While enjoyable to listen to, the music feels very repetitive at times. When big moments happen, or something important is going on, it was often the same song in the background every time, and while this was really nice in the beginning, I’d hoped for the same variety that the food had to be in the background music. the first opening and closings were pretty catchy but I didn’t have much of a problem skipping through them, they aren’t something that I would write home about. Then at episode 14, they both change to something a little rougher, and while the opening still wasn’t amazing, i found the ending to often get stuck in my head and I would continue to hum after the song had ended.
The story here revolves around a first year high school student that just wants to surpass his father in cooking, but after challenging him since 6th grade, he has lost 489 times, and won zero times. but after a run in with a group that wants to shut down his family’s diner, Yukihira will fight to make food that is so good, the people will run off with their tail between their legs. However, after this happens, His father shuts down the diner and he is sent off to the most prestigious culinary school in Japan, Totsuki, which has a graduation rate of 10%. Yukihira works to impress all of the culinary masterminds of his amazing skills to prove that he isn’t just some diner cook, but the best chef there. This is a fantastic story, and while predictable at times, it was really enjoyable to cheer Yukihira on throughout the show.
My overall impressions of this show were overwhelmingly positive. The art is gorgeous, the music got you in the mood, and at the end of the day I just want to cook! Why I would even say that I would buy a cookbook based on this show, it is that entertaining, and to try cooking these meals would be a whole new level of entertainment for me, who already enjoys cooking. While I say all of these amazing things the show does have flaws. The music is repetitive and often forgettable, and while the Characters are each unique and stand on their own, sometimes they are unnecessary. For example, in the last 5 or 6 episodes, characters that were just being introduced, and all of a sudden had a key role to play. While the last 3 episodes focused solely on judging, the main character has been subbed for people that we hardly know as if the show is all about them. I felt those last three episodes could have been cut down to a single with only judging of the people we truly know and care about. While the show does end on a cliff-hanger, I am excited to know that there will be a second season airing in July of 2016. I’m looking forward to that because there are MANY unanswered questions.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
