Culinary Class Wars (Netflix)
Yoon Heeseong: It’s all about flavor. Famous chefs or “white spoons” compete against the self-proclaimed masters of the underdogs or “black spoons” in Culinary Class Wars and the rules of the game are really quite simple: Make the tastier dish within the time limit to win. Other than the open trial held at the beginning to start off with the same number of people on each team, the contestants were left with nothing more than their team, and the uniform on their backs in team colors. There seem to be no advantages or disadvantages to anyone. The judges were even blindfolded in one of the rounds to highlight that the contestants were judged solely by the flavor of their food. The starting point, and perhaps, focal point of the show are its judges. Chef Sung Ahn, who is known to be a perfectionist, once suggested that his serving staff take ballet lessons to give the diners the ultimate fine dining experience. Restauranteur Paik Jong-won favors efficiency over striving for the best possible flavors. These two people who have different approaches to food and cooking must come up with the same answer to the same question for a winner to be determined: So, which bite was better?

When the rules of the game are stripped to their bare minimum - not even the plating can skew the decision either way - the competition can get fierce. But Culinary Class Wars doesn’t forget to place the appreciation and respect for the person behind the food above what the food tastes like. The only reason why the royal gonryongpo-clad bibimbap cook who spelled out the word ‘bibim’ with his bibimbap on cymbals was eliminated was because his food was too salty. One of the judges was really happy with the food that was served on a school cafeteria tray, but reserved judgment fearing that his fond memories of school might have affected his perception. It wasn’t that he was cold-hearted, though, but rather that he wanted to truly appreciate the chef’s talent for itself. The show slowly but surely showed the audience that the judges’ palates were indeed dependable, then it finally revealed its true intent. YouTuber Seungwoo’s Dad, who created a unique dish with his arsenal of gadgets and gizmos went up against chef Choi Gang-rok, who created a braised radish dish that was familiar to almost anyone. Class or team colors might just be the decorative flowers on the plate - it doesn’t really contribute to the taste of the dish. The competition is an honest one between people who have gone through hours and hours of training. The scenes depict dishes that anyone would gladly have a bite of, and recipes that stood the test of time are probably the program's most reliable starting line. They say that you can’t beat the flavor that you are familiar with. Cooking show connoisseurs will have a hard time turning down this familiar looking show.

Animation film Look Back
Baek Seol-hee: The animation film entitled Look Back was released exclusively at Megabox theaters on September 5. The film is based on the short manga series of the same title by Tatsuki Fujimoto, who is known for Chainsaw Man. It stays close to the original that is famous for its film-like scenes and yet fills the empty spaces with fairytale stories. The film truly reflects what we’ve imagined while reading the manga, and perhaps gives us even more. It’s worth a watch even for those who haven’t read the original manga. The film subtly fills in the blanks left by the manga, like the quick paced dynamics of the four-cut comic strips drawn by Fujino and the last scene where she sits and draws for a long time, while it exaggerates the dramatic scenes like the one where Fujino dances in the rain after coming back from meeting Kyomoto to create an explosion of emotions.

Studio Durian, which produced the film, was a subcontractor that collaborated with different productions but started to produce feature-length animations beginning with Look Back. Though a small studio, it is a unique one just like its namesake fruit and aims to create the highest quality work that will entice the viewers. Judging by Look Back, it seems like they are off to a good start. If you ever trusted someone to have your back or mustered up the energy to keep going by following someone else, or you miss the days when you have been deeply immersed in something, then you will love this film.

Snow Hunters (Paul Yoon)
Kim Boksung (Writer) : How do you open yourself up to a new life in an unfamiliar place when the land you left behind is so integral to your identity?
Yohan, a twentysomething Korean refugee who’s transplanted from a POW camp to Brazil, has to reshape his life from scratch as a tailor’s apprentice in a port town in Paul Yoon’s short book Snow Hunters. As the novella unfolds over a period of years, his boss and mentor, Kiyoshi, becomes like a father figure to Yohan, while he also crosses paths with a warmhearted groundskeeper and two homeless children. But it’s a long, slow process for the character, whose lingering trauma means he’s all but closed himself off from the world.
Although told in third person, the narrative reflects this restrained point of view, with hushed descriptions of this new country, and understated insights into Yohan’s psyche, with very little dialogue. So much of the short, poignant sentences lend their power through what is left unsaid, giving the reader a chance to immerse themselves in and read into the prose as much as they might with a poem. With a simple, impressionistic tone that almost feels like Camus searching for meaning in Hesse’s Siddhartha, it’s a brief, meditative read on how love and hope can work to slowly help a person reconnect with the world around them.