Recommendations

Both involve the ML entering a time where everything is frozen around him. Both movies have age gaps between the leads.

The both dramas happen to be of the same adaptation of the popular donghua 'How Dare You' which was aired in 2024.

The love story between a human girl and an immortal vampire is very similar to the love story between a human girl and an immortal goblin. There's a hug scene and an umbrella scene. older man/ younger woman romance

- Coming-of-age movies with sapphic elements.
- The girls have a really deep and intimate bond.
- Tearjerker.
- Both are intriguing movies.

• Both are set in the Joseon era, using history as a stage for bigger questions about power, corruption, and human nature.
• They both dive into political intrigue and corruption — Masquerade focuses on palace officials plotting in the royal court, while The Murky Stream shows corruption flowing through merchants, officials, and society at large.
• At the heart of both stories is the idea of an ordinary or underestimated figure being pushed into a position of leadership, and how that changes them.
• Themes of identity and hidden selves are central: masks, secrets, or hidden pasts drive the drama forward.
• Both works explore how empathy and moral courage can transform leadership, even in dark, cynical times.

And tying it together even more: they share the same director, Choo Chang-min. That’s why you’ll notice a similar tone — elegant but intense, heavy on moral dilemmas, and visually rich with Joseon-era detail.

• Fantasy-historical blend: Both shows are not just standard sageuks (historical dramas) — they weave in magic, curses, and supernatural beings alongside Joseon-style backdrops.
• Fate-driven storytelling: In both, the main characters are bound by destiny and forces beyond their control — whether it’s divine curses (Lovers of the Red Sky) or soul-shifting sorcery (Alchemy of Souls).
• Romance with a twist: The central relationships in each drama are charged with romantic tension complicated by supernatural circumstances — love is both a source of strength and danger.
• Identity struggles: Alchemy of Souls leans into literal soul-swapping and hidden identities, while Lovers of the Red Sky uses blindness, curses, and divine possession — but both dramas play with “who am I really?” as a core theme.
• Political intrigue: Neither show sticks to just love and magic — they fold in court politics, rival factions, and power struggles that test loyalty and create high-stakes conflicts.

• Historical setting: Both dramas pull you into Joseon-era Korea, where the backdrop of rigid hierarchies, royal courts, and societal rules adds weight to every decision the characters make.
• Fate and destiny: In Lovers of the Red Sky, the leads are bound by supernatural destiny and divine forces. In The Murky Stream, the “destiny” comes more from bloodlines, family ties, and merchant class politics, but in both, the characters’ lives are steered by forces bigger than themselves.
• Court and political intrigue: While Lovers of the Red Sky uses palace drama and royal manipulations, The Murky Stream uses corrupt officials and merchant power struggles. Either way, the storylines hinge on backroom deals, hidden motives, and people trying to outwit those in power.
• Personal struggles: Both dramas ground their larger-than-life elements with deeply human stories—love, ambition, betrayal, loyalty. The protagonists face heavy choices that test not only their morals but also their relationships with the people they love.

• Both are historical period dramas set in Joseon.
• Both dive into merchant families and power struggles.
• Both center on hidden truths/identities driving the story.
• Both explore corruption and injustice in society.
• Both have a mix of personal revenge + larger political intrigue.

Both the dramas have aspect of different timeline and space. The settings of both drama is calm and wholesome and if you liked Twelve letters, you should definitely check out Someday or One day.

Both dramas revolve around a group of people that take actions against shady people that cause damage to others. Both dramas have a bigger storyline behind what they do. Both groups take on controversial methods do give that payback/revenge.

A group of people does some controversial actions in order to reveal the actions of shady people. Both dramas revolve around a female lead that is having two faces where the people around her are not fully aware of what she is truly up to, she has a dark past because something happened to her and she works with a male lead she uses to achieve her revenge.

Both based on a female lead having transmigrated into a fictional world based on a novel/script. Very handsome male leads that start off cold but it just utterly adorable as they open up and fall in love. The female leads are trying to change the plot and ending of their story, and they are both quite bubbly characters. Light and comedic tone in both dramas. Easy watch - either are too serious or have a particularly complicated story or plot to follow.

Bambi is also in both dramas as the second female lead!

Both based on a lead having transmigrated into a fictional world. Light and comedic tone in both. World has demons and cultivation but nothing overly complicated or overly ridiculous when it comes to magic.

Ce livre raconte l'histoire de l'échange d'âmes entre un prince qui a perdu le sourire et une marchande de selles qui a perdu la mémoire.

Le prince héritier Joseon Yi Gang, qui a perdu sa princesse héritière, a renoncé à son propre bonheur et ne pense qu'à la vengeance. Lorsque son plan de vengeance, longtemps planifié, a finalement atteint son but, il a rencontré Park Dal I, marchande de selles, qui ressemblait trait pour trait à la défunte princesse héritière, et a échangé leurs corps pour des raisons inconnues, plongeant dans un chaos profond.

Completely different settings but both involve a spoiled brat prince/person from royalty.

Both have a character that depends on the other to survive/function in society.

both involve a main lead that cares for the other when they are unwell.