Cooking Crush

OffGun Does Cute Well ... Obviously

There was no doubt in my mind when starting the first episode that Off and Gun were going to give exactly what I wanted: sweet, sexy, and silly -- all of the Ss! What a cute little series, packed with some great comedy and some lovely characters. However, for me, something doesn't entirely click.

Let's Dive In.

For starters, this series felt entirely like Off and Gun instead of their characters. So much to the point where I don't even remember their characters' names outside of their nicknames. If I'm not mistaken, I read somewhere how this was a series Off and Gun created themselves, which is maybe why it feel so offputting. The acting isn't bad per say -- because they can act, obviously, and there are scenes that they do great emotionally in, but something in their acting didn't reach for me. It might be because they're so comfortable with one another that they start acting like themselves instead of how their characters would act. Either way, this is kind of my only argument, that it feels disingenious somewhere in the middle. However, that doesn't mean I don't love seeing these vets do their thing on screen, and of course, I was still smiling all big and happy.

So going frrm there, I'll try leaning into the relationship of Doc and Chef outside of the actors. The first few episodes sold me. I was absolutely in love with the concept of this, something not original, but such a spin with having a culinary student and another working on becoming a doctor instead of the typical majors BL supplies us with. Chef is very endearing, going for a goal that isn't all that easy to reach while still providing for his family. This is how he gets into this situation in the first place, with needing Doc's money to help his sister out. Doc is silly, he has an edge to him when it comes to his father and stepmother, but yet we see such a precious side around his friends and Chef. Their build-up is great, and their executions in other scenes set their tone perfectly, except, I was bewildered by some of the bad kissing. I'm going to assume this is more of a director's choice, but their first kiss and a few more throughout the series were just -- really bad. Others were great, just like how you'd imagine OffGun to kiss. Closer to the end, their relationship kind of plateaus for me. it's no longer exciting in the sense of Chef and Doc, and more so, again, just Off and Gun. Their individual stories capture how they come about now as adults, but there are some scenes that seem nonsensical, like Doc's dad having a nurse that was identical to his mom, which they could've played more on like being his mom's twin sister, or maybe his dad is crazy and cloned her or something. That just felt very too circumstantial. Another was Doc punching the celebrity chef guy, which yes, he deserved, but in such an environment like that one, pulling Chef away and giving a stern talking to would've been enough too. There are some others, but overall, they are good stories.

Moving onto the secondary couple, Firefly and Dynamite. So in love with their dynamic. Dynamite has this major crush on Firefly who saved him in a bullying accident, doing whatever he can to get this cute guy to notice him. In the beginning, it's a little zany how much Dynamite goes after him, especially without a backstory, which I think they should've shown earlier in the series so I didn't just think Dynamite was kooky for thinking someone is so handsome to the point where he liked them so much. Near the middle, it's when they get a lot closer, and a lot cuter. I like this aspect of their characters that pick and tease at one another and then can become so cheesy and in love the next. Their chemistry and build-up take a little bit to get there, but when it does, it's strong and very tensional. Firefly's whole problem is that he's too loyal to his strict mom, doing everything he can to please her even if it means he ignores his own feelings. This is given a resolution by the end, with Firefly's mom walking away, but then they give her a terrible redemption arc in the last episode, and it's like, okay whatever. Overall, I liked them in the beginning more than I did in the end, only because they didn't do physical very well, even with the couple of hugs and cheek kisses they gave one another. It threw off their connection to me when they did, and them not getting an actual kiss felt weird, but whatever. Aungpao did great for his very first GMMTV series. I liked his dynamic more with the trio, which is where part of this series does it for me.

Talking about the trio, they were golden. I loved when friend groups feel genuine, and you can see the different personality each of them bring to carry this heartful friendship. I loved Samsi, quite literally my favorite character to see. Such a loving guy, who just loved being around his friends, that felt heartbroken with their secrets, but in the end, knowing that they were always going to be there for him no matter what. He does comedy better than any of the other's did, except, there were some weight jokes thrown in there, which is normal for Thai BLs to do with bigger characters, but nonetheless, still pinching a nerve somewhere inside of me. I'm glad he gets his own partner, but my only argument with that is that he and Metha had built such a great enemies-to-lovers trope, so why not just have them get together?

The production value was great, with a bit too many production placements, but I'll digress. The food looked amazing, I liked that each episode starts off with showing a menu item.

Rating:

Story: 7.5/10 - Great! it flowed rather nicely, with a few hiccups, but nothing not watch-worthy.

Acting: 8.5/10 - Everyone did good, with Dome (Samsi) playing his character the best IMO. OffGun felt too much like OffGun, but they can still act. Neo did a great job, but he always does well with comedic roles. Aungpao did amazing for his first time, especially with such an already-established cast.

Music: 6/10 - I didn't pay attention to it.

Recommendation Value: 7/10 - this is cute in lots of aspects. Even with my little critics of this series, I still recommend it. it's lighthearted (for the most part), pretty funny, and an easy watch.

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Light-hearted goodness

Story

I’m not used to “campy” shows, so the lightheartedness was something I struggled with a little. The problems were solved properly but because I’m used to the long, extended deep dive of topics like homophobia, parental strictness, fiancial struggles and parental death so the simple-esque solving was a little bogus for me but that doesn’t take away from the show.

The ending does feel rushed but that’s the cut version so maybe the uncut would be better with more context and pacing.

Acting/Casting: Amazing, each actor did a great job and special shoutout to Aungpao for doing so well in what I believe is his debut role. He was approximately 15/16 when the show was filmed and yet he fit in really well with the seasoned actors. I will add that a some of the kisses between OffGun were more intense earlier than later, I figured that it might be related to the censorship under WeTv, it felt weird seeing the intensity lower, as if they were doing it for the first time.

Music: The intro song is catchy, I don’t have much to say but the music fit well with the theme of the show.

Overall: This is a great show to watch if you need a breather from some of the more serious shows. Great for decompression and touching on the reality of queer relationships without having it takedown the tone of the show. If you're the type of watcher that enjoys nuanced plots even under the rom-com genre, this is not the one for you. The plot is merely there so that the characters exist, the show is character-driven. If you watch the show, it's because you can, rather than because you really want to follow the story at the same pace as the rest of the audience. I watched the show because I had nothing else to watch and I am familiar with some of the actors. There were also moments where I didn't have the subtitles but because the plot doesn't have a lot of mystery and suspense, I did not feel lost when I focused again. That might give you an idea of how little the plot really affects the story.

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One word - Cute.

They called this series Cooking Crush. Valid. I assure you, if you like fluff, don't like breakups, and simply want a light-hearted story to eat up like a lion who hasn't eaten for years, you can knock yourself out with this series.

I noticed that a lot of people in MDL don't tend to like simple-hearted stories, but this series has the potential to make a place in your hearts. Good or bad. Firstly, this series tended to focus on the main couple and gave around 80% of equal attention to the side couple.
What knocked me out of the park was the fact that Pang liked Samsee!! That was so cute, definitely one of the shocking parts of the series.
But, let's focus on more main matters, the main couple, OffGun. As always, marvellous job. They scream out CUTE. Let's talk about the characters, Ten is a rich boy who has lost his mother and has a dad who is a doctor. He hates his dad because he believes he put no effort into saving his mom, which leads to a lot of unwanted drama between the father and the son. It was cringe but P'Off really carried his role out. Now, Prem is a boy who owns a shop down the town. His shop used to be Ten's mom's favorite and all that jazz. One day, Ten is starving himself and then ends up eating the food Prem's teacher did not eat due to not submitting the food on time. So, that was the root of their relationship. Pretty sweet. The moments throughout the series would make you smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside.
My favorite was definitely the sideship! Yes, a bit is because I'm very biased towards P'Neo Trai. I love his acting. His chemistry is OUT OF THE WORLD. I definitely LOVED the scene where Firefy just ran inside the room and started kissing Dy all over when he qualified. I want to preserve their cuteness for when you watch the series.
Let's not forget Metha, Pang, Samsee(Unky), and Prem's grandma. They were all lovely roles and Samsee is one of the cutest characters throughout the series. I was crushed when he was so sad about a fight the friend group had. Metha is like the cool, laid-back type of friend who jokes about everything. That is a QUALITY. Let me tell you, in P'Gun's family, the beauty runs within, because I'm head over heels for P'Pim(P'Gun's sister). She elevates Pang's role a lot more simply because they are truly family. Prem's grandma is sooo understanding!! I loved her character so much.
Anyway, I can very much assure you'll love this. Oh! And watching this when you're down will definitely lift your mood up for sure!

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Disappointing

I would’ve stopped watching after the second episode if it wasn’t for the fact that it’s OffGun. I was really looking forward to seeing how their acting/ chemistry had progressed and had high hopes after watching them together previously but it feels like we took 5 steps backwards. I personally didn’t feel the chemistry at all and while the plot was a good idea it was not executed very well… It was most likely not the actors fault and was the script/ writer/ director of this series but it’s still disappointing. I hope we get an amazing redemption series in the future with them.

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Not Exactly An Entertaining Watch

I’ll be honest from the beginning. This is not going to be a very positive review. If you’re an OffGun fan who loved the show and don’t want to read anything negative about it, I would suggest to stop reading this review right now. If you’re an OffGun fan who was massively disappointed by the show like I was, go ahead.

As a long-time fan of OffGun, I had literally teared up out of excitement when “Not Me” was first announced, and to this day it remains one of my favourite BL’s. I am a big fan of the magic that they have created before, not just in “Not Me” but in “Theory of Love” as well. After doing great shows together, as I said in the first impressions, I was simply confused as to why they would choose a project that seemed to pale a little in comparison.

Read the complete article here-

https://the-bl-xpress.com/2024/03/08/cooking-crush-series-review-ep-3-to-12-cut-version/

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Light-hearted, funny, romantic sweet

I never did a review in MDL but I felt that I could do this with Cooking crush as this show is not that serious or deep but stills bring a meaning and great feelings. Feels like a sweet show to watch if you're feeling down and got used to making a confort in Thai BL (It has classical effects of this kind like stickers randomly on screen, "funny" sound effects etc) and I think it stills diverge into the norm with health relationships and characters well developed. Watch if you want some thing like this :)
(Non native so, bad english srry)

As boring or annoying it might seems in the beginning it will get better as you create connexion with all this well constructed characters and once you get used to the silly acting and editing you will fall in love.

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This show is operating at a 110% FUN!

Prem is losing confidence in his skills as a chef when he meets Ten, a medical student with stress issues. Finding out about Prem’s delicious dishes, Ten begs Prem to teach him cooking, and Prem agrees only because he needs money. However, as the lessons go on, it isn't just the food that's hot, but also their faces as they slowly fall for each other.

Yes, this show can be very jarring because of how 'extra' it is. Well, for me, I love how 'extra' it is, albeit a bit ridiculous. The music's really high energy, and then the acting's over-the-top, some dialogues are borderline cheesy, and the camera angle is also quite cartoonish, but because everything is on that level, somehow it all works together, and just super fun to me.

Now, for the story, there's no angst at all, it's a straight up comedy from the start and consistently to be so all the way through. Easy to binge, sweet and light hearted with no dramatic twists. The foods look good too and I enjoyed the cooking show vibe, When the romance starts, there is a bit of a 'gay panic' trope, which I'm so over with.. but thankfully it didn't drag for too long. I enjoy the leads' acting and the script. Both couples bounce off of each other really well. I laugh at them because of how whiny, clingy and horny they can be, but always in a fun way. They know how to pique my interest. Lastly, kudos to the market lady and the cooking show presenter, they’re such scene stealers! ^v^

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Cute lighthearted series from OffGun

I was excited for Cooking Crush as it is OffGun's series right after an iconic NotMe. ( which got me into BL world )
Though i watched their individual series, i craved for them being together on screen once again and cooking crush it is !!

I loved how this series is lighthearted and easy going, it is all about developing a crush and romance + cooking. The plot is good so far and the characters are lovable. Off Gun are killing it with their subtle expressions. Firefly is one interesting character to watch - cat before mom but becomes a free to fly butterfly later and it being played by our mischevious Neo adds to the fun. Aungpao is kinda surprising me with his acting, though this is his debut series. Fire and dynamite together are cute and their story is gonna be unique as dynamite is very open and persistent about pursuing Fire.

This series has the funny part in it, not the laugh out loud type but definetly the Hehe - giggle type.

I love how both Prem and Ten are developing crush on each other simultaneously. This series is kinda collecting some iconic lines here with the second couple
1. Fire starts swearing on phone
2. "I told goddess lakshmi about you"

So far it is fun

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Visual lullaby

Cooking Crush is exactly what you’d expect from a classic Thai Rom-Com with OffGun as the leads—sweet, fluffy, and with enough chemistry to melt even the hardest heart. Or so you'd think. But alas, not even the power of a fan-favorite ship can rescue this drama from the depths of its own lazy directing.

Let’s start with the good stuff, because there is some. We’ve got a cute romance between a culinary student (played by Gun, who looks like he could charm a brick wall) and a medical student (played by Off, who, I suspect, has an entire closet filled with only one personality type). There’s also a culinary competition thrown in for a dash of excitement—although it feels more like a sprinkle rather than a healthy spoonful. As usual, Gun’s acting is top-notch. The man knows how to make you believe he’s head-over-heels in love with a plate of pasta, let alone Off. But there’s one tiny issue: if you pay close attention, it looks like Gun simply can’t—or won’t—kiss Off properly. It’s been said before, but after watching this show, I’ve got to admit, the evidence is overwhelming. If I hadn’t seen them in other shows, I’d assume they had the romantic chemistry of two damp sponges left out in the sun too long.

Then there’s Off. Now, credit where it’s due—he’s improved a lot since Not Me. But while his acting skills have leveled up, his characters? Not so much. It’s like watching his Not Me character with a minor tweak, as if someone said, “Let’s just add a dash of ‘quirky’ and call it a day.” His characters feel so similar it’s hard to tell if he’s playing different roles or just slightly remixing the same one.

On the brighter side, Neo once again shines with his performance—he’s like that extra hot chili in a bland dish, spicing things up whenever he’s on screen. And we get a promising debut from Aungpao, who did surprisingly well, making me hopeful for future roles.

But let’s be real, all these minor acting quirks could be forgiven if it weren’t for the Director, who apparently decided that the easiest route was the best route. And by easiest, I mean he thought, “Let’s have everyone stand still, sit down, or—if I’m feeling really adventurous—lie down while talking. That should cover 85% of the show.”

I’m not exaggerating. A solid chunk of this drama is just characters sitting, standing, or lounging around, delivering dialogue with close-ups of their faces as if they’ve just been told their life depends on nailing this monologue. The scenes play out like this: character A walks in silence from point A to point B (perhaps to get a snack or ponder life’s mysteries). They stop, sit (or stand dramatically), and then proceed to talk—often at great length—with an alarming number of close-ups. It’s like the director found out people sometimes walk and talk at the same time, but then thought, “Nah, let’s not get too crazy with this walking-and-talking business.”

The result is a visual lullaby, lulling you into a gentle state of boredom. There’s no real momentum, and the repetition of these static scenes makes it feel like you’ve been trapped in a loop of endless small talk. I mean, I’m all for character-driven scenes, but this was more like watching people wait for the bus while occasionally talking about their feelings.

If only the director had decided to, I don’t know, add a bit of movement or activity to the scenes? Maybe let the characters actually do something while they talk? But alas, creativity must have been on vacation during production.

In conclusion, Cooking Crush had the ingredients for a decent rom-com—great actors, a cute premise, and a fan-favorite pairing. But due to lazy directing, uninspired cinematography, and a plot that involves far too much standing around doing nothing, it ends up feeling more like a half-baked dish than a gourmet meal. If you’re looking for something light and easy to watch, go for it. But if you’re expecting a culinary masterpiece? You might want to lower the heat.

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They Better of Friends!

I don't know the Thai entertainment industry much, but their script is too bland and has no depth when it comes to the BL series. the acting looks like a parody sometimes.

Now let's talk about Pro & Cons of this series:
- Short series: this series is short and way too sweet & cute but if you find chemistry b/w the leads you will be disappointed, they look more like friends rather than couples.
- The food in the series looks indeed appetizing but idk when the 3rd year cooking student can't even chop vegies properly.
- Fire's mom changes in the end completely within one go is so unexpected but most unexpected was Paeng [Prem's sister] dating his friend was shocking and so unnecessary.
- Imagine you admire your senior and out of nowhere he has a crush on you.
- Prem's personality is so shy every time Ten has to stand up for him...
- Ten has the touching issue which he addressed after 3rd time meeting Prem even tho he had no problem touching him for the first time, he realized it after Prem moved him in the market. In the starting, he said, "Money is not the problem." turned out to be his father's money and he had a problem... Dude you only said that when you knew there would be no problem but suddenly your dad took account of your spending and you had no idea. How slow he is?
- His senior doctor doesn't need to look like his mom, it was too obvious.
- the series is short with a good story but the script was not compatible and made it a little bland puppy love.

Anyway, it is a one-time watch series if you are Gun & Off fan. You can enjoy the puppy love and the little cute less funny scenes.

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Just kind of bland

It's a nice heartwarming series, but it is just a bit bland and boring.

Things I liked:

1. The side couple was quite cute, a bit more on a “toxic” side, but it's nothing crazy.
2. I really liked the dynamic between the main couple.
3. Lots of cute and sweet moments.
4. Series has an enjoyable humor.
5. A lot of supportive parents.

Things I disliked:

1. A lot of cliches and just overused stuff.
2. Overused sound effects.
3. Ten's father and his ways of disciplining and “educating” his son.
4. The way Unky reacted to his friends having “secrets” from him, while I can understand him being upset. His reaction was still quite jarring and the way he went about the whole situation was not the best in my opinion.
5. It is slow and could've been significantly shorter without even losing any of the plot.

Overall it was quite nice and enjoyable but would be much better if it was shorter.

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