Review - Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma (2015-2020)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. And, it's finally come. Time to talk about one of my favorite anime series of recent memory. Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, or Food Wars for short, is an anime series from Yoshitomo Yonetani, and is based on the manga by Yūto Tsukuda. Running for a total of five seasons, the Food Wars anime was produced by J.C. Staff, with English dubbing by Sentai Filmworks. 

        The series centers on Soma Yukihira, a teenage boy who has spent most of his life working at his family's Japanese eatery, alongside his renowned father Joichiro. After managing to end a threat against the restaurant, Joichiro reveals to Soma that he'll be attending an elite culinary school, Totsuki Academy, while Joichiro himself goes overseas for an unknown amount of time. 

         At first, Soma is unable to pass a simple test overseen by Erina Nakiri, a young woman who wields a extremely sharp culinary palate calls the "God Tongue" and the granddaughter of Totsuki Academy director Senzaemon Nakiri, as despite how good his prepared dish is, she can't overlook his humble upbringing. However, Senzaemon himself tries Soma's fish and overturns the decision to allow Soma to attend Totsuki. After making a complete ass of himself on the first day, Soma is paired up with another first year in the High School division, an underachiever named Megumi Tadakoro. At first, it appears that Soma and Megumi may fail their assignment after two other students sabotage their dish with salt. But, Soma's quick thinking and clever use of honey to cook the meat in a shortened amount of time gives them a passing grade from their instructor, renowned French chef Roland Chappelle. 

        Soma is then assigned to the Kyokusei (Polar Star) Dormitory, where he passes yet another test from dorm mother Fumio, and is given the key to Room 303. And, it's here where we meet the students residing in Kyokusei Dormitory. Along with both Soma and Megumi, we also have fermentation expert Ryoko Sakaki, smoked cooking expert Shun Ibusaki, wild game expert Yuki Yoshino, brainiac Zenji Marui, and a pair of knuckleheads named Daigo Aoki and Shoji Sato. Now, while each of the listed students are first years, Kyokusei Dormitory holds a single second year student in the form of Satoshi Isshiki, who holds the Number Seven seat on the Council of Ten, an elite group of students with a lot of decision power at Totsuki Academy. Isshiki also reveals to Soma that all issues within Totsuki are decided in the form of a Food War, a one-on-one cooking battle where two participants each put up something of equal value, and dishes are judged by three judges. 

        Soma finds himself participating in a Food War against Ikumi Mito, the heiress of a prominent meat distributor who occasionally is referred to as  "Mi-Meat." Why? Well, Mi-Meat is representing Erina in attempting to dismantle one of the culinary clubs, Bowl Club, and Soma takes issue with this. Soma ends up winning the Food War, and Mi-Meat winds up joining Bowl Club. Shortly after this, all of the Totsuki first years are taken off campus to the Totsuki Resort, overseen by Executive Chef Gin Dojima, for a week-long training camp, from which a massive chunk of students will not return from. The camp, also known as the "Training Camp from Hell," sees Soma meet many Totsuki Alumni, including renowned chef Kojiro Shinomiya, who runs a famous restaurant in France called Shino's. It's also at the camp where Soma becomes acquainted with a pair of Italian-Japanese brothers named Takumi and Isami Aldini, as well as Erina's cousin Alice Nakiri and Alice's sidekick Ryo Kurokiba. 

       Thankfully, Soma and his fellow Kyokusei residents pass the Training Camp, as do Mi-Meat, the Aldini brothers, Alice, Ryo, Erina, and Erina's personal aide Hisako Arato. But, upon their return to Kyokusei, Soma is surprised to see Joichiro there, and even shocks his dorm mates and Ms. Fumio with the revelation that he and Joichiro are father and son. It's during this visit that Soma learns that Joichiro was a former Totsuki student, resided in Kyokusei, and held the Number Two seat on the Council of Ten, with Dojima, his best friend at the time, holding the Number One seat. But, as the two of them cook together, everyone begins to see the resemblance, and even more hilarious is that Megumi, Yuki, and Ryoko all begin to swoon at the thought that Soma will grow up to be just like his father. The next morning, Soma and Joichiro have yet another cooking showdown, and the trio of Isshiki, Megumi, and Ms. Fumio judge both dishes, and declare Joichiro the winner. 

       Sometime after this, Soma takes off to air out the Yukihira restaurant, and helps the shopping district to survive a new competitor. After this, it's revealed that a massive showdown between first years, the Fall Selection, is fast approaching. And, the theme for the Fall Selection preliminaries is curry. After speaking with his father, Soma heads with Megumi to meet an old friend of Joichiro, Jun Shiomi, who is an expert in spices, but she has bad memories of Joichiro using her to test his most revolting of culinary creations. It's here where we also meet Jun's sole student, Akira Hayama. And, it's clear that Akira and Jun work as a duo, as Jun concocts various theories regarding spice, and Akira uses his attuned sense of smell to put said theories into practice through cooking. 

        The preliminaries for the Fall Selection get underway, and while many do really well, with some attention going to the likes of Yuki, Ryoko, Mi-Meat, Shun, and a bizarre girl named Nao Sadatsuka, only the following eight students advance past the preliminaries: Hisako, Takumi, Akira, Ryo, Megumi, Alice, Soma, and a student named Subaru Mimasaka. In the quarter finals, Soma manages to best Alice in a bento box challenge, Ryo bests Megumi in a ramen challenge, Akira best Hisako in a burger challenge, and Mimasaka pulls of the upset by beating Takumi in a dessert challenge, which Mimasaka turned into an official Food War. 

         It turns out that Mimasaka's gimmick is essentially just studying his opponent's recipe, copying it, and adding his own flair to it. Soma uses this to his advantage and, in yet another Food War, beats the copycat Mimasaka in the stew challenge. And, per the conditions of the Food War, all the cooking knives Mimasaka won from his defeated opponents are returned to their respective owners. However, Takumi declines to reclaim his signature mezzaluna, and opts to instead regain it in a proper challenge. As for Akira and Ryo's challenge, well, it ends in a tie, which results in a three-way final between Akira, Ryo, and Soma. The key ingredient: a type of fish known as Pacific saury. 

        When the finals arrives, Soma, Ryo, and Akira all present three very unique methods of preparing saury dishes. But, Akira is declared the victor of the Fall Selection. Sometime after the Fall Selection, the Totsuki first years are sent away from campus for a different form of challenge: the Stagiaire. Two weeks of on-the-job apprenticeship, where students are judged both on how well they perform, and that they leave a lasting contribution. For his first week of the Stagiaire, Soma finds himself at a family-owned restaurant, and is paired up with Hisako. The two are a big help for the restaurant, which is frequently overwhelmed by passengers at the nearby train station, but need to come up with a solution to help the restaurant's profits. The solution: switch service to "reservation only," which controls the flow of customers, and makes service for the small staff easier to maintain. 

        For his second week of the Stagiaire, Soma is sent to the soon-to-open Shino's Tokyo, pairing him with Chef Shinomiya. Soma struggles at first, but picks up as the days go on, and absorbs the teachings of Shinomiya and his staff. Soma even enters a new dish in a competition for a spot on the Shino's Tokyo menu. As good as it is, Shinomiya seems that there can be a few improvements on Soma's creation, shows him a better way to craft the dish, and tells Soma to keep aiming high. So, Soma passes the Stagiaire. And, the same goes for the Aldini brothers, Yuki, Ryoko, Mi-Meat, Ryo, Akira, Hisako, the knuckleheads, Shun, Zenji, Megumi, Alice, and Erina. 

      But, it's not time to rest, and another big challenge is upon the Totsuki students: the Lunar Feast. A campus-wide culinary fundraiser, where students team up to run various eateries to gain the most amount of money. And, Soma finds himself paired up with Megumi, and the two run a small cart serving Taiwanese food, starting with Hujiao bing, and eventually going on to include a noodle dish and Yukihira style Mapo Tofu. Over the first day or so, Soma and Megumi struggle, especially with their cart set in close proximity to a Sichuan restaurant run by Terunori Kuga, who is on the Council of Ten. However, thanks to adding tables and chairs to their booth, as well as some paper lanterns, and also getting some assistance from the Aldini brothers, Mimasaka, and Mi-Meat in terms of cooking to meet the customer volume. 

        While this is going on, someone previously banished by Senzaemon makes his return. Totsuki graduate Azami Nakamura, who also happens to be Erina's father, who makes moves to usurp Senzaemon as Totsuki director and remolds Totsuki in his own image, with all students, clubs, and seminars being given a choice: join Azami's newly formed faction Central, or pack up and be finished at Totsuki. Azami also separates Erina from Hisako, which leads Hisako to team up with Alice and Ryo to save Erina from her father's evil grip. Where do they take her? The last safe place on campus: Kyokusei. 

         But, it seems that Kyokusei isn't safe for long, as Etsuya Eizan, also from the Council of Ten, arrives with plans to tear down Kyokusei. Soma, however, looks to overturn those plans by facing Eizan in a Food War (as anyone who looks to keep their clubs and seminars afloat can do), but it's obvious that Eizan has all the judges under his employ. But, Soma pulls off the upset and defeats Eizan in a unanimous victory, sparing Kyokusei. However, Azami pays a visit to Kyokusei, and speaks predominantly to Soma, reminiscing about a fellow student from his time at Totsuki, and of course Azami was a resident of Kyokusei back them, and reveals the name of the student he looked up to: Joichiro Saiba. And, much to the surprise of Azami, and utter shock of Erina, Soma reveals that Joichiro is his father. 

       After spending time among the residents of Kyokusei, Erina decides to step up to work with them, along with the likes of Ryo, Alice, Hisako, Mi-Meat, and the Aldini brothers, to overthrow Central, which consists of Azami and the Council of Ten, and restore Totsuki to begin a culinary academy that embraces all manner of cooking styles. As opposed to Azami's goal to have a centralized culinary style, which has become the new curriculum at Totsuki. But, things get complex when the First Years have to take on the Advancement Exam. But, the ultimate goal of the Advancement Exam is figured out by Erina and Soma: systematically eliminate those who don't fall in line with the views of Central. In other words, Erina, Soma, Megumi, the Aldini brothers, Mi-Meat, Ryo, Yuki, Shun, Zenji, Ryoko, Hisako, the knuckleheads, and Alice are officially a Rebel faction.  

        So, the Advancement Exam has begun, and it's a showdown between Central and the Rebels. And, while the Rebels do very well, working close together, they find themselves split up into separate groups, with Erina, Soma, Megumi, and Takumi all ending up on the same train, with the others winding up on different trains. Yeah, a major part of the Advancement Exam sees the Rebels traveling from challenge to challenge aboard trains. It's during the journey that Erina opens up a little bit to Soma, revealing that while her father attempted to refine her "God Tongue," it was Joichiro's cooking that made her rediscover the joy of cooking. Soma finds his next challenge a bit difficult, as the challenge is to prepare a food dish involving bear meat, and Akira (who joined Central in an attempt to protect Jun and the Shiomi Seminar) is his opponent. Soma manages to pull off an upset and defeats Akira, who finds himself expelled. 

        Erina also passes her next challenge, but she and Soma are shocked to discover that their friends and fellow Rebels were defeated and expelled. Which means that Alice, Ryo, Ryoko, Yuki, Shun, Zenji, Mi-Meat, Hisako, Isami, and the knuckleheads are all gone. But, Megumi and Takumi both pass, and are safe. Erina, Soma, Takumi, and Megumi attempt to reason with Azami, but he seems unmoved. However, it's the sudden appearance of Joichiro and Senzaemon that changes the game. And Joichiro suggests something big: the Regimental Food War. And, if Central wins, Joichiro will shut down the Yukihira restaurant and join forces with Central. 

        So, it's up to a mix of Joichiro, Dojima, and Senzaemon to prepare Soma, Erina, Takumi, and Megumi for the Regimental Food War, which will see them going head-to-head against members of the Council of Ten. And, as opposed to most Food Wars, the Regimental Food War will see three chefs working together, with each chef focusing on a sole dish, with their teammates assisting them while focusing on their own dishes at the same time. But, as their training progresses, another problem presents itself: the Rebels are outnumbered by comparison to the Ten who remained loyal to Central. So, to fill out the ranks, the Rebels bring in the following recruits: Isshiki, Mimasaka, Kugo, and ramen specialist Megishima. 

         Over the course of the Regimental Food War, the Rebels are thoroughly challenged with centralized ingredients or styles that they have some difficulty with. But, for the most part, the Rebels do persevere. Although, we do see several of them ultimately eliminated, including Mimasaka, Kugo, Megishima, and Megumi. But, in the end, it's down to Soma and Erina as the last two standing, and the two of them pull off a victory. As agreed, Azami steps down as director of Totsuki, and as he departs, he runs into Dojima and Joichiro, who reassure him that the three of them will always be friends. Meanwhile, Senzaemon declines the offer to retake the seat as director of Totsuki, and Soma nominates Erina to the role, with Erina naming Soma the First Seat on the new Council of Ten. In addition to Soma, the new Council of Ten consists of the following students: Megumi in Tenth, Nene in Ninth, Eizan in Eighth, Takumi in Seventh, Alice in Sixth, Ryo in Fifth, Akira in Fourth, Kuga in Third, and Isshiki in Second. All expelled Rebels are reinstated as Totsuki students, and the Third Years graduate and go off on their own culinary adventures. 

        Under the new regime, Totsuki sees a lot of changes. For instance, Food Wars become far more commonplace, especially with Soma agreeing to take on any challenge. Erina takes to her new role exceptionally well, with Hisako by her side as always. And, of course, another fundraising challenge takes place, with the members of the Ten (specifically Megumi, Takumi, Alice, Ryo, Akira, and Soma) having the tough job of restoring an old beach shack into a functional restaurant. After three days, which involves much bickering between Alice, Ryo, and Akira, as well as some bickering between Soma and Takumi, the old shack ends up a thriving eatery with lots of great food made special by the members of the Ten. 

      However, with this challenge complete, Dojima arrives to inform everyone of something massive: a culinary competition known as BLUE. As director of Totsuki, Erina is already set to participate, but three other slots for Totsuki are available. So, which three are going? Well, would it be surprising if I said exactly which three it was? Because, after a bit of work to determine who would represent Totsuki Academy in the BLUE competition, the trio of Soma, Megumi, and Takumi all get the honor of doing so. 

       While this is happening, a new figure arrives. Initially posing as a new Totsuki instructor named Suzuki, he later reveals his true identity: Asahi Saiba. Apparently, he was an orphan that Joichiro once took on as an apprentice, and the boy even took Joichiro's old surname. But, one day, Joichiro stopped visiting Asahi, as he decided to devote his time to the Yukihira restaurant, as well as his own family, which would be Soma and Soma's late mother Tamako. Asahi has a rather odd goal: make that one dish that can satisfy the God Tongue and go on to marry Erina. Talk about a delusional wacko. But, Asahi isn't alone, as he has an entire cult on underground chefs known as Noir. And, Asahi has a skill referred to as "Crossed Knives," which essentially is his combining the skills he learned from chefs he's defeated in a cooking battle. 

       So, the Totsuki team, Noir, and several other chefs from around the world compete in BLUE, with Erina pretty much advancing to the finals automatically. And, who is overseeing BLUE? None other than Erina's mother Mana Nakiri. And, while Erina was afraid of Azami, she holds nothing but bitterness towards Mana, as she left the Nakiri family when Erina was a child. And, it turns out that the winner of BLUE will become Mama's new personal chef. And, why is this important? Well, Mana also holds the God Tongue, but her palate is far too sharp, to the point where only the finest of culinary options are edible to her. And, due to this condition, Mana gets most of her nutrients through an IV drip. As for why she left? Well, it's because she feared that Erina would suffer the fate of the God Tongue as well. 

         So, it's pretty tough competition, but Soma makes it all the way to the end, and he finds himself going head-to-head against Asahi. Their challenge: a food dish that combines French, Italian, Chinese, Indian, and Turkish cuisine. Asahi comes up with a French batsy, while Soma comes up with a fried rice pilaf. And, as good as Asahi's dish was, it lacked the personality of Soma's dish. Why? Because, while Asahi combines what he learns through victory, Soma takes what he learns through defeat. It's the "taste of failure," something Soma learned from his own mother, that Asahi was missing. 

         But, it's down to the final: Soma vs. Erina. And, in the end, Erina is victorious. Also, it's learned that Asahi was the son of Azami from a past relationship with a woman he met in New York. So, Asahi is Erina's half-brother. In the end, Erina gets her one greatest wish: a family dinner with the entire Nakiri clan. This includes Erina, Azami, Mana, Senzaemon, Asahi, Alice, and Alice's parents. Soma, meanwhile, decides to follow Joichiro's example and traverse the world to hone his culinary craft. Six months later, Soma returns to the Yukihira restaurant, reunites with all of his friends, and gets ready to make a mean that Erina will call "delicious." 

         Food Wars is one of those shows that hits the ground running, and gets even more interesting as the series goes on. The art style is fantastic, and the vocal talent, which in the English dub includes Blake Shepard as Soma, Stephanie Wittels as Erina, Jad Saxton as Megumi, Christina Kelly as Alice, Lucy Christian as Yuki, Houston Hayes as Shun, Greg Ayres as Zenji, Kelley Peters as Ryoko, Brittany Karbowski as Hisako, Rachel Landon as Mi-Meat, and Leraldo Anzaldua as Ryo, is absolutely second to none. And, of course, the food dishes look and sound delicious as hell. Heck, several YouTubers have successfully recreated the various dishes seen in the series. 

       Overall, Food Wars is a thoroughly fun anime that I highly recommend checking out. I don't exactly know where to find the series on streaming, but if you're bold, all five seasons are available on Blu-ray. 

        Alright guys, this is Chuck signing off, and I'll see you in the next review.