Crelisya

I think the biggest issue with this drama is that it's trying to do far too much for what its format allows. And that's a shame, because I genuinely believe it could have been a really good drama if it had been given 20 episodes, like some k-dramas used to have back in the day. There would have been so much more room to develop the characters, flesh out the storylines and, most importantly, do justice to the main concept. Unfortunately, with only 12 episodes, it feels like the drama is biting off more than it can chew.

I was actually waiting for the competition to properly kick off before making up my mind about the drama, but they ended up doing exactly what I was afraid they would: glossing over the entire selection process.

We're essentially skipping one of the most important aspects of a competition and jumping straight into the final stages, with teams that have already been selected. And to me, that's where a lot of the appeal lies in the first place. Watching contestants compete, discovering their skills and personalities, seeing how they interact with one another and gradually figuring out who stands out is what makes you invested. It's the journey that gets you attached to the participants, not just the final result. I understand that budget and episode limitations might have forced them to make cuts, but I honestly think they made some questionable choices when it came to pacing.

What's even more frustrating is that the first three episodes had quite a few unnecessary lengthy moments. They could have easily trimmed some scenes and worked on smoother transitions to make room for the parts that actually needed more time.

And that's exactly where my biggest frustration comes in: the competition itself feels incredibly rushed.

We barely get a chance to appreciate the contestants' dishes, let alone properly explore what each participant brings to the table. The interactions between the judges and contestants are equally brief, and the focus seems to be almost entirely on the main characters and their dishes, while everyone else gets very little attention.

In a cooking competition drama, I want to see the food being presented in detail, beautifully shot and given its moment to shine. I want to see the judges' reactions, hear their comments and actually feel that they're taking the time to evaluate what they're tasting. Instead, everything feels like a quick "Okay, next!" and we're immediately moving on to the next contestant.

There's simply no room to savour anything. Everything is so rushed that I never really get the chance to feel immersed or invested in the competition. At times, it feels more like a soulless culinary showcase designed to market the drama than an actual cooking competition. Which is such a shame, considering that food should be the main attraction here.

I also find the overall episode structure rather disjointed. A lot of screen time goes into explaining the rules and objectives of the mission, which is perfectly fine in itself, but the execution feels superficial. I expected a much smoother flow, more natural transitions and a better way of introducing the challenges without making the storytelling feel so fragmented.

The dialogue doesn't help either. It often feels incredibly hollow, with generic, almost formulaic lines that sound more like scripted statements than actual conversations. There's very little personality or emotional depth to them, and I find myself struggling to connect with what's happening.

Another thing is that the drama seems to be juggling several genres at once: culinary competition, political conflict, revenge and even a bit of thriller. I'm not against that combination at all. In fact, I think adding political intrigue and higher stakes could have made the story even more interesting. But you need to know how to balance these elements and make them work together. Here, they don't really complement one another; instead, everything feels thrown into the same pot without much thought. The result is a rather messy narrative where the main focus, which should be the cooking, ends up getting lost in the process.

And finally, this is purely a personal preference, but I'm really not connecting with the female lead. I find her expressions quite limited, and her performance feels rather stiff. She doesn't convey much emotion to me, which makes it difficult to get invested in her character. I don't particularly have that issue with the rest of the cast, but with her, I just can't seem to click.

Overall, I feel like this drama has a lot of potential, but it desperately needs to learn how to prioritise. It wants to be so many things at once that it ends up neglecting the very thing that should make it stand out. A longer format, better pacing and more attention to the actual culinary competition could have made a world of difference.

It's frustrating because I can see what they were going for, and I genuinely think there's a good drama somewhere in there. I just don't think the execution is doing the concept justice so far.

Anyway, I might end up dropping it, but I still wanted to share my thoughts so people can get an idea of what to expect before deciding whether to watch it. Of course, everyone experiences dramas differently, but that's where I stand after four episodes.