Recommendations

- Arranged/forced marriages where the MLs marry into FL's family (matriarchy in FMMTDXHL, patriarchy in MLG)
- Both MLs are quirky and coquettish (in MLG he's more scheming while in FMMTDXHL he isn't)
- Both FLs are strong, tough warriors
- Gender role reversal in both

In both series, the central mystery isn't a typical generic crime but a personal case that fractured the protagonist's life. For 'Nine Puzzles,' it's the unsolved murder of her uncle; for 'The Price of Confession,' it's her husband's murder and the subsequent legal and moral fallout.

Both dramas are similar in that they are both dark, interconnected crime thrillers that explore the high cost and moral fallout of a murder and the subsequent desperate actions of the people involved.

Both have similar story

1- huge fan working with a fallen star.

2-background story of the fan having an encounter with the star before working together.

3- Chinese/Taiwanese dramas so same language

4- arrogant star and innocent lovely fan

5- different end but same vibes

- Similar themes surrounding uncertainty and trust

- Slowly unwrapping of the mystery filled tense plot with layers

- very character driven

both dramas feature hard-working, independent FLs who keep getting involved in royal conspiracies because of their relationships with the MLs. the MLs are loyal and protective but trapped into working for the royal family. most of the story is about the FL working to take care of herself and her family, and both feature found families that the MLs become a part of.

both are supernatural mysteries that are very aesthetically pleasing. the FLs both have secret powers that are hidden from the ML, while the MLs are strong but normal humans who adore the FLs. both dramas are about a romance that seems doomed to fail and overcoming various obstacles.

both are revenge stories involving the royal family that have the FL and ML using each other while also falling in love. the main characters are morally ambiguous and the stories are somewhat dark.

- psychopath/sociopath FL
- similar vibes of female leads
- ML a little dark (though more in Genie than Dear X)
- grandma(-like) figure that FL bonds with
- FL has shit parents

Same FL, also scheming in a good way. ML doesn't start out willing to give her everything but eventually gets there.

Same director

Abandoned as a child, Zhuang Han Yan grows up in the southern countryside before returning to her family in the capital. She catches the eye of Fu Yun Xi, a deputy minister with a mysterious illness, who sees her as an ideal wife. As they navigate their relationship, they fall in love, and Han Yan reconnects with her mother while finding warmth and belonging with the Fu family.

Same director

Determined to escape a fate as a pawn in a royal power struggle, the general’s daughter Chu Chao takes her destiny into her own hands. Alongside Xie Yan Lai, a once-overlooked soldier with a troubled past, she rises through political turmoil and war. Together, they uncover conspiracies, defend the kingdom from enemies within and beyond, and fight to secure a better future for their people.

Ji Yun He is a powerful and talented spiritual master living in Flower Valley. She loathes the deep, dark secret that restricts her from exploring the world at her leisure.

Changyi is a merman who appears in the Valley courtesy of the cruel Princess Shunde. Her Royal Highness commands Yun He to make the merman speak human words, cut his tail, give her his pearl and be loyal. But there is a catch! Yun He must enlist the aid of Lin Hao Qing, her adopted brother and sworn enemy. Keeping company with the merman has Yun He becoming closer to him. In time, she will have to make the fateful choice between the merman‘s freedom and her very own.

Spirits have walked unnoticed through the mortal world since the dawn of time. Parts of this world, yet separate, these immortal beings are regarded as nothing but legends by the humans around them. But what happens when these two worlds collide? Provoked by the actions of a seemingly sly human, an ancient snake spirit takes on a human form in order to prove him a fraud. Convinced she’s doing the world a favor, Bai Su Zhen challenges Xu Xuan to a contest of skill, but what starts as a heated rivalry soon turns to a burning passion. Faced with opposition from every side, Bai Su Zhen and Xu Xuan’s love is put to the test time and time again.

Idk I just kept getting reminded of Prison Playbook while watching The Manipulated (especially the first half).... actually yeah they have nothing in common lol but go watch it still, it's a good one