Of the many Chinese restaurants in Japan, Gobancho’s in Ginza stands above the rest for its high-quality meals, as demonstrated by its signature dish, “golden fried rice,” cooked to perfection by a trainee, Kiriko—who also happens to be the heiress to the restaurant. But not every chef is as hard-working or talented as Kiriko, even in this famed establishment; the fried rice served to a stranger who enters and demands dinner after closing hours shows as much. Throwing the dish away in front of the chefs, he tells them he can do better, and then proceeds to. This forceful “stranger” is from a rival chef’s grandson—and is about to become the newest trainee at Gobancho.

Something funny happened on the way to the interesting finale (more on that below) of Iron Wok Jan’s first episode: I went from finding it dull and uninspired to really enjoying it, particularly as I realized that the things I was taking points off for, like a teacher with a red pen, were intentionally done and helped support a really fun atmosphere, one that’s a throwback to the 90s when the manga for this series was created. That point is emphasized in an unusual, almost promo-style final minute that takes us back to 1995, when the series premiered, and shows us a bit of the manga as well. This finale is kind of a final blow to the viewers of the episode, which has been preparing us all along for a throwback series with its over-the-top thumps and reactions, a combo of headstrong leads in Kiriko and Jan, and comical facial expressions and too-large mouth movements, which are all reminiscent of that period of anime. But more than being a nostalgia trip, I will say I thoroughly enjoyed watching the food being made (I feel challenged now to make better fried rice at home) and liked the dynamics between Kiriko and Jan. Their fights and the drama and slight cringe also reminded me of Iron Chef, which was frankly on my mind as I sat down to watch this episode. If it stays infused by all these positives, Iron Wok Jan could be a really fun and compelling series—and one worth waiting 30 years for.

Iron Wok Jan can be streamed on Crunchyroll.