Shokugeki no Sanji
One Piece: Shokugeki no Sanji

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Everything I say below refers specifically to the first chapter, the second one released in January of 2021 is a vast improvement, doing a lot of what I wanted the original to do. It feels like a proper One Piece side-story with some really neat character moments. The story definitely feels more One Piece than Food Wars while also doing it's own thing, properly embodying a fun early One Piece dynamic. It's a vast improvement and a hard recommendation from me, elevating even the original one-shot for me. 8/10

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This one-shot story that takes place shortly before the Straw Hats first find Sanji is probably most ... interesting for what it is, rather than what happens in it. This manga is a short tale that takes the concept present in Shokugeki no Soma (Food Wars) and slaps it right on top of the One Piece world.

If I had to make one major complaint about everything relating to Food Wars, its that it is entirely repetitive and predictable. Every food battle is exactly the same with possibly 3 different minor deviations. This manga utilizes the most barebones and basic structure of a Food War and slaps it haphazardly onto a mini story about Sanji.

This little crossover ends up feeling more Food Wars than One Piece, and the fact that it is even a crossover is weird at best and completely pointless at worst.

The art, while great, doesn't hold up to the charm of Oda's art for the series, and the general feeling is, as I previously said, entirely generic Food Wars stuff.

However, I will give it credit for doing what it wanted to at a proficient level. It melded the two universes in a minorly interesting way and helped give a little mini-story that prefaced the Baratie Arc in One Piece. I would recommend it to any One Piece fans out there that are interested enough to give this 2 minute read a shot.

6/10

Pros:
-You can see side stories that involve your favorite swirly-eyebrow cook from One Piece.
-If you happen to enjoy both Food Wars and One Piece, then you'll probably appreciate that this exists.
-It is a relatively quick read. No long time investment needed.
-Chapters 1 & 6 imo are peak and are worth reading through. Chapter 6 did an excellent job at giving this mini-series a satisfying conclusion.
-If you're a Sanji enthusiast.

Cons:
-If you're not a fan of the notorious filler arcs that the One Piece anime has or aren't involved enough to enjoy the One Piece movies, then you'll probably also find this series to be a ... waste of time.
-Chapters 2-5 are meh and you may very well not care so much for it.
-If you're a Zoro supremacist.

Sanji, the Straw Hat Pirate famous for cooking great food. Food Wars, the series famous for amazing food and very ecchi scenes of people eating it. Put the two together, and you have a great spin-off that fits well into the saga of One Piece.

The first thing to note is the quality of the art. I have only read the first three chapters of Food Wars as of writing this, but the art of this series is amazing. Shun Saeki does wonders drawing the characters of One Piece in their own style. Oda's characters are well-known for their eccentric designs, from Sanji's lankiness to Franky's ... huge frame and the comically unbalanced designs of the female characters. And while everyone is noticeably less exaggerated and a bit more same-y, they still have the traits that make them so recognizable.

Of course, the humans have nothing on the food. Every dish that Sanji cooks up looks spectacular. Each dish looks like it comes straight out of... well, Food Wars, with beautiful page-sized panels depicting every detail of the meat, fruit, or drink. Those levels of detail carry over to the reactions as people eat them and enter the states of bliss Food Wars is known for. However, while there is still a good deal of fan service, they don't go as overboard as one might expect. Sure, there are the metaphorical images of people losing their clothing, and plenty of emphasis on certain parts of the body, but it never goes overboard in the same way that Food Wars does. (I have seen the anime, and let me tell you, there is plenty of fan service to go around in that show.)

But the best thing about the series is Sanji's actions. Even though his dishes in this manga are almost always cooked for women, and even though he is a bit of a womanizer in the main series, Saeki and Tsukuda make it very clear that he's not doing this with an ulterior motive. He cooks out of passion for the craft, as seen in his motivations and reactions specifically in chapters five and three, respectively. He's not just a one-note perverted chef; he does care for his friends, for his customers, and for his food. And the final chapter of the manga shows that perfectly.

The only complaint I have is a weird choice in some of the chapters to cover some of the Straw Hats' faces. Specifically, Usopp, Chopper, and Luffy get their faces hidden by their dialogue bubbles in the second and third chapters. It's a weird choice, especially because the rest of the Straw Hats are in full view throughout and Usopp gets seen in the fifth chapter. Otherwise, this is a great series that, like many spin-offs, interpretations, and adaptations, shows the love many have for One Piece.

However, I DO NOT recommend reading this in full until after you're in the Wano arc. The chapters are spread out through the story's chronology. If you want to read them as supplements, they appear at these points in time:
Chapter 1 happens right before the Baratie arc.
Chapter 2 happens sometime after crossing the Grand Line.
Chapter 3 happens after the Alabasta arc.
Chapter 4 happens during the timeskip.
Chapter 5 happens during the Wano arc, but before the climax.
And Chapter 6, if you're too impatient to wait for Chapter 5, is best read after the Whole Cake Island arc.