Cooking Crush (2023)

Cute

The headline perfectly sums up this show, "cute." This series wasn't amazing but wasn't great. It's definitely not going to be in my top 10 series of this year but also won't be in my 10 worst series of the year. I feel like most people didn't watch this series for the plot but instead for the cast. If this series had a different cast I don't think many people would have watched this, including me. I personally started this series as a big Neo fan but also because of OffGun, yet Aungpao really surprised me. Dynamite was my favorite character and Aungpao played his part amazingly, so I'm excited to see his journey and growth. I found myself not really caring about the plot of the show. OffGun's chemistry was amazing as usual and it was nice to see Off play such a different character than he usually does. Ten was such a green flag and I'm very happy to see Off play this part. Though my favorite part of the series was definitely Dynamite and Fire's relationship and didn't expect the chemistry of NeoAungpao to shine so much while in the same series as OffGun. This series knew what it wanted to be and did just that.

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Cute, but that is about it

Doc and Prem were extremely likeable and charming. Off and Gun, did well in their roles and the romance was pretty believable. They had so many cute moments that made me love their relationship. They honestly made each other better. Neo and Aungpao were honestly way more main couple effect though. Their playful banter, their genuine care for each other, the fact that they are both drop dead handsome. Like power couple handsome, it was perfect, even the issues with Fire's mom was a realistic and finding out how Dy's family reacted to him was heartbreaking but necessary. He is a strong bloke and I think everyone benefits from having him in their lives. They touched on some very important topics of family and friends and while not making it a grand spectacle, they still handled it with care. The ending was just what I expected and it was honestly great to see a show stick to a lesson.

As someone that can actually cook, it was really funny to see a cooking drama that was more of a comedy than anything else. It was also nice to see them pretend to be chefs, because in a real kitchen they would burn a lot of things. I love a cooking and more importantly, eating, so this show was just my taste.

I love seeing a lot of the actors that partook in this series, but the series itself didn't have much of a story to me. They like to cook and they want to be like their hero chef. The 3Bs or whatever the group is called, were sad to see. Like you all too grown looking like parents in a college picking on some children, get a life and graduate on time. His father finding a posted that Doc found at Prem house is so far fetched that I almost laughed. Like who would believe that he kept that posted, like be real.

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Has 'Not Me' ruined OffGun projects forever?

BL fans will ruin their own watching experience all because of one series.

People need to stop comparing every offgun series post-not me to that series. It is honestly depressing seeing people's reviews and comments here being flooded with complaints about how this series didn't match up to Not Me. Of course it didn't, they are completely different genres, styles, and stories. If you cannot watch a series without comparing it negatively from the very beginning to previous works, then why watch in the first place?

This series wasn't anything special, it's a typical GMMTV gay romance, there were parts of it that were less entertaining than others, however as a general series it was perfectly fine. It isn't the dumpster fire that so many of you retell it to be. I get it, Not Me was an incredible series, but it's also nearly 3 years old by now and some of you have not been able to enjoy a single series by offgun since that series it seems. Seriously guys, are you watching offgun to appreciate their efforts or to hate on them?

In terms of an actual review for this series, it wasn't the best, and it wasn't the worst. It is 'a middle of the road' series with fun side characters and interesting dynamics, and I love anything that has to do with the love language of food. I genuinely loved how sweet it was, the portrayal of emotions was honestly just to my taste and I don't regret watching it at all. Would I watch it again? Probably not. But does that take away from the joy I had watching from it? Absolutely not.

The hate towards Chang Ma is questionable considering I genuinely cannot understand what people think he did so wrong considering he had a crush on Prem and tested the boundaries of prem/ten's relationship, something MANY other characters in MANY BL have done before, yet y'all have an issue with him despite him genuinely having a good redemption arc, as well as genuinely respecting the boundaries once they were set? If anyone is to hate it's the b3 trio and their annoying laughs - they added literally nothing other than toxic rivalry, where some of it was necessary for plot progression, but other bits of it were just plain stupid. They should've been revealed for the bullies they were and kicked off that stupid show. Stupid ass side characters.

There were parts of the series that definitely could have been solved much faster with a basic little thing called "communication" (e.g the whole argument between prem/Dy/unky, and the whole "scamming" issue with Ten's dad) however the entire point of a drama like this is to have those dramatic scenes. I feel some people who watch series love to just complain, "it's too much unnecessary drama" or "it's sk bland there is nothing going on". I worry that series will never be enough for people, especially when a large selection of comments on any GMMTV BL is flooded with constant negativity.

People complained about Metha and Samsee's coupling not going anywhere, but I'd like to remind you all that not every single character that shows up has to be gay, or if they are gay then they don't have to be in a relationship with someone. Gay people can be friends with gay people without dating y'know lmao, but also, not every guy in these shows has to be gay.

Correct me if I am wrong, but the friendly rivalry they had was nothing like Fire and Dynamite, and I genuinely saw nothing between Metha and Samsee relationship-wise, they were just two side characters that happened to go together as a pair due to the relationships between their friends - nothing more. If anything I'm kinda glad Samsee ended up with Prem's sister, it makes for a nice change in pace honestly - I love the fact she had a crush on Samsee lol, a super good twist in the plot there.

I enjoyed seeing Off and Gun playing these types of roles again, and Off's portrayal of Ten took me back a lot to Theory of Love, the love-sick puppy character suits him well, and reminds me of Khai's attitude towards Third after realising his feelings for him. And equally, Gun suits all roles very well, he is good at playing characters who are more shy and reclused about their relationships, with a healthy sense of doubt and hesitance when someone like Off comes along overly friendly. Do I think some scenes were awkward? Yes. Did I think the awkwardness honestly suited the pair of young adults navigating their way through love? Absolutely.

Did I prefer fire and dynamite as a couple? Yes. Do I also have a bias towards side-couples in a lot of BL series? (Checks list) Yes. Yes I do. Because we don't get as much of a deep dive into a lot of side-couples and I think sometimes we prefer that in comparison to the over explanation and focus that happens for the main couple. (But also, fire and dynamite is such a lovely story despite the rollercoaster it went on, and the actors played them incredibly well. The ending to their plot line is honestly so well rounded out, especially with the mother.)

The storyline? Basic, nothing overly interesting, however the Thai BL industry has a lot of "school student" plot-lines, especially regarding either engineering or doctoring, so to see a chef plot was actually nice (the only other series I remember watching that had something to do with cooking was UWMA and even then that was a mild story-line in comparison).

I think it is hard to constantly live up to expectations, however I do believe offgun "fans" have shot themselves in the foot here. Instead of finding things they enjoyed about this series, they have instead focused so much on how different it is to Not Me, causing them to miss, well, EVERYTHING good about the series. It's a shame fans will miss everything all for one thing. If you want another series like Not Me, then look for those types of series rather than bashing smaller series like these that rely on cutesy styles and more of a focus on school life.

Feel free to disagree, but the fact is, y'all are already expecting their next series, the trainee, to flop all because of Not Me. Don't let your own expectations ruin a series for others, and don't bash the actors either. They are being directed by someone behind the scenes, and actually? A lot of them act very naturally. (Some of y'all just don't know what real human interaction looks like lmao /halfjoking)

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"OFF & GUN chemistry is perfect, but something seemed to be off"

Off and gun is as usual amazing in their series. But for me, compare to the series (NOT ME) this series seems to be bit off of the plot. Some scenes are irritating and makes us to drop the drama itself and I again continued to watch the drama because of their chemistry. They have chosen different plots from their previous works like 'theory of love', 'our sky s1' and 'Not me' and many more series, they have some main plot and it revolves around it without creating any sorts of irritating scenes. 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.

The characters they portrayed in this drama does not have any scope(means anyone can play this character) I loved their previous work called "NOT ME" the way portrayed the emotions and depth in their characters are amazing. The screenplay is so simple , predictable and the secondary characters so annoying and often over-acted, that I really can't bring myself.

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light and fun BL

I wasn’t sure at first, but this BL surprised me. I’ve already watched a few bl with offgun, so I know this pairing and their chemistry. Also it was a comedy relief when it was airing at first with the other more depressing BL airing at the same time.

I love the friendships and the relationships. Green flags/supportive boyfriends and healthy relationships. No break up also. I also enjoyed the cooking aspect.

Love grandma and samsee’s parents. Fire and Ten parents had development. Ten’s father could be an ass, but he wasn’t a bad guy. He didn’t mind that his son was gay, he didn’t want him to suffer and him being used and in the end, wanted him to be happy. The step mom was weird and annoying.

Prem’s sister and Samsee being in a relationship was a cute surprise, even if I still ship him with grey hair guy (forget his name for a sec ahah), their bickering and dynamic was hilarious. That would have made an interesting enemies to lovers, but in the end friendship, it’s okay.

I liked the comedy and not many problems or drama. Good kissing scenes from her main couple. I also absolutely love Fire and Dynamite. Their dynamic interested me from the beginning. I liked the development when Fire realized that he liked him. Also a cute relationship.

Happy end perfect ending.

Waiting for the next OffGun drama. Also, get Neo a leading role and his own BL, he deserves it. I’ve seen many BL with him as the side character or the second couple. I really like his acting.

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A cute, light and feel-good series.

I came to this series not long after watching Cherry Magic (Thai version) and I feel like there is a similar vibe here that I quite enjoyed in both series. It had a Japanese series vibe to it with some of the inner monologue and looking into the camera and a hint of over-the-top moments. This was a nice light show that was interesting and not your run-of-the mill University drama that follow the same cookie cutter storyline.

First things first, I'm sad that people bash the series because they compare it to others that Off and Gun have done together. It's really unfortunate because the series itself delivered on what its clear intention was: comedic and full of heart with the characters not only working to improve themselves but also lifting up those around them, whether they were their partners or friends. There was so much going on with different relationship dynamics that I can't imagine how anyone could say the series was boring. Before I knew it, I was on episode 12 simply because I wanted to see what happens next. It wasn't heavy or needed a lot of processing, making it an easy watch to breeze right through.

In that respect, I feel like the acting was fine, considering the overall tone of the series. There was a good mix of seasoned actors along with newbies and I feel like they all fell into place quite well with each other. It was clear who was who out of the experienced and the inexperienced but I like that they could come together in such a series. The actor for Dy was a prime example of this seeing as he had most of his scenes directly against actors like Gun and Neo. While it was clear he was new, I feel like he held his own opposite them well enough. The character of Metha was probably my favorite. He was goofy most of the time but had sage words of wisdom when it mattered, giving a glimpse of much more beneath the surface. His dynamic with each character was slightly different yet 100% still unmistakenly HIM. I also like that he didn't end up with a partner in the end, nor was he looking for one throughout the series. I feel like the writers here understood that each supporting role doesn't need to be paired up. I wish more series would realize this.

It had a very realistic feel to it where, yes, I could see people thinking it too mundane to be made into a series but I think these kind of series are nice to see every so often to show that any life could be important and worth being invested in, no matter their circumstances. And, again, it was different enough from the standard University setting to make it stand out. I would say it's a great series to watch after a darker series (I watched this right after Payboyy soooooooooo... yeah..) to clear out the haze and fog that sometimes those heavy series leave behind. And being a fan of Gun, I like to see his range of acting, knowing he can do the serious roles as well as comedy and heartfelt slice of life. Same with Neo.. it was nice seeing him like this after watching him as Boston in OF.

I would recommend this for anyone needing a series to feel good about and smile along with. (Also, prepare to walk away hungry because those dishes they make are stunning.) Take it for what it is and what it was meant to be. It's best enjoyed as it's own thing and not in comparison to other works by different writers, directors, crew, etc.

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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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Unfair for the past to judge the present.

Yes, this is not "Not Me." It's "Cooking Crush."

Any reviews that compare the two series, solely because of the actors involved, are automatically suspect. One is a dark crime thriller, the other RomCom. Each series should be judged individually, within the framework of its appropriate genre. Full stop.

REVIEW -
I watch a BL with one major criteria - acting. If it's subpar - and there are many, many, a LARGE host of MANY that fall into this hole - not wasting my time. The second is script, a hollow and muddled narrative will be abandoned. Over the last 6 months, I've completed 2 series - Be My Favorite and Cooking Crush.

OffGun chemistry, the biggest seller of the series. No wobbling in character, each scene was theirs, from first glance to last kiss, Ten and Prem's attraction and story believable, they bonded over food, over family, over acts of service and sacrifice. Too often BL protags are thrown together by the script, and that's where the spark remains, on the page, not shining out from loving eyes. Every TenPrem glance has love baked right in there, and their love became real.

No silly BL miscommunication tropes - Ten and Prem spoke honestly and openly. Adversity met and overcome, hard work leads to a happy life. A solid friend group, two actually. and satisfying ending. I liked this series, warm hearts and smiles are always needed and appreciated.

Where this production stumbles is the cinematography, and editing. A moving shot when stillness called, a static on a stick camera when motion would add energy to the talky scene. Lingered too long, or zipped right on by too fast, the frame never seemed to be in the right place or angle. The edited cut on YT was an unkind thing for this series, and even with footage restored behind the WETV paywall, choppy still with odd scene transitions, and missing chunks of story padding that would have helped soften around the edges. Silly froth still must have a cohesive thru-line for the audience to engage fully.

And the script never quite rose to the original lofty goals of exploring socio-economic differences in Thai society. There kinda, sorta, maybe, briefly, then slipped in between the cracks. Rich vs. poor, doctor vs. cook, privilege vs. opportunity, money is usually also an issue. There could have, should have been SO much more to examine - they both had lost their mothers, for crying out loud! Where was that?

Also, second couple never clicked with me. What was the commonality that drew Fire and Dynamite together - stalking is not a good look.

I recommend this series if looking for sunny and happy, and will be revisiting TenPrem often.

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COOKING LIKE A CHEF

A poor(ish) culinary student and a rich med student. Put those 2 together and you get a cute relationship!! I LIVE for OffGun. I mean, who doesn't? If you've seen their previous works then you already know that it'll be a great paring.

STORY:

Third year culinary students Prem, Dynamite, and Samsi/Unky are the best of friends. They've been together since the 1st year of culinary classes. Trusting their friendship and skills, they join a cooking competition, known as Super Monster Chef (aka A BIG DEAL.) Prem then meets Ten, a med student. When Ten asks Prem for cooking lessons, he agrees due to money problems. What will happen when sparks begin to fly in the kitchen?

FAVSSS!!!

Let me start off with the chemistry. Nothing can go wrong between Off and Gun!! But.. Neo and Aungpao? Let me just- AHHHHHHHH!!!! I LOVEEE THEM!! Neo can have chemistry with just about anyone. Take the actors from Only Friends for example, you could ship him with any of them and I'd be like "I could see it." But they came to win their fans hearts and THEY DID. Aungpao is such a great actor and I'm excited for his future projects, whether its with Neo or not.

THE OST WAS SO CATCHY!! Everytime it played in the background I couldn't stop myself from singing "You give me a sugar rush, you're my baby crush!!"

NEEDS SOME.. FIXING.

The storyline was a little messy. The acting wasn't as good as other series, but I can understand with the script. The random time jump?? It could have been better. I would like to see more series where they're out of their college/high school days. Especially with OffGun. Cmon GMMTV!! They're in their 30's, lets see some more mature series which I know they can do with their potential.

Overall, this was a sweet, lighthearted series. I would recommend to those who just need a wholesome watch for a bit. Plus, the friendship between Unky and Metha was just AMAZING. I laughed at almost every scene of theirs.

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