Justice in the Dark is no stranger to controversy, but this time, the troubles surrounding the drama will affect its second season. Another season of the beloved danmei (BL) drama hasn’t been announced because of copyright issues and an “unfair competition law” lawsuit. Fans have been anticipating the return of the drama because it was cut short just after eight episodes, and it was alleged that more episodes were set to premiere before it was briefly removed from Youku, a Chinese streaming platform.
The drama has been reinstated on the platform, but no announcements regarding season 2 have been made. Some argued that this removal from streaming services wasn’t for legal reasons, but because of a crackdown on BL-themed dramas and films.
Justice in the Dark was adapted from the hit Chinese web novelThe Silent Reading by popular historical danmei author Priest. Casually referred to by fans as Mò Dú, the novel follows Luo Wen Zhuo, who stumbles upon the murder of a delivery man. What seems to be an open and shut case evolves into something more complex than it seems, leading him to a string of other unsolved cases from the past. One of those cases revolves around Fei Du, whose mother died under tragic circumstances years ago.
The drama is relatively faithful to the novel. Except in the drama, names and settings have changed. Police Officer Wen Zhuo is now named Wei Zhao. Similarly, the other lead is now named Pei Su instead of Fei Du. Season 2 isn’t confirmed and the first season has taken an indefinite hiatus, but the web novel version of the drama, The Silent Reading, is also a good option for fans to explore. It has 180 chapters, and many novel readers warn that it’s a slow-paced, long read. That isn’t to say that there are dull moments, but it does require your full attention.
(featured image: Youku)
