lazy_bud

This had everything: excellent direction, beautiful storytelling, a stellar cast—all except for a frivolously modified script. The ending tried to prove 'Justice always prevails,' which felt more flowery than realistic. They didn't just change the original work; they completely ruined it. It's beyond my understanding how one can achieve such a milestone unless there's some hidden propaganda or censorship involved. I'll refrain from rating this one because it would be biased for people who have not read the novel.

Drama focuses more on investigation and interrogation, while the novel version emphasizes the slow-building relationship between ZL and Nan Ya. In the novel, Nan Ya is never arrested, just subjected to a few interrogations. The deaths of Xu Yi and Hu occur differently in the novel. The ending is beautiful, with ZL reciting poetry to Nan Ya, as he always did in her shop. Personally, I would have preferred a direct adaptation from the novel.