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Post by ironnut77 on Jun 27, 2022 8:20:17 GMT -5
Well...I should say that I wish I had more than I have to give. I tuned in late this past Saturday to give the new show a fair shot. From the get-go, it looked and felt exactly like ICA. The iron chefs they picked in particular did not impress me. In fact, I fell asleep and woke up during a tasting session that looked so staged that I turned it off and went to bed. I guess that's all I have to say on that. I'm not saying this show wouldn't be entertaining to many, but for myself it is a pale imitation of its source material, and doesn't even come close. I was hopeful for more, but such hope was quickly defused.
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Post by okonomiyagi on Jun 27, 2022 9:13:31 GMT -5
I actually quite enjoyed it, and here's why: PROS: - The diversity of the challengers' and Iron Chefs' backgrounds introduced me to many different dishes that I had never encountered before, and it was a valuable educational experience as a result. The tastes of American diners have changed so much in the last 20 years that it has been interesting to see what's come out since the original ICA series debuted.
- Alton and Kristen have great chemistry as the commentators. The commentary is tastefully done and feels more spontaneous than that of Iron Chef America.
- For certain episodes, I appreciated that they had some judges that did not have a professional culinary background (though this wasn't always the case).
- I appreciated having more of an actual story to the series (the Chairman searching for an Iron Legend), and getting more background on the challengers.
- Heck, having the Chairman there at all was a great touch.
- Sure, you had some recognizable names as the Iron Chefs (Stone, Tsai) but I appreciated that there were some names amongst the Iron Chefs that we hadn't heard from before (Camara).
CONS: - I don't like how much the first course is weighted. I understand the value of a first impression, but I don't think it warrants a full 25% of the score.
- For that matter, the scoring system was rather confusing and never fully explained. How were the points distributed? Because the score didn't seem to indicate that it was 100 points from each judge, but they made it sound like each judge had 100 points to give.
- I don't understand the logic behind not having the Chairman at the judging table.
- The theme ingredient presentation, while having a lot more theatrical value, made it rather confusing for the viewer what the actual ingredient was.
- Was there really a need to have an Iron Chef tag match?
Does it stand up to the original? No, and I think it's unrealistic to hope that it would. Is it better than ICA? I think so, and that's saying something considering ICA ran for 12 years.
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Post by ironnut77 on Jun 27, 2022 10:12:41 GMT -5
That is a very well thought out and composed review, okonomiyagi. I may yet give it another chance - thank you!
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Post by Sanji Himura on Jun 28, 2022 5:19:38 GMT -5
I actually quite enjoyed it, and here's why: PROS: - The diversity of the challengers' and Iron Chefs' backgrounds introduced me to many different dishes that I had never encountered before, and it was a valuable educational experience as a result. The tastes of American diners have changed so much in the last 20 years that it has been interesting to see what's come out since the original ICA series debuted.
- Alton and Kristen have great chemistry as the commentators. The commentary is tastefully done and feels more spontaneous than that of Iron Chef America.
- For certain episodes, I appreciated that they had some judges that did not have a professional culinary background (though this wasn't always the case).
- I appreciated having more of an actual story to the series (the Chairman searching for an Iron Legend), and getting more background on the challengers.
- Heck, having the Chairman there at all was a great touch.
- Sure, you had some recognizable names as the Iron Chefs (Stone, Tsai) but I appreciated that there were some names amongst the Iron Chefs that we hadn't heard from before (Camara).
CONS: - I don't like how much the first course is weighted. I understand the value of a first impression, but I don't think it warrants a full 25% of the score.
- For that matter, the scoring system was rather confusing and never fully explained. How were the points distributed? Because the score didn't seem to indicate that it was 100 points from each judge, but they made it sound like each judge had 100 points to give.
- I don't understand the logic behind not having the Chairman at the judging table.
- The theme ingredient presentation, while having a lot more theatrical value, made it rather confusing for the viewer what the actual ingredient was.
- Was there really a need to have an Iron Chef tag match?
Does it stand up to the original? No, and I think it's unrealistic to hope that it would. Is it better than ICA? I think so, and that's saying something considering ICA ran for 12 years.
Okay, one question, before I put my foot in my mouth, was the episodes with the challenger always required 5 dishes?
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Post by reaperg on Jul 1, 2022 10:42:08 GMT -5
I've only seen two episodes so far -- I'm pacing myself -- and I've rather enjoyed them. I quite enjoyed the fun plating by the challenger in Episode 1, and can only imagine how mortified Kandagawa and the Ota Faction would've been. I noted only four dishes in Episode 2, but given the the theme ingredient, I can understand why due to its heaviness. What I don't understand was having two football players as guest sous chefs.
In the end, the episodes showed me some great food, and I was left hungry. I'm looking forward to the rest.
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Post by okonomiyagi on Jul 2, 2022 8:44:26 GMT -5
One other quirky thought I had: it's interesting how this iteration of the show has reversed where the challenger and Iron Chef make their entrance. The Iron Chef now enters from the back of Kitchen Stadium, and the challenger enters from close to where the Chairman stands. Not that this is inherently bad, just...an interesting observation. Different from what was done before.
At least it's better than what Thailand is doing nowadays: the Thai version used to have a similar presentation to ICJ, but got rid of the risers at one point. Now the Iron Chef just...appears out of thin air. (Via some overdramatic editing.)
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Post by Man Alive! on Jul 24, 2022 2:31:18 GMT -5
I've had a few weeks to digest the series, and here are my thoughts: Pros: - The production value is high. Kitchen Stadium looks stunning, as do the graphics. The overall presentation is strong, with one notable exception below.
- The diversity that the Iron Chefs and the challengers bring to the proceedings leads to some exciting culinary innovation. It feels like more of a showcasing of talents and cultures than previous versions.
- Alton, Kristen, and Chairman Mark bring their A game. I'm glad that Netflix leaned in to the Chairman character instead of going for a more grounded feel, as the story elements are what makes Iron Chef unique compared to other cooking competitions.
Cons: - While the presentation is top notch in most areas, the music is very generic. For a series with such a rich musical history, the music in this version is very forgettable. Of all the elements to retain from Iron Chef America, I wish an epic theme song would have been one of them.
- As expected, this version sacrifices some ceremony for the more "professional sports" feel of Iron Chef America.
- There are some strange choices with the judging, including not having the Chairman participate (is Kitchen Stadium not his domain?) and the strange carryover rule from the later years of ICA about serving the first dish during the match.
Overall, if you were a fan of ICA you will love Quest for an Iron Legend. It's not perfect, but it is highly competent. A few tweaks to the presentation and judging elements would go a long way, but as it stands it'll scratch that ICA itch without quite reaching the heights of ICJ or its own reboot.
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Post by reaperg on Sept 22, 2022 15:41:14 GMT -5
Great cooking throughout, but I don't like the format of the finale. The five ICs only have to focus on one dish each, while the challenger has to work on five (with the help of two sous chefs). You'd have to be a real Thomas Keller-level chef to pull of a win under those circumstances. But I'm still looking forward to another season.
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