~Story~
The story of Shokugeki no Soma is quite straightforward: Yukihira Soma pursues to become a full-time chef in the restaurant of his father, the reason why he has to surpass his father's culinary skill. In order to achieve his goals, Soma's father sends him to an elite culinary school, Toutsuki High School, where only 10% of the students graduate. What is more, Soma makes himself the enemy of the high school on his very first day.
In this high school there is one exceptional rule: any grudges/disputes are held with so-called "Shokugeki" (hence the title of the anime) or cooking battles between the students to prove their culinary skill before judges. How the story proceeds is curious, as instead of actual class lessons about cooking itself, the spectator is shown constant tests and shokugeki's between the students,in particular those of Soma. This displays the harsh conditions of the school, while at the same time keeping the story exciting. However, this leads to a problem: there is no realistic character development that takes place (cooking wise) and most of the ingredients and cooking techniques used are explained briefly. This can be an issue for the spectators looking for more detailed cooking.
The nature of the plot makes the story very predictable and formulaic, however it is interesting to observe through the difficulties and mysteries that surge throughout the anime how everything is executed and developed. Some spectators may ask themselves how the quality of the cooking is displayed; this done through "foodgasms", including breaking of clothes, for both male and female. While the idea is interesting, it was at times too exaggerated.
~Characters~
There is a big cast of characters displayed in Shokugeki no Soma, all being introduced as the story progresses. There is the main character Yukihira Soma, who is skilled in cooking itself,has no romantic interest, is arrogant and ignorant, which bothers on stupidity. This is nevertheless a good quality for the protagonists as it leads to amusing situations as well as enhancing the pacing of the story. Then you have female protagonists, such as Nakiri Erina, the one who rejects Soma in any possible manner due to their opposite philosophies on cooking; Tadokoro Megumi, the shy and unhandy village girl... The rest of the cast includes rivals, friends, parents, you name it, all with their own charm and personality.
An interesting aspect of the characters is that each has attributed a certain speciality in the culinary scene, with their corresponding nickname: specialists in the smoking of food, spices specialist, herbal medicine, italian food, stinking food, you name it.
The character development so far is nothing impressive. However, the spectator can observe through little background stories how personalities develop and the reason why certain characters have that particular personality.
~Animation and Sound~
The animation quality of Shokugeki no Soma is well done, what is to be expected of a show airing in 2015. The animation of the characters are fluid and are well designed and very varied, making it easier for the audience to distinguish the different characters. The backgrounds are often well animated and have at times good detail. One thing that stands out is how the food is displayed, which is done through good use of the different colours available.
To find a fitting soundtrack for a cooking anime is difficult, and in this case some of the soundtracks used didn't quite fit the atmosphere for the anime, in particular the ones used in the shokugeki's. It nevertheless fulfills its purpose. It was nice that the staff decided to use "Tropical Gateway" from Duke Starwalker.
~Enjoyment~
Shokugeki no Soma was overall a very enjoyable experience, even with the predictable and formulaic approach on the story, which was compensated with the different plot twists and development of the different cooking contests, and the characters; the ecchi scenes may be a drawback for some. I can recommend this anime to anyone who likes shonens and those who are interested in cooking, though you won't learn anything groundbreaking. Note that this anime is unfinished, and thus has an open ending.
Thank you for reading.
