All kidding aside, I bow to the Iron Chefs, and those brave enough to challenge them. They are creative and boy do they know their craft. But it's worth it.) These chefs really are awesome, by the way. What's not to love? (I will concede, however, that some of the English voice-dubbing is annoying after awhile. I once watched an Iron Chef make an ice-cream-like dessert out of sardines. However, this show I can't tear myself away from. I like cooking, but being a staunch vegetarian I don't often watch cooking shows that regularly feature slaughtered animals as ingredients. I like the way other celebrities are so honest, simple, and likable (like that fortune-teller). I love the way some (not all) of the Japanese celebrities are so haughty, which makes them look like a fool since we Americans haven't heard of them. "And the theme ingredient is." (tension mounts.what is it? what will it be?) "BROCCOLI!!!" Enter an enormous load of broccoli. I love the dramatic entrance of the theme ingredient. I love the way the host is dressed like Liberace. I love the way it's set up like a sports show. It is amazing to me how he memorizes every ingredient that goes into the pans. And one more thing - I like Ota! Everyone seems annoyed by him, but how can you have an episode without him? His "Fukui-san!" comments are the only thing that explains what the chefs are doing, and since they are doing so much so fast, Ota has a lot to tell Fukui-san and the audience. My only complaint it that there is a TON of commercials. You don't see the whole hour of cooking, but you see enough of it to know what's going on, and there's still time for the intros and the judging. And finally, they did a good job budgeting time. I think that it adds an element of humor (intentional or not) without making the whole show seem like a big joke. Some of the dubbed voices sound downright silly (especially Chen Kenichi and Hiroyuki Sakai), but that's ok. Reading subtitles for the whole show would get very tiresome.
Second, congrats on dubbing everyone else. His "If my memory serves me right." monologue is my favorite part of the show, and I like to listen to how he speaks the Japanese language, even though I don't speak a word of it myself. First off, congrats for not dubbing Kaga. I think that the Food Network did a great job converting the show for an English speaking audience. The only material prize is an indirect one, since the winner's restaurant can now boast an Iron Chef victory and will definitely gain a lot of new customers. Okay, that sounds a bit silly, but seriously, all they win is the honor of beating an Iron Chef. According to the show's intro, all the challenger gets if he/she (yes, I have seen a female competitor on the show) wins is "The peoples' ovation and fame forever".
The other great thing is that this isn't a petty game show where some obscene amount of money is at stake. This is a true test of their mettle, and they have something to prove. Cooking is their art, and the challengers are very respected among the culinary world, owning only the classiest restaurants. It's no surprise to me that the challengers take the contest so seriously. You just sit back and watch these guys use the theme ingredient to prepare a gourmet meal in an hour, and you ooh and ahh.
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Finally a cooking show that's not a boring "how to" session, it is not at all the intention of this show to teach you how to cook. and once you buy into the premise of the show, you will find it very entertaining. There is simply no way to encapsulate the atmosphere of this show in a few lines of commentary.
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There are so many small touches that make the show a surrealistic trip - the fact that everyone's voice is (badly dubbed) except the master of ceremonies, who speaks Japanese while English subtitles are flashed on the screen this same man's mysterious smile as he bites into a yellow pepper during the show's opening sequence the breathless commentary from the reporter on the floor, who shouts "Fukui-san!" every fifty seconds or so the seemingly bottomless knowledge on the finer points of gourmet cooking displayed by various actors, pop singers, news anchors, and other celebrities who sit on the panel of judges every week the mixture of bravado and faux humility shown by both Iron Chefs and challengers, seen in the United States only in professional athletes etc. this show is part Frugal Gourmet, part Worldwide Wrestling Federation, and part Japanese monster movie. Shown in the USA on cable TV's Food Network (complete with awkward English dubbing). There is no other show like this anywhere on television.
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