Cook Kit

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1. 
   SystemStructure Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 1:37 pm

   The reason the original “Iron Chef” was such an awesome show was entirely due to the bad translation and over the top voice acting. Therefore, without these elements, it becomes a pathetic charade of the original program.

   I was, at one time, a hardcore cult fan of “Iron Chef” because of the hilarious voice overs and true, foreign zest of Chairman Kaga and the gang. I really didn’t care much for the cooking or whatever food was being prepared. The real heart of the show was the voiceovers and the mad, zesty zeal with which the Japanese chefs went over something as inane as cooking. I loved “Iron Chef” in much the same way as I loved the original “Mystery Science Theater 3000.” They were both quirky tv cult shows that gave a certain sense of community among their hardcore fans.

   This new show really doesn’t cut it in any way, shape, or form. I’m not being unpatriotic or anything, I’m just saying why this new show is so weak. Also, I noticed that once the translators of the original show started figuring out the show was a huge hit, they ruined their own voiceacting by being all self concious. The original few seasons of the first “Iron Chef” are where it’s at! Once again, I don’t watch this show for the cooking, I watch it for the odd, bizarre translations and cheesy voiceacting.

2. 
   Anonymous Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 2:44 pm

   I’m not criticizing the VHS/DVD; I haven’t yet seen it. What bugs me is the fact that I was ready to order an Iron Chef video, but not until Checkout did Amazon.com bother to add the phrase “with William Shatner” to the product description, which gave me sufficient pause to hit the “back” button and read these reviews. Now I realize it’s NOT the original Japanese TV series. Is this a case of your Marketing Department once again overcoming honesty and forthrightness? You’re really no different from any other snake oil salemen, are you?

3. 
   Anonymous Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 4:38 pm

   If you have heard of Iron Chef or are a devout follower of the series on the Food Network, as I am, DON’T GET THIS DVD! It has the abysmal Americanized Iron Chef contest that was shown on network television, hosted by none other than William Shatner. Not only was something lost in the translation, but i had the displeasure of watching the American one, and found it horribly done. The excitement and exotic dishes found in the Japanese Iron Chef were severely lacking, and the commentary was as bland as Shatner’s acting in T.J. Hooker.

   This is to the actual Iron Chef as the XFL was to the NFL: A cheap, poorly conceieved imitation that lacks everything the original had.

4. 
   calvinnme Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 5:54 pm

   The original Iron Chef was a great thing to behold, both because of the competition and the intertwining of Japanese culture. In the original “Iron Chef” two chefs – usually Japanese – would compete using the main ingredient specified by the eccentric gourmet authority Chairman Kaga. Kaga was a warlord-like character that had specially constructed a cooking arena called “Kitchen Stadium” in his castle where visiting chefs would compete against his Gourmet Academy, led by his several master Iron Chefs. Chairman Kaga himself was a showpiece in flamboyant, heavily decorated coats and jackets. The show had a campy charm that evoked memories of the English-dubbed kung fu movies of the 1970s.

   Iron Chef USA is entirely too….American. In typical us-versus-them fashion (Note- everyone who is not “me” is “them”) competitors will stoop to anything. The judges seem more like competitors in “The Hollywood Squares” game show of yesteryear than the dignified characters of the original Iron Chef. The Japanese judges would do anything to keep the competitors from losing face in the original, and it was quite comical to see them wrinkle up their faces and try to find something to complement about dishes they obviously found hard to swallow. Making fun of the dishes seems to be the point for the judges in the U.S. version.

   In short, skip this entry and hold out for the original “Iron Chef” to come out on DVD some day. It was truly a unique and fun show.

5. 
   Steven Hellerstedt Says:
   November 2nd, 2009 at 6:29 pm

   But IRON CHEF USA isn’t all that bad. I’m a big fan of the Japanese Iron Chef program and was, heeding reviews of the Iron Chef USA television series when it first came out, a little apprehensive about this one. It doesn’t have the exotic charm of the Japanese Iron Chef series, and William Shatner is way too well known to play what should be the mysterious Chairman, but other than that this is a decent rental. IRON CHEF USA is to the original what The Magnificent Seven is to Seven Samurai – a painless way to kill time with some bright moments, but it can’t hold a candle to the original.

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