01x05 - Episode 5

[bunniefuu]

Previously on Iron Wok Jan!

Otani...

You really aren't worth a damn.

A piece of crap critic who wouldn't
know taste if it slapped him in the face!

- THIS IS FICTION WITH NO INTENTIONAL RESEMBLANCE
TO ANY PERSONS, ORGANIZATIONS, OR OCCURRENCES.

- OUT OF RESPECT FOR THE SOURCE MATERIAL, THERE MAY BE
SCENES CONSIDERED OFFENSIVE TO MODERN SENSIBILITIES.

- ALL-JAPAN CHINESE CUISINE CONGLOMERATION

- What I'm suggesting is...

We take young chefs from all across Japan

and throw one giant cooking competition!

THEIR REGULAR MEETING

SAI NOBUNORI: ALL-JAPAN CHINESE
\nCUISINE CONGLOMERATION PRESIDENT

The kids out there these days
really know their stuff!

This'd be a huge tourney
where they're all invited,

regardless of how famous they are!

And we broadcast the whole thing.
It'll be a hit!

I see. A tournament for young chefs, eh?

It sounds like a great idea, Chairman.

I see. A tournament, huh?

Exactly! One with the weight and prestige

of the All-Japan Chinese
Cuisine Conglomeration behind it!

Here we go! My genius plan!

I'm gonna use this to ruin those fools
who had the nerve to humiliate me!

Your days are numbered, Gobancho's!

Especially yours... Akiyama Jan!

There's going to be a
Chinese cooking competition

featuring exclusively young chefs
as the competitors.

Representing our restaurant will be
Gobancho Kiriko and Akiyama Jan!

That's you two.

Whoa! Kiriko-san makes sense,
but why Akiyama?!

Head Chef, if this is for younger chefs,
couldn't we have sent—

Funny you should mention that.

For whatever reason, they
requested Akiyama's participation.

And apparently, it's by invitation only.

Naturally.

The guys running this show know
exactly who's got real skills.

And I guess you'll be tagging along.

Just don't cook anything that
reflects poorly on the restaurant.

The day of the tournament!

With Otani's vulgar scheme
lurking below the surface,

- young chefs assemble to test
their skills here at Tokyo Dome!

- FIRST ALL-JAPAN CHINESE CHEF
CHAMPIONSHIP VENUE

Just look at this huge crowd!

- Some of them look like real
characters too, Osawa-san.

- KANTO TV DIRECTOR DAVID OSAWA

- Just what I'd expect with cooks
from across the country

- who're confident
in their dishes and skills!

Let's see just who we're dealing with...

That's Jun Tomohide from Oriental Tower!

Jun-kun? Jun-kun!

Oh, hello there, Osawa-san.

I take it you're participating?

And with all this competition!
How do you think you'll fare?

It's just the qualifiers.
Won't be a problem.

What confidence!

There's a reason you're one of
the favorites to win this thing.

Such presence, and only sixteen!

Wh-What is it?

Osawa-san, cooking is all about tradition.

And at Oriental Tower,
we have four hundred years of history.

My ancestors were court chefs.
Their spirit endured the move to Yokohama,

where they set down roots
that run all the way to the modern day.

That's four centuries of technique
that have been passed down to me.

If you'll excuse me...

Well, he definitely seems confident.

He's got the goods to back it up.

You handled that well, Boss.

Just "one" of the favorites?
Can you believe him?

How is anyone here gonna beat
my four hundred years of tradition?

CHEF TOMOHIDE JUN, FROM ORIENTAL TOWER

Kumagen!

It's Kumagen! He's competing, too?!

CHEF ABUKUMA GENJI, AKA "KUMAGEN,"
FROM HOKKAIDO'S KING SEA LION

He cooks Chinese dishes with rare
ingredients like bear, whale, and seal.

He's always on TV and in the magazines.

Wow. Bear dishes?

The tastiest part of a bear
is the pad of their right front paw!

- *THEORIES VARY

- The reason being that it's what they use
to scoop out the honey they eat!

- Even when they hibernate, they make
sure their paws are slathered in honey

- to slurp up as they make it through
the winter! Didn't know that, did you?!

- Understand?

S-Sure.

This championship belongs to
everyone's favorite TV chef, Kumagen!

I'm not letting anyone get in my way!

Try and make sure you film me on
the right at a 45 degree angle, please.

That's right!

Try to stay on top of that, cameraman!

S-Sawada Kei-kun from Kun Lun in Roppongi!

"Everyone's favorite TV chef," huh?

Does he think being a guest on talk shows
makes him a better Chinese chef?

The trick to good cooking
is to befriend the flames.

And here you have...

zhima xueogao.

Ice cream made from white sesame.

How pretty! The ice cream is on fire!

It's so romantic!

You never disappoint, Sawada-kun!

Cooking is all about fire!

I mastered the fundamentals
of cooking at age ten...

and that's the conclusion I,
Sawada Kei, came to!

CHEF SAWADA KEI, FROM THE CHINESE
RESTAURANT KUN LUN

You're always so cool!

There's no doubt you're gonna win!

You think he's a competitor, too?

A temperature of 22 degrees
at 65 percent humidity...

Not all that different
from inside the dome.

But it's supposed to rain this afternoon.

KAWAHARA YUJI, A STUDENT FROM
THE KAWAHARA COOKING SCHOOL

I guess some real weirdos turned out, too.

Cameraman! Here come some
of the stars of this show!

Get footage of them!

Right!

The darling of Japan's preeminent
Chinese establishment,

Gobancho's Chinese! It's Gobancho Kiriko!

She's not all that famous yet,

but the judges will be
paying attention to her.

The other one with the nasty look

is, according to food critic Otani-san,
a "person of interest."

He's supposed to be the absolute worst!

Boss, the Gobancho girl is here.

I see.

So that's Gobancho Kiriko...

Well, well, well!

You're Gobancho Kiriko-san, I take it?

I hear you're quite the chef.

Oh, I suppose I should introduce myself.

I work at Roppongi's—

I don't care. Come on, Akiyama.

Yeah.

Oh my...

H-Hey, you!

Are you for real?! That's Sawada Kei
from Roppongi's Kun Lun!

He's as hot to look at
as he is in the kitchen!

Don't you know him?!

No, I don't. What's your deal?

Ugh! Why is she so rude?!

What're you squealing about? It's not
like he's gonna cook with his face.

Hey. Who are you supposed to be?

Akiyama. Akiyama Jan!

Akiyama...

It's him...

Wait. Akiyama, as in...?

- Is he related to the legendary
Akiyama Kaiichiro?

- He's the guy who pissed off
Otani the food critic.

Ah, so he's the one.

Looks like your reputation precedes you.

The All-Japan Chinese Chef Championship!

First, our chefs are split
into 24 blocks for the qualifiers.

Those who succeed make it into the
tournament, where they will do battle.

And the trio who fight
all the way through

will face each other in the finals!

- ALL-JAPAN CHINESE CHEF CHAMPIONSHIP

- During the qualifiers, competitors
in each block will prepare a dish

- in keeping with a theme.

You can use ingredients
prepared by the tournament

or whatever you've brought in.

As for your block...

You will be making soup.

Soup?

You have two hours.

Now then, best of luck to you all.

And now, let the All-Japan Chinese Chef
Championship qualifiers...

...begin!

Chicken! Where's the damn chicken?!

Holy crap! Look at all
the different kinds of eggs!

I touched it first!

No, I did!

Can't let them get an edge on me!
Gotta find the best ingredients!

Meanwhile, in Jan's block...

Soup! Where are the soup ingredients?!

Canned shark fin!

Okay, I'm gonna use this
to make shark fin soup!

Damn it! Then I'll use actual shark fin!

I'm surrounded by absolute morons.

Canned shark fin is gonna
result in a bland dish.

And the guy using actual
shark fin is even dumber.

No way can he rehydrate that in two hours.

Some chump's using edible bird nests here.

Doubt he's got the know-how to use
such an expensive ingredient.

That guy seems to know
what he's doing, though.

Eel... He's going to make medicinal food.

Hey, Akiyama.

You're the Akiyama guy
riding his grandpa's coattails, right?

Otani-san told me all about you.

Gotta stand on your own two feet
to get anywhere here, though.

And I, Fujita the Chinese medicinal
chef, will show you that!

FUJITA KANICHI, FROM THE MEDICINAL
CHINESE RESTAURANT FUJITA'S

Medicinal cuisine!

An ancient style founded on the belief

that medicine and diet
share the same foundation.

By selecting certain
ingredients for effect,

the idea is to balance the ying
and yang aspects of the body's qi.

Medicinal cooking was regarded so highly

that the imperial court even
had medical chefs!

What? Not gonna say anything back?

Okay. I'm gonna use these.

Wow!

I guess you're human after all, Head Chef!

Worried about how your niece is doing?

Ow!

Well, y'know, Okonogi,
maybe if you study hard enough,

you'll be able to enter
the next tournament.

R-Right...

Come on, we're here.

And that's it! Time's up.

This concludes your cooking.

The judges will now
begin visiting each block.

Looks like we're late.

Aw, and the qualifiers are over already.

Hey, there's Kiriko-san!

Oh? Uncle and Okonogi?
What brings you by?

We wanted to see how things were going.

How were the qualifiers?

Just fine, of course.

- GOBANCHO KIRIKO: QUALIFIED

- I was obviously gonna make it through.

Congratulations, Kiriko-san!

That's good to hear.

Thanks!

Now then, what about Akiyama?

Meanwhile, in the other blocks...

Oh, here he comes!

How'd you do, Sawada-kun?!

Why, I passed, of course.

SAWADA KEI: QUALIFIED

Congratulations, sir!

Good work in there, Boss.

Not much of a challenge.
It was only the qualifiers, after all.

TOMOHIDE JUN: QUALIFIED

What is his deal?!

Whatever he did, it wasn't cooking!
Don't you agree?!

Now, now...

I guess it's true.
A whipped dog does whine more.

KAWAHARA YUJI: QUALIFIED

Say what?!

How am I eliminated?!

My bear dishes are always fantastic!

Especially today, since I bought
ultrahigh-quality bear paw to cook!

This is unacceptable!

I-It's not that your dish was bad...

It was good! It was good, but...

But her dish was even better!

Wha...

ABUKUMA GENJI: ELIMINATED

Wh-What's going on here?

This way! Hurry!

What's all that about?

What happened?

Why are they on the ground?

Wh-What is this?!

What's the meaning of this?!

What exactly happened to them?

Don't tell me...
They're not dead, are they?

Someone contact the steering committee!

Hey! You there!
What happened to the judges?!

How did they end up like this?!

Nothing special.

They just ate some of my cooking.

It was an unbelievable sight!

And it raised the question...
Just what did Jan cook?

The four judges will
now evaluate your dishes.

Ten points constitutes full marks.

Whoever has the highest score
will proceed to the tournament.

Right! Thank you all.

Thank you!

I see.

TANAKA: 4

On to the next dish.

The suspense is k*lling me.
What kinda score did I get?

You guys don't need to worry...
considering I'm bound to win.

Something funny over there?

Nothing of interest to you.

And look, Akiyama. You're up next.

My.

Looks like some kind of mushroom soup.

What a strange aroma.
Something about it whets the appetite.

Let's see...

Well, it tastes good. Not bad at all.

Somewhat impressive.

As for the score...

AKIYAMA: 5

AKIYAMA: 6

AKIYAMA: 6

Sounds like your soup is "not bad."

Mine's up next.

HAN YAO DUNMAN YU: MEDICINAL EEL SOUP
FOR VITALITY & AGING, A DIURETIC

Now this is quite good!

I see, medicinal soup! How nice.

It's great that it doesn't have
a medicinal taste.

A lovely color and aroma, too.

This seems right.

FUJITA: 9

FUJITA: 8

FUJITA: 8

FUJITA: 9

Guess your grandpa couldn't
help you this time, Akiyama-kun.

They seemed to like mine more.

Don't make me laugh, dumbass.

Akiyama-style cooking is way more
potent than your medicine.

So you're a sore loser?

We'll now announce who's moving
on to the tournament.

The winner is...

Uh, hang on a second.

Hmm? Is something wrong?

No, it's just... something
caught my attention.

That's Akiyama's soup.

You know, I think that score was wrong.

AKIYAMA

Actually, I have to agree.

Let me redo mine.

M-Me, too.

Mm, it's so good!

AKIYAMA

What's going on here?
They're raising his score?

Sorry about that.

I've corrected mine.

And these are your final scores?

I'll announce the winner, then.

Proceeding to the tournament is...

Actually...

F-Forgive us, but...

Let's give that another go!

One more taste!

I need to taste it again!

It's good! No, it's fantastic!

What a sublime taste!
I couldn't ask for more!

How did I not realize
it was so good earlier?!

Ten points! Something this good
could only score ten points!

No, that's not enough...

A hundred out of ten!
That's how magnificent it is!



More! I need more! G-G-Gimme some more!

Soup! Soup!

It's glorious!

And so my soup ended up sending
the judges off to dream land.

Wh-What in the world did you make?

That can't just be
ordinary mushroom soup!

Nah, that's exactly what it is.

Though I did use a special blend!

Wh-What blend?

You've got certain mushrooms
that have certain unique properties...

Individually, they're harmless,

but mix them together in a certain way,
and they produce powerful hallucinogens.

I used some Strophariaceae​
and Cortinariaceae​.

Totally nontoxic... unless you
combine them in a certain ratio,

which is when they produce
hallucinogenic and stimulant effects.

Magic mushrooms, eh?

That's remarkable...

Damn right.

In modern times, because of their
hallucinogenic effect, magic mushrooms

are controlled as a base
ingredient in narcotics.

However, in the 1990s
when the manga was written,

there were no specific regulations.

This led to intense debate among
the editorial staff about their depiction.

Saijo-sensei has reflected on how
the idea was originally rejected,

saying, "It's the kind of trouble that
could only come from Iron Wok Jan!"

This guy's a total maniac!

Damn it, Akiyama.

You...

Is this your idea of cooking,
you dumbass?!

Because it's not cooking!
You poisoned them!

Wrong!

You people are the only ones
who think they were poisoned.

Take a look.

The judges all savored the sublime taste

and are now basking in the
afterglow... of my cooking!

I really can't let this lunatic run wild.

You're a real piece of work,
you know that?

I don't even see you as a fellow chef.

So I'm gonna take you down.

Sawada Kei's red-hot cooking
is gonna toast you!

EPISODE 5: THE MAGIC OF BLISS