Watching this series will make you hungry. Seriously. And you’d wish you know how to cook well or have the patience and perseverance to do so.

I stumbled upon this series after watching HE SHE IT (2019) – while researching about the actors and the song at the end (that haunting song ironically titled “Comedy”). So I got to know a little about the lead actors. Gameplay is a chef in real life and Jeff Satur is a singer-songwriter. So, perfect roles for them!

After their intense kissing scenes in HE SHE IT, I was naturally expecting something similar – if not more – from their follow up, INGREDIENTS. Well, if you did, too, you’ll be a little disappointed. But hey, kissing is not the sole basis for a BL’s appeal, right? CHERRY MAGIC has no kissing, yet I gave it a perfect 10 rating.

Anyway, at the first few episodes of INGREDIENTS, I was a bit confused. These two (Win and Tops) are living together, so it’s natural to assume that they are lovers, right? Wrong! As you will realize in the succeeding episodes, they are NOT a couple!!! So, you ask: Why are they living together? Maybe THAT question will be answered as you go along, BUT – no answer came after you watch the finale!

Then you search online for answers. And you find out there is an EPISODE 0 (ZERO)!! A prequel!!! A 5-minuter which will answer THAT question. Why wasn’t I told about that?? Haha! Maybe they should’ve put an “announcement” of sorts at the beginning of Episode 1! So, if you’re planning to watch this series, watch EPISODE 0 first, okay?

Going back to the series… it’s quite long at 21 episodes (average of 10 minutes each) or 3.5 hours. Did I compute that right? But since each episode is short, you won’t feel bored or anything like that. But you will feel impatient though in the “touching” and “romance” department. Touching and intimacy came much later in the series. And when they came, you’d feel like they weren’t enough. But then again, that’s just me.

Love the way cooking/recipes are incorporated in some episodes. Reminds you of movies which also has cooking as its theme like CHOLOLAT (2000), JULIE & JULIA (2009), LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE (1992), etc.

I just feel that some side stories were not necessary or didn’t add anything to the main story arc, like Dome’s character (the third wheel wannabe) – and that girl who came crying to Win – who at first I thought was his girlfriend because of the English translation of her initial lines.

So, this series made me hungry because of the featured dishes, and hungry for more intimacy between Win and Tops – which I feel was not enough.

I don’t know if there’s a sequel to this series, but I really hope there is. So maybe then, we’ll get more romantic moments for Win and Tops.