'Copycat Killer,' a Mandarin-language Taiwanese series directed by Chang Jung-chi and Henri Chang, focuses on a series of killings that occurred in Songyan in the 1990s. Prosecutor Kuo Hsiao-chi sets out to uncover the serial killer, who not only murders his victims brutally but taunts his victims' families. Jia-wun is the prime suspect in the case.
Although Kuo and the cops were nearly certain that Jia-wun was the serial murderer they were seeking for, several developments make the prosecutor realize that the suspect is a mere pawn in the hands of a brutal and evil force. One can't help but wonder whether the same is true of a real serial killer's life and the murders he committed!
Is Copycat Killer a True Story?
No, the book 'Copycat Killer' is not based on a true story. It is a television adaptation of Japanese genre fiction writer Miyuki Miyabe's novel 'Mohhan,' which translates to 'The Copycat.' The author was inspired by Tsutomu Miyazaki's real-life murders to write it.
Tsutomu Miyazaki, the serial murderer in the crime series, isn't even a fictionalized version. There are several chilling 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 serial killer's manner, Yi-jyun ties her hair to her grandfather's grave to exacerbate his misery.
Miyabe's novel and Chang Jung-chi and Henri Chang's show aim to highlight the serial killer's actions in a visual manner. Instead, Yi-jyun's grandfather helplessly begs the criminal for his granddaughter's dead body so that he may "bring her back home" and bury her. Lin Shang-yong's situation is different because he loses one of his loved ones due to his involvement in the serial killer.
'Copycat Killer' is also an exploration of "good" and "evil." "Copycat Killer represents a tale of how human desire can go viral in a city when out of control," said co-director Chang Jung-chi in a similar interview.
'Copycat Killer' depicts the many dimensions of evilness as the serial killer seeks power and authority over the victims' families, especially by leading them to situations in which they are humiliated and tarnished.
