Let's talk a little, let's talk well, let's talk about graphics first. Graphics are the first thing you focus on when you're about to watch an anime, some of them are very fussy about it ( For example, I don't like graphics that look too "child" or too "old" that's why I don't look at anime dating back more than 2000, yes I probably miss wonderful things, I can only take it out on myself.). In recent years, the graphic style for animes has become more fluid, smoother and more attractive. That's what I thought when I watched the first episode of shokugeki no soma (or food wars). It was colorful, it gave a warm aspect to the anime and guided us towards the feeling that the mangaka wanted to bring out when making its production. The different dishes presented in the anime all look more delicious than the others, I must admit that before eating I liked to watch an episode to whet my appetite, a delight to the eyes and ears.
The animation is also very well done, the movements are fluid, clear, the shots are bold and none of them are useless, we want to emphasize every time an aspect of the anime, whether it is a dish, a character, a room, an atmosphere... Everything is carefully considered, which contributes to the charm of the anime.
The general atmosphere is correctly set up, we know where we are going and when we are going. She sticks to the action for any situation, a chef duel? (Shokugeki), the shots focus on the expression of the characters concerned and the reaction of the characters present. Cooking classes? We find a cheerful atmosphere, angles taken from afar... The atmosphere knows how to relax and relax almost instantly, we are transported and grateful for every emotion that the anime can make us feel. For example, during a shokugeki, the tension is palpable, no one knows who will win (even if we have an idea, we can sometimes be surprised) and suddenly, one of the participants wins, the other admits his defeat (or not) and the atmosphere becomes relaxed again with a touch of humour. So throughout the anime, we have a coherence that makes it plausible.
The soundtrack: I will first talk about the openings that are well made and highlight the story by giving us some clues without disclosing its content. The music is catchy, my favorite openings are the first and the second. The following ones are a little less energetic, we let ourselves be less inclined from the beginning while if we listen to an opening giving the sin, we are quick to start a new episode!
The OSTs are varied, we can go from a warm soundtrack, (when the characters have fun, have plans, reconcile...) to a distressing soundtrack, making the atmosphere tense ( during a conflict, a duel of a leader or a disruptive element disturbing the story).
All this makes the anime attractive. The rhythm is fluid, the action doesn't go too fast or too slow and lets the viewer walk around as he pleases between each episodes.
The scenario revolving around the kitchen is respected and varied! At first, before I watched it, the anime seemed interesting to me, but after several episodes I would have got tired of it because it revolves around the same theme. Reality was a shock to me. We're not bored, not for me anyway. The action is always revived: We start from Yukihira Soma, a young chef working in a local restaurant next to his father, we discover that the restaurant is successful and is under all kinds of pressure when suddenly, Soma's father decides to close the restaurant to send his son to cooking school, we wonder then, will he succeed in integrating and perfecting himself in a world that is unknown to him? A first problem well identified and well introduced in the anime. And to my surprise, we don't stop there! We discover the personality of the eponymous character, that of his entourage, we move forward with him and several other inner problems gradually emerge, will Soma succeed in the duel against a participant? How is he going to overcome this challenge? Will he become friends with this person? And others that are not only centered on this character but that I refrain from disclosing in order to avoid spoiling you! So little by little, the problems arise, resolve themselves to bring us closer to the final outcome. History does not direct us, it takes us by the hand, invites us to have our share of reflection during a heavy and well used suspense. It does not impose, it proposes, it is the one nuance that is very pleasant to us, viewers.
The characters are really well thought out, certainly they conform to the standard and follow the typical characterization scheme of the characters, but this does not make them any less endearing and interesting. I start with the main character: Yukihira Soma.
Soma is an ambitious young chef, owner of the Yukihira. He is not short of a trick in his bag, he is smart, funny, team-oriented, tolerant and benevolent, but he remains arrogant and a little clumsy, which is what makes him so charming. During the anime, he exceeds these limits but without being the winner every time, which is why I am perplexed about it. Soma is an interesting character but a little too overrated for my taste. We can immediately see that he is above the others and the director shows it well by his animated, yet he still makes sure not to do too much and sometimes bring him down from his pedestal. That said, he remains humble and does not boast of his talent, he has an extraordinary thirst for learning and has the objective of one day being able to surpass his father. It is thanks to this objective that he has since childhood set himself the goal of acquiring an endless motivation and that he will then be able to give himself the means to, perhaps, achieve it one day.
The character's curiosity and his slightly naive side gives him a funny and endearing aspect, he is honest and kind with his friends, he doesn't try to make enemies, just to take up the challenges we throw at him. Among these objectives, Soma would like to make Erina, the school's dean's granddaughter, swallow these words, who described her cooking as bad the first time she tasted it. The relationship between the two characters is therefore comical since their altercations are nothing but arguments and teasing.
Megumi Tadokoro is a friend of Soma, the very first one he meets, a peasant girl, she goes through the kitchen interview a little desperate until she meets Soma where she will then want to protect him and watch him when he does something stupid where he is a little too frank. She doesn't have much self-confidence but she is generous and her personality, like her cooking, warms the heart. He is an interesting and endearing character.
I will stop with my favorite character of the anime: Takumi Aldini. We get to know him as soon as we get to the cooking school where we have to innovate with natural products. From then on, he developed a certain hostility against Soma, wanting to crush him and his cuisine. Little by little, he becomes his "best enemy". Takumi is warm-blooded without being mean, he makes a fool of himself more than anything else, being very sensitive and often corrected by his brother Isami. The result is a touching, intentional and funny character.
The good thing about the characters is that they all have one thing in common: their passion for cooking. They may seem hostile at first, but after a defeat, they are good losers and do not lose sight of their goals. There is therefore no real "bad guy" because all the characters met by Soma end up making friends with him (Ikumi, Takumi, Hisako, Kojirô...). The characters' characters' characters make the universe benevolent, it is a pleasure to be carried away in a duel where both poles are passionate about what they do.
Notice: This anime allowed me to discover more in detail the cuisine and more particularly the Japanese cuisine, which makes me want to learn even more about this discovery. I did not imagine such a culture that was hidden under that and I thank the anime for allowing me to realize that we, the Westerners and more particularly the French are ignorant in cooking (and many other things). We tend to stay comfortably wrapped up in our knowledge, i.e. French cuisine and its neighbouring countries such as Italy, Spain, England... But to say that on the other side of the world, another culture is enjoying thousands of dishes that we never imagined possible, I think it's crazy! It is one of the things that I enjoyed most about this anime, discovering new things every time, new facets of cooking. In addition, we are given techniques to perfect these recipes and indications of how to design them, so it is not only an animated film, but also a real cookbook.
Despite the a little "redundant" aspect of the anime with a little always the same schema:
-Everything's going well, we're taking the classes normally
-Somebody comes to turn the action upside down
-The good guys win
-Life is back on track
The action in question is quite diversified, we want to know what will happen next because even if we suspect the outcome, we are not totally sure so the anime keeps us out of breath.
However, one of the negative points that bothered me a lot at the beginning of the anime is the mini "orgasms" that push women every time they taste food. At first I found it abused and thought there were other ways to account for the fact that the food was good. With each episode, we realize that it is a good-natured addition of mangaka that simply wants to caricature the exquisite food and show how divine it is, so the ultimate in taste is a culinary orgasm. So I don't recommend watching this animated without headphones if someone is next to you, you could be mistaken for what you are not.
The story is innovative, the characters well thought out, the sound and the camera angles correctly used, so it's an anime that I appreciated and that I advise.
I give it a score of 7 (which is already very good for me) since I keep comparing it with other anime, the anime is good but is not a masterpiece either in my opinion, others are worth looking at it for benefits. Shokugeki no Soma is a nice shounen, a little long, but pleasant to watch. I hope my review will get you more and who knows, maybe you think the same as me. In any case, it would be a pleasure to discuss it with you.
Have a good day!
