Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara

*Minimum Spoiler Foodgasmic Review*
If you did not watch S1 or S2 then go watch them ASAP before reading this!
TL;DR: This show has hype, humour, fan service, stakes getting crazy high and unexpected twists and turns all in 20 minutes. What more do you want? Oagariyo!
[Story: 5/10 , Characters: 7/10, Art: 3/10, Sound: 6/10, Enjoyment: 8/10]

"I mean a new wave is coming, you know? Riding it is way more exciting" - Rindo Kobayashi

If there is one genre that can always hype people up time after time, it's the classic shounen genre in anime. It's like scrambled eggs. The recipe is very simple yet the execution ... to get it consistently right day after day is difficult. Fortunately, Shokugeki no Soma - Sana no Sara somehow pulls it together to make it work for the fans albeit it's crappy plot arcs and dismal animation laziness. I guess over the top fanservice can save any show after all, provided if executed right. It's also important to note that the anime adaptation does not deviate too far from the source manga. If you enjoyed S1 a lot and felt S2 could've been better then you will surely have a table flip moment while watching S3 thinking for a manga that's widely popular and well funded, why the hell can't they pour money into it to do justice this show deserves.

The story is alright, not too complicated but just slightly predictable. It's wise to watch the OVA before watching this so you have a back story on who the Elite 10s are. Although the first arc, Moon Festival, is really well done with it's pacing and plot development; the second arc, Central, is just one unrealistic & ridiculous plot line where nothing makes sense but it's enjoyable to watch since it's a chain of shokugeki after shokugeki tossed in with delicious fanservice to quench viewers' thirst. However, don't worry too much. You will always start watching every episode with a big grin and end the episode with even a bigger grin, because, you know why. It is sad that the season ends midway to the central arc with one huge reveal but maybe next season's plot would be better executed.

"Come at me with all your might you pretentious elite bastard. Or do you want to have a convenient excuse for when you lose?" - Kurokiba Ryou

The best part about SnS is that even though it has a huge cast, it somehow manages to make everyone useful. You actually care about the cast since you know sooner or later they will have screen time along with some purpose, even if it is moaning in pure orgasmic pleasure. Purpose is purpose. The main cast returns once again since no one really dies in the show. Moreover, finding out who the Elite 10 are quite exciting. They presented them in the best way possible. Plus, as the show goes on, you get to see why they really are the Elite 10 through their cooking methods & knowledge of food, they outclass the regulars at the academy, especially, Eishi Tsukasa, the first seat. Despite being the best student with his immaculate cooking and speed, he still has his own insecurities and deals with anxiety like everyone else. Though it is exaggerated at times, but it makes him more human than most characters. The major villain is of course, Azami. Although, his villainous purpose makes no sense. However he is a villain and that's all that matters. He just wants people to eat gourmet food. Aside from Soma, Erina, Elite 10s and Azami, the side characters get their deserved screen time to showcase how much they have developed over the season. Notably, Alice and Ryou really stands out in this series as their development have the most impact to the plot.

"There is a profound difference between the abilities of those who are the Elite Ten and those who are not" - Eishi Tsukasa

Aside from the linear driven plot and dynamic characters, this show really fell flat in its animation quality. It feels as the season progresses, the budget invested in the quality of animation drops. Compared to the battle scenes of first season to battle scenes in this season, there is significant evidence of animation laziness. Even the fan service is lacking in that oomph that season 1 had with their gregarious cloth explosions to just mere still images of the characters in barely any garments moaning in the background. This isn't what the viewers want. Give them what they want. Regardless, of the poor animation quality, at least the background music was decent enough with the OP and ED being pretty good like previous seasons. The major saving grace had to be the seiyuus. They did a phenomenal job, especially Erina's new voice actor. She was able to fill the void left from her previous voice actor.

"You can never achieve such a world of flavour just by slapping on bacon onto salmon!" - Kurokiba Ryou

Overall, SnS S3 is a good enough ecchi shounen anime about food that is worth watching. I think at this point, the people who are watching S3 are the dedicated fans, myself included. So even if they skimp out on the budget and pacing of the plot with subpar character development of a star studded character line, people will still enjoy binging this show. Ultimately, it's not a bad show. If one were to compare the different seasons to get a better idea of how this season is, then S1 is gourmet food, S2 is home-cooked food and S3 is just street food. It's still enjoyable to eat but just a bit unhealthy. Also Season 4 has been confirmed. Anyways, check it out & let me know later how you like it as well as share with me your favourite quote from the anime! Osomatsu!!!

P.S. Thank you for reading. I hope you found this short and supaishi review helpful!

The problem with shows like this one is they inspire such blind devotion that people overlook its glaring flaws. I'll admit right now that I love this show, and although I'm enjoying this season, there are quite a few things that bother me.

The plot this season is definitely uping the stakes compared to previous seasons. It is quite enthralling but is also frustratingly flawed. There are of course all of the instances of the main character being unnaturally successful at everything he does, but like whatever. What bothers me is all the moments where I'm just awestruck as things that shouldn't and can't happen in ... a realistic world shape the events of the story. The main conflict in this season stems from such an occurrence.

The budget for this show has unfortunately tanked hard. The animation is just SOOOOO unbelievably lazy. Everything is flash, they overuse all the lazy anime tactics: switching to a goofy, super cartoony animation in order to make animating easier, rarely showing legs while people walk, frequently focusing on still images, animating almost nothing on the character but their mouth. They've even removed nearly all of the elaborate visual foodgasm metaphors. The sound is just normal anime sound, decent voice acting, basic anime music and sound effect. Is whatever.

You know the characters by now, or at least the main ones. There has been a good number of them up until this point. That's why they decided to add like 20 new characters, whose names you'll never learn, as regulars on the roster. I hate when shows do this. Ya, it keeps things interesting, but like in the same way that starting a new anime and watching the first 4ish episodes before doing the same thing again, keeps things interesting. I like many of the characters they introduced up until this point which is unfortunate because now there are so many characters that I don't get to see the few I like. Additionally all, and I mean ALL of the characters in this show are SUPER tropes, so get ready for that.

Luckily this show is super enjoyable, otherwise, there'd be no redeeming it. The fact that they managed to make such a crappy, lazy season like this and still make it enjoyable is astonishing. It is however not nearly as good as the hype would suggest.

Another Shokugeki no Souma season has ended, so my review with no more adieu:


Mediocre 5, Story:

So far nothing has change from its plot it's same old same old master chef or a Hell's Kitchen kind of thing regardless as to whom the protagonist faces, so let's be honest here, this ain't about them Tostsuki competitors, this just all about food porn with lots of exaggerated pizzazz's and nothing else. I'll have a spicy steam bun pls......

Art 7, Good:

Ok so there were some changes in the art, but then again, it's good cu'z there some good fanservices that has just been added in this 3rd sequel, ... and no longer regulated to just one individual, unlike in the 2 previous season where we don't get to see some panty flashes nor underwear fanservice in the 1st season , in the 2nd season it all on Ryoko, now it is with anyone who's feeling the ecstasy of tasting food and in the bathroom scene with Erina changing with her lesbian lackey Arato and also with Alice when she is stepping on Ryou's shoulder. I'll have a Mafu Tufo pls......

Mediocre 5, Sound:

It doesn't matter if Taneda Risa isn't doing Erina's voice anymore, as long as it's the same seiyuu who does the voices of the usual character.


Mediocre 5, Character:

So them Top 10 seats were now the Central, thanks to the new boss in town who also happens to be Erina's dreaded daddy Azami Nakiri, ok so now Erina has to run away and live with them Polar Star people whom she sees them as the lower tribe under the totem pole, but ya know it was kinda funny that she has to work her ass by using her so called "God's Tongue" as a food taster for the tenant living in it, thought she wasn't forced into doing it, but the good thing was it did paid up as them Polar Star people started to win in the shokugeki against them Centrals. Even so, it was still the usual characters and not even the adding of the 10 seats and the Centrals would make any difference at all since it is the same Souma, the same Erina, the same Megumi and so on and so forth. Can I have some desert?


Mediocre 5, Enjoyment:

As I've watched the first two season of this franchise, my enthusiasm has gone from with gusto for the season one to not bad for season 2 and now it's basically this again, to simply put it, part of me feels like watching this is as a chore but part of me feels like why not 3rd in row kind of thing. I'll have a venison steak pls

Mediocre 5, Overall:

Well, I have mixed feelings about this 3rd sequel and to end it in a cliffhanger, ain't that bad, but, I still feel like that watching the up coming sequel would be just too boring even if it is still yet to be aired. Then again, depending on how it goes , things might look up....I still don't get why Souma still wears his old middle school uniform instead of donning the Totsuki official uniform. Check pls.........


Keep the change.......

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!)

Onions taste delectable.

I didn’t always believe so, though. For a long time, I avoided their presence, viewing them as a white blight upon the meals they complemented. But now? I try to get them on everything (where it makes sense). Burgers. Pizza. Tacos. Onions no longer go unwelcome but instead have won me over, earning a seat at my table any day of the week.

Just as taste buds change, anime can do the same. For Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara, some of its own changes both help and hurt what once was.

STORY

Three seasons in, ... Shokugeki already knows itself pretty well at this point. The mixture of character comedy, hyped upsets, and a slathering of ecchi delivers unto the audience its signature brand of food-fueled fun. With Souma himself still aiming for his goal to be the best of the best, this next part in the series decides to put its skillet back on the burner as the plot heats up.

Before doing so, though, it goes back a bit further to its roots (and not the farm kind). Where the continued Tournament Arc bogged down the previous season to a large extent, it now channels some of the older magic which had made everything so intriguing to begin with. The story events concern less with structured cook-offs and more about these weird competitions that lead to positives and negatives within the sphere of their school.

For instance, Souma’s wholesome attempts during the festival demonstrate the power of a warm, handcrafted meal, and his rigged war against Eizan reflect the plight that the Polar Star Dormitory faces as the evil Central takes over. While multiple exist, these two examples highlight how the show finally remembers the meaning and the stakes behind these culinary clashes.

Moreover, Shokugeki also strikes a better balance between these battles and its silly comedic forays. Souma and Nao may bond over their horrific concoctions, yet the off-the-books duel with Tsukasa elevates tension as fate hangs undetermined. This balance overall leads to less repetition (especially an avoidance of umami dialogue) among the events and thus a stronger sense of purpose throughout the season.

Unfortunately, the ecchi elements are once again tuned down as the general seriousness wafting in the air prevents much in the way of over-the-top sexuality. Prominent thematic ideas also sour away as these developments commence. However, major reveals right at the conclusion make the audience yell at their waiter for seconds regardless.

So, despite whatever smaller shortcomings Shokugeki contains, the beginning of this third season demonstrates a return to proper form for the series, making excitement a possible item on the menu.

ART & ANIMATION

Like most anime deep into their stories – which in this case means episodes – not a whole lot more can or even needs to be said about the presented visual flavor. Shokugeki is no different. Sort of.

As an appetizer, the character designs still wear their personalities, their attractiveness, and their styles front and center. Newcomers Azami and Rindou seat themselves right alongside the familiar looks of Souma, Erina, and the others. The former wraps himself in dreary, washed-out colors for an evil presence, and the latter sports a catlike appearance to capture her carefree yet sinister attitude. Some sweet designs, indeed.

Many a detailed shot likewise make their return. The various foodstuffs are as mouthwatering as ever, and the imaginative moments as combatants live up to their respective skills keep the fun going. So, in other words, Shoukugeki has grandma’s recipe and smartly follows the ingredients for a tasty product.

Similar thoughts go for the actual animation. The series has never had the best movement possible when given its static shots, crazy reactions, and occasional jokey style. That all remains true still, making for the show some standard, passable levels on this front.

The dreaded panning camera, the stiff actions, the speedy backgrounds, and the rough CG segments, though, are now much more noticeable than ever, breaking the artistic flow to the point of concern. It could also be argued that, by now, the series shouldn’t be having these problems anymore to begin with. That it has had enough time to think about correcting or avoiding them (whether they were present or not).

If nothing else, even the visuals for the ending track lack appeal as they reuse clips not only from previous seasons but also from this current season. A rather clear indication that the dial has been turned down on the artistic stove.

CHARACTERS

Within the start to this third season, not too much occurs personally for Souma and the other cast members. However, Shokugeki has writing and moments which back their continued quests among the foodie sphere which they call home.

Most notably, Erina finally receives more than a morsel with some much-needed backstory to complement her difficult, arrogant personality. Her sad childhood filled with manipulation and loneliness humanizes the young woman, and her stay with the friendly people at the Polar Star Dormitory provides her with a warm atmosphere that she has never quite experienced before.

Other side characters order up a helping of growth, too. Alice is Erina’s rival, but she is also her family, and so her heartfelt letters and her determined protection serve to add another dimension to her character. Kuga, Eizan, and Tsukasa hold spots among the top elites, and their challenges, losses, and nerves (respectively) bring about extra pep. And Subaru turns over that new leaf still when he supports Souma during the festival, putting his best foot (and food) forward.

The most impactful character for this season of Shokugeki, though, goes to Azami, Erina’s father and the horrible man spearheading the lamented direction the school now takes. He envisions a world where only the most exquisite delicacies exist, and anything less than perfection may as well be chuff fit only for the trash.

As such, he homogenizes the teachings and the courses for the students, throwing away diversity without a second thought. His antagonistic approach not only makes him a character the audience loves to hate but also explores this theme on the importance of individuality both for the characters themselves and the expressive food they create.

Otherwise, the remainder of the cast do their thing. Souma stands up for his cherished friends while simultaneously battling those above him directly and immediately. Megumi cheers him on. Satoshi attempts to maintain stability behind-the-scenes amidst the chaos despite the threat to his seat on the upper council. They and the rest round out the show without feeling left out or forced into the proceedings for the sake of screen time.

All in all, the characters continue to be one of the show’s strongest aspects.

MUSIC & SOUND

Much like the visual direction, the audio for this third season of Shokugeki does not change much (if at all) from its previous offerings. The voice-acting performances are as swell as always. The original soundtrack still has its rousing and homely compositions. And the various sounds as meats and as vegetables cook, alongside the usage of utensils and devices, fill the ears with a scrumptious, professional “aroma.”

The only major differences from this continuation come from the opening track and the ending track.

“BRAVER” leads the audience in. Sweet drum fills and a steady guitar riff get the action going, but the vocal shifts and intensity build the fire behind this piece. Combined with its quick pace, the buildup, and the stuttering finish, it forms into a hyper-charged listen that pumps up the audience just as much as Souma when he steps into the kitchen.

“Kyokyojitsujitsu” leads the audience out. The groovy bass tastes best within the instrumentation, but the recognizable female vocalist from nano.RIPE (the band for this song) and the slick guitar playing are no slouch overs either. Unfortunately, the total package lacks the same sense of passion and purpose as its OP counterpart.

Although the ED does not have the same clout as the other music tracks, the familiar strength in the other parts of the audio direction and that new OP deliver on their promise of high execution per usual.

ENJOYMENT

It’s almost always nice to see a series continue its success as it moves past its origins and into the crux of its journey. Thankfully, this anime follows this statement about as well as it can.

Personally speaking, I liked this season if only because Erina – as my favorite character from the show – was involved way more than last season. Plus, the setup for the betrayal by the council members, while somewhat annoying, will make for an inevitable (I presume) string of recompense once Souma and crew take them down.

The other parts of the anime were still fun, too. The comedic bits had me laughing. The romance hints got me all smiley and giddy. The food battles had me cheering on the good guys from afar. In short, I have been a fan of this story since the beginning, and that stance has not changed yet.

At the time of this review, the second half of this split-cour has already completed its airing, so I have another buffet to attend at some point in the near future. Until then, my stomach rumbles for the next appetizing bite out of this successful anime.

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara dishes out its third plate in a more-favorable-than-not fashion. While the worsening artistry harm its chances, the newer plot developments get the ball rolling again, the characters are just as interesting as ever, and the audio component has not lost its edge. Onions can cause crying, but such tears are not required here.

SUMMARY

Story: Fine, as the plot heats up, this next sequel in the franchise returns to form with a familiar structure and better balance in its narrative even if the reduced ecchi and thematic elements induce desire

Art & Animation: Fine, while the character designs and the detailed images still receive Michelin stars, movement and other visual elements worsen to a more noticeable extent than ever before

Characters: Good, Erina earns a much-needed morsel, Alice and similar side characters step up, Azami is a solid new antagonist, and Souma and crew round out the rest of the cast with their usual quirks

Music & Sound: Good, the sweet OST, VA performances, and audio elements return once again, and the OP is pretty cool, but the ED has less going for it

Enjoyment: Good, more Erina, more of the same entertaining traits, and more to look forward to in due time

Final Score: 6/10

Four things:

I don't want to sound edgy and am not hating on this because it's popular. I'm being honest. I loved the first two seasons. This third season is proof that a studio can really dumb down significantly the plot/thematics and everything else and the fans will still love it to death.

This show has become as ugly as sin. At first I didn't mind the change in character design, since it made the characters look a bit older. However, it clearly shows that in basically every single shot except for detailed close-ups, the characters look significantly worse than in prior seasons. Also the animation ... downgrade makes everything more of an eyesore.

The camera is CONSTANTLY SLIIIIIIIDING. I checked back on previous seasons for comparison and yes, the camera slid a lot back then as well. But in this season it's been put on overdrive. I'm 99.9% sure this was done as an attempt to mask the drop in animation quality. You will pretty much NEVER see a stillshot except in comical moments when a chibi style is utilized. Exceptionally irritating and lazy.

The overall trope showcasing the underdog/secret overdog reforming the system as well as the theme of pristine, heartless, haute cuisine v.s. personal, self expressive cooking has always been the lifeblood and undercurrent of SnS. It doesn't knock you in the head screaming in your ear that it has these themes. There was at least some subtlety to it and respected the viewer's intelligence. But in the second arc of this season, the show just shoves it front and center making the most basic, black and white scenario. The whole "rebels" of polar star vs Central just was beyond basic. Took away all forms of subtlety to the show's theme. Given, this is probably the manga's fault.

Overall, I doubt things will get better at this point. The fact the show is still apparently just as popular as the prior two seasons will give the creators no incentive to bump up the standards. These complaints apply to the second half of the San no Sara season as well.

This, ultimately, feels like half of a complete series.

I have long been a fan of the Food Wars series, with it's excellent character sets, great story arcs and fantastically imaginative 'battles'. Food Wars is a wonderfully funny and imaginative action series, but this is definitely the worst season yet - so far.

For me, Food Wars S3 falls down in two specific areas:

Firstly, S3 doesn't seem to have the same level of competition as the other seasons. Yukihira's enemies in the previous seasons are now his friends, and the new opponents feel very lifeless and one-dimensional. Secondly, this is a really slow series, with some of ... the most infuriating cliffhangers in anime - the first and last few minutes of each episode, more often than not, are the only moments with any substance, the rest of each episode feeling really flat.

Food Wars is a fantastic series. However, Season Three is the weak link. If you haven't seen it yet, it might be worth waiting until the story continues in April 2018 and binging the whole lot for a better experience.

Hi, im colonel archbishop AfkChaos, fighting in the war against "Netflix isn't an anime." Im currently in A.I.C.O acers. Hiding in plain sight, beside the crops of bad character development. HEHE im practically invisible with my handy sniper rifle.
I've left the comfort of my home to review an anime I used to love, and hope future devs learn from Shokugeki's mistakes.


The first mistake? Well, take notes, because this is what happens when you make a unique anime dependent on aesthetics and art style. The anime is pretty simple, but they realized "oh snap we need character development and backstory. You don't do that three seasons ... in after flashback no jutsu'ing more beloved and interesting characters.
You want me to feel sympathy for a rich girl whose sad her dad will take the school away from her wealthy corrupt grand dad who uses child workers for money? While her dad is a better chef and just wants the kids to excel and follow the curriculum? Who didn't break any laws or rules??????????
SHE WOULDN'T EVEN HAVE THE GOD TONGUE WITHOUT HIM????????????????????????

Story: No one really knows. Seriously, the pacing is soooooooo bad that we get a different "path" for where its going all the time. Erin was by far the least interesting character and now we are forced to cram character development, changing of the main protagonist without climax, climax, making a static character into a dynamic character, changing the plot, changing the atmosphere (shokugeki), changing Yukihara's relationship with Erin, and developing a love interest. This? This was all attempted in 60 minutes of run time.

Characters: LOL!

Sound: Ya ya same one

Enjoyment: If it's not broken, don't fix it. This anime sucks now. Also, the ecchi atmosphere is gone. Im usually not a fan of ecchi's but it was so well done. Now it's just crammed in there unnecessarily? Like moments that bathos the whole scene. How can I get emotional in a scene where the writer is telling me it's not serious, so HERE boobs????

Overall: Don't waste your time. Pretend it all ended and imagine the rest for yourself.

Goddamnit JC Staff. When I heard that the third season was gonna have 2 cours, I thought that I could hold off on watching it till next season. But no, you chopped it in half and put me behind schedule. Personal salt aside, the third heaping of Food Wars porn starts putting the show into some bittersweet territory.

Story:

The first half of the third season of Food Wars brings us a duality of arcs from its original manga, serving us up the moon festival and the beginning of the series's downfall respectively in a somewhat bitter tasting presentation that begs the question of ... where the show is going to go from here.

At first, we're given a nice sampling of more of Totsuki's culinary festivities with the moon festival, doing what Shokugeki does best by creating your standard shounen rivalries in a competitive atmosphere where each side brings their own tools and weapons to the table to create an action and thrill driven plot that we've come to know from the series. The arc is actually pretty satisfying to watch and provides some good screentime for the just introduced elite ten members the series has been hinting at for some time. But the second half, oh...the second half.

I honestly don't know what direction the series is going at this point. What started as a heated and competitive series that pit young chefs, each with their own style and personal stake in every competition or event escalated so dramatically into the equivalent of a battle for the end of the world that I fail to understand the logic of why things had to elevate so fast, especially for students that're still in their first year of high school! (We still have 2 more years left if the trend of school-based shows are any indication.)

The series turns its head into something of a fascist vs. capitalist kind of argument where many, many leaps of logic have to be considered for any of this to make much sense. It begins the eventual long trend of series slowly lending itself to a battle for survival with a hilarious amount of twists and turns presented that boil down to the villains being narcissistic assholes without any redeeming qualities to serve as fodder to show that our protagonists have the will to fight and aren't willing to back down. At least in the past they gave SOME positive merit to the opposing force in the way of the protagonist that actually turned many opponents into supplementary allies. Here though? Aside from the elite ten, everyone's an asshole that's not worth the time of day to talk about.

Overview:
+ Good first half
- Second half...starts going rancid

Characters:

If you're curious, Soma and the rest of the Polar Star Dorm (or main protagonists I guess) don't really change all that much. So I'm not covering them.

If there's any silver lining from the second half, it's Erina. Finally getting much needed explanation and backstory for one of the most stuck-up characters in the series made her so much more redeemable than what we were presented with before, and gave her positive growth that I for one was thankful to see. She feels a lot less annoying to watch, and it's one of the few things from the beginning of 'Central' that I can praise the series for doing.

Aside from her, we're given a taste of several members of the elite ten, giving more depth as to what these esteemed prodigy chefs specialize in so we're familiar with how they operate when the time to face these final bosses come. The introductions are done pretty imbalanced cause several take the spotlight above others, but when we get to the second half of the third plate, we'll get to everyone else eventually.

Then halfway through the series there's what seemingly is the big endgame boss to the Shokugeki no Soma series as a whole, Nakiri Azami. This guy is just designed for you to hate him. The man who instills a fascist regime over Totsuki really doesn't have any positives going for him, especially when he's drawn monochrome and has Aizen's voice. (Which I admit, sounds cool, but the character himself is shit.) At least with previous antagonistic characters we get some form of redemption and reason behind their actions, qualities that make villains interesting and more complex than being the guy sitting there twirling his evil mustache. This man has no redeeming qualities and simply just stands there with a coy smile as the pillar that siphons all of the hate I have for potentially having a really cool endgame antagonist who isn't just doing what he's doing cause of dumb reasons.

Overview:
+ Redemption for Erina
+ Depth for new cast additions
- Seemingly main villain is severely disappointing

Art:

J.C. Staff always pulls out all the stops for Soma, giving us the bright and colorful style that they've done for 3 cours in the past with gourmet food that literally glistens when you look at it and makes you want to eat at that very moment. The typical stripping scenes combined with orgasmic moans are also rather commonplace so...expect that. All of that's the same, but what else is on the menu?

Some...interesting stylistic choices for parts of the show were made for the art aside from the standard quality we're familiar with. For one thing, several scenes in the first half are done in CGI which while are brief, are pretty noticeable for the time they're on-screen. Not only that, but the show turns to create these super detailed and super ugly faces at times for several of its characters. (Especially for that one battle in the second half) It's not...bad per say, but it's just a kind of interesting style choice that was done cause it was put in the show previously.

Overview
+ Some interesting...style choices
+ Standard, still really good looking art and food

Sound:

To be honest, I didn't really pay much attention to the soundtrack. Much of it was largely uninteresting this time around and definitely didn't have the same quality that previous OPs and EDs have.

Personal Enjoyment:

Now this is the part of the review where I get to have fun and rant, cause Central is a piece of hot garbage that I really am not looking forward to. I just don't understand why the show had to turn itself from a heated and sometimes overly dramatic cooking-based battle series into an end of the world scenario where the heroes have to fight an oppressive force in a David and Goliath story that turned things on its head so fast that it's hard to put into words have quickly things escalated. What's worse is that there's just SO MUCH SMACK TALKING that an entire episode will be filled with nothing but how 'great' and 'refined' the people of Central are that I could only come to the conclusion of: they're assholes. That's it.

Like...you had Subaru, an intimidating guy who despite being a bit of an asshole, actually had something to him that you could at least sympathize with. Erina, a girl who has had her fair share of pompous problems in the past, soften up and grow as a character. And even Kuga from this season, who has so much more depth than these new asshole characters who exist only to be assholes. I fail to wrap my head around why a series that's had such a good history of providing antagonistic characters with positive traits go so wrong by filling those in the 'bad guy' role with irritating stuck-up characters that make Erina's previous actions those of a saint.

Did I like this series?

The moon festival was a good arc, and I really liked the way the show provided brought some struggle and positive qualities to a member of the Elite ten who from the show's own volition made them out to be like gods.

What didn't I like about this series?

Central. I LOATHE this arc and everything that this new story direction stands for. And this shit goes on for a LONG WHILE. So if you're like me and not a fan of it, don't expect it to go away any time soon.

Would I recommend this series?

I'm honestly torn because on one hand, Shokugeki is a good series, and those who like it should continue liking it. But Central is just one of those things that irks me about the show cause in doing this, the show becomes less about the students and the individual stories of these chefs and their plight to learn and hone their craft, and more of a battle of good and evil just using cooking as the weapon. Really, if you're a fan of the series, continue watching, but be wary that the Shokugeki you knew before has changed form.

**This review contains minor spoilers. Don't kill me if you get spoiled :P**

Now before you (the fanboys) rush into my profile calling me a hypocrite for not 9/10ing Food Wars for the third time, hear me out here. It's a good show. Just that it wasn't good enough. I think J.C Staff themselves understood that something was wrong, hence the step of making a split cour and figuring out how to get things right next time. Dewa, hajimeru yo!

Story: 6/10

Somehow this felt kinda average to be honest. I expected it to go at a better pace and cover stuff properly but frankly I couldn't find ... much that was amazing. Thanks to more focus on Erina and her cliched adventures and a certain badly characterized father the story part took a nosedive, although not too great as the focus wasn't that deep. It's difficult to go deeper without entering minor spoiler territory so bear with me. Central was a pretty cliched move and their motivations were weird and cliched at best, not to mention if there WERE any in the first place. On the other hand that certain father's motivations himself were also terribly disappointing... As a fellow manga reader I was quite disappointed with this in the manga as well, but enough of that. If there was one focus and one downfall of this anime in quality, both have that father as the reason. Now you might point at that mean score and popularity chart and look at me questionably to which I say, it's the fanboys. Being a Shounen, there are obviously bound to be fanboys who take no notice of the issues surrounding an anime or it's sequel and just blindly 10/10 or in my case 9/10 everything. I'm guilty of that myself but I won't do that for this season. Season 3 slightly disappointed me as a fan and as an anime watcher. A small reason for that 6 in particular is also that cliffhanger in the end...

Art: 5/10

Now something I noticed in this season particularly was that the art sometimes felt distorted and the characters looked a little weird in close-ups. This wasn't there in the previous two seasons and I felt kinda like I was watching a remaster of a 1995 anime at best which is obviously not a very good sign. What was the saving grace of the anime? The backgrounds. The cinematography to some extent. Both were decently done and even the character designs made me fall in love with the characters yet again. Not a bad job. Decently done at best.

Sound: 7/10

Apart from the usual brilliance of the BGM, we also had the added benefit of an amazing OP and more importantly an amazing ED. The BGM was timed perfectly with the emotion and situation while the aforementioned OPEDs hyped you up. If you like me love to download anime OSTs then this is the place for you.

Character: 6/10

Now it's impossible to avoid the spoiler territory with this section especially since the character in question is the main focus of the anime (he's on the flipping cover as well). The purported rise and actual fall of Food Wars Season 3. Azami. His motivations weren't explained at all. And Sanzaemon's exile felt kinda forced as well. Yukihara and gang were amazing as always, but the character who was the key focus himself was flawed so everyone suffers. I tried many times to wrap my head around Azami but couldn't understand him at all... And for the second character who brought this down, Erina. To all those who've read my last two reviews of the series know very well of my hatred and grudge against Hime-deres, Erina included. What made it worse this time? The unnecessary focus on the 'oh so weak' Erina-sama. She and Azami double-handedly crushed any potential the season had to improve...

Enjoyment: 7/10

Nevertheless, Food Wars as usual was an excellent anime to enjoy and I certainly DID enjoy Food Wars a lot, just not to the extent of the previous two seasons. In my opinion, I'm glad J.C Staff bit the pill and split cours to understand what went wrong and how to fix it. Since I'm a Food Wars fanboy, I obviously was a little biased towards it but tried my best to tone it down. I really hope J.C hit back with another super hit season. This time one that actually has the quality to back itself up like Seasons 1 and 2.

Overall: 6.2

To the most conservative of people, this show was decent at BEST. And no amount of fanboy nagging can change that. To all those who watched season 2 and are a fan, continue, if you're just in it for fun, you might get it here. Thankfully the potential is not ruined, but again, the question remains, is it too late? Can J.C save Food Wars? Let's see this Spring.

P.S: Megumi retains her rank as best girl for the third time in a row! Megumi best girl <3

The art and animation took a big dip. The plot and characters are a lot more one note than usual. The main bad guy is both too simple and also incomprehensible. Jesus, the guy wears a freaking black trench coat. How cliche.

The food porn is still pretty good, though. For some reason, they only show the completed food for about 1 second. And only .5 seconds of the food is animated. Which sucks. Episode 9 was a low point.

The Sizzle and pop of the food cooking is still awesome, tho.

tldr; food is still yummy but everything else is lower than last season.

SnS San no Sara is basically a mix between the first and second season of SnS title. This is quite visible when we see the technical quality that it presents. But this third plate holds more than those technical qualities alone. It holds potential and promise.

This third plate holds two different meat, which the first is called Moon Banquet Festival. This arc can be translated as a plot to show what those Elite 10 members are capable of, ranged from one of the lower ranked to the highest one. This results in a realization of strength gap between the MC and those members of the ... Elite 10. It’s a far gap, but not far enough to say unreachable.

That first arc is presented in a tidy and well-structured way, maybe even more than that of the few earlier arcs in the first season. By no mean this Moon Banquet Festival arc is impactful, but we can feel a different, fresher breeze than what we feel in the second season. Yes, in a way, this arc stands as one of the most unique arc in SnS title.

Then comes the second meat, called Nakiri Azami’s arc. In here, comes the exiled demon lord which causes wreck and havoc here and there, in the name of salvation. While this arc is a very classical shounen-ic one, where there is a definite evil antagonist and the MC fight against him, and presented in a pretty straight-forward manner, this arc also represent one major thing that exist in the world of cooking, and more generally in the world of art.

This arc represent the clash of ideals between quality and originality. A quality that is regarded very high. The ephitome of objectivity and no one can deny. Only a few, gifted and selected ones truly capable to make this way into realization. All should follow this way and this way alone can bring the world of art (cooking) to a higher plane.
Against that, there’s originality. A way that emphasizes creativity and individual differences. A way that speak of enjoyment in venturing a stormy place called hardwork. Instead of talking about a very high sky, which everyone sees sky that way, this way talks about a never-seen sky.

When we see it that way, this arc holds a very big promise of the story in the future and realize that this arc is only the start. We will see how both sides struggle to defend their own ideals and that is something to be expected and enjoyed.

Despite the big promise that it holds, however, delivering it is a different thing to talk about. While we can see this arc as an exciting start of the wars that will come, at the same time we can feel that this arc is the start of a very big pitfall, that compares evenly with the Autumn Election arc. Nevertheless, enjoy the continuation of this third plate ~

This was a little bit of a let-down in comparison to the previous two seasons, which have remarkably made it into "wow, these are actually really good!" territory.

The biggest issue is with the absolutely exponential increase in the absurdity of the anime's premise. While the first two seasons carefully balanced the lines between parody, ecchi, and a genuinely good gourmet anime, this season decides to ramp up the tension and drama in a way that feels rushed and unnatural. It seems to be taking notes from Kill la Kill without actually taking into consideration why Kill la Kill was so successful with its insane premise ... of an authoritarian school district - Kill la Kill brings a level of absurdity from the very first moment you lay your eyes on the screen, which allows for the increasing insanity of its plot to just feel as though it's another reveal in the world. Unfortunately, Shokugeki no Souma does not have this permission from its audience to suspend their notions of disbelief. It quickly amps up the tension from an incredibly challenging and toxic - but believable - academic environment into a fascist dictatorship on school grounds.

Additionally, the art and animation quality has strangely decreased this season. Perhaps it wasn't as noticeable in the first two, but there seems to be way more use of the chibi forms of the characters than before. It seems like all of the budget was put into the orgasmic food scenes, which is fine, but just greatly contrasts against the rather poor animation in literally every other scene.

The first half of the arc, with the Moon Festival, was genuinely rather interesting and had some good character development for main cast. The second half had me slowly slipping into a state of contempt for how I could predict where the show was taking me.

I am additionally not a fan of what I believe to be the romance the show is trying to hint at developing between Yukihira and Erina. While I love the character development they've both given one another, I personally believe Megumi and Yukihira just make far more sense as a couple. Additionally, I hope that Shokugeki no Souma doesn't intend to rob us of the greatest sapphic relationship of all time between Erina and Hisako. I could really see that blossoming into something even more special down the line. But since Shokugeki is one step away from a harem anime, I am reluctant to put my full hopes into it.

Looking forward to the next season and hoping my critiques here are rectified in both the animation and writing quality.

Ok, nothing much changed form the previous sesons but the villain that is the reason of the low score.
Nothing makes sense
The fact is that he doesn't have the power to do what he does, I mean he can do it becose he controls the school but the outside world can turn against him at any time: he is not the Nakiri family head so the old man can just talk bad about the new school direction and nobody will consider tham, even more if Alice dad doesn it, and the alumni we knew, and all the food critics,...