Reviews

Shokugeki No Souma A.K.A “Food Wars!” Is exactly what it’s title implies. We’ve all been there in the late hours of the night watching Kitchen Nightmares or Master Chef compilations. Combine those with anime, and this is what you get. In all seriousness though, Food Wars is a very rare once in a generation kinda show, there’s just nothing else like it. Ecchi is not something particularly in my range of priority when choosing a show to watch, however here it not only works without compromising the quality of the show...it actually enhances it. You’ll find fan-service in 90% of shows at least once, but with Food Wars it strikes a perfect balance of using it for comedic relief and to express the characters fruits of labor in a crescendo. Coupe this with a great, well rounded cast of characters and very detailed, well thought out “action” scenes and you have a very unique show that will have you addicted with anticipation to see what happens next. Yukihira Soma, the main character, isn’t just your perfect anime protagonist either which makes him work as the star of the show so well. You can tell right off the bat he’s extremely talented and is confident in his abilities, however he uses his failures as a basis for his growth, which is something shared with some other shounen protagonists but it’s never done quite the same way. He carries the show in a very convincing way, in that you’re always rooting for him to succeed along with his fellow classmates of the elite Totsuki academy. All the other characters and their little nuances are what give the show so much life and personality, each having a very distinct cooking style and memorable traits. However, the main reason the show works so well is due to its signature “Shokugeki” system (food war.) the cooking battles are intense and all presented methodically and seeped in a sense of realism so that you’re actually convinced you can do the same things at home, regardless of how unconventional some of the methods are. The anticipation for the victor will have you on the edge of your seat and eager to see more. Outside of this though, the show still maintains your attention even in the more subtle moments where the characters are doing nothing more than sitting in their dorm drinking rice juice, which is a testament to this great and likable cast of characters. The food has never looked better in an anime before, so do yourself a favor by not watching this while hungry...you will regret it. The OST is lighthearted and catchy, while not being the most memorable of soundtracks in anime it still captures the mood of each scenario perfectly, along with the shows signature “foodgasms” which serve as both fan-service and a way to express in the most extreme way how good the dishes are, giving the show a very unique & memorable style. While the final season leaves a bit to be desired and feels as though it could have benefited from being longer, it does not take away from how good seasons 1-4 are and I couldn’t recommend this show enough.

P.S watch the show in sub, each character is fit perfectly by their VA (and this is coming from the biggest dub stan you’ll ever meet)