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Fannish 50 S3 Post 15: Imperial Coroner
Imperial Coroner (YouTube)
The premise
First airing in 2021, this is abt Chu Chu (played by Su Xiaotong), who comes from a family of coroners in her small hometown. She wants to be a coroner. In order to do that, she's got to take an exam so that she can secure a license to practice alongside her father and older brother. From what I can remember (it's been some 3 yrs since I watched this?), it wasn't exactly forbidden for women to want to be a coroner, but it's deffo looked down upon. Chu Chu doesn't care, though. She's READY.
On her way to take the exam, something happens that has her meeting Prince Xiao (played by Wang Ziqi), who is the head of a criminal investigation department within the Imperial Court. Unfortch for the prince, his unit is way understaffed (in part cuz it's considered lesser than other investigative departments.) Regardless, Prince Xiao picks up on Chu Chu's smarts, so he strikes a bargain. He hires her to help him investigate some odd cases and she will get more experience AND some backing to help her become a true/officiall coroner. From there, they team up and investigate all kinds of cases (usually murders).
Along the way, there are two larger storyarcs: one focusing on Chu Chu's background and one abt the Prince's history…
I have to admit that I almost gave on this show after the first 2 episodes, LOL. The way I go abt watching shows is to give the first three eps a chance JUST IN CASE. Sometimes, the pilot might not be good enough, the second episode might be wobbly, etc. USUALLY, by ep 3, I've made up my mind as to how I'm clicking with whatever's on the screen.
Two episodes in, I did find a lot of things I liked BUT there were other things that really, really annoyed me. Regarding the first, I liked the cinematography, most of the characters, and the acting. Unfortch, the one (1) character that kept annoying me was Chu Chu herself. :(
IMO, Su Xiaotong was playing her a little too peppy for my taste. On top of that, her outfits in the first 5 or so eps skew toward a younger (think pre-teen girl) look that was discordant with the whole murder cases thing. IJS.
ANYWAYS, I was abt to DNF the show when I said "well, let me sit thru one more ep just for completion's sake"...and I ENDED UP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE DRAMA, HAHAHAH. JOKE'S ON ME!!! FWIW, I've got zero idea as to shifted for me to go 😍 and yet!
I kinda feel like Chu Chu, as a character, DID calmed down a little bit w/r/t some of the OTT quirkiness that was rubbing me off so wrongly in the first two episodes? As the show went on, I appreciated her dedication to her work and how much she loved her family. It was ALSO neat to see her world expand as she met more ppl and… (THIS IS NOT A SPOILER, Y'ALL), eventually having a romance with Prince Xiao.
Meanwhile, Wang Ziqi's approach to Prince Xiao was really interesting. He's considered to be aloof..but not in the usual OMG, HE'S SO SWOOONY type of way that Chinese historical dramas tend to do. He's much more of a cerebral character (although he can deffo fight when necessary).
As a couple, the two of them are ADORABLE. They're one of my fave types of couples: FREAK4FREAK. Both are v. unconventional people (Chu Chu is not grossed out by gore (having grown up in a coroner family) and Prince Xiao tends to suss out people and situations (but he's a bit of a socially awkward failboat at times). I love their vibe because they see each other for who they ARE and fully accept each other. So, when he starts to woo her, he does it in a totally unexpected way and she does the same.
there's a handkerchief Chu Chu embroidered a v. specific rib bone cuz it's the rib that's anatomically closest to the heart
ON TOP OF THAT, there are two other AWESOMECAKES characters that I LURVE. One is Len Yue (played by Zhao Yaoke) who is a badass lady that Chu Chu proposes to when they first meet and Jing Yi (played by Yang Tingdong), Prince Xiao's bestie and a bit of a brawler AND a goofball.
Had this been another kind of drama, there would've been some messy stuff happening of Chu Chu being jealous or Len Yue OR Jing Yi and Prince Xiao fighting for Chu Chu's heart. Instead of that BULLSHIT, WE GET EVERYONE CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE TO THE POINT THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT GO OT4. All four have amazing chemistry with each other (and, IMO, I feel like the show DOES PUSH for OT4 in every which way?) This deffo elevated the delightful experience that it's watching this show.
Most of the cases are pretty cool and interesting in terms of the crimes and how the team went abt solving them. I remember being kinda eh abt two cases, but I also didn't mind them much cuz I was having a good time watching Chu Chu, the Prince, and everyone else doing their thing.
ANOTHER COOL THING is that, if you're squeamish, all of the autopsies and the crimes are depicted via animation. So, even though Chu Chu and co deal with a lot of death, there's v. little actual gore onscreen. IJS
Sometimes, though, the way that Chu Chu and Prince Xiao discuss the cases can be a bit too much? (which includes the level of decomposition of the bodies, how deep/bad injuries were, etc.)
Do I have any criticisms?
I didn't care abt the whole drama with the emperor, LOL. IMO, things got unnecessarily convoluted, YMMV.
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
MEDIUM
Chu Chu's bad experiences in the show have to do with past emotional trauma and moments of grief (regarding her mother, who passed on before the show began.) By ep. 10, I knew that she was gonna make it out okay out of dangerous situations. Which was fine with me cuz I didn't need that stress, really.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
It's a plot that began in a clever manner, but then it got dull as the show went on. I was not into it at all. *Hands*
Do I recommend it?
HELL YEAH! You get (mostly) intricate cases featuring two people who are FREAK4FREAK, their besties/paramours, and a whole lotta fun stuff in 36 episodes! I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Watched it on YouTube; I know it's also on Viki.
Even better was hearing the news (late last year) that filming's already started for SEASON TWO featuring with the ENTIRE CREW AND ACTORS FROM SEASON 1!!!
(So now I'm thinking of rewatching it later this year, i.e. before Season 2 drops.)
Queerness level
HIGH.
You've got F/F, M/M, F/F/M/M, M/M/F, etc. The OT4 works in every. single. way. There are a lot of shippy moments for every combo. If you like polyam ships, this might be the C drama for you! (You'd think I'm overselling, but nope, I'm truly not.)
Le Trailer
FWIW, I feel that this trailer makes the drama look goofier than it actually is. Even though I understand it as a way for ppl to tune in, it does miss the mark when it comes to encapsulating what this drama is really like. IJS.
The premise
First airing in 2021, this is abt Chu Chu (played by Su Xiaotong), who comes from a family of coroners in her small hometown. She wants to be a coroner. In order to do that, she's got to take an exam so that she can secure a license to practice alongside her father and older brother. From what I can remember (it's been some 3 yrs since I watched this?), it wasn't exactly forbidden for women to want to be a coroner, but it's deffo looked down upon. Chu Chu doesn't care, though. She's READY.
On her way to take the exam, something happens that has her meeting Prince Xiao (played by Wang Ziqi), who is the head of a criminal investigation department within the Imperial Court. Unfortch for the prince, his unit is way understaffed (in part cuz it's considered lesser than other investigative departments.) Regardless, Prince Xiao picks up on Chu Chu's smarts, so he strikes a bargain. He hires her to help him investigate some odd cases and she will get more experience AND some backing to help her become a true/officiall coroner. From there, they team up and investigate all kinds of cases (usually murders).
Along the way, there are two larger storyarcs: one focusing on Chu Chu's background and one abt the Prince's history…
I have to admit that I almost gave on this show after the first 2 episodes, LOL. The way I go abt watching shows is to give the first three eps a chance JUST IN CASE. Sometimes, the pilot might not be good enough, the second episode might be wobbly, etc. USUALLY, by ep 3, I've made up my mind as to how I'm clicking with whatever's on the screen.
Two episodes in, I did find a lot of things I liked BUT there were other things that really, really annoyed me. Regarding the first, I liked the cinematography, most of the characters, and the acting. Unfortch, the one (1) character that kept annoying me was Chu Chu herself. :(
IMO, Su Xiaotong was playing her a little too peppy for my taste. On top of that, her outfits in the first 5 or so eps skew toward a younger (think pre-teen girl) look that was discordant with the whole murder cases thing. IJS.
ANYWAYS, I was abt to DNF the show when I said "well, let me sit thru one more ep just for completion's sake"...and I ENDED UP FALLING IN LOVE WITH THE DRAMA, HAHAHAH. JOKE'S ON ME!!! FWIW, I've got zero idea as to shifted for me to go 😍 and yet!
I kinda feel like Chu Chu, as a character, DID calmed down a little bit w/r/t some of the OTT quirkiness that was rubbing me off so wrongly in the first two episodes? As the show went on, I appreciated her dedication to her work and how much she loved her family. It was ALSO neat to see her world expand as she met more ppl and… (THIS IS NOT A SPOILER, Y'ALL), eventually having a romance with Prince Xiao.
Meanwhile, Wang Ziqi's approach to Prince Xiao was really interesting. He's considered to be aloof..but not in the usual OMG, HE'S SO SWOOONY type of way that Chinese historical dramas tend to do. He's much more of a cerebral character (although he can deffo fight when necessary).
As a couple, the two of them are ADORABLE. They're one of my fave types of couples: FREAK4FREAK. Both are v. unconventional people (Chu Chu is not grossed out by gore (having grown up in a coroner family) and Prince Xiao tends to suss out people and situations (but he's a bit of a socially awkward failboat at times). I love their vibe because they see each other for who they ARE and fully accept each other. So, when he starts to woo her, he does it in a totally unexpected way and she does the same.
SPOILER
there's a handkerchief Chu Chu embroidered a v. specific rib bone cuz it's the rib that's anatomically closest to the heart
ON TOP OF THAT, there are two other AWESOMECAKES characters that I LURVE. One is Len Yue (played by Zhao Yaoke) who is a badass lady that Chu Chu proposes to when they first meet and Jing Yi (played by Yang Tingdong), Prince Xiao's bestie and a bit of a brawler AND a goofball.
Had this been another kind of drama, there would've been some messy stuff happening of Chu Chu being jealous or Len Yue OR Jing Yi and Prince Xiao fighting for Chu Chu's heart. Instead of that BULLSHIT, WE GET EVERYONE CONNECTING WITH EVERYONE TO THE POINT THAT IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO NOT GO OT4. All four have amazing chemistry with each other (and, IMO, I feel like the show DOES PUSH for OT4 in every which way?) This deffo elevated the delightful experience that it's watching this show.
Most of the cases are pretty cool and interesting in terms of the crimes and how the team went abt solving them. I remember being kinda eh abt two cases, but I also didn't mind them much cuz I was having a good time watching Chu Chu, the Prince, and everyone else doing their thing.
ANOTHER COOL THING is that, if you're squeamish, all of the autopsies and the crimes are depicted via animation. So, even though Chu Chu and co deal with a lot of death, there's v. little actual gore onscreen. IJS
Sometimes, though, the way that Chu Chu and Prince Xiao discuss the cases can be a bit too much? (which includes the level of decomposition of the bodies, how deep/bad injuries were, etc.)
Do I have any criticisms?
I didn't care abt the whole drama with the emperor, LOL. IMO, things got unnecessarily convoluted, YMMV.
What's the FMC's plot armor level?
MEDIUM
Chu Chu's bad experiences in the show have to do with past emotional trauma and moments of grief (regarding her mother, who passed on before the show began.) By ep. 10, I knew that she was gonna make it out okay out of dangerous situations. Which was fine with me cuz I didn't need that stress, really.
How does the show handle the inevitable "Oh noes, the emperor's in danger of losing his throne!" storyline?
It's a plot that began in a clever manner, but then it got dull as the show went on. I was not into it at all. *Hands*
Do I recommend it?
HELL YEAH! You get (mostly) intricate cases featuring two people who are FREAK4FREAK, their besties/paramours, and a whole lotta fun stuff in 36 episodes! I'm giving it a 4 out of 5. Watched it on YouTube; I know it's also on Viki.
Even better was hearing the news (late last year) that filming's already started for SEASON TWO featuring with the ENTIRE CREW AND ACTORS FROM SEASON 1!!!
(So now I'm thinking of rewatching it later this year, i.e. before Season 2 drops.)
Queerness level
HIGH.
You've got F/F, M/M, F/F/M/M, M/M/F, etc. The OT4 works in every. single. way. There are a lot of shippy moments for every combo. If you like polyam ships, this might be the C drama for you! (You'd think I'm overselling, but nope, I'm truly not.)
Le Trailer
FWIW, I feel that this trailer makes the drama look goofier than it actually is. Even though I understand it as a way for ppl to tune in, it does miss the mark when it comes to encapsulating what this drama is really like. IJS.