私の記憶が確かならば. . .
If my memory is correct. . .I was going to try to think of something clever to write here, but I feel I would be downplaying the importance of the video I’m presenting to you today by doing that.
Many of you have probably already guessed what today’s special post is going to be. You are correct if you guessed that today’s special presentation is the first episode of the first season of Ryouri no Tetsujin.
Of course, the format of the show changed dramatically from the first episodes that aired in the fall of 1993.
–The show was only 30 minutes long when it started.
–There were two “battles” each episode. There was a preliminary battle between five outside challengers, and then a final battle between the preliminary winner and the Iron Chef.
–The cooking time for the final battle was 90 minutes (we barely get to see any of it in the show.)
But you also see the foundations of what we expect from an episode of Iron Chef. The Backdraft music is there in all its glory; Announcers Kenji Fukui and Yukio Hattori are there; Familiar judges are part of the tasting panel; a newly opened Kitchen Stadium is still the centerpiece of the show. And Chairman Kaga (looking young and eager to open his Bishoku Academy) takes his bell pepper bite in the same opening sequence that has become so familiar to us.
There will be more episodes from the first year of the show coming very soon to the site. I just thought that Season 1, Episode 1 deserved to be presented on its own. Enjoy this rare piece of Iron Chef history and finally see how it all began.
Iron Chef Episode 1 – Iron Chef Ishinabe vs. Maruyama – 10/10/1993
Everyone should give a special thank you to CraigV for finding and sharing these rare first season episodes with us.
SPECIAL NOTE: This, and the other first season episodes I’ll upload soon, all came from the recent rebroadcasts on FujiTV ONE. While these episodes have been found, we’re basically at the mercy of an anonymous Japanese uploader to continue sharing them. If you have the ability to provide these videos to us directly, please contact me. We don’t know how long Fuji will continue these rebroadcasts, so we would hate to miss this wonderful opportunity to see more original episodes.