aged male lead.

In terms of atmosphere, there are some similarities and some differences. Both have moments of unrestrained youthfulness but also of moodiness and emotional poignancy. Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is more consistently bittersweet and melancholic in tone, while The Forbidden Flower has some unfortunate tangents into more typical contemporary C-drama romance territory with the secondary and supporting characters. It also has a sultry aspect that focuses on the physical attraction between the leads that Tatta Hitotsu no Koi lacks. I felt they had some kinship between these drama in visual language as well — waterfront scenery and vibrant sunsets, though The Forbidden Flower leans more into the vivid colors and Tatta Hitotsu no Koi is more urban.

First Love is a contemporary take on the classic melodrama with some similarities in storyline to Winter Sonata, including separated high school lovers. There's something shared between the dramas in terms of tone and scenery as well, though of course they were made 20 years apart, so they don't feel entirely alike.

Both are beautiful black and while films by director Lee Joon Ik focused on the lives of writers that paint an insightful picture of some aspect of the period they are set in. They are slow-paced, poetic, and create a sort of intellectual or emotional portrait of the historical figure on whose life they are based. They also focus on these writers' important relationships with the other leads, who function as foils and as major characters in their own right.

Both are romantic melodramas set amidst bloody political battles in a royal court. They both follow real historical figures but also take substantial liberties with the facts. Both these dramas stand out to me for their complex and compelling characters. I think they have a similar balance in terms of angst, romance, and politics. They also both happen to have a rushed third act, unfortunately.

Both of these films are rather slow-paced and have significant ideological conflicts at their centers. The clash of ideologies in The Fortress manifests as a political debate while the king and his ministers try to make decisions during a siege. The Book of Fish explores the value of different types of knowledge and learning by following the relationship between the two leads, who come from very different backgrounds, thus have different beliefs and mastery of different skills. Both are excellent historical films with great performances and beautiful cinematography. Though both have their uplifting and depressing moments, the Book of Fish has an overall more light-hearted tone, while The Fortress is more serious and bleak.

Both are teacher-student romances with a gloomy, somber tone, complex, well-written characters, and strong performances.

Both are centered around a female lead who has to give up her first love in favor of a political marriage. The dramas are relatively heavy on the politics, but are truly driven by their romances. Despite having more focus on the drama and court scheming, both also have their fair share of action and battles. Empress Ki has more interesting characters, while the The Rebel Princess has really gorgeous production.

I recommend this with some reservations because these dramas are quite different from each other in terms of what the main story is focused on (politics vs. action). However, people who particularly enjoyed the martial arts elements and bromance between Bangji and Moohyul in Six Flying Dragons, will likely be interested in Warrior Baek Dong Soo. For someone who enjoyed Warrior Baek Dong Soo, Six Flying Dragons is another historical drama with exciting martial arts face offs and friendship-rivalry relationships, but it also has a stronger political plot and more thematic depth.