I was looking forward to this but was wary as well because a lot of time the adaptation always disappointed. But…
I agreed with you. They adapted the novel to drama well. This did fully use the novel to their advantage. Kudos to the scriptwriter and director. In one of the previews they did build a real set of the town that is by a river.
Wow! The first 4eps are better than expected. The cgi, actors, voice dubbing and world building are truly an S+ production. Did not disappoint and worth the wait.