This review may contain spoilers
Intriguing, Well-Crafted, and Visually Striking
The story is excellent, filled with twists and turns, and the storyline is clearly well thought out, it definitely deserves a high rating. I was also amazed by the drama’s cinematography, which felt unique compared to most Chinese dramas. And of course, hats off to the costumes, no surprise there, since the costume designer also worked on Moonlight Mystique.That said, I did notice some odd scenes that seemed disconnected from the previous ones. Perhaps they were cut due to the 45-minute runtime limit. I think the visual effects could use more effort, ideally reaching the same level as Korean medical dramas.
One more thing, usually I can eat while watching C-dramas, but for this one, I couldn’t! The autopsy scenes were so graphic and realistic that eating was out of the question, in the best, most immersive way possible.
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Straight to the point murder mystery with a delicious serving of romance
The plot is your über classic, you-killed-my-father-prepare-to-die (and let's solve a bunch of murder mysteries along the way) type of revenge story, with some trendy tweaks like the indentity switch, but this show wants to focus on the mystery, adventure and romance parts, rather than the gimmicks framing it. As a result it's very straight to the point, and more importantly, well-paced. The first mysteries are intricate enough to sustain our attention, and the tension escalates when our heroes reach the big city and get into the Prince's murder. I was not sure what to think of the main couple at first, their mutual crush was a bit on the nose, but after watching so many slow burns (some without payoff) I was very happy to see our leads get together faster than expected and all over each other (so many kisses, I was in romance heaven). They are so complementary, a true power couple : she will get sh*t done, and he will kick ass. It didn't hurt that the leads were played by two of my favs. Overall this drama is surprinsingly great at writing romances, and their sweetness balanced out the dire darkness of the cases. The production is not lavish whatsoever, it's a true case of strong writing, acting and directing covering for the smaller scaled budget.Was this review helpful to you?
Romance hard carried the entire series
It came highly recommended to me, so I was genuinely excited to dive into a mix of mystery and romance.The characters made a strong first impression: a smart, capable male lead and an equally—if not more—brilliant female lead.
Their dynamic was built on mutual competence in their respective fields, which translated well into romantic chemistry. They matched perfectly, at least in that aspect.
I also appreciated the attempt to make the cases “complicated,” but even as a non-technical viewer, it was easy to spot how illogical and far-fetched they were. That made the mystery side of things harder to take seriously.
The characters also felt flat. The leads were portrayed as flawless and perfect, which stripped away the opportunity for depth, especially considering the themes of revenge and justice they were supposed to be navigating.
If you’re here for the romance, it’s a decent watch. But if you’re hoping for good mystery or detective work, this is not the best choice.
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Coroner’s Diary : Bones, Secrets, and Justice
🔹 Definitely would rewatch it! The mysteries were gripping enough that I’d happily dive in again.✨ That moment when the last note fades and you realize a song captured the whole mood—did you feel that too with this drama?
📕Overview
🔹 38 episodes, historical mystery and romance
🔹 Adapted from the web novel The Powerful and Favored Coroner Imperial Concubine by Bu Yue Qian Zhuang
🔹 Li Lan Di as Qin Wan: clever, perceptive, and always holding back just a little of what she knows
🔹 Ao Rui Peng as Yan Chi: calm on the surface, steady fire underneath, quietly protective
🔹 The story begins when Qin Wan disguises herself to escape her family’s tragedy, using medicine and autopsies to uncover palace secrets
🔹 Great for fans of slow-burn mysteries mixed with romance and court intrigue
🌸 How It Felt Watching
🔹 From the very first case, I felt pulled into the tension of each discovery
🔹 Seeing Qin Wan balance healing with crime-solving was both moving and exciting
🔹 The tone stayed emotional, hopeful, and touched with sorrow
🔹 Themes of justice, perseverance, and trust ran through every turn
🔹 Fans loved the clever investigations and emotional pull, though some said the last stretch moved a little slowly
✨ Cast & Performances
🔹 Li Lan Di as Qin Wan: every thoughtful glance made me believe in her quiet strength
🔹 Ao Rui Peng as Yan Chi: his steady support made their connection feel genuine and natural
🔹 The supporting cast added the right mix of tension and warmth, making the story feel fuller
🎶 OST
🔹 As Dust (若以尘埃) by Zhou Shen
🔹 Don’t Sigh (别叹) by Huang Xiao Yun
🔹 Bottom of Your Heart (是你在心底) by Curley Gao
🔹 Wind and Rain (风雨) by Li Lan Di
🔹 This Love (此爱) by Ao Rui Peng
🎞️ Production Style
🔹 The palace halls felt rich and shadowed, while the crime scenes had a raw edge
🔹 Costumes were elegant yet restrained, matching Qin Wan’s life between healer and investigator
🔹 The candlelit mood gave each reveal a quiet intensity that stuck with me
☕ Tea Notes
🔹 What worked: the mix of autopsy mysteries and palace intrigue felt refreshing and emotional
🔹 What didn’t: the final arc slowed down, but the ending was worth the wait
☕ SpillTheDramaTea’s Rating: 9/10: a delicate blend, comforting with a subtle kick
✏️ As SpillTheDramaTea, it felt like unfolding an old scroll page by page, slow, steady, but rewarding in the end.
✨ Which case left you holding your breath the most?
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A PLEASANT SURPRISE!!
This was such a pleasant surprise!! In a year of letdowns, this one actually managed to keep me hooked. Coroner’s Diary is a nice blend of mystery, crime-solving, and romance. The plot is solid and engaging, though filled with minor quirks. The pacing of this drama is absolutely on point. Its fast paced without being overwhelming and doesn’t shove plots into your face. No episode felt like a filler and they ended every episode well. I was honestly worried they’d lose momentum in the latter episode but to my surprise they managed to stay very consistent and wrap things nicely.Moving onto the romance part, I’m a fan of both Landy Li and Ao rui peng but at first, them being love interests felt forced. The ML quickly started crushing on the Fl which caught me off guard since I’m very used to characters slowly building their relationship yet as the story progressed, the couple gradually grew on me. Their interactions felt more natural. Their chemistry isn’t the best but has a quite charm.
Here’s my issues with the drama. Starting off with the Fl. I am absolutely loving this pattern of women empowerment in cdramas lately but to be fair the fl in this one comes off as a ‘ know it all’ character’. While its clear she grew up in a medicine valley, there’s very little shown of her past. She’s strong and knowledgeable, which I appreciate. Her rise in a male-dominated profession is a steady, brick-by-brick progression. Still, without a solid backstory, it's hard not to question how she surpasses even the imperial physicians and is able to performs autopsies with such ease.
The side characters also felt underdeveloped and don’t contribute to the story much. I especially wished the princess had been given an arc of her own. They dared to promote women empowerment but didn’t put her skills to use. She was only there to cheer the main leads on their brilliance. Yan li was just there as an eye candy. Although I shipped the two, their relationship felt highly underdeveloped, lacking emotional depth and maturity.
I don’t know how to end this as I wrote the above paragraphs quite a while ago but please give this one a chance. Although this won’t be my first choice for a rewatch, I still enjoyed this drama quite a lot.
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More Than Just Romance
This drama delivers an excellent blend of romance, crime, and suspense. The romantic storyline was well-balanced and never overshadowed the main plot, which kept the show gripping from start to finish. While some of the criminals were fairly easy to identify due to the filming choices, the final case involving Yan Ze was a genuine plot twist that completely surprised me.I particularly appreciated how the story came full circle with the society organization, tying all the loose ends together in a satisfying way. The writing was strong overall, and the performances by the cast were outstanding. That said, I did feel the female lead was written a little too perfectly—she solved every problem with ease, leaving little tension in her arc. Still, ARP’s performance stood out to me, and it was refreshing to see him take on this kind of role. I truly hope to see him in similar characters in the future.
One of the aspects I really liked was the moral resolution: every character who did wrong faced consequences, which made the story feel complete and just. The pacing was consistent, and the touches of romance added warmth without taking away from the crime-driven narrative. Unlike many recent shows with “enemies-to-lovers” tropes, this drama offered a straightforward, natural love story that unfolded smoothly. It was a refreshing change of pace.
Overall, this is a very well-executed C-drama that I would highly recommend to anyone who enjoys detective mysteries with suspenseful twists. With its balanced storytelling, strong acting, and satisfying conclusion, it’s a must-watch for fans of the genre.
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This review may contain spoilers
Balance is important
Things I Loved: Coroner's Diary is a fun show that keeps you guessing from the beginning. While it's not extremely difficult to figure out who is behind the crimes and why in the show, it was enjoyable nevertheless. The chemistry between the leads is great. I love that we didn't have a misunderstanding trope thrown at them or any of the other secondary couple pairs. It was also interesting to see the misunderstanding trope done between a father and son. There are several themes of found family throughout this drama that I also love.Things I did not like:
1. Yan Han's bloodline ending up on the throne and Yan Chi not being emperor. In the novel, Yan Chi was able to expose Yan Han's crimes, as it felt like everyone who did something wrong got the punishment they deserved. Here, all Yan Han got was death. He got to keep his rep, and his child inherited the throne. It felt like the big bad got a reward rather than a punishment to me.
2. The handling of Yan Ze felt way too rushed, and his death felt very... lackluster. I did not enjoy it. I felt the same way about the empress's death as well as the one consort. They died by stabbing each other and discussing what each of them had endured to help their son, etc. It just felt...off. Their characters are supposed to be very smart women who would do anything for their children, and yet this is the way they go out? I'm not upset at them dying, but...how they died...eh. Not feeling it.
So, in short, while I'm aware it's impossible and unrealistic for them to cover everything in the source material and that creative liberity makes things more exciting, they did not do a good job of spacing out the cases, and balancing that with the court issues as well as with the ending/endings of the 'villains'.
Rating:
Given the limited number of episodes and the fact that, in my opinion, the good outweighs the bad, I'm giving this a 9/10.
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Draggy at the end
This drama was slow at first. Towards the middle was getting interesting. Then towards the last episodes was draggy. I fast forwarded the last 6 episodes because the story was not interesting.The main leads have chemistry and acted connvincingly.
I didn't like the 2nd leads. They are just there and felt forced.
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Best drama of 2025 so far
I can barely finish cdramas but this one made me interested from start to finish. I thiught they were just gonna solve random cases but it has profound and deep meaning on how women are treated back in the days. I am glad that the ML has more leading role. His chemistry with FL is top notch. I love the dialogues here. Kudos to the writer. I love the touch or humor as well. It’s a good blend. I like this drama more than POB because of the unnecessary death in the end. Here all good. Justice has been served.. The acting of the leads in the cases are commendable as well. I look forward to watching ML and FL as leads in a modern drama. Their face card and chemistry didn’t disappointWas this review helpful to you?
Looks familiar but done really poorly
I fall in love with Chinese costume dramas since I've finished "Story of Kunning palace", "Goodbye princess", "The double" and many more.Landy Li played in another top drama "love of Nirvana" and I was expecting Coroner's Diary to come closer, but omg I was so wrong.
Plot is a about a prince and a medic playing pro detectives who are not chasing injustices, injustices are chasing them . There is colleague chemistry between them and side characters are total fillers. I've finished ep 15 basically forcing myself to keep watching. Some scenes are so cringe: for example when the princess balancing on the heels with one hand holding on the edge with the other straight hand holding two other grown women. Another one was when the prince charming went though tornado under water to save the medic and then covered her with his coat but how are they soaking wet, but his coat is warm and dry. Because it fits better the romance scene, just turn of your brain, it is fine O0.
I also don't get how there are ppl giving this top score 10, with what do you compare this?
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It's better than Imperial Coroner
It's among the only 2-3 dramas which I've been able to complete till the end in last couple of years. Most dramas nowadays get draggy towards the end but not this one, great production along with great acting does the job for me. Music in this drama is surely among the top 5 (all time c-dramas).But what I like most about this drama is that the romance doesn't spoil the story like most others, you will enjoy every romantic scenes in this drama.
Story - 9/10 (great cases but nothing new or extraordinary)
Music -10/10 (among the bests)
Acting -9.5/10 (great acting by both ML and FL, support cast was a bit lacking)
Overall- 9.5/10 (best in 2025 for me)
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