Both dramas have a similar way of keeping you guessing on who the female lead will wind up with in the end. I think Reply 1997 does it better though.

Gakkou no Kaidan has been compared to Hana Yori Dango particularly by Japanese audiences. Both have a clique of wealthy students (F4/Platinum 8), who bully the other students out of boredom.

Both movies are from the wuxia genre. Director Ang Lee also cites 'A Touch of Zen' as an influence for 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'.

Both are apart of the director Hou Hsiao-hsien's unofficial "coming-of-age trilogy". They are slice-of-life stories with a slow-moving pace and a heartbreaking end.

Both movies were directed by Edward Yang. They have a similar pace and both have an extremely detailed world that you get sunk into.