During its heyday, Iron Chef had celebrities like Mother creator Shigesato Itoi on to taste its delicious looking and interesting meals. The show was a smash hit. And now, it has returned to Japanese television after a 13-year hiatus. And nobody's watching.
According to J-Cast, online and in weekly magazines, people have been saying that the food doesn't look tasty, and therefore, the desire to watch has vanished.
The theory is that the show's digital broadcast, while giving a crystal clear image, isn't exactly showing the food and its preparation in the best light. "I was surprised the first time I watched it and the food didn't look good," wrote one comment, while another said the dishes looked "experimental".
It is thought that the way Iron Chef depicts the process of making a dish looks less appetizing in the digital age than it did during the show's analog broadcast days. Others complained about the guests (bring back Itoi!).
This is an odd theory. There are other cooking shows in Japan that do digital broadcasts, and the food does look good. Maybe there's a simpler explanation for this: Maybe the new Iron Chef just sucks?