Morimoto's Sushi Master (2023– ) User Reviews

Good, but times have changed since Iron Chef from the 1990's.

[gatsby2112 · 7/10 · 29 November 2023]

The original Japanese production Iron Chef was much more enjoyable than this. I remember visiting Morimoto's restaurant in NYC way back in the day. The only time I tried real Wasabi.

Not a fan of blue hair and tattoos, it's distracting. Reminds me of bright colors in reptiles as a warning to stay away. 😆

This had way too much editing. Also the original Iron Chef Japanese didn't discuss how the chefs identified themselves as (who cares? It's about their abilities). Just like Iron Chef America this falls short of the original concept.

Also, Morimoto was very serious in the Japanese production and now he did a complete 180 in this show.

Above Average

[coles_notes · 6/10 · 3 July 2023]

From RokuTV and the great Iron Chef Morimoto comes a new, sushi specific cooking competition. A sucker for food related shows, and with a huge love for Morimoto himself I quickly started this series soon after I saw it advertised. All in all, I was fairly impressed. A big fan of sushi myself, the food alone kept me interested, but I definitely stayed for Morimoto's charm. Not in the series near as much as I would have liked / hoped, whenever Morimoto is around its a blast. He's so charming and goofy, while remaining so critical and brutally honest. Its clear how skilled a master at his craft he is and its quite refreshing hearing his insights to the contestants, as well has how much he just wants to see them succeed. He's joined by two guest judges, Kenji Lopez-Alt and Dakota Weiss, both of who I liked, and hosted by Lyrica Okano, who is no Alton Brown but suits fine. Again I really just wanted 10x as much Morimoto himself than what we got. The show progresses as a fairly typical food competition show, there's some secret ingredients, rewards that let you manipulate other players, and of course the standard once per episode elimination until there's crowned a sushi master. The contestants themselves are also quite good, there's even a villain + redemption arc, which I always love in my reality tv. All-in-all if you're looking for a food show and love sushi, would definitely recommend.

Good Until Kenji Showed Up

[mubbly24 · 5/10 · 8 July 2023]

The intolerable Kenji Lopez-Alt soured this otherwise great and ambitious sushi focused cooking competition show.

Between Kenji, the clueless host, and Dakota Weiss whom fronts two bland looking poke joints, you're left desiring individuals with more clout in the world of sushi. Chef Morimoto, while entertaining, doesn't have the charisma or vocabulary to carry the show.

Adding to the disappointment, a great deal of senseless fusion is brought into the mix along with some challenges bizarrely omitting sushi altogether as early as episode 2. Sushi is versatile enough to feature a wealth of different dishes and challenges while staying true to the definition of sushi.

The good news is that if you, as a sushi lover, are looking for inspiring dishes with creative presentations then you have found a solid show. Just be prepared to tune out some gripes.

Overall a bit of a letdown..