The Imperial Coroner (2021)

A Great Show with Solid Story

I found this drama unexpectedly while browsing YouTube. Even though I do not like the female lead actress at first, the storyline attracts me so I watch it. I wish for a better actress for female lead, but I found the actress likeable as I continue watching the drama. There is no annoying characters, no jealous love triangle, and no stupid misunderstanding between the main leads. It is not just only the main couple solving all the cases, outsmarting everyone else. All the characters have their own story, their own strength, and their own personality. The love story is not cheesy, and the whole drama is not sluggish. It is well written, well built, and well paced. Costumes are the only thing that shows this drama is a low budget one; the plot, the cast and the acting are no low quality. All in all, it is a drama well worthy of praises.

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chicken soup for the soul

Have you seen this story before? Yes. The secret identity? The missing person? The plot to overthrow the kingdom? It's all there. And yet where another drama might have faltered or been cliche, this drama not only rises above its peers but stands solely on its own. Honestly, the last time I felt so nourished and so emotionally attached to a story was probably when I watched 上错花轿嫁对郎 or 还珠格格. Yeah, it's that good.

Let's start with all the reasons why you should watch this drama. It's perfectly cast, for one. Wang Ziqi might not be your traditional eye-candy-boy, but trust me, he and his character Xiao Jinyu will haunt you long after the drama is over. I love "newcomer" actors who don't rely on their stardom to attract viewers (something that unfortunately happens all too often in cdrama land) but more than that, I love when a newcomer can act. And holy hell can Wang Ziqi act. Su Xiaotong is also perfect for her role as Chu Chu, and the chemistry between the FL and ML is perfect. Just perfect. So is the chemistry between the main couple and all of the other side characters. Nothing is overdone. Everything is organic and refreshing and just so wholesome.

Next is the script. This is how every script in cdrama land should be executed. The dialogue is fitting for the times, yet also accessible. The characters feel real, and none of the dilemmas are trite or overwrought. Best of all is the lack of angst for the sake of angst or miscommunication for the sake of fulfilling some fan popular trope. When something tropey or comical does occur, it's perfectly executed. The script writers have an excellent grasp of 度, and more than that, they clearly put a lot of care and thought into the script (perhaps to compensate for the lower production values, but more on that later).

Finally is the execution of the scenes and small detective/coroner details. Again, a lot of care went into these moments and I love how they not only fleshed out the world and time period but also furthered character interactions, intentions, and memorability.

I've seen some reviews talk about the lower production quality and honestly it wasn't a problem for me. The cinematography, color corrections, and costumes all appeared cohesive. My only "negative" note is that at times, there was a lack of stakes. The villains didn't really feel threatening. The overall plot wasn't really urgent. But I put negative in quotes because HAD the villains been more powerful and the plot more tense, the drama probably would have lost some of its emotional charm. As is, the viewing experience feels like drinking a warm bowl of chicken soup and I'd trade that feeling for nothing.

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All plot and no character dulls the edge of this drama

This has a great deal going for it in the plot department. You can tell when a drama is an adaptation of a good book, because beautiful, twisted plots like this take a long time to create, far longer than the normal scriptwriter can afford. Believe me I know, I’ve written them and this one is more intricate than mine. It binds together a rainbow of strands to make a very colourful and complex tapestry, leaving no straggly ends fraying at the edges. This is its outstanding strength and also its dramatic weakness.

In a book, you can take your time to unfold the details and mix them in with a range of emotional and descriptive threads and varied dialogue. But when you make a drama out of it, what you are in danger of doing is simply using the characters to explain the plot, so that you lurch from one explainy description to another. Particularly when you don’t have the budget to flesh it out with action scenes and speccie fights. And unfortunately, that’s what happened here.

The cost was two dimensional characters standing around telling each other what just happened and what the motives of the protagonists were, leaving no time to really develop their relationships. As a result the romance was very tepid and sparse, so don’t go into this expecting fizzing fireworks, it’s definitely damp squibs in the chemistry department. I found Su Xiao Tong’s characterisation of Chu Chu really lacked credibility and strength making her a very soft and ineffectual heroine. She acted as though her early life had been easy and privileged rather than the tough experience portrayed in the drama.

The highlight though was the mesmerisingly delicious performance by Mu Hai Hu as the grand eunuch Qin Luan. I loved his obsequious malignancy and his high pitched whining voice. A real standout performance.

It kept me interested up to about half way through, but after that it started to become very heavy going.

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Went in with low expectations but thoroughly surprised

This was one of my best historical investigation drama finds by far. With a strong plot and great cast, The Imperial Coroner took me by surprise as I went in with low expectations. Although this drama did not have a high budget, it was impressive how the crew still managed to produce such great work.

Firstly, the plot was well thought out, with many objects or topics (伏笔) that were planted in early parts of the drama, only to be brought up again after the audience had forgotten about them almost completely. The plot also flowed smoothly, explaining how the characters meet realistically (no cliche romance trope), with each character having a strong background whether it was relating to friends, family, or colleagues.

Next, I really need to emphasise on the visuals — literally. The sketches, illustrations, and cute cartoon characters shown when explaining complicated concepts were very appreciated!! The team really considered their audience with insertions of these illustrations, making all those complicated concepts much easier to understand and also interesting to watch. Other than that, the realism of each scene was also great (e.g. night looked like night, getting stuck in fire & in the cave, etc.).

Lastly, one of my favourites was how every character had brains and could think and work independently or as a team. We could witness the growth of trust between XJY & CC , and how the team (XJY, JY, CC, LY, XJL) worked better with each other after understanding each other better. Each of them took the lead for what they were good at and did not try to act smart when it came to areas not to their expertise. It made the whole plot seem more realistic, similar to how people actually work in real life.

0.5 deducted just because the last 1-2 eps started getting slightly draggy trying to stop the antagonist.

This was a great drama that I immensely enjoyed. It's a well-paced story with (almost) no overly ridiculous romance and draggy scenes, along with complicated concepts that were made dummy-proof.

All in all, I loved it and shall pray for the day another drama like this comes along.


See you next time, peach

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Ottimo titolo, dategli una possibilità

Grandioso drama paragonabile a molte crime-spy story di stampo occidentale. Non manca di nulla: gli attori, anche le spalle, sono spettacolari, costumi e ambientazioni, intrighi, complotti, speculazioni e ipotesi, scoperte, tutto corre e incalza tenendoci inesorabilmente incollati alla sedia. Ci sono momenti umoristici e comici e non manca il risvolto romantico, condito da un finale che soddisfa. Assenti non rimpianti gli stucchevoli complotti di harem/palazzo e soprattutto, inesistenti i lunghissimi fraintendimenti che dividono le coppie, tanto cari a molti drama. Qui, se c’è un problema, se ne parla e viene risolto in fretta.

Ma i plus di questa produzione sono la conduzione delle indagini e il progressivo risolversi degli intrighi. La lunghezza non eccessiva del drama fa sì che la vicenda non subisca troppe battute di arresto, trascinandosi tediosamente all’infinito su vicende di personaggi di poco interesse. I protagonisti sono protagonisti davvero. E questa è sempre un’ottima cosa. Ne vedrei volentieri altri 36 episodi, se ci fossero. A patto, beninteso, che gli attori fossero gli stessi.

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This is a brilliantly written mystery/crime solving drama with very smart characters. The leading couple is fantastic and share great intellectual rapport and a nice and steadfast love. The romance does not show great intimate physical moments but it delivers a relationship of mutual respect , love, and understanding. This fictional historical drama offers a creative and intriguing plot, attention to details, great choreography and cinematography, very interesting characters with a superb chemistry among the leading and supporting characters, and a very nice and interesting ending. Enjoy it!

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Refreshingly Entertaining

After having seen so many series that follow the recipe of non-stop betrayals, it was quite refreshing to see a solid comradery play out. It was also just as refreshing to see subtle human touches being added to relationships between the mains and the supports. The pacing of the plot was nice and steady, without any overly dramatized cliffhangers or extremely long periods of nothingness. Although there's obvious non-realistic aspects to the autopsies which is one of the main highlights to the theme, it was done well enough to not deter. The other positive is although there was some romance, it wasn't overdone.

The only two qualms I had was that the role of the female coroner was lackluster. I haven't seen the actress enough to know if it's her acting or if it was just how the role was intended. And while the overall actors did a great job, there isn't much character development throughout the series. However, everyone stayed true to character and it was an enjoyable series with an ending that felt both slightly abrupt yet fitting. I look forward to how they plan to expand the story in the sequel.

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The Story is Well Written and Flowing Really Well !

The story is well written. Worth my time a lot! Really love how they casted actor and actress. Everyone suit their role. The story is flowing. Scene to scene, every incident relate to one another. There's no hurry. It's just flowing well. No forced flow or scene. I'm just skipped the opening and closing music so I don't know how to score the music. But in the drama, the music is okay and good at building the vibes. I was captivated by the story and the scene. I'm not this person that love to rewatch a drama. But if you guys love to rewatch, I think this is worth! Just see how the story planned well really make me happy. The cast also make me happy. I laugh, I cry, thrilled. I think it's near perfect!

There is one thing. I NEED MORE EPISODES TO SAW JIN YU, CHUCHU, LENG YUE AND JING YI. COME ON! I can't believe it's already finish. :'

That's all from me who loves crime, forensic and imperial drama.

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Exciting Plot! Chemistry between leads!

This drama came highly recommended by a dear friend and so, I had to ‘add to list’. I’m so glad that I did. Her recommendation is a good one and I’d like to share this exciting drama with others!

This drama is fairly under the radar and I’d like it very much if more people get to know about this drama and watch this drama.

Watch because:
- acting is great
- no big name stars but the actors and actresses do a fabulous job of bringing the story and their characters to life
- the leads aren’t the most gorgeous looking ones out there but they have great chemistry and look pleasant enough
- the leads are sincere to each other and are truly in love with each other — I’m a sucker for such pure affections
- the story is exciting, riveting, intriguing — I had to watch one episode after another
- music is good enough
- story isn’t gory and gruesome despite it being a ‘coroner’ show — I’m easily squeamish and yet, I found this drama sensitive enough for ‘delicate viewers’ like myself
- ending is as happy as possible

I’d say: Watch!! Watch!! It’s excellent!!

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Intelligent, smooth flow, captivating

This is certainly a must watch for those who like Sherlock style of investigation. All the young actors, 5 of them, who are playing the central characters , have done a marvelous job of bringing out both ,the genuineness of their characters n the multiple layers in the investigation. The prince, his twin brother, his two friends and his young female coroner , remain united inspite of the challenges they faces. Their trust and concern for each other helped us realise the importance and values of sincerity and support. Prince An and Chu Chu had the brain , guts and persistence to follow through every clue and they gave excellent clear explanation for their deductions. Young Jang provided lots of humour and his lady love, Leng, was an awesome fighter who protected the people she cared for. So did , General Zhou,Prince An's twin brother. It was heartwarming to see him fussing over his brother's well being. The plot also makes one realise how people in power can take for granted the position they are in and believe that this position is their right and cling to this comfort zone at whatever cost. The old chief eunuch was an excellent example of this . He shows how power corrupts ,blinds and breeds greed in a person. This show is brainy, well written , well acted and smooth flowing. It is indeed a worthy watch.

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Where do I begin with the Imperial Coroner? If I were to rank all the shows I have watched this year, this would come up either 1st or 2nd. Almost everything about it is perfect - except I wish it had just a few more episodes. As a friend told me, she was surprised I knew about this drama because compared to many other releases this year, this was rather 冷门 (not popular). I feel it shines as the dark horse show that nobody expected to like.

The FL (Chu Chu) and ML (Xiao Jinyu / An Jun Wang) were perfectly cast. Even though they are literally unknown, they played their roles so well. They had amazing on-screen chemistry. They were able to communicate their emotions even without words, just through gestures sometimes. I am sure after this they will get a lot of calls! This show is basically CSI in Tang Dynasty. I liked how the pair were drawn together because of their dedication to crime solving and truth finding. The storyline was very refreshing and I felt that the fact both ML and FL had no fighting skills very realistic - you can't expect them to be great at everything.

The supporting cast was fantastic as well. Jing Yi, Leng Yue and Xiao JinLi were three characters that really complemented the ML and FL without stealing the limelight they really made the Chu Chu and Xiao Jinyu shine and that's what a good supporting cast does. I feel they made the perfect fabulous five. I really really hope TenCent considers a second season when they are all married but solving crimes in the Dynasty together.

The plot was fantastic. If I could give the screenwriters 12/10 I would. The clues, mysteries and plot twists (without being too dramatic) kept me glued to my screen! They really put in so much thought to every detail and I actually watched this show two or three times just to pick up on some of the clues I missed earlier.

Because there was only 36 episodes (only given that some other shows have more than 50), I felt that the storyline was fast-paced and there was never a dull moment.

While the drama and mystery part took centres stage in this drama, the romance part was a necessary under current that kept the story flowing as well. It wasn't as played out as in other dramas, but I think that's the best. It doesn't need to be. Both FL and ML are mature adults who know their feelings well enough.

Overall, REALLY HIGH RECOMMEND THIS.

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A wonderful exciting drama of intrigue innocent and slander. A must see

This is an amazing drama and kudos goes to the Cast A+++, crew, set design A+, clothes A+ and storyline A++. The chemistry between ML/FL is so on point the FL girl chu chu is so cute, smart, and funny in the innocent way. The ML Prince An(Xiao jinyu) has this stern confident look and is very smart and able to solve crimes. Then chu chu enters his life as a coroner for the better and as the two work side by side and solve crime of murder a romance slowly begins. Then we have the 2nd ML Lord Jing Yi who cute, smart and quit amusing thur out the drama. He is lifetime friends with Prince An, Xiao jin li and Leng Yue(they like each other) The 2nd FL is the granddaughter of Military commissioner of Qianzhou Leng Pei shan and travels around as doesn't talk to GF since childhood. Then we have prince an twin brother Xiao jinli who is a commander of war and always willing to help.
So i binged this drama over 3 days and still wanted more as i was sad not to see this cast. The storyline was like a rollercoaster of whos good whos bad and kept your attention at all time. It had alot of murder, rebellion past and present and officials against the Eunuchs. There is always a hateful villain this time Eunuch Qin luan who worked for Emperor Xuanzong and was in control of the Shense army with General Zhou. Since he also worked for the past 2 emperor he built alot of control within the court, officials and military personnel and wanted to get rid of those who opposed. He was given a edict from Emperor Wenzong to bring the army and help Prince consort Xiao heng and military commissioners Chen ling to fight the rebals. When he arrives he announces the edicts stating that Xiaoheng and Chenling are rebelling and to kill everyone including families. Chenling pushes Xiaoheng to gets away and prove there innocents, but is stabbed in the leg and falls off a cliff and presumed dead by all. They start killing all family members including Vice General Yun yi(worked for chenling)but his pregnant wife escapes to her brothers Xu Zhongfan house for help, but instead his butler Han kills her. They call in the coroner Chu ping and state she committed suicide so he brings the dead body back and realizes she pregnant and delivers a baby girl. He discusses with his father and son and they agree to hide and raise her as there own Chu Chu in a coroner family. Around the time she was 8-10yo she meets the witch doctors who tells her stories about a good looking? person who guards the six gates. He tells her how he solved hard crimes/murders and then gives her a black rock pendant to keep and tells her to keep him a secret and only tells the good looking? She grown up and wants to apply for the coroner position in the capital Chang'an. Upon entering the capital she meets Lord Jing Yi while solving a scam artist fake an injury and while impressed he gives her his token to take the test(he knows they would deny a female). She takes all the test where prince an is watching as he listen to her answers they sound like his father. So now he has to figure out who she really is and why she knew this info. She trys to explain that back home in Qianzhou the witch doctor told her and she shows him the book after a while with the pendant. Now there adventure takes them to solve many crimes, murder and even attempts on their lives as they slowly open pandora box on the past rebellion. I am amazed while watching this drama and how it has so many side stories and people's that makes it such a mystery straight thru to the end who is good and whos bad. I was writing a small ledger in order to keep track.
A must see. A+++ 10++++

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