Both leads suffer from a debilitating disease that eventually causes paralysis. In Angels Fall Sometimes, the lead is male and is diagnosed with ALS. In 1 Litre no Namida, the lead is female and has spinocerebellar degeneration. Both however, try their best to remain optimistic despite their prognosis and knowing their lives will not be what they had anticipated.

Both feature police officers as the main leads and how they work together with their fellow co-workers to tackle crime.

The FLs in both dramas start working in a new environment where they aren't received with open arms and must prove themselves to the locals before they are accepted. Both also feature leads that don't hit it off too well in the beginning, but by the end of the show they are romantically involved.

Both dramas feature..
-- Slice-of-life romance with mature adults
-- A one-sided crush during high school
-- Lots of nice flashbacks showing their interactions during high school
-- A reserved ML who likes to read and is an overall kind person
-- An outgoing FL who confesses to the ML first
-- Cute couple moments and nice dialogue showing their level of maturity
-- A nicely written slow-paced story with interesting side characters and well rounded subplots
-- No unnecessary angst, melodrama, love triangles or psychotic characters

What makes these two dramas similar is the non-conventional chemistry between the leads. In DYLB, the leads are both adorkably introverted which makes their flirting and interactions so awkwardly sweet. In RO, the leads march to the beats of their own drums caring little what others think about them. Consequently, this makes their back and forth banter and flirting so effortless and refreshing to watch.

Both Run On and When the Weather is Fine have a similar laid back vibe with leads that are interesting, well-written and relatable. The secondary characters in WTWIF also make you root for them and add depth to the story.

Both movies are about comfort women. Snowy Road showed more detail about what happened to the women during the war, whereas I Can Speak showcased the fight to gain acknowledgement from the Japanese government. Both are heartrending depictions.

They're both about comfort women and the horrific ordeal they went through. Spirit's Homecoming, however, is much more graphic when describing and showing the abuse the young girls were subjected to.

In Mahoro Ekimae Bangaichi and River's Edge, both leads are willing to do odd jobs for hire. In Mahoro, they call themselves benriya, while in River's Edge they are private investigators. Ultimately, investigative skills are used by both casts to get to the bottom of a job/mystery, which often involves helping the downtrodden, criminal, and rejects of society. Additionally, both dramas can be described as having gritty undertones, while still keeping it light by infusing that quirky humor the Japanese are known for.