Cinderella Formula (2016)

Both stem from not ground-breaking (often bordering very cliche) concepts, yet they manage to pull unexpectedly great executions

Tooru Igarashi is a lecturer with charisma, working at a prestigious preparatory school. Recently, he drinks a lot, and his life falls apart. Maki Endo is a student at a part-time high school. Every day, she is exhausted with working multiple jobs to cover her expenses. One day, Tooru and Maki happen to meet each other. Maki wants to graduate high school to get a regular job and asks Tooru to tutor her for her test–retest. After Tooru quit his prep school job, he has lost his pride and passion for teaching but he agrees to teach Maki and get her into the University of Tokyo.

Tooru Igarashi is a lecturer with charisma, working at a prestigious preparatory school. Recently, he drinks a lot, and his life falls apart. Maki Endo is a student at a part-time high school. Every day, she is exhausted with working multiple jobs to cover her expenses. One day, Tooru and Maki happen to meet each other. Maki wants to graduate high school to get a regular job and asks Tooru to tutor her for her test–retest. After Tooru quit his prep school job, he has lost his pride and passion for teaching but he agrees to teach Maki and get her into the University of Tokyo.

both stories center around two high school girls who don't do well in school and have bleak futures, and their tutors who motivate them and help them get into prestigious universities

I love this trope so much that I can watch countless dramas based on it even when they normally follow similar story structure. Weak student having no dreams whatsoever meets a teacher who help him/her rediscovering themselves and finding success at the end. Cinderella formula can be a little melodramatic compared to Dragonzakura But both have strong motivational story. Well in dragon zakura too, we see many unexpected things happening in last 2 episodes rather than simply following the story and getting result. I loved both of the dramas and have rated them same. So basically they are on same level for me, You give it a try and decide yourself.