'Iron Chef' takes cuisine seriously in TV cook-off

Within an hour two masters duel it out to retain their honor and win the ultimate victory as the best at what they do on a Japanese show. No, it's not some lost Akira Mifune samurai movie, it's the Iron Chef! A cooking show that brings together surreal dramatic music, documentary style profiles of contestants and dizzying camera angles, "Iron Chef" brings you the ultimate weekly cook-off.

The title of the show refers to four top chefs who each are masters at different styles of cooking. The show has already enjoyed over six years of immense popularity in its native Japan and has finally found its way on basic cable thanks to the good folks at The Food Network. Partially dubbed and subtitled, the show is hosted by Chairman Kaga, the man responsible for building the kitchen where the chefs duel. Each week Kaga introduces the new contestant, usually a star chef from somewhere, and allows the contestant to pick one of the four Iron Chefs as their opponent.

Then Kaga unveils the secret theme ingredient of the day. This can range from something as simple as potatoes to rare expensive forms of beef. At the sound of a gong, the Iron Chef and the contestant then scurry to use their allocated one hour as best as they can to make use of the day's theme ingredient in their dishes.

The show is narrated throughout by the chatter of four guest judges and a commentator. This gives the show the uncanny feeling of watching a WWF wrestling match. Although at first the comments and banter between the judges on the cooking activities seemed annoying, it actually grows on you and becomes an essential part of the charm of Iron Chef. The narration is dubbed, so there are plenty of funny lines as a result of the translations. The experience is much like watching a dubbed Kung Fu flick.

Each chef is clad in different outfits with colors that represent the style of cooking they represent. Chef Italian, for example, proudly wears green, red and white. They also possesses their own unique personality and it's easy to understand why this show has such a cult following of fans with favorites among the chefs. Iron Chef Italian, Masahiko Kobe, for example is the cocky trash talker of the group. Every match he's been in is always full of his charming arrogance and slanders aimed at the contestant.

Iron Chef Chen Kenichi is the antithesis of Kobe as he is the humble goofy one. Masaharu Morimoto is the hot shot Japanese chef from New York who brings an American perspective to all his Japanese dishes and Iron Chef French is Horoyuki Sakai, a man who looks like he should be in a '70s police show.

There is seldom a dull moment throughout any given episode of "Iron Chef." From the beginning of the show where it introduces each contestant in a A&E-style mini-biography to the suspense filled end where the judges' choice of the winner, the show is the perfect embodiment of everything wacky and entertaining.

Food Network has been excellent with bringing off beat cooking shows to television. "Iron Chef" is an excellent addition to other cult favorite cooking shows the station has brought to America's attention. The crowd that has grown to love shows such as "The Two Fat Ladies" and "Emeril Live" will have no problem warming up to the Power Rangers meets Julia Child sensation of watching "Iron Chef."

Courtesy of Fuji TV Famous restaurant chefs challenge television masters in "Iron Chef."

11-11-99