Actor Park Ji-hoon, known for his 10-million-viewer success, has taken a bold leap into comedy, and it is full-on “B-grade absurd” humor.
The TVING original series ‘The Legendary Army Cook’ (Written by Choi Ryong, Directed by Jo Nam-hyung) has finally premiered.
‘The Legendary Army Cook’ is a military cooking fantasy drama that follows Private Kang Seong-jae (Park Ji-hoon), who swaps a rifle for a kitchen knife and a belt for an apron on his journey to becoming a legendary cook. Much like a game, viewers can enjoy the process of Kang Seong-jae, who enters the military as a “dirt spoon” beginner with nothing, leveling up to become a max-level army cook.
The series garnered significant attention as the next project for Park Ji-hoon, who starred in the hit movie ‘The Man Living with the King’ (which drew 16 million viewers). Park Ji-hoon mentioned he was challenging himself with a comedy role completely different from his previous work, and viewers are already reacting, saying, “I didn’t know he’d go this far to be funny!”
The appeal of the drama is simple and clear. It blends the original’s signature B-grade sensibility with realistic humanism found in military life. Taking a completely different route from Netflix’s ‘D.P.’, which dealt with the heavy realities of the military, ‘The Legendary Army Cook’ races forward with cartoonish direction and CG. By adding a game fantasy element to the daily lives of soldiers, similar to the lighthearted portrayals in ‘Blue Tower’ or ENA’s ‘New Recruit’, it successfully blurs the line between military life and game fantasy.
The show is filled with exaggerated direction, reactions, and manga-like plot developments. For instance, when the Battalion Commander (Jung Woong-in) tastes a spoonful of Kang Seong-jae’s sea urchin seaweed soup and falls into a state of ecstasy, the scene is depicted like Michelangelo’s ‘The Creation of Adam,’ perfectly capturing the B-grade absurd identity of the show. Since viewers cannot taste the food, the series focuses heavily on funny reactions to keep the audience engaged, making it an easy watch even for those who aren’t particularly interested in military stories.
Because of this, the show’s appeal may be polarizing. Its approach to B-grade comedy is so intense that even fans of the genre might be surprised. However, the strong performances of the actors keep the show grounded. Park Ji-hoon, now the “sad-eyed recruit,” shows growth while facing realistic military injustices, ensuring the series does not feel too superficial.
