Both "normal" girls who marry into the morden day palace by having an arranged marriage with the crown prince (Goong) and the emperor (The Last Empress) to clear her father's debt. In Goong the FL is involed in arts and in The Last Empress the FL is involed in theatre. Goong is light and entertaining and will give you butterflies whereas The Last Empress is a bit more melodramatic, political and scheming. In both dramas you'll more than likely have second lead syndrome so be warned. If you liked one drama I'm sure you'll like the other too :).
Goong (also known as Princess Hours) is set in a modern-day Korea where the monarchy still exists, with the lead being a crown prince, Lee Shin, who is forced into an arranged marriage with a commoner, Shin Chae-Kyoung.
It's a mix of romance, royal duties, and personal growth.
Similar themes: commoner female lead, 21st century prince male lead, alternate history in Korea
It's a mix of romance, royal duties, and personal growth.
Similar themes: commoner female lead, 21st century prince male lead, alternate history in Korea
Feisty, bubbly, and no-nonsense, Chae Gyeong is an ordinary high school student. Until one day when she receives some unexpected news. Because of her grandfather's will, she must marry the unendurable Crown Prince Lee Shin who also happens to attend her high school. Chae Gyeong initially resists the proposal before reluctantly agreeing to marry him to help her debt-ridden family.
As she struggles to adapt herself to royal life, learning proper manners and taking on the duties of palace life while dealing with a disagreeable husband, the Crown Prince's sentimental cousin and second-in-line to the throne, Yul, steps into her life. She feels like she can rely on Yul for help and guidance but still finds it difficult not to worry about her haughty, cold-hearted husband.
To help bridge this gap, the senior members of the royal family take some special measures to get them to spend the night together.
As she struggles to adapt herself to royal life, learning proper manners and taking on the duties of palace life while dealing with a disagreeable husband, the Crown Prince's sentimental cousin and second-in-line to the throne, Yul, steps into her life. She feels like she can rely on Yul for help and guidance but still finds it difficult not to worry about her haughty, cold-hearted husband.
To help bridge this gap, the senior members of the royal family take some special measures to get them to spend the night together.
Ling Qi Sa is a man who is buried by his parents' gambling debts. With no way to pay back the money, he thought about going to the dark side by getting into the kidnap and ransom business. But instead of becoming a kidnapper, he ended up saving a girl from a real kidnapping. The girl turned out to be the sole heir of a conglomerate who faced these kinds of threats every day. In a case of a kidnapping gone wrong vs. a mistaken love confession, she hires him to be her butler and helps repay his parents' debts. Grateful to have gangster collectors off his back, he vows to protect her from harms, which is no easy task.
Blessed with good looks, Takano Kyohei, a college student, is always suffering from the unreasonable behavior of customers who want him and the sexual harassment of his store manager. Because of his hot temper, he loses his head on this occasion and is fired from his part-time job.
Then, one day, the glamorous owner, Ms. Nakahara, proposes, "I'll give you free board-and-lodging if you can turn my niece, Sunako, into a lady!" Kyohei and Toyama Yukinojo, Oda Takenaga and Morii Ranmaru, the other guys living together in the same boarding house, are enthusiastic, but the person who appears before the four of them is a spooky girl whose hair covers her face and who loves horror and vampires. And so, their tumultuous communal life begins.
Then, one day, the glamorous owner, Ms. Nakahara, proposes, "I'll give you free board-and-lodging if you can turn my niece, Sunako, into a lady!" Kyohei and Toyama Yukinojo, Oda Takenaga and Morii Ranmaru, the other guys living together in the same boarding house, are enthusiastic, but the person who appears before the four of them is a spooky girl whose hair covers her face and who loves horror and vampires. And so, their tumultuous communal life begins.
Tired of the men in her life being lying, married philanderers, Koharu moves away from the city and back home. Once there, she finds her family saddled with debt and no way out. That is until a handsome stranger offers to settle the debt if Koharu agrees to marry him. And if that wasn't crazy enough, he already has two wives!
I got total deja-vu when watching Goong and I was shocked to see no one had made a comparison yet.
- both start out with arranged marriages between two young people
- both dramas have bright & happy fl at the start, paired with possessive and smug male lead.
- FL loses herself as time passes trapped inside the palace, in both dramas at one point it’s due to the ML that they’re trapped
- 2nd male lead in both dramas is persistent and constantly trying to get the fl to run away from the palace and her responsibilities, which gets her in trouble
- both have interesting palace and political drama
- goong is obviously lighter than GBMP but i noticed some parts felt a similar level of high angst and frustration while watching like how the ML has a side girlfriend for the majority of the drama, which then makes the FL untrustworthy when he eventually confesses his feelings later on in both dramas. But also in both he secretly ends up loving the female lead more than the side girlfriend (toxic ik lmao) but FL has no clue
- male lead blames FL a lot especially at the start
- in both FL hates ML for a lot of reasons towards the end
- lack of communication, misunderstandings constantly in both dramas
- both start out with arranged marriages between two young people
- both dramas have bright & happy fl at the start, paired with possessive and smug male lead.
- FL loses herself as time passes trapped inside the palace, in both dramas at one point it’s due to the ML that they’re trapped
- 2nd male lead in both dramas is persistent and constantly trying to get the fl to run away from the palace and her responsibilities, which gets her in trouble
- both have interesting palace and political drama
- goong is obviously lighter than GBMP but i noticed some parts felt a similar level of high angst and frustration while watching like how the ML has a side girlfriend for the majority of the drama, which then makes the FL untrustworthy when he eventually confesses his feelings later on in both dramas. But also in both he secretly ends up loving the female lead more than the side girlfriend (toxic ik lmao) but FL has no clue
- male lead blames FL a lot especially at the start
- in both FL hates ML for a lot of reasons towards the end
- lack of communication, misunderstandings constantly in both dramas
Shirai Yui has decided to take a new job as a secretary at the law firm of her childhood friends, the Kami brothers. Yui has feelings for her older brother, Soichi, but when they meet again for the first time in 18 years, she is confused to find that Soichi has become a cool, unsmiling man. Meanwhile, her younger brother, Yushiro, has always loved Yui, but has not been able to express his feelings. And Soichi has been unable to express his love for Yui due to a childhood trauma. The love stories of Yui, who loves Soichi, Yushiro, who loves Yui, and Soichi, who is jealous of Yui's close friend, all intertwine.
19-year-old beautiful Shiratori Reiko is a self-professed ultimate princess. Despite her haughty attitude, she is actually a very late bloomer and knows nothing of the real world. Reiko has had feelings for Akimoto Tetsuya since childhood, but her enormous pride always gets in the way, and she cannot tell him in all honesty that she is in love with him.
Tetsuya soon becomes a university student, and Reiko follows him to Tokyo. But he is constantly at the mercy of her overly unique sensibilities. Then Tetsuya’s ex-girlfriend, a cute high school girl, the wealthy Yoshimoto Ryunosuke, who has fallen in love at first sight with Reiko and Reiko’s rival, Kakitsubata Ayame, appears before the two of them.
Tetsuya soon becomes a university student, and Reiko follows him to Tokyo. But he is constantly at the mercy of her overly unique sensibilities. Then Tetsuya’s ex-girlfriend, a cute high school girl, the wealthy Yoshimoto Ryunosuke, who has fallen in love at first sight with Reiko and Reiko’s rival, Kakitsubata Ayame, appears before the two of them.
19-year-old beautiful Shiratori Reiko is a self-professed ultimate princess. Despite her haughty attitude, she is actually a very late bloomer and knows nothing of the real world. Reiko has had feelings for Akimoto Tetsuya since childhood, but her enormous pride always gets in the way, and she cannot tell him in all honesty that she is in love with him.
Tetsuya soon becomes a university student, and Reiko follows him to Tokyo. But he is constantly at the mercy of her overly unique sensibilities. Then Tetsuya’s ex-girlfriend, a cute high school girl, the wealthy Yoshimoto Ryunosuke, who has fallen in love at first sight with Reiko and Reiko’s rival, Kakitsubata Ayame, appears before the two of them.
Tetsuya soon becomes a university student, and Reiko follows him to Tokyo. But he is constantly at the mercy of her overly unique sensibilities. Then Tetsuya’s ex-girlfriend, a cute high school girl, the wealthy Yoshimoto Ryunosuke, who has fallen in love at first sight with Reiko and Reiko’s rival, Kakitsubata Ayame, appears before the two of them.
