Investigative Period C-drama Coroner’s Diary with Li Lan Di and Ao Rui Peng Off to a Surprisingly Strong Start
So iQiyi premiered the comparatively mid-budget and mid-level leads period C-drama Coroner’s Diary three days ago and it’s time to see the initial response. The drama stars Li Lan Di and Ao Rui Peng in what is best described as CSI olden times mystery of the episode with an overarching bigger conspiracy type of drama genre. The drama just hit 9,000 heat index on iQiyi and if it breaks 10,000 it’s a certified hit for the platform. The initial reviews are that the individual cases to be solved have noticeable logic issues but not enough to make it stupid or pointless, just a tad easy to solve. But the leads look very good onscreen, both in their individual looks and together with the CP vibe very strong here and that’s helping propel the drama forward. It helps to have low expectations coming in so this drama doing well is getting more buzz than a drama that is expected to do well.
The premise sounds similar to The Imperial Coroner, I may give it a try if there’s more good reviews. I’ve only watched one drama from Li Landi so far, it’s The Starry Love and she was quite good in it.
Me too…I will be interested to check this out.
I’m following this drama. Yes, it has an interesting start and everything is solid. I’m totally turned off by so many boasted and bloated S+ dramas while the plots are hella boring. This one has an intriguing plot, nice paced without fillers so far. My only complaint is ML’s heavy makeup and over skinniness.
Apart from Shawn Dou and Zhou Yi Wei, I can’t think of any other actors who are on the bulkier side. Lol. Wearing hanfu usually makes actors look more proportionate thanks to the layers of fabric, but I see that it doesn’t work for everyone. When it comes to facial features, I prefer Chinese actors. But when it comes to bodies, South Koreans get my vote. Lol.
I’ve watched the latest episodes and it gets better. The first two cases were easy to guess, but the latest one, seems complicated.
Congratulations to the actors and crews.
Ao Rui Peng is really handsome in this drama. I like Li Landi, one of the most beautiful actresses, but i have problem with her costume. As a coroner, her dress looks ill suited to conduct the investigation.
Responding to the dress comment – that was my thought as well when I watch her do autopsies.
But I also see that she dresses in the most practical way possible for that era, and for her status as an unmarried female of a titled household. She often takes the trouble to wear a skirt and a kind of apron over her clothing, so compared to others in the Qin household, I would say she dresses practically, although not as practical as the princess does when attired for a marital art session.
This drama has become my daily treat off work. It’s so entertaining, no burden to watch, and I just followed the smooth flow of plot development which I consider logical and coherent. I’ve been enjoying all the suspension so far. The chemistry between the two leads is a bonus. I didn’t expect to root for much romance in such crime dramas. But the love lines are well written and nicely mashed in to balance otherwise dark and intense narratives.
It’s my first time getting impressed by the FL. I didn’t know much about this actress. She is young. Per her performance in this drama alone, I rate her acting way top other actresses who are more well known for C costume dramas, such as Bai Lu and Esther Yu. Compared with LLD, the acting of BL and Esther Yu looks like make-believe child play. LLD’s lines are also superior to Song Zuer’s whispers. lol. LLD won my heart with her overall performance, mannerism in particular, in Coroner’s Diary. Nice to see a young and new face break out.
She has been around quite a few years..her breakout role was My Huckleberry Friends(2017). But she has a slow journey but gaining traction last 2 yrs…from her breakout role to now…she has mature alot. And a much better actress. She is rumoured to be dating someone for afew years now but that will not interest you.
I think they make a cute low-profile couple. They were supposedly going steady for quite a few years but then I also saw breakup rumors this year so I don’t know what the truth is.
I hope not too..they look good together. But they both are mature adults, I am sure they will made the best decision for themselves.
Not currently watching anything while I wait for my drama to air. Might as well fill the void based on your mini review. I didn’t even know I enjoyed costume crime solving but the last one I saw was amazing. As for Li Landi, I was surprised to find out she was also a child actor and although I didn’t finish the last two dramas I saw of her (Starry Love and Love of Nirvana), I find her very comfortable to watch (耐看).
I actually prefer her in The Starry Love. Her role and acting is better there.
I usually hate detective/mystery dramas. The subplots just tend to be shallow and boring and I prefer a stronger overarching story instead. But I love Li Landi so much I might give this one a shot. She’s so underrated.
I was curious – quite like period detective/forensics dramas such as the Canadian Murdoch Mysteries, the Australian Miss Fisher series and, of course, Sherlock Holmes, in its various iterations but especially the re-vamped modern – Sherlock, the American Elementary and the Japanese female version – Miss Sherlock.
Have watched 4 episodes so far and am struggling. It feels Nancy Drew-like, books I read avidly when I was 9-10 but not now. The FL is fine, has presence but the ML, not guilty of stiff acting exactly but, well, lacking. He also looks wan and anaemic which is distracting. Will watch a further episode or two, just to see how the headless woman case plays out but, unless it improves (for me) – the clunky dialogue in particular, will drop.