Historical CSI genre is over saturated that it lost its originality and storyline.
Coroner's Diary is a historical CSI drama starring Landy Li and Ao Rui Peng. The acting and some of the CSI cases were interesting. Still, the pace and repetitiveness of various cases made the drama seem draggy and uninteresting to watch by the midpoint. The romance was quick, but it developed into a slow burn afterward. It is watchable but not engaging.This type of genre is another one that has been done too many times in Cdrama, to the point where it has lost its originality. I may not revisit it again in the future, like the Xian Xia and Republican Era genres.
Synopsis: The story follows Shen Wan, the daughter of Shen Yi, a high-ranking official of the Supreme Court, whose entire family is massacred after being implicated in the Prince of Jin case. Shen Wan escapes to Jingzhou by disguising herself as Qin Wan, the Ninth Lady of the Qin family, where she learns all about medicine and how to perform autopsies. She not only excels at healing the sick and saving lives but is also skilled in her professional role as a coroner, investigating crimes. During her investigations, Qin Wan meets Yan Chi, the crown prince of King Rui. Yan Chi is determined to clear the Prince of Jin’s name, an ambition that aligns with Qin Wan’s own mission to vindicate her father. The two return to the capital together, solving a series of strange and mysterious cases along the way. After returning, the discovery of a skeleton leads to the reopening of the Prince of Jin case. As they delve deeper, Yan Chi and Qin Wan gradually uncover the truth and ultimately expose a shocking secret buried deep within the palace.
My Reviews:
1. Acting: 8
2. Script: 6
3. Music/OST: 6
4. Production Quality: 6
5. Cinematography: 6
6. Rewatchable:5
7. On-screen Chemistry: 6
Overall Rating: 6
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This review may contain spoilers
MYSTERY C-DRAMA? I’M SO IN !!!
It’s my second Ao Ruipeng drama and it didn’t disappoint!!! I love how he was smitten at first sight, wdym he was 😮 at her firsthand? ✨I love the development of the drama —how mysteries are unfolded one after another and sometimes in the most unexpected ways.
The Senior Disciple scene, I got the freaking goosebumps because it did happen even here in the modern world. Kidnapping people & removing their guts? 🥹 GIRLLL I WAS SO AFRAID COS IT FEELS TOO REAL T__T
The plot also? The twist is indeed twisting, I definitely didn’t expect that!!! WDYM THE EMPEROR IS NOT THE EMPEROR I WAS FREAKING SHOCKED I LOVE HOW IT UNFOLDED TOO!!! There are bits and pieces of tiny hints like the Empress Dowager being shocked when they said what if she have “twins” for her grandchild.
Additionally, I LOVE THE GRANDMAS IN THIS SERIES THEY PORTRAY THE CHARACTER OF A GRANDMA THAT WE IMAGINED.
Overall, all characters were great!!! The acting was superb to the point that I was annoyed with that one sister please can someone knock some sense off her 😭
Music is good, too. But, I don’t really rewatch heavy or dramas that makes me overthink so, yeah.
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give it a try!
You know how some dramas have the same type of plot? It's how they basically get together solve political dilemma, then the person they trusted is actually the antagonist. It does that, yes, but not in a way that is "basic"When it comes to the plot, it's actually interesting and makes you want to learn all the details. There are parts where the twists can be considered 'cliche' but at the same time, they tell the story in a way that doesn't feel cliche. Do you get that? It follows the usual formula of historical chinese drama and made it feel new and so interesting! The cases they investigate are so cool, they're not afraid of like scaring the audience and deliver mystery in the best way possible.
The characters are also very loving! Every screentime all the couples got felt fair and well delivered. The chemistry of the main couple was fascinating. There's no love triangle, although some characters in the show expressed interest in the main characters it wasn't actively pursued. There are a lot of deaths in the show, but the way it was handled was done. There was this underlaying message to each character's death that made it more meaningful.
I recommend you guys watch it!
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A Surprisingly Gruesome But Watchable Detective Mystery Drama
Coroner's Diary is what I thought and wanted In Blossom to be, about a brilliant female coroner and a calculating strategist for a male lead. Apart from the fact that it stars one of my favorite Chinese actors, I'm also into detective mysteries, so this is definitely my cup of tea.I immediately became attached to the characters. The main characters are just so adorably wholesome, I can't help but like them. I didn't become as invested in the main couple's love story, though. Although I liked both actors just fine and I appreciated the natural development of their slow burn romance, I didn't quite feel the chemistry between them. They looked great together, I'm not gonna lie, but I felt that the chemistry was lacking. I don't quite know how to explain it. Maybe I'm just slightly biased because I did ship Ao Ruipeng with Bai Lu in another drama, and to me, that was the still best pairing Ruipeng ever had.
I bear no hate for Li Landi, though. I thought she did her role justice and she's definitely one of the better love interests for Ruipeng. This drama also made me pay more attention to her. I would definitely check out her other dramas after this. Speaking of Ruipeng, he surprisingly did well in this. I never thought that the boy who played the rambunctious Lei Wujie would be able to effectively play a dashing, righteous, and cunning military mind.
But as much as I liked the main couple, I thought the second couple carried more charm. I'm such a sucker for the friends-to-lovers trope so it's no wonder that I found them to be more engaging. I wish they got more screen time.
The cases they take on are strange to downright disturbing. But it's the uniqueness of these cases that kept me watching. Sure, some of them were so farfetched and predictable that I'm convinced they were merely done for shock value, but it's not like they weren't engrossing enough to hold my attention. The plot twist in the end was pretty good although I also figured that out about halfway through. I'm pretty sure others did too. Chinese writers tend to give away these twists midway so I hope they could improve on that.
This was a good watch as a whole. I was entertained for the most part despite getting marginally bored midway. In my opinion, this is one of the better historical detective mystery dramas in C-drama land.
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Forensics, Politics, and Feelings !
I was drawn to this drama because I love mysteries and investigation themes, and the setup of a female lead who becomes a forensic-type investigator in a historical setting sounded fresh. Also, the cast looked promising, and I was curious to see how the assassination/murder-mystery angle would play in a palace intrigue background.🩸 Synopsis
Qin Wan (played by Li Landi) is the daughter of a high-ranking judicial official whose family was destroyed after being implicated in a royal case. She escapes by assuming the identity of Qin Wan, the Ninth Miss of the Qin household, and uses her exceptional medical and forensic skills as a coroner to investigate gruesome deaths and buried secrets. Along the way she meets Yan Chi (Ao Ruipeng), a prince’s son with his own vendetta, and together they dig into a web of palace conspiracies, skeletons from the past, and a central case tied to her father’s downfall. 🎭🔎.
✅ What I Liked 💀❄️
First off, I love a good female-led mystery — and Li Landi’s Qin Wan (aka Shen Wan) absolutely delivers that. She is a heroine who actually uses her brain instead of crying. 🧠💪 Her character has lost everything and yet rebuilds herself through sharp intellect and medical skill, uncovering truths others would rather keep buried. It’s refreshing to see a heroine whose drive isn’t centered around romance but around justice and survival. That solid, purpose-driven premise instantly drew me in. 🎯🔥
The investigation cases at the beginning are genuinely gripping. 🕵️♀️🩸 From the chilling headless bride case to the eerie well-buried corpses, the show manages to capture that rare mix of suspense and tragedy. I appreciated that Coroner’s Diary didn’t sanitize its mystery — it embraced the forensic side with autopsies, clues, and deductions instead of just hinting vaguely like most period dramas do. 👁️🔍 It gives off a realistic detective vibe, which made each reveal more satisfying.
Visually, this drama is such a treat. 🎬✨ Dimly lit morgues and finely detailed costumes give everything a grounded yet cinematic tone. The production quality feels higher than average — polished, mature, and not overdramatic. I especially liked that Qin Wan and Yan Chi (Ao Ruipeng) actually work together as equals instead of the typical “male lead saves her every five minutes” setup. Their teamwork feels natural, like two minds unraveling puzzles rather than two hearts forcing chemistry. 🤝💞
And that leads me to the romance — the slow burn is such a plus! 🔥❤️ No exaggerated confessions or cringey “oops we fell into each other’s arms” scenes here. Instead, their bond deepens case by case, through mutual respect and shared missions. Watching them grow closer through danger and discovery gave the emotional payoff real weight. 💫💬
❌ What I Found Weak in Coroner’s Diary (朝雪录) ⚖️🕯️
As much as I enjoyed the premise and early cases, the storytelling does lose some of its sharp edge later on. 🌀 While the drama ambitiously mixes murder mysteries, revenge arcs, political intrigue, and romance, not all of them land smoothly.😕📜
Pacing — the eternal enemy of good dramas. ⏳😩 What started as a tightly focused investigative journey slowly gets tangled in too many subplots. The transition from thrilling forensic mysteries 🧬 to grand palace conspiracies 👑 and then to swoony romance 💞 felt uneven. It’s like the show couldn’t decide what genre it wanted to be by the end.
And finally, I also felt a few conveniences in the script — moments where the leads magically get the exact clue they need at the exact moment — and that undercuts the clever-case vibe occasionally. Still, those are forgivable because when a case lands (some of the reveals are genuinely chilling), the show delivers that satisfying, "oh-so-gross but brilliant" detective moment. 😬🧠💥
📌 Recommendation
If you’re into mystery + historical setting + smart female leads, then yes — this one’s for you.
If you expect top-tier romance or perfectly tight plotting, you may feel slightly let down.
Given your interest in symbolic imagery and emotions, this drama delivers enough layers (justice, corpses, redemption, mask vs reality) to keep you thinking.
My tip: Watch the first few cases with attention — the setup is strong there. Then, if you feel the momentum dropping, adjust expectations and enjoy the ride for what it is.
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This review may contain spoilers
Nerve-Wrecking Twists That Keep You on the Edge??️??
*This drama is certainly a good watch. The mysteries behind each case are definitely nail-biting and keep you on the edge.
*The ML and FL form a great partnership while unfolding the mysteries, but the romance part didn't really hit.
*The ML is a green flag . He supports and understands her, but the one thing I didn't like was him jumping to save her every time she's in trouble.
*The FL is smart and independent; she definitely knows how to save herself, but the ML saving part seems unrelated to the story.
*But the story definitely keeps the audience engaged. This drama doesn't seem like a typical historical drama. The autopsies, the crime scene setups, and the cadavers were all precise.
OVERALL: Smart FL, Green ML: A Deceptively Good Historical Mystery🧐🧐☠️💀☠️
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Got my attention in every episode
With Chinese dramas, I have a tendency to fast forward or skip episodes even with the great ones. I mean it’s not easy to fill in stories even when the plot is great. This drama builds the lead and supporting characters extremely well, the subplots are relevant to the character development albeit some may find them too long but I personally enjoyed the variety nod mysteries. Reminded me of Quincy, ME (dating myself). There is enough twists but not to convoluted that it hurts your neck. A satisfying ending leaving you hello ng good for rooting the main characters. As I said before a well written story will always keep the reader or audience glued. In a society we’re women were once treated so low they aborted girl babies I am glad to see heroines emerging in stronger leading roles. I hope they do more of these kind of shows showing the strength of a woman in a male dominated culture.Was this review helpful to you?
Must watch
It was really an interesting series. I love the turns of every events, a mystery indeed. I love how smart and intelligent Qin wan is and how kind are the Yue family towards her. In every turn there is always a plot of twist that keep the series more interesting as the episode goes on. It a must watch series. I highly recommend it if you want an intelligent and capable and not annoying fl.Was this review helpful to you?
It Started Great, Until......
the mistery cases are good.the story pace is good, not draggy.
the flaws i noticed so far (i'm currently at ep 16) are Landy Li's acting. why is she always so stiff with romance scene? i've watched her several times and notice she cant bring her good acting at the the roamance scenes. her previous drama i watched was A Love of Nirvana with Ren Jia Lun and she is so stiff when involving romance scenes. i feel no chemestry coming from her. the "love expressions" only come from the male leads. other than romance, she's good. hopefuly she can improve.
as for Au Rui Peng, his acting is good. even his expression is always on point.
if i can criticise one thing to the writer, please stop pairing FL's personal maid with ML's personal guard. it's boring. let the ML's personal guard be paired with second FL. or let the FL's maid be paired with another prince. create something new. thankyou
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Justice will be served at the right time (Best Mystery drama of 2025)
I really love watching mystery dramas, especially those involving case investigations. My last watch was 'Mysterious Lotus Casebook,' which also aired on iQiyi. Now, I'm completely hooked on 'Corner's Diary' right from the first five episodes – every episode is just so suspenseful! I decided to watch this because the plot seemed interesting. I don't usually watch ongoing dramas because I often get left hanging or drop them quickly if I'm not impressed within the first three episodes. But with this series, the writer is incredibly talented; you'll find yourself wondering who the culprit is and even creating your own theories. That means the writer is truly impressive if they can get viewers actively thinking while watching. I highly recommend watching this drama if you loved 'Mysterious Lotus Casebook' and also enjoy romance elements. I'm sure you'll love this one; you won't regret it – not a single episode is a waste!Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
problems with the narrative
SPOiLERSThis drama was a very interesting viewing experience for me. I am not so much critiqueing the drama as explaining how my experience of watching this may have been different from others. I like to offer a different viewpoint for those who are wondering whether to watch this drama or not.
My dissatisfaction with this drama had to do mostly with the narrative. I only realized at the end that this drama was based on the novel and I think that was some of why it felt disjointed to me. The drama took the beginning of the novel and changed it into a different Story in the second half. The abstraction of the themes from the cases was admirably translated into Political intrigue so there was a level of cohesion. So kudos to the screen writers And the viewers who could see that. Maybe it was necessary to get past censorship.
I expected the initial crimes and clues to be more pertinent to the finale. That said, the last few episodes did live up to the foreshadowing and the symbolic meanings of the clues. How the vigilante group was led by someone who wanted power and revenge more than moral reckoning was a great twist. The level of corruption of the emperor and some of his family is exposed. This made for a unique competition for the throne plot.
However, I did feel like certain balls were dropped that could have led to some intriguing plot lines. That was the direction I was going with the initial forensic findings related to syphilis and its treatment with mercury and cinebar which are also poisons. I should have known better. After all this is a historical c drama subject to censorship. I understand that novels are less subject to censorship.
For example, one hypothesis I had was that those little girls in the well had been infected with syphilis.And that's why they were there. That would have been a big cover up had it been known by the powers that be. I think the drama suggested they were all killed because they were going to be discovered? There was also mention of someone who was trafficking the girls.
I did not even know there was a novel initially. Apparently Syphilis and its treatment with mercury and cinebar were thematic throughout the Novel. There was additional intrigue to do with the girls in the well. There was a suggestion that the emperor was also committing his crimes using syphilis as the means.
So I would have been reading the right novel but I was not watching the right drama😁 for the story line I was imagining.
I have told myself to be cautious about watching dramas that are based on novels but not for the reason I was disappointed here.
I can value this drama as it was presented but still feel like I would have enjoyed the drama more if it had taken a different route. I won't be reading the hundred plus or five hundred plus or however many chapters in the novel though😄!
I hope this is a helpful review.
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The best detective costume drama
Since I started watching C-drama in 2019, this is the best detective drama I have ever seen, and also the best costume drama in 2 years that I can rate 10/10 for every part of the drama. The cast is well selected and all of them portrayed their role very well. Initially, I watched this drama just for Ao Rui Peng because the genre is not my favorite. However, after finishing watching this drama I also like the female lead and many other support cast. Ao Rui Peng strongly proved to be a versatile actor. He perfectly performed his different types of characters in 4 different dramas airing this year including Coroner’s Detective. The story, costume, production, visual… are all perfect. I did not expect that a thriller, detective drama would have very beautiful cast, costume, and set up with great story and script. For those who like detective costume drama, this is a must watch!!!Was this review helpful to you?
