Chuuka Ichiban!

To me, this series is one of the most underrated series that I have ever watched. The Chinese cooking theme is surprisingly interesting, although the cooking style and food appearances are a little over exaggerated to me, but I still like it.

I remembered when I was a kid, I've watched like 2-5 episodes of this on TV and thought that I want to Completely watch it. My first impression of it was something like making Yakitate Japan into a cooking anime set in 19th century China. Watching it completely right now, I saw that this was really an enjoyable series. The story was alright (though they say the manga was better), It was not predictable(unlike other shounen anime were you already know how the MC will win),it also made good cliffhangers and twists which was truly unexpected, and the animation is good for an 80's show. ... I think I can't say anything bad about the show except that they should have made Liu Mao Shing more older. I know the show is titled Cooking Master "BOY" but come on I don't think a 13 year old boy would have fell in love or travelled all over China. I think they should've made him
older like 15. But other than that, it was ton of fun watching this and I hope you do as well.

I first encountered Chuuka Ichiban when I was about 10, as reruns of it were being shown on Chinese TV. The premise is quite simple: the protagonist Liu Mao Xing explores China's culinary landscape, while making friends and battling other chefs, in order to become a legendary chef himself. I didn't remember too much from the show, but I did remember having a lot of fun and learning about food at the same time (entertaining and educational - who'd have thought?) The simple premise, humor and intense cooking scenes were enough to keep me hooked back then.

I revisited the show about a year ago, mainly ... due to nostalgia. Although the animation and sound don't hold up to today's standards anymore, I still felt the same degree of excitement I did 10 years ago. The characters are quirky and likeable, the show doesn't take itself too seriously (and neither should you), and there's also LOTS OF FOODPORN. Not only do all of the dishes look scrumptious and amazing, but the show always manages to re-imagine traditional Chinese cuisine in creative and unexpected ways. Being half Chinese, I really appreciated that. (If you're interested in Chinese cuisine in any shape, way or form, I would also recommend this show - it's certainly more entertaining than a documentary)

Verdict: this is the kind of show you can watch sporadically, when you're looking for some light-hearted entertainment that'll make you hungry (you have been warned). The show doesn't place too much emphasis on an over-arching storyline, so you can jump in and out without feeling guilty. I didn't watch it for the character development or compelling plot, but for the sheer joy of accompanying Mao on his quest to become the very best.

Cooking Master Boy is an anime about a boy who happens to be really good at cooking [obviously] much to the surprise of the people he meets along the way. Despite it's rather plain subject matter, I give the series high marks for the enjoyment that comes with watching it. Although not a fan at first, I was hooked by the fifth episode and watched faithfully to the end. Although simplistic, the artistry grabs the eye and the sound, although plain, grabs for the heart. I especially enjoyed hearing the dub in Cantonese, as the voice actors were excellent. I would recommend this series to ... anyone who likes a good yarn without a lot of dark baggage, and is appropriate for all age groups.

I've only watched the Cantonese dub of this anime when I was a child but the memories of this anime is still fresh in my mind.

This is a type of anime which makes a normal profession seem like magic. You will see people chopping food in outrageous fashion, the critics' food reactions are hilarious and down right over the top. That was what made me fall in love with this anime and also attempting to cook like they have although my cutting skills still can't make cabbage fly yet.

Plot wise it's like Pokemon to be honest. Main character goes off to venture the country, ... meet memorable characters then fight bad guys to a cook off death match. Then main character goes to a gym, in this case it's a cooking competition; wins and then venture some more with more new companions on the way plus more baddies. All set in China so expect to see and learn about Chinese culture but also their food.

The art style is what made this show unique and the cooking scenes were always a great watch. The detail on the food was mouth watering, looks nothing like that in reality. Seeing as it's a 52 episodes anime, the animation staff did have to repeat quite a lot of reaction scenes to save money. It's quite annoying at some parts.

Sound, well going by the voice actors in the Cantonese-dub, it was outstanding and great fitting voices for the main characters. The bgm is classical traditional Chinese music, which I really enjoyed listening to, however they really do repeat it a lot. The Opening songs and ending songs were not localised in Cantonese, thank god. The songs are fitting for this anime and highly catchy. I still hum the tunes from time to time.

Characters in this anime are all special to me. I don't know what the characters' actual names are in Japanese but every single one of them is remember able and each have a story related to their passion to cooking. The character development the main three under go is amazing, it's like you're watching them mature into young adults, but I think the manga shows more of their development a lot more.

Enjoyment. Through out my childhood, this anime stuck with me forever. I watched it with my family and could recall that everyone enjoyed it. I could still to this day remember the food they cooked and I called remember feeling jealous of the critics eating it. The lobster cook off. *drools*

Okay I'm salivating now, but overall I didn't give it a perfect 10 because of the animation repetition and how much they cut down on some major plot but also the alternative ending for this anime was just not up to the standards as in the manga. I highly recommend this anime if you enjoy cooking and little slice of drama on the side.

Got to know this series after my brother bought me the manga and since then I really, really love it.

The story is well ... a bit cliche but it's enjoyable. Searching around China to find tools for cooking that have magical power.

The art is also awesome for an old manga. The sound is okay. The characters are fine, I guess, considering this anime is pretty old.

The villain, I guess it just need a bit improvement. The ending is also a bit rushed but overall, it's fine

The bond between characters is okay. Two villains become friends is unexpected.

After rewatching this anime i still feeling the nostalgic sensation of CMB even after some months ago, i always found it amazing than the remake one mostly because i already know the original storyline of the anime. The bizzare animation, the weird technique, and watching Chinese Cuisine is alway amazing
The only thing that bugged me is that Mao is portrayed as boy wonder who can't make mistake and still feeling weird even i like it. I think mostly because i watched SnS and the MC is sometimes lose against the adversary
but, this is an old anime and i don't really bother by it

a ... little bit advice for anybody who want to watch CMB, watch the original 1990s since the remake is kinda feel off for me