For those who want to discuss the differences between the Book and Drama?

I get that some people want to leave the book behind, but there's been a lot of questions about the differences between the two. And I thought it might be good to have a thread to discuss it without having to put the spoiler tag. Anyone want to play?

Also, massive spoilers.

I don't think he was a God of War in the novel. They were equal on the playing field. She was also a good fighter and I remember her getting him quite a few times in the heavenly realm, such as making him drink extra soup, etc.

I'm not thrilled with the addition of the SFL in the drama. I'm still against the character.

I did like she felt more attached to the relationships in the drama, but I do miss some of the snark of the book character.

 kokojuju:

I love the novel to pieces. I obviously expected change but this is almost an entirely different story. They should have followed the timeline from the novel. The first life plays a crucial point in setting the story and tone. 

The only way to enjoy this, is to not compare the two but honestly that's hard for me. The reason why I am even watching it is the very fact that it is a live adaption of my favorite novel.

I can understand that very much. It feels like a fanfiction version of the novel rather than an adaptation.

I still hate the SFL. I don't feel like she belongs there.

I think, if I'm correct, the screenwriter is trying to use the Sixth life from the book where the soul of the ML scattered as the framing of the whole "Have to gather primordial form" thing, thus framing the whole thing.

But I have to say I really liked the whole oblivious to the harm they were doing by arguing thing from the original and then figuring it out later.

I do like the keeping the shipping of the emperor towards the couple.

I'm not quite sure about keeping the FL's family around for that long--some of the character additions, etc feel like they were favors to get funding for the project. And some of the writing choices feel like because it was too hard to write it like the novel for the screenwriter--like the cutting of the really excellent bickering. That's level A dialogue right there.

But some choices I don't quite understand--like trying to box it into a stereotypical xiqu story structure and cutting out the majority of the humor from the original, like her cursing Si Ming. And when the screenwriter feels like they either can't rise to the challenge, or are plain being lazy, that's when I have issues. I can forgive structural issues and things that feel like that was the only way to get funding, but some of the other choices like cutting humor and not being able to continue it, I don't understand.

I generally prefer to stick to the novel in adapting novels to dramas. But while watching, I watch knowing that everything cannot go one hundred percent the same. It is true in all world dramas or movies that the dramas never fully covers the novel. 

In some adaptations, extreme deviations and unnecessary characters are taken away from the main couple. In these situations, I am too conservative. In other words, people get angry when unnecessary things are too obvious.

 But I always watch the drama separate - the book separately. This is the best method.

 Especially if I liked the chemistry of the actors in the drama, even reading the novel later makes me happy. While reading, I can visualize the whole novel like a movie. ( Daydreamer readers will understand me.) 

The drama has deviated excessively from the novel, yes, but I liked the back story in the drama version better. Although I miss the fights in the novel and those punishments from the Netherworld, etc., it is a fact that the story in the background in the novel is a bit weak. (Come on, reincarnating to fill a well was ridiculous, let's admit it) 

The element of "there's another subject behind this", which is felt in the background from the first episode in the drama, both keeps our curiosity alive and contains a deeper story.

 If they finally fit into the novel, I'm happy with the current state of affairs.

 Bored Kitty:

jlfx adaptation tend to be very different from the novel they adapted them from, from what i watched so far. for this one, i'd say it's bcs the original work is straightforward and dont really have a lot of conflicts, which i'd say the charm of it.

But the original story structure isn't European three act, so the main story driver isn't conflict. The story driver is discovery--which the original author maximized a lot over the course of the story.

It's emotion on the y-axis, and then discovery as the story driver. All other story drivers subsume to discovery in the novel. BTW, this is qichengzhuanhe, but the novel also used xiqu story structure in the older Chinese classical sense. (You kind of have to read Journey to the West and Romance of the Three Kingdoms for this--though Romance of the Three Kingdoms is also Dream Record.)

Conflict is a late addition to the story game.

I still think they are trying to make the Sixth life from the book, the hidden First Life, to get all of the soul collecting.

I still, still think they could have pulled off a 40-episode story by following the novel very closely. I was imagining it as I was reading the novel on how they could pull it off. The question would be, would the censorship board allow it?

Ah, we're back on track with episode 16. This is the third life in the drama, depicted (probably the fourth life overall if my supposition is correct), and then it would be the novel's second life.

The additions about the sensitivity to pigs was good and Ryan Ding did a great job of depicting this character, which in my head as I was reading the book, I thought he'd nail it. He's good at playing 2-3 things at one time. It's much better when he's leading the scenes, I think. Also, this is my favorite from the books for the ML. They are adhering very closely here to the events in the book--though I'm waiting for all of the other ridiculous stuff, like the room scene and being flung out the window.

My next favorite is when they switch genders, because freaking hilarious. But I'm not sure if they are going to pull switched bodies, or if they are going to allow cross dressing. (When I read the book, I put in cross dressing because the sheer idea of Ryan Ding playing that part was so good.) ^^

 kokojuju:

@Kim Yoonmi 김윤미 金潤美, I also believe they could have pulled 35 episode with just following the novel. And they could still have used some fillers to extend it ?

Okay I really need to watch the rest of the episode to formulate more opinions ? still can't get over the changes in first episode.

The Second life in the drama goes off the rails for no reason... though I admit I did like the whole get out of the carriage thing (Which you don't understand until you get there. But the animal episode wasn't bad. I just dislike the inclusion of the filler, most likely nepotism adds to the drama. In my head I had filled that with other things to fill it out... but meh.

I've learned to accept and understand that production team somehow needs to add their own creative liberty to any novel/book adaptations to keep viewers wondering whats going to happen next (because if audience can just refer to the book to see what's going to happen next, then there's no immediate anticipation? if that makes sense). But this one almost changed everything. Just using the same essence of the novel but changing the dialogues and scenarios completely specially their 3rd lifetime (2nd in the novel) but I guess since they are not going the route of Netherland, it made sense?

I guess they wanted to create more conflict and more mystery for a dramatic effect, play safe, and try to avoid being censored heavily. 

It's supposed be he but I think its xiu ming playing with her. Immortal sun n red thread said they gave him special thread n tied it to best one so I felt like they let him reincarnated to look like chu Kong.  

At sa.me time I feel like it's xiangyun imagination that he's back that's y he just smiles. It's like sa.e ending as longest promise or mirror twin cities. It's open ending bc we aren't sure if he's alive or not since he didn't say anything.

But at same time I was thinking she time travel back to there animal life n let them reborn as human so that's y on tree it shows pig n tiger?