Foodgasms worth watching! (Shokugeki no Souma)
What makes this worth watching? Basically, this is a cornucopia of food porn. What’s it about? A high school student who attends the elite cooking school, Totsuki, where only the best survive. Supremacy is determined solely by your skill!
And how do they assess your skills? Through cooking competitions, aptly named “Shokugeki”. The rules? You can challenge anyone, but there must be judges and a wager that both sides agree to. For example, there was this one poignant battle, where one chef continually challenged others for their knives; so the main character, Yukihira Souma, challenges him for all of his knives using self-expulsion from the school as his wager. I’m sure you can guess what happened :).
Otherwise, it’s a fairly typical shonen story. A main character that seems to have no rational sense of “beatable” competition, but who nonetheless seems to win every battle by using his “unique” character. In this particular story, Yukihira is a chef who doesn’t do cook the normal way, always thinking outside the box.
The one warning that I’d preface with, though, is that it does have some “ecchi” scenes in it with some “fan service” here and there, too. As an illustration, during the shokugekis, you can tell who won by how much of a food orgasm the judges have. These food orgasms are manifested in an imaginary expulsion of their clothes, which always shows off the ample curves of the female characters 👼.
I will also say that I have a fondness for stories dealing with food & music, without regard to how good the rest of the story is (Yakitate Japan! | Beck | King of Bakers, Kim Tak Gu | Dream High). With that said, I still think this one is worth watching for those who don’t have my proclivities. It’s a well-paced story with lovable characters and food scenes galore, all worth salivating over!
It’s a well executed shonen which has the characteristic fun characters with the lead who inspires everyone (including the viewer) to improve and pushes them towards an aspirational goal. This series is no different in that sense, but watch it for the visually visceral foodgasms!
*Currently, 50+ 20 minute episodes available over 3 seasons + OVAs*
OVERALL: 8.0/10
- STORY: 7.5/10
- DIRECTING: 8.5/10
- VOICE Acting: 8/10
- ANIMATION: 9.5/10
- MUSIC: Okay, not distracting
The run down: A typical shonen, but really all about the mouth-watering food visuals!
