Cooking Crush: Uncut Version (2023)

A step backwards for OffGun..

I love OffGun and watch everything they are in, whether it’s together or their solo projects, but I really have a soft spot for them, as they are one of the 1st BL couples that I fell in love with, in both dramas and reality shows.

Cooking Crush is not a bad BL, it is a rom-com BL, heavy on goofiness and comedy, but very light on storyline and character development.

My beef is mostly with GMMTV, for using veteran BL couples who have proven their worth- starting their careers with several lesser roles on several so-so series, and have now worked their way up to a certain level of stardom and credibility.

I feel like their apex was definitely hit with last year’s Not Me. Not only was it worthy of OffGun, it had substance, serious subject matter, and was thoughtfully executed by these the entire amazing cast.

I thought “great! now that everyone has seen them at their best, they won’t have to do high school or college roles anymore.” SMH ?‍♀️

GMMTV has such a huge catalog of teen- early 20’s actors that could have easily slipped into these Cooking Crush roles.

IMHO, it’s a waste of OffGun’s talent to put them in these types of series that they have already done many times and now can do in their sleep.

Just one fan’s opinion..??‍♀️

Read More

If you loved Not Me you'd be dissapointed with this series.

Sigh...

I was really looking forward to OffGun next BL after Not Me, and I just can't stand the fact how GMMTV fvcked up their potential and put them in the most meaningless and dull drama I've ever watched.

I'm not a big fan of cute and lighthearted dramas, but if something is well produced, I'll enjoy it. Unfortunately, I can't say the same thing about Cooking Crush. Almost every aspect on this BL makes me feel tired by just watching it.

The story is dramatically weak and, in my oppinion, it just doesn't fit OffGun. A few scenes are pretty goofy and, to be honest, I found myself smiling while watching it. But most of the time I feel like banging my head against the wall beacuse of the level of tediousness. Also, some of the plots are unnecessary and I think the whole show would be a bit better without them.

As for the acting, I also have mixed feelings. I loved OffGun's acting, especially in Not Me and a little less in Theory of Love. But when I watch them in Cooking Crush I get the feeling that they either don't want to be a part of the series and are forced into it. I've always admired Gun's acting for years and after watching his role as Prem, I can't understand what happened to him. I hope it's just the fault of the series and not something else.

I seriously want to say something more positive about Cooking Crush, but I can't. I can't stand the glowdown of OffGun's BLs after a masterpiece like Not Me. I'm forcing myself to watch this drama only because I love OffGun and THANK GOD it ends soon. Don't waste your time if you have high expectations for this series. By the end you will lose your brain cells and feel tired. It would make more sense to re-watch Theory of Love or Not Me and not even start Cooking Crush.

Read More

Love OffGun But Losing Brain Cells.

You should be able to tell if this show is for you within two episodes. You may enjoy this 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.

At Ep 9/12: My previous review of Ep 1-5 holds. I decided to give it a try again for OffGun's sake and watched Ep 6-9. Apparently the YouTube version is cut (in the USA). I switched to the uncut version via Telegram after Ep 5, but it didn't change my lack of enjoyment with the show.

Previous review: At Ep 5/12. This may not be a popular sentiment, but from my perspective, this show is a slog through simplistic boredom. Apart from Off & Gun's characters, most everyone else acts like middle-schoolers (around 11-13 years old) instead of university students. The 'humor' is extremely basic and simple. There's no cleverness in this screenplay at all. Most characters are more like caricatures and what little plot there is, is so far predictable.

I was so impressed with the series Not Me and Gun and Off were so fantastic in their roles. They acted with nuance, depth, and authentic emotions. The production of Cooking Crush is a huge downgrade for what their talent is capable of.

I'm watching the scenes with Off & Gun together at normal speed because they manage to elevate the generic material to bring some interest and depth to their interactions. For everything else I'm watching at 2x the speed to keep myself from dropping this show entirely.

I really want to support OffGun, but the screenplay is so shallow/simple/boring/predictable, and the secondary characters so annoying and often over-acted, that I really can't bring myself to rate this higher currently. If OffGun weren't a part of this show, I would have no qualms about rating it a 4 and dropping it.

Read More

love this change in dynamic

I loved this and thought it was adorable. I really enjoyed the change in dynamic for offgun where off was the one pursuing guns character. it's a nice change of pace.

this wasn't ever supposed to be a dramatic angst filled show. instead we got sweetness and some laugh out loud moments. I truly enjoyed this change in dynamic of OffGun. and the OST is chefs kiss. I think I listen to it a few times a week.

if you're looking for a low angst, light, fluffy, show give it a go l don't think you'd be disappointed.
also this was probably they most intense kissing these two have done

Read More

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.

Read More

Stopped Midway Through!

Off/Gun were fantastic & no, i'm not comparing series and roles here. just wanted to get that statement out of the way.
I stopped this series at episode 5. when something is interjected into the story for absolutely no reason & without justification and it sinks the already nonexistent storyline - i tap out. and during episode 5 (the father's visit to Prem) i tapped out. this was change for change sake. there was no reason to add that piece to the story. the reaction or lack thereof from Prem to the father annoyed me. this is not realistic in the slightest. no one will just stand there and be insulted and do/say absolutely nada. Moreover, as an adult/late teen, no one will tell you to stop seeing someone and you listen, especially a stranger you don't know. huh?

then to proceed to make excuses to your love interest. lie to your love interest. avoid your love interest. accept the notion that you scammed/stole from them. HUH? this is was nonsense. i cannot in good faith continue this series with the expectation that when i arrive at, let's say episode 9, some other nonsense curve/twist with out reason/justification.

I have yet to grasp why studios have perfectly great movies/series going and destroy with the need to interject drama. messy drama is not a requirement for folks to enjoy your content. realism, yes. drama, no. i guess, unfortunately, this is where the world is. people need controversy in order to stay engaged. i'm not that guy and will not subscribe to that kind of content. EVER!



*****UPDATED REVIEW*****

i finished watching the series 10 hours after the first review and i'll just say this...episodes 6-12 continue to raise my blood pressure. i could have done without finishing it, but i like to complete what i've invested in. the only good thing about this series was the discovery of the song Baby Crush, which i love now. that said, we can throw this series away.

Read More

Silly and heart-warming

This feels like a comfort show, something with very low stakes to watch when you can't handle anything heavy. This isn't a story with plot twists and jaw-dropping moments, but I think it does a great job at doing what it proposes, and that's something cute a silly.
I guess that if you don't care about cooking at all it might be boring for you, but I just started studying about it as a hobby so I really like how they put a sentimental meaning behind everything and have some subtleties on how they prepare the food that definitely show that they took the time to research the profession.
I'll watch anything with OffGun in it but even if this had other actors I'd probably still have enjoyed it (maybe not as much, but that's because it's difficult to match their chemistry lol).

Read More

Quite sweet and innocent drama

As usual I don't understand the low ratings of the acrimony associated with this drama. It was absolutely lovely with one of the best intros that i have seen in a dram in a very long time. The cast was positively perfect, and the couples were cute, sometimes to a saccharine degree. I enjoyed every moment of it. I see that a lot of people were not happy with the homophobia in the episode but i find that to be such an unrealistic position. In life not everyone is going to accept an unconventional relationship, these are simply the facts of life. To see that these problems were eventually sorted helps the drama along a lot. I would have been disappointed if there was no conflict or disagreement throughout. I'm also very happy it avoided the dreaded misunderstanding that usually occurs at the tail end of a series, those always irk me to no end. All in all this drama is going on my list as a rewatch and i hope in the future Dynamite and Fire get their own series, even though i cannot fathom what it would be about.

Read More

A SWEET TREAT FOR BABIS

If you follow OffGun for a while, you would have known that OffGun is not the type to take such cute and light hearted series like this and we always were impressed with their amazing series like NotMe, Theory Of Love but this series are fluff and comedy which is a sweet treat for Babis. Some will like it but some will not but for me, as a long time Babis, I LOVE IT!!! I feel like Gun shows a different side of him because usually we will see how defensive he is being towards Off but in this series, as Prem, he is being 100% honest with his feelings and there is no stupid conflict like him always crying for stupid shit. I like Prem's character, he is being straight forward though, he doesn't deny his feelings towards Ten. AND CAN I JUST SAY HOW ADORABLE THEIR KISS IN EP 5????? LIKE UM HELLO??? THEY BOTH LEAN FOR THE KISS WHICH SHOWS THEY BOTH LIKES EACH OTHER??!!!!!

UGHHHHH!!! MY GOODNESS!!!! SO ADORABLE! OFF'S CHARACTER THOUGH, i found it cute. Ten's character is someone who just do it without thinking for the outcome and he prioritize love over logic which is opposite of Off lol. He usually takes the character of being aggressive and tense but again, Ten is someone sweet, quite naive but sometimes could be sexy too LOL. If you watch the series, you will know what Im talking about LMAOOO. But to be honest, I dont have any much complain except that I found Neo be in this series is somewhat a little bit... off? He usually takes such a strong character but this character is too soft and too... how do I say this... too passive. I feel like he is being dishonest LMAO. IM SORRY. AND Okay, i understand that Aungpao is a good actor but still, something lacking and UGH I CANNOT SHRUG THE FACT THAT HIS CHARACTER WERE SUPPOSE TO BE PLAY BY MARK PAKIN!!! UGH he would have play that character like it's his life!!

Other than that, I still feel that new actor in this series still need more workshop and more room of improvement to do. Anyway, I still love this series since im a Babi. SO - now im waiting for the trainee series to be release so MORE OFFGUN!!! JYEAHHHHH!!! If you are a fan of light hearted comedy fluff series, please go ahead and watch this naaa <3

Read More