'Copycat Killer,' a Mandarin-language Taiwanese series directed by Chang Jung-chi and Henri Chang, focuses on a series of murders that occurred in the city of Songyan in the 1990s. Prosecutor Kuo Hsiao-chi sets out to discover the serial killer, who not only murders his victims brutally but taunts his victims' families. Jia-wun is the main suspect in the case.
Although Kuo and the police officers appear to have come to an agreement that Jia-wun is the serial killer they have been looking for, several developments make the prosecution realize that the accused is a mere pawn in the hands of a brutal and evil force. One cannot help but wonder whether the same is based on a real serial killer's life and the crimes he committed.
Is Copycat Killer a True Story?
'Copycat Killer' is not based on a true story. It is a TV adaptation of Miyuki Miyabe's novel 'Mohhan,' which translates to 'The Copycat.' To write the novel, Miyazabe was inspired by her sister's fear and worry about raising her children in such a society.
Tsutomu Miyazaki's serial killer in the crime series isn't even a fictionalized version, but there are still striking similarities between the fictional character and the real-life serial killer. Jia-yi's severed hand and Zih-cing's severed head are two examples. In the series, the serial killer sends Yi-jyun's hair to her grandfather to add to his misery.
Neither Miyabe's novel nor Chang Jung-chi and Henri Chang's show attempt to focus on the real-life consequences of the serial killer's actions. Yi-jyun's grandfather helplessly begs the perpetrator for his granddaughter's dead body so that he may "bring her home" and bury her. Lin Shang-yong's fate is different: he loses one of his loved ones because he wants to prosecute the serial killer.
'Copycat Killer' is also a case of "good" and "evil." "Copycat Killer illustrates how desires, when uncontrolled, can cause evil to spread in a city," said the series' co-producer.
As the serial killer seeks power and authority over the victims' family members, 'Copycat Killer' depicts the many dimensions of evilness, notably by leading them to situations where they are humiliated and tarnished.
