Just some opinions of mine about the anime ^_^;
IMO, Chuuka Ichiban is definitely an excellent anime. First of all, the plotline is original. You've probably come across manga about cooking, but they're mostly about Japanese or Western cuisine anyway. If you ask a Westerner what Chinese food is, their reply might be something simple like "Fried Rice", or "Sweet & Sour Pork", or dishes you can find in Manchu Wok ("Chinese food" fastfood Chain found in American Malls). Chuuka Ichiban reveals to us the different varieties and originality of Chinese Food, as well as how chefs put their heart and soul into each dish in order to satisfy eaters. Rather than treating cooking as a chore *points to self*, cooking is an art.
Secondly, there's something unique about each character, making each one of them so lovable. For example, happy-go-lucky Mao, motherly Meili, immature Shirou, macho Shell, and determined Leon all contribute to the overall plot developement, making the anime so enjoyable. You can almost consider the circle a family, looking out for new adventures together. ^_^
Out of all the characters, my favourite is Shirou. Without him as the comic relief, the series will definitely lose some humour points, because Idea taken from Cooking Master Boy Central, I thought I'd rate Chuuka Ichiban according to these categories as well, out of 5:
Violence- 1.5. Not a lot of physical violence at all. Nobody gets killed or tortured, just some occasional punching and hard pushing, and also Fei and Sanche's angsty pasts where blood was involved.
Ecchiness- 2.5. If Shirou did not appear the rating would be zero ^_~. But no other intense ecchiness though, except for the episode where Anri seduces Mao, and a few pantyshots here and there.
Mecha- 1. Sure thing! One of the villains has this mechanical arm, which works like a multi-purpose blender XD
Mahou-0.5. Some people consider the Legendary Cooking Utensils as magic, but in my opinion, most of the LCUs only speed up the cooking process (except for the "Enternally Mystical Blade), in the end the chef himself has to put the dish together.
Seriousness-3.5. Since almost all episodes involve some kind of cooking, the anime is pretty serious. But there are times where the gang chills down and have some fun of course! ^^
