6 reviews · average 6.3 / 10
Eyeyore · 15 Jul 2010
It's almost like magic.People who knew nothing about Haute Couture Chinese dining or basic cooking suddenly whipping up Peking Duck,handmade noodles and shark fins. This show is entertaining and delicious if we all put aside our logic and reasoning.
clcs85 · 13 Jan 2005
Ninomiya is the only actor that keeps me continue watching this drama. Not a very lousy drama but it really doesn't have the driving force to make me watch it! Haa~~~ Besides, the cantonese that is spoken in this drama is really terrible, cannot understand at all.
Yayoi · 27 Nov 2004
Initially, I thought this was a show about food, which it still is, except that the underlying theme is about one's own dreams. The story kicks off with Tachibana (Suzuki Kyoka) who, due to her own pride, drove away the chefs of well-known Chinese restaurant, Heiheiro, all because she wanted the seven top chefs in Hong Kong to cook for the feast she had organized and wanted the chefs of the restaurant to be their "helpers". Unfortunately, due to a breakdown of communication and misunderstanding, she also ousted the seven top chefs she invited from the ship.
With no choice left, she had to put together a group of "amateurs" including Heiheiro's dishwasher who was left behind, Sakota (Shiina Kippei) and wanna-be chef, Nanami (Ninomiya Kazunari). From here onwards, the story progress telling us how these "chefs" overcome the odds to make dishes that won the hearts of the VIP guests. Along the way, each characters' pasts are slowly revealed and how they overcome their obstacles (ranging from friendship to love to family and even themselves). Everyone of them has a dream and we can somehow see this slowly emerging through their short stint on the ship.
The story is funny, and sometimes, inspirational and encouraging. Everyone of the cast did quite well: Kippei was hilarious as a mostly misunderstood man; Kazunari was kawaii as the wannabe; Mikihisa came across as a brute at first but still lovable in his own ways and even the "much-hated-and-annoying" Shiro did very well as a grim and proper "waiter-cum-manager" only to reveal later that he has another kind and kawaii side to him. ^_~
My only gripe about this show is that some parts are so exaggerated that it makes me cringe, and the soundtrack is pretty much similar throughout the whole show. Also, not sure if it's just me, but the cantonese they used at the start and end each episode sounds really weird. But overall, it's a really nice, light-hearted drama. The ending was funny and cute too, and like Ryaltheyre mentioned, it's a bit of a cliff hanger. But my guess is, it's up to the viewer to decide whether the end of the short stint onboard the ship is simply the end, or was it the start of new beginning. :)
zbl · 12 Sep 2003
only watched like the 1st three episodes. unfortunately, it cannot hold my attention.
the version that i had has the someone speaking cantonese in the beginning and end of each episode. argh!!! the accent is so terrible and drives me nuts.
average show based on the 1st three episodes. typical, has crisis -> solve crisis type of show.
Ryaltheyre · 11 Aug 2003
Whilst I was stuck house bound on an scholarship/exchange to Japan I became familiar with this drama, and was very sad when it ended. It contained humor, and suspense. At times it was light hearted, the cast was beautiful not only in body but for the most party in acting too. There were somethings that created a slight disenchantment with it, such as the ending of each episode was very similar for the most part. The last episode also seemed to end as a cliff hanger and for those reasons I do not give it a perfect score.
-Ryalth (aka Kaoru)
arashinokoto · 3 Jul 2003
well.. the reason i liked this drama was becuse shows whose timelines only last a short time interest me.. like this drama it lasts only the duration of a cruise ship vacation.. everyone in the show was great.. i won't be able to forget the character of each of the leads.. suzuki kyoka did a great job as shio and shiina kippei was humourous in a dark kind of way.. nino was cute and sweet at the same time as nanami-kun esp in the episode when he met the senpai he liked.. ato wa the rest of the cast .. kanpeki da.. even though the show focuses mainly on chuuka ryori, the development of each of the cast was good, and i got to see touching scenes everywhere in the drama.. a bit unrealistic, but it is a feel-good drama, so it worked.. ^^