Coroner's Diary

Couldn’t continue

Is it just me or the acting is super terrible?

The ML acting was amazing but the FL did lack abit of emotions. But some of the other supporting characters’ acting were super awkward and fake. I tried to watch up to episode 5 through the badly acting but I just couldn’t. But after seeing so many people commenting that it gets better, I decided to watch it one more time before stopping it in episode 11.

I really couldn’t continue it if I want to , so I would rate the rewatch value super low.

The story was also abit lacking, the mysteries were all quite easy to grasp and solve. I came to watch just for the romance. The romance between the two leads were quite strong but I didn’t really see the chemistry between them.

Therefore, I wouldn’t really rewatch this if I could. It’s just a waste of time.

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Interesting and very engaging cases with a sweet romance

Well, to start off, the drama honestly hooked me right from the beginning. The storyline is super engaging and stays very true to the novel. The cases are twisted enough to keep you guessing, but still easy to follow, and the chemistry between the leads? Absolutely sweet and swoon-worthy.

The drama had in fact followed the novel very closely in terms of script but had slightly changed the beginning because of China's contents and regulatory standards regarding plots like rebirth, transmigration and so on, but the plot flowed seamlessly if you don't think too much into the identity swap of Shen Wan.

Now, about the ending—they did tweak it a little bit to cater to the majority of the audiences, who liked Shen Wan to remain as herself, the coroner who fights for justice. But personally? I kind of felt that with Li Landi’s portrayal, Shen Wan would’ve made a fantastic queen. Most readers felt that Shen Wan should remain free, and not be confined in the palace but I beg to differ. Let’s be honest—Shen Wan wasn’t all noble and selfless after all. She did do amazing with empathizing for the wrong souls out there, and investigating every cases until the truth comes out and justice prevails, but one got to admit that from the very beginning, her sole motivation was her father's innocence. Not that it shouldn't matter but I think if she became the queen, she could have taken her own brand of justice to a whole new level. She wasn't a normal noble lady, and Yan Chi wasn't the typical man of that times either.

Speaking of Yan Chi, Ao Ruipeng's acting was impeccable. He nailed it! Seriously, his acting keeps leveling up with every drama he does. His Yan Chi was everything I expected from the novel and maybe even better. From the very start, his fascination with Shen Wan is so obvious and the romance, while a little slow paced at first, it wasn't dragged on. Their relationship made perfect sense, and I loved how natural it was. All along the novel, Yan Chi had been nothing short of excellent, be it investigating the cases, or fighting for the justice, to pampering Shen Wan, and to the conflicts within the Royal family. Although, a major part of the novel had not been filmed, the part where he and Shen Wan were exiled, and Yan Chi rejoined the army and rebelled, it didn't cause any major plot hole. Though I kind of do wish that if that arc was actually filmed, it would've showed more of Yan Chi's military merits, which would’ve been epic to watch.

The side characters were honestly gems too. Especially, Bai Feng. I have noticed him in Moonlight Mystique, but here, he shined even more. Honestly, I do hope that he gets a main role because he does seem to have more potential in him. And Yue Ning, and Yan Li were equally amazing. These three supporting characters was the reason the show was engaging, having a slightly funny and light hearted romance. Again, I hope the side characters get to be the main leads in a very good script, because they honestly deserve it. The other side characters were equally very good. And let’s not forget the Emperor—if someone can make you hate him to your core, grit your teeth, curse him out, and then still shed a tear for him, then that someone is amazing. He is that someone. Overall, all of the cast were wonderful.

Now, onto the OST. Chef’s kiss. Every single song was beautiful, heartfelt, and addictive. The lyrics hit deep, the vocals were powerful, and the melodies stayed stuck in my head for days. Huang Xiaoyun’s “Don’t Sigh” and Zhou Shen’s “If by Dust” are masterpieces, you don’t even need to understand Mandarin to feel the emotions. And can I just say, I didn’t know Ao Ruipeng and Li Landi could sing this well! Their songs were surprisingly good (though I had heard Ao Ruipeng in Moonlight Mystique’s OST before). Curley Gao’s track was another sweet highlight, romantic and hopeful. Honestly, no skips here—I loved the entire soundtrack.

So yeah, this drama is definitely worth your time. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry, and it might even make you hum Mandarin songs you don’t fully understand (been there, done that). My advice? Grab some popcorn, keep a box of tissues nearby, and settle in. Who knows—you might just love it!

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This Drama Hooked Me—And It’s Not Just Another Revenge Plot

I absolutely loved this drama from start to finish. Aside from *The Double*, this is one of the rare dramas I watched entirely for the compelling plot and the brilliant female lead. While it begins with the familiar "family betrayed by politics and the emperor, must seek vengeance" storyline, it quickly evolves into something much deeper and more engaging.
Landy Li delivers a stunning performance as the lead—her character remains remarkably level-headed throughout, which was refreshing. What stood out most was the beautifully paced development of the main couple’s relationship. Their mutual understanding grows gradually, naturally, and meaningfully. I’m not usually a fan of the “love at first sight” trope, but here, it felt genuinely right and perfectly placed.
Ao Rui Peng, the male lead, is equally captivating—supportive, never disrespectful (even during moments of suspicion), and fully invested in his partner. Together, they form a power couple who lift each other up in every way.
The side plots and cases are intelligently crafted, too. I’ve always been curious about how forensics worked before fingerprinting and modern technology, and this show does a brilliant job of exploring that—without ever feeling dragged out.
The ending felt just right. Without a doubt, this drama ranks in my top 10 C-Dramas of all time.

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A well-written drama with intelligent leads, minimal clichés, and engaging character dynamics.

A series with strong leads & secondary leads, no love triangle, no green tea, no unnecessary misunderstandings, no stupid side plots. A story that justifies the title, it sticks to the plot. After a long time, watch a drama where 2nd leads aren't in love with the leads or trying to break them apart.

Yan Chi is smart, calculative, sometimes cunning, a good general. He constantly found himself trapped between politics and his father’s principles, torn between making a choice and protecting his father and his army from political schemes. I liked Ao Rui Peng here more. He played Yan Chi really well.

Qin Wan is smart, mature and judges everything according to law. I loved Landy Li here. Her character was the totally opposite of "The Starry Love"(the only drama that I have watched of hers) character. There she played a carefree, childish, fun-loving but smart FL here she played the opposite of it: mature, patient, smart. 

Yue Ning & Yan Li were fresh of breath air in the series. Loved their banter and carefree nature.  

A reunion of Fan Yue & Mu Jiu. Loved Yan Chi & Mu Jiu relationship. There consent teasing each other about their love lives.

Another best thing about the series is the limited story or zero involvement of annoying supporting characters. Liked that Qin Xiang had zero involvement in Qin Wan, all she could do was to get jealous of Qin Wan. Otherwise, in maximum C-Dramas, her character would be doing a lot of scheming to make the FL life living hell. She deserved that ending of hers.

Yue Ning & Yan Li as well as Mu Jiu & Fu Ling love to disturb our Yan Chi & Qin Wan romantic time, which they rarely get.

One of the best things is that Yue Ning brought the maid to recognize the person who saved her grandmother. Otherwise, in maximum series, it always ends up recognizing the wrong person.

Loved how Yue Ning shut down those Qin bitches by saying my grandma doesn’t even know why you need to visit her. A nice slap to her face.

Loved how Yan Chi secretly observed Qin Wan examining the death body in the carriage as well as arraigning her to examine without her knowledge.

The way Yan Chi prevented Yue Ning from asking to marry Qin Wan by proposing that them be siblings was funny.

Overall, loved watching it.

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A perfect Criminal Investigation x Romance drama

It was such a surprise! My first time seeing an historical of the genre and loved it! I really appreciated how it was executed, how it mainly remained a thriller and the leads stayed focused on their goals til the end. I didn't find any episode boring at all, I enjoyed how we embark on the criminal cases with the leads and get to wonder who did what, why and how. I didn't find any flaw or weird point in all the cases. Really enjoyed the thriller parts. The romance was well introduced and very sweet, we don't have any weird break up because of some misunderstanding. Loved the boldness of the female lead and how the male lead respected her right away and got her back from the start. It makes their bond and their romance even more endearing. They didn't try to change the other but wholeheartedly embraced each other's quirkiness. There are so many characters we end up getting attached to. And the end was something, lol, but very satisfying to me. A happy end. ^-^

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Mystery and romance, what more could you want?

Mystery dramas are one of my favorite genres of all time. I love watching these crimes being solved. The coroner job is also so interesting. As someone who wanted to work in that kind of department made this show all the more enjoyable and interesting. Landi Li did an amazing job portraying her role. Plot twists every episode. really keeps you entertained.

Story :
The story was really well done. The plot of the story was very well written. This drama covers about a girl who witnessed the murder of her parents and decide to take revenge. As the show moves along, more plot twists are introduced. Slowly she starts realizing that there is a deeper and bigger plot behind everything. One thing I really liked about this drama is the mystery portion. Like in a lot of mystery dramas, the mystery and crime solving part gets covered with other things, but in this drama they stayed consistent with it and I appreciate it. I love the way the producers did this drama, the way the main female lead solves the crimes and the male lead helps with it. I also really like that there was no misunderstandings between the main couple. They had trust in each other throughout the whole drama which is so rare and it's what makes this drama so much more adorable. I love how the male lead is so confident and proud of his girlfriend and not trying to belittle her. He appreciates her talents and wants her to shine, he helps her in the shadows to still allow her to do things on her own. I also love the side characters, each character was very well designed. I love how the female lead is not only smart but also confident, she is not afraid to say what is on her mind, and if someone is in the wrong she corrects them without hesitation.

CGI:
The CGI was okay, i didn't see much CGI being used which is good, but the scenes where they were under water wasn't the best but I can look past that because the drama was just soo good. I love the costumes too, they were all styled for each character, with their own unique style. I love how the clothes was styled to fit Yongning princess, cuz she's more of a martial/fighting character, so having outfits that allows her to do that easier is really considerate.

Music :
The music was decent! The songs were pretty good but not as appealing as other dramas.

Acting:
The acting was really good by the cast. Landi Li is such an amazing actor, she really portrayed her role well, being tough but also sweet at the same time. Ao Rei Peng also did a good job, he played his role really well. Everyone played their role well. The emotions felt really natural, the sad parts and funny parts were all well done. I really like the grand princess and the empress dowager, their relationship with each other being sisters and all was so wholesome but also their relationship with the main female lead. It wasn't toxic and they were really supportive and sweet. The main couple was also soo cute. Like i said before, NO MISUNDERSTANDINGS!!! that is literally so rare to find in dramas. The couple's relationship felt really genuine and the chemistry was there. Overall I'd say the acting was really good, no really cringe scenes with bad acting. You can tell the difference between the scenes where they were supposed to be serious and when they were goofing around. Very satisfying to watch.

Ending:
I liked the ending, everyone had their own ending and most was happy. though towards the end, again like the biggest problem i find with dramas and that bothers me a lot is being rushed. I feel as the ending was kind of rushed, where they revealed the biggest mystery and everything moved a little to quick where I kind of got lost. I feel if the drama had two more episodes, the drama would finish a lot better and feel less rushed. There isn't that big of a difference from 38 episodes to 40. But forgetting about that, the ending was really sweet> i love how all the couples got a happy ending and everyone who was like important survived.

Amazing drama!! Loved it, will definitely rewatch in the future!!

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for the love of mystery & so many cuties

What a duo. Shen Wan & Yan Chi really outdid themselves as a pair of elite and self assured people. Landy Li and Ao Rui Peng bounced off each other flawlessly. Their story from strangers to peers to lovers was perfect and I would rewatch the show just for that aspect alone.

Both Shen Wan and Yan Chi are focused, brave, AND smart. It’s the whole package and it’s even better that they are so equally matched. They both respect each other’s choices and perspectives. It was these features that makes the no second act break up expected and luckily it was delivered. They stay together even as things get messy and they persist.

Yue Ning and Yan Li were maddd cute and I shipped them the second Yan Li appeared on screen and Yue Ning was like “what a playboy”. HAHA. It’s me – I’m the problem. But no I really loved how they each were solidly written and executed character while also getting to see how they matched well with each other. So freaking cute. I loved how we watch them go from frenemies, to friends, to lovers.

Yan Sui did such a good job! What a cute little prince. I am so happy that he was surrounded by the crew to help him but that his innate self was not tragically twisted like someone like Yan Ze who really done LOST his mind. Yan Ze knows his mother was murdered so I get that rage, but the other deaths and destruction he caused in the name of retribution was maddening. I hate when the bad guy’s origin story is being a victim so he makes every one else the victim. There is a sick irony between Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai. Both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. Their deaths were definitely symbolic.

Qin Xiang was madddd stubborn and stupid that her death was truly no surprise, but it was pretty unfortunate. I will say, I feel they jumped Qin Shuang being single to married and pregnant that I was like “did i miss smth” but no I think the plot kinda just jumped on that storyline rather than ease into it.

Plot wise, I enjoyed the mini-mysteries that folded into the overarching mystery of Wan’s parents death as well as Prince Jin. That said, while the ending made sense the twin trope felt a bit like a fake out. Again, it made the most sense compared to anything else, but I feel like I was hoping for something juicier. I can’t say what since the story was built on this end point so the clues only make sense with this ending lol.

### Original Thoughts & Ideas
- Self righteousness vs revenge vs justice: Yan Ze and Emperor Yan Huai are both evil due to wrongdoing but rather than trying to heal, they hurt everyone else and cause more pain and suffering. While Huai was abandoned, he wasn’t left to die. But he felt cheated and betrayed by his family. Which is FAIR. But what isn’t fair is that rather than seeking justice, he seeks revenge. Ze’s mother is unlawfully murdered, but rather than just trying to get revenge on the killer her creates a whole cult and even tries to kill Yan Li as part of his revenge. But Yan Li is as innocent as Ze’s mother was when she was killed. Both Ze and Huai are blinded by their own indignant, self-righteousness. Both claimed they were just trying to right the wrongs done to them, but the deaths and pain they both cause is proof in why revenge is not equal to justice & why justice is important. I loved that they both died by each other’s hand, it really symbolized the endless cycle of revenge that only leads to self destruction.

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The art of uncovering the truth through autopsy | Upholding justice in the world | Lovely CPs! <3

"What parents should give their children isn't just blood ties, but love and education." - Shen/Qin Wan

Something I am truly grateful about this drama is how they kept the death toll at the lowest and never really killed any of the main cast. I appreciate it so much since unnecessary deaths are often used by some writers as a plot device to make the story more heavy and dark, thus creating areas to insert their crazy plot twists—to me that's simply a nasty and outdated way of writing which plays on the viewers feelings and emotions—so I wanna sincerely thank the director, producer and writers for making this story this way—full of compassion, rationality and magnanimity. That's one hell of a fascinating and awe-striking story right there. <3

The investigation scenes were all impressive! I expected a lot and they delivered. I love how they carefully walk us through the investigation and problem solving process till we reach the mind-blowing resolutions. Just wanna mention that the 1st case "Headless Bride" is my most favorite. It was truly unsettling and an insanely diabolical case. And when Qin Wan patched the charred and broken/dismantled skull up, I lost it...she was spectacular, no doubt about that, but that scene is just heartbreaking for me to watch. A job well done! ~ Also, the puking scenes were overly dramatized yet I find them really funny. Haha!

I also want to talk about some issues/plot holes I find frustrating about Qin Wan. First, on Ep.19 instead of calling for help since someone was stabbed and is dying, she resorted to asking the dying victim who's at fault/murderer...It was accurate but why does she didn't ask for help or to at least get people's attention first? I know that she is the "doctor" but her responding that way is one of the reason why the arson even proceeded—since it's an opportunity. Second is the safety measure tools (whistle & fire signal) that Yan Chi gave her but she never use. I was palpably pissed at every opportunity she could have used it but never did. Grr!

Next topic I wanna talk about is the most significant yet tragic message of this story—There's no "family" within the Imperial family. Watching this drama reminded me how wealth and power feeds on one's greed and how it can completely consume anyone who gets overly exposed to it. It is the source of all evil capable of influencing even the kindest soul to be scheming, cold-hearted and cruel.

"Trusted yet doubted, loyal yet slandered." - Prince Rui/Yan Lin

On a side note, I just wanna say how much I hate Prince Rui (Yan Chi's father) for being stoic and unaffectionate. He made his son suffer till the end just because he's adamant of his views and promises. Men who are proud is fine but men who are unyielding is plain stupid to me. And no, his little diary plot device just doesn't work out very well for me. Outright lame and cowardly.

The other CPs on this drama are great! Although they gave us the bare minimum of their stories yet everything still feels satisfying enough. Yan Li and Yue Ning gave us this love-hate relationship that gradually develops into companionship to lovers. Then Bai Feng and Fu Ling gave us this cute slow-paced progress that fills up my heart whenever they're on screen. P.S. Thank you for not killing any of them. <3

Lastly, thank you for giving us a worthy and satisfying ending. All issues has been addressed (although mostly off-screened) + they provides us updates of the main characters and how their life unfolded after all the chaos.

P.S. I love the main leads kissing scenes—shallow and feather but exudes intensity of their feelings for each other.

"When once virtue doesn't match the position, disaster will surely follow." - Yan Chi

Story - 10, I initially thought of giving this a 9.5 because of the little issues I mentioned above, however, looking back on how I enjoyed it so much, I just don't think it deserves it. I love this drama for its excellent investigation scenes but above more for its beautiful and compact storytelling.

Acting/Cast - 10, I love everyone on this drama and I enjoyed their individual executions as well. Acting is great and so is their synergy as a whole team.

Music - 10, All songs used are wonderful and sounds great. Specially the song used on Ep.15 (Headless Bride case).

Rewatch Value - 10, A drama I won't mind watching again. Will surely recommend.

Overall - 10, Despite the issues I mentioned above, I have decided that it wasn't really that big of a deal to affect my rating of this drama. After all, the story was splendidly narrated and acted; and I am satisfied on how they resolved the conflicts of the story. Wonderful ending as well.

IF you find my review helpful please let me know.

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