Cooking Crush: Uncut Version (2023)

SÉRIE GOSTOSINHA PARA PASSAR O TEMPO

Essa é uma daquelas comédias românticas que você da play quando quer algo para passar o tempo e não quer pensar em nada, é uma série fofa e engraçada.
Ela cumpre muito bem seu papel e a química entre os protagonistas é boa, só não é uma das minhas favoritas do gênero apenas por gosto pessoal.
Em alguns momentos ela se esforça demais para ser correta e isso é um passo atrás pra mim.
E tem mais humor do que romance, então perde mais alguns pontos comigo.
É uma série ok e gostosinha para passar o tempo, eu vejo que muitas pessoas avaliam as séries daqui de forma muito obcecada pelos atores e pelo que esperam deles, mas eu mesma não me interesso por isso, nunca sei nome ou vida de ninguém que interpreta esses personagens, eu só dou play e vejo se gosto ou não.

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A step backwards for OffGun..

I love OffGun and watch everything they are in, whether it’s together or their solo projects, but I really have a soft spot for them, as they are one of the 1st BL couples that I fell in love with, in both dramas and reality shows.

Cooking Crush is not a bad BL, it is a rom-com BL, heavy on goofiness and comedy, but very light on storyline and character development.

My beef is mostly with GMMTV, for using veteran BL couples who have proven their worth- starting their careers with several lesser roles on several so-so series, and have now worked their way up to a certain level of stardom and credibility.

I feel like their apex was definitely hit with last year’s Not Me. Not only was it worthy of OffGun, it had substance, serious subject matter, and was thoughtfully executed by these the entire amazing cast.

I thought “great! now that everyone has seen them at their best, they won’t have to do high school or college roles anymore.” SMH 🤦‍♀️

GMMTV has such a huge catalog of teen- early 20’s actors that could have easily slipped into these Cooking Crush roles.

IMHO, it’s a waste of OffGun’s talent to put them in these types of series that they have already done many times and now can do in their sleep.

Just one fan’s opinion..🤷🏻‍♀️

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If you loved Not Me you'd be dissapointed with this series.

Sigh...

I was really looking forward to OffGun next BL after Not Me, and I just can't stand the fact how GMMTV fvcked up their potential and put them in the most meaningless and dull drama I've ever watched.

I'm not a big fan of cute and lighthearted dramas, but if something is well produced, I'll enjoy it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about Cooking Crush. Almost every aspect on this BL makes me feel tired by just watching it.

The story is dramatically weak and, in my oppinion, it just doesn't fit OffGun. A few scenes are pretty goofy and, to be honest, I found myself smiling while watching it. But most of the time I feel like banging my head against the wall beacuse of the level of tediousness. Also, some of the plots are unnecessary and I think the whole show would be a bit better without them.

As for the acting, I also have mixed feelings. I loved OffGun's acting, especially in Not Me and a little less in Theory of Love. But when I watch them in Cooking Crush I get the feeling that they either don't want to be a part of the series and are forced into it. I've always admired Gun's acting for years and after watching his role as Prem, I can't understand what happened to him. I hope it's just the fault of the series and not something else.

I seriously want to say something more positive about Cooking Crush, but I can't. I can't stand the glowdown of OffGun's BLs after a masterpiece like Not Me. I'm forcing myself to watch this drama only because I love OffGun and THANK GOD it ends soon. Don't waste your time if you have high expectations for this series. By the end you will lose your brain cells and feel tired. It would make more sense to re-watch Theory of Love or Not Me and not even start Cooking Crush.

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Love OffGun But Losing Brain Cells.

You should be able to tell if this show is for you within two episodes. You may enjoy this if you love Off/Gun, want something light and easy to watch with some sweet/cute moments, and are in the mood for simple/silly humor.

At Ep 9/12: My previous review of Ep 1-5 holds. I decided to give it a try again for OffGun's sake and watched Ep 6-9. Apparently the YouTube version is cut (in the USA). I switched to the uncut version via Telegram after Ep 5, but it didn't change my lack of enjoyment with the show.

Previous review: At Ep 5/12. This may not be a popular sentiment, but from my perspective, this show is a slog through simplistic boredom. Apart from Off & Gun's characters, most everyone else acts like middle-schoolers (around 11-13 years old) instead of university students. The 'humor' is extremely basic and simple. There's no cleverness in this screenplay at all. Most characters are more like caricatures and what little plot there is, is so far predictable.

I was so impressed with the series Not Me and Gun and Off were so fantastic in their roles. They acted with nuance, depth, and authentic emotions. The production of Cooking Crush is a huge downgrade for what their talent is capable of.

I'm watching the scenes with Off & Gun together at normal speed because they manage to elevate the generic material to bring some interest and depth to their interactions. For everything else I'm watching at 2x the speed to keep myself from dropping this show entirely.

I really want to support OffGun, but the screenplay is so shallow/simple/boring/predictable, and the secondary characters so annoying and often over-acted, that I really can't bring myself to rate this higher currently. If OffGun weren't a part of this show, I would have no qualms about rating it a 4 and dropping it.

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love this change in dynamic

I loved this and thought it was adorable. I really enjoyed the change in dynamic for offgun where off was the one pursuing guns character. it's a nice change of pace.

this wasn't ever supposed to be a dramatic angst filled show. instead we got sweetness and some laugh out loud moments. I truly enjoyed this change in dynamic of OffGun. and the OST is chefs kiss. I think I listen to it a few times a week.

if you're looking for a low angst, light, fluffy, show give it a go l don't think you'd be disappointed.
also this was probably they most intense kissing these two have done

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Not Much Cooking

I watched this series solely for Off/Gun because they were so phenomenal in Not Me, but Not Me and Cooking Crush are polar opposites in every way. Cooking Crush is a rom-com but unfortunately neither the rom or the com was done particularly well and as a whole it lacked substance. It was generically cute with nothing to make it stand out from the legion of other Thai rom-coms. The cooking aspect, which could have made it more unique, was not utilized well enough to make a mark. With such a stellar cast, I'm disappointed that it didn't live up to it's potential.

Cooking Crush really leaned into the comedic side of things from the get go with heavy use of sound effects and exaggerated acting from its cast. But it wasn't well thought out, intelligent humor, it was simply cheesy and, in a number of cases, cringeworthy. In fact, it was so painful and not to my taste that I very nearly dropped it then and there. The main plot centers around Prem, a cooking student, who meets Ten, a med student, in a series of unfortunate events that eventually leads to Ten trying Prem's food and finding it to be absolutely delicious. He proceeds to ask Prem to teach him to cook which Prem refuses until he's in need of money to pay for his sister's school and agrees, though he charges an exorbitant price that Ten is all too willing to pay. From there they slowly fall in love, facing a few up and downs with time spent apart, the disapproval of Ten's father, and a brief scandal. The secondary couple of Dynamite, Prem's fellow cooking student friend, and Fire, a pharmacy student and Ten's friend, focuses on Fire separating himself from his domineering mother and finally having the freedom and opportunity to discover himself and come to terms with his own sexuality. Dynamite, having fallen for Fire some time previously, relentlessly pursues Fire, sometimes stalking him, in an effort to win him over which is eventually successful though they still have to contend with Fire's mother once she finds out. Secondary to the romance is Prem and his friends journey to be on a popular cooking show and the various challenges they face with it. It's a very simple series without much depth and it can stray into being downright tedious times. And for a show called Cooking Crush, I expected a much greater focus on the cooking and, once the cooking show began, on it. But while food is certainly woven throughout the story and is utilized well at times, there was a lack of detail that made it seem shallow. For all that Prem was supposed to be teaching Ten to cook, it felt more like a cooking demonstration as Ten wasn't seen doing a whole lot. The show, which could have been a great way to lean into the cooking aspect, was not well defined and key elements like the tasting and judges' comments on the food were left out. The pacing was slow. It could have very easily been condensed into ten, maybe even fewer episodes. There's a fair amount of filler with nothing going on or just sweet scenes between the couples which were not needed.

The characters themselves had both highs and lows to them, though Ten and Prem were certainly the highlight. One of the biggest downsides was that they were all supposed to be college students and yet the immaturity level made them seem more like high school students or even younger. There were also a few character inconsistencies, namely, Ten's father scolds him for using his fists to defend Prem, but a few episodes earlier he had slapped Ten himself. Despite that, there was some decent character development which I did appreciate.
-Prem is a budding chef who has the skills to succeed but lacks the confidence to do so. Prem's journey, besides romantic, is learning to develop his self-confidence and have faith in himself and his skills. Of course there's also his relationship with Ten, which starts out rocky, but quickly takes on a romantic note when the pair develop mutual feelings. Though there are moments of immaturity between the two, having their friends run messages between them being a big one, they are generally pretty solid together. Other than the aforementioned case and one or two other instances, communication is generally a strong point between them. Their support for each other is also quite endearing. I was, however, surprised when he started making unilateral decisions for his team after the drama with Ten punching Chang Ma. It felt out of character for him.
-Ten is a shy med student haunted by his past. He can be a bit of a hot head, but he learns from the mistakes he makes and more importantly is willing to admit to those mistakes and apologize for them. His love for Prem pushes him out of his comfort zone and helps solidify what he wants in life. His unending support and encouragement of Prem was very sweet. We should all have such support in our lives.
-Dynamite is characterized by his fiery personality that refuses to be contained or in any way diminished. He loves fiercely and gives his all, no matter the situation. Though his pursuit of Fire does stray into downright stalking, he's not creepy or threatening about it, just overenthusiastic, not that that makes it okay. He does eventually learn to respect Fire's boundaries and gains some maturity. Hiding their relationship from their friends though is not one of their smarter moves and does cause damage when Unky finds out he was left in the dark when Prem knew. It's a learning experience for all involved. And while he does grow and mature, he also never loses sight of who he is which I found admirable.
- Fire is the one character who experiences an identity crisis when faced with the fact that he might not be straight. Controlled and suppressed by his domineering mother, he is only allowed to explore his own wants and desires after she allows him to move out. And while he is clearly drawn to Dynamite, he is reluctant to voice the possibility that he may be into guys. One thing that I appreciated throughout this drama is that there are no labels. No one is identified as strictly gay or straight and none of the challenges they face in their relationships are related to their sexuality. It's refreshing. Once Fire recognizes his own feelings and accepts them, he's all in, quickly turning into a sweet, loving boyfriend. Perhaps a little too abrupt of a change for my taste. And while he may not see eye to eye with his mother, I did like the way their relationship was portrayed and how once he gained the courage to actually tell her how he felt, she respected that and was open to talking.
-Unky stood out to me with his passion and determination. The oldest of his friends, he faces the fear that they'll eventually decide to leave him behind, a fear that is the driving force behind his fight with in Ep 9. The way that they assuage those fears is very wholesome and creates a sweet scene. I do wish we'd seen a bit more maturity from him given that he was older than the others, but I suppose that's a fairly minor complaint. His budding relationship in the last episode with Pang was cute though I wish it had been introduced earlier.
-Chang Ma was an unnecessary character, at least as a love interest. I would have much preferred for him to be left as a mentor and friend for Prem rather than someone who came in and tried to stir up trouble. I actually quite liked him at first, but when he started pushing boundaries and vying for Prem's affection even though it was obvious he had feelings for Ten, official or not, he lost my respect. He did eventually get the message and helped to take the heat off of Prem's team after Ten punched him, but the damage was done as far as I was concerned.
-With the parents, I liked the fact that the gender of their child's partner was never an issue, even with Ten's father. He was concerned about Prem trying to scam Ten, not that Prem was also a man. And I loved Prem's grandmother and how supportive she was of Prem in everything. She was an absolute gem.

The acting was not quite as strong as I was expecting. I know how strong of actors Off and Gun are and this was not their best work. While the chemistry was there, it just wasn't at the same level as it was in Not Me or even Theory of Love. Neo was good as always, though having just seen him in Only Friends, his performance wasn't quite as strong here. Newbie Aungpao was entertaining as Dynamite and while it was obvious he wasn't quite as seasoned as the other actors, he still did a good job and was fun to watch. Dome was one of the stronger actors and I thought he did a great job giving a nuance performance.

The production value was decent. The uncut version has a much better flow whereas the cut version had some choppy scenes and cuts. I would definitely recommend the uncut version as it provides more insight into various characters and their actions/interactions. However, even in the uncut, there are still some awkward jumps and tonal shifts. With the cooking element, no offense to the actors, but not once did I believe they were actually culinary students. Their knife and cooking skills/technique was not up to snuff. This is where clever camera angles, close ups of hands and the like, etc. could have been utilized to fool viewers into thinking they were far more skilled than they appeared.

Ultimately I found Cooking Crush to be disappointing. Given the caliber of its cast, it could have been so much more, but the overly campy nature of it really suppressed their talent and it didn't have the weight it could have had. I would have loved to have seen a more serious take, with some humor still thrown in, and more of a focus on the food and how it brings the characters together. But that's just me, I prefer dramas like Not Me over ones like Cooking Crush. If you're an Off/Gun fan, you may very well enjoy it or if camp is your genre of choice, but if you are looking for something more akin to Not Me, this is not the drama for you.

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Stopped Midway Through!

Off/Gun were fantastic & no, i'm not comparing series and roles here. just wanted to get that statement out of the way.
I stopped this series at episode 5. when something is interjected into the story for absolutely no reason & without justification and it sinks the already nonexistent storyline - i tap out. and during episode 5 (the father's visit to Prem) i tapped out. this was change for change sake. there was no reason to add that piece to the story. the reaction or lack thereof from Prem to the father annoyed me. this is not realistic in the slightest. no one will just stand there and be insulted and do/say absolutely nada. Moreover, as an adult/late teen, no one will tell you to stop seeing someone and you listen, especially a stranger you don't know. huh?

then to proceed to make excuses to your love interest. lie to your love interest. avoid your love interest. accept the notion that you scammed/stole from them. HUH? this is was nonsense. i cannot in good faith continue this series with the expectation that when i arrive at, let's say episode 9, some other nonsense curve/twist with out reason/justification.

I have yet to grasp why studios have perfectly great movies/series going and destroy with the need to interject drama. messy drama is not a requirement for folks to enjoy your content. realism, yes. drama, no. i guess, unfortunately, this is where the world is. people need controversy in order to stay engaged. i'm not that guy and will not subscribe to that kind of content. EVER!



*****UPDATED REVIEW*****

i finished watching the series 10 hours after the first review and i'll just say this...episodes 6-12 continue to raise my blood pressure. i could have done without finishing it, but i like to complete what i've invested in. the only good thing about this series was the discovery of the song Baby Crush, which i love now. that said, we can throw this series away.

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Depende de nosotros sazonar nuestras propias vidas para lograr el sabor perfecto.

Para empezar esta es la 2da vez que la veo y alch tengo muchos sentimientos encontrados con esta serie, para mi tuvo tanto aspectos negativos como positivos, la historia en general si es es algo sencillo, algo light, estudiantes de universidad que se enamoran y tienen que enfrentar las adversidades que se les presentan, pero tengo que decir que me costo acabarla esta vez no se pq a veces la sentía muy lenta y que no llegábamos a nada además al menos para mi hasta el capitulo 6 la serie mantenía un enfoque muy "adolescente" (no es la palabra que quiero usar pero siento que también funciona) no se si por las reacciones de algunos personajes, el como se iba desenvolviendo la historia, idk, ya es a partir del capitulo 7 que yo sentí un cambio, como que todo un poco mas maduro en especial a los personajes.
-Pasando a la pareja protagónica Ten y Prem:
Ten me cayo muy bien, este detalle que tiene de que el nunca se va a dejar es de lo mejorcito, si tenia muchas dudas de su historia y que agradezco que explicaran pq para mi el cap 7, 8 y la mitad del 9 sirven como para darnos un poco mas del contexto (trauma) del personaje y el como por cosas tiene que enfrentar ese trauma. (La trama de la dra Earn)
Prem mas de lo mismo igual me cayo muy bien, se ve que es una persona que siempre se preocupa por todos y le gusta estar ahi, muy comprometida porque el sabe todo lo que ha tenido que sobrellevar su fam, y para mi los capitulos 10, 11 y mitad del 12 nos dejan ver un poco mas de el y conocerlo mejor.
Ya ellos como pareja si me gusto mucho como se va dando su relacion, el como ps si van poco a poco desarrollando, tienen momentos bn hermosos e incluso el detalle de la foto que tienen de pequeños es un plus, cuando deciden darse un tiempo yo creo que era lo mejor pq para ambos las cosas los estaban absorbiendo y eso implicaba mucha madurez por ambas partes entonces como que los dos entendieron cuando si y cuando no, también esta el ejemplo de Ten dándole su espacio para que se enfoque x completo en la competencia, funcionan y se complementan super bien.
-Tenemos a la pareja secundaria Fire y Dynamite:
En general ambos me cayeron bien, ta bonita la pareja, y también se ve un desarrollo si mas claro en Fire pero en general los dos, me gusto que Dynamite sea como ese apoyo de Fire digamos que su safe place, siento que su momento que para mi se me quedo mas grabado fue cuando están hablando de ya no esconderse y Dynamite le dice que tiene que prepararse mentalmente para las consecuencias y ahí es cuando le dice Fire su historia, que cuando el le dijo a su fam, desde ese momento su papa ya no le dirige la palabra (y alch parece que hasta la mama pq en la competencia nomas esta Fire apoyándolo) entonces después de varios caps ps tenemos la escena de Fire diciéndole a su mama y Dynamite esta para el.
-Después tenemos a 2 personajes "secundarios" Metha y Samsi:
Para mi estos dos personajes pueden estar y a la vez no y me daría completamente lo mismo, nomas están para 2 cosas una para formar el trio de amigos y dos siento que son el "cupido" de su respectivo grupo, digamos que esa persona que se encarga de que los otros dos del grupo entren en razón, si se me hicieron un poquito de relleno.
Me gusto un poco mas Metha, no se, su personalidad se me hizo mas carismática, pero si se vio muy obvio que era un personaje que usaban de vez en cuando, nomas si su personaje ameritaba aparecer.
Samsi me cayo bien pero mi mayor problema con el fue cuando hizo todo su descague (enojo) por enterarse de la relacion de Fire y Dynamite, se me hizo una mamada ósea siento que el hizo una tormenta en un vaso de agua, porque si entiendo que su enojo que no era porque anduvieran si no pq se sentía desplazado de haber sido el ultimo en enterarse pero dude Prem nomas se entero porque los vio, si por el fuera no se hubiera enterado, caso contrario a Metha que cuando Samsi le dice que sus amigos están con sus novios Metha no va a reclamarles a Ten y Fire simplemente va con Ten y le pregunta de que, desde cuando y asi pero feliz y no se la hace de pedo por no decirle, entonces esto es lo unico que se me hizo nefasto del personaje también siento que al final lo hayan emparejado con Paeng (la hermana de Prem) estuvo muy de mas.
-Y nomas por resaltar y sacar mi enojo algunos personajes que yo los dejaria como "tanto pedo pa cagar aguado"
-El papa de Ten que toda la temporada estuvo mame y mame, y nunca se vio el interes en su hijo (digo pudieron haber asistido a terapia ambos) y al final lo redimieron y se me hizo super x entonces su participación y lo mismo pasa con la mama de Fire es lo mismo se ve como rechaza a su propio hijo y al final tambien la redimen.
-Tenemos a el chef Changma que de los peores triángulos amorosos que he visto si se le puede decir asi, es que dude los viste 2-3 veces a Prem y ya te gusta y te quieres casar con el y todo, nunca me cayo bien y cuando salia me daba demasiada hueva lo mismo con el profesor, de los peores profesores que he visto y no se que el supiera que el chef tenia intenciones con Prem y lo dice tan natural y de que si sabe que se mostro bastante interesado en el se me hizo muy wtf pq dude es tu alumno.
-Por ultimo a el trio de idiotas del 3B neta no entiendo que les pasaba por la cabeza, porque tanto odio y que por cualquier cosa los quisieran denigrar, neta no destacaron en nada para mi y luego también esta la situación de video que en vd que necesidad de este trio de idiotas de publicarlo ps ninguna nomas por joder, y alch yo nomas se que dejaron ver mas sus inseguridades como equipo pq lit no tenían otra razón del pq hacer eso mas que temían que les fueran a ganar y al final terminaron de la mejor manera estos weyes.
--La vd que algo que me gusto es que el equipo de Prem no ganara la competencia pq si los veía muy chiquitos y tenían mucho que aprender todavía pero que coraje que si ganara el de los tres idiotas neta hubiera preferido que ganara alguien random y fuera como una lección para Prem y su equipo como ya dije ps taban muy chiquitos y el otro mas que lección que fuera el karma por haber sido una basura de personas.
Ya la escena final (salto temporal de años) me gusto, los vemos ya juntos y a la vez separados pero haciendo lo que les gusta es una escena emotiva pq hasta parece que se dieron anillos de promesa ente Ten y Prem, ya verlo crecer teniendo su restaurante es creo que el final perfecto del personaje de Prem, creo que hasta eso la serie si fue muy completa y no dejaron algo suelto, en general es bonita y para pasar el rato esta bien.
La frase del titulo es del cap 12. y sigue asi "que se adapte a nuestros gustos individuales lo mejor."

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Silly and heart-warming

This feels like a comfort show, something with very low stakes to watch when you can't handle anything heavy. This isn't a story with plot twists and jaw-dropping moments, but I think it does a great job at doing what it proposes, and that's something cute a silly.
I guess that if you don't care about cooking at all it might be boring for you, but I just started studying about it as a hobby so I really like how they put a sentimental meaning behind everything and have some subtleties on how they prepare the food that definitely show that they took the time to research the profession.
I'll watch anything with OffGun in it but even if this had other actors I'd probably still have enjoyed it (maybe not as much, but that's because it's difficult to match their chemistry lol).

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