Predictability gives way to good, foodie fun
Creative Staff
Story/Art: Yuto Tsukuda/Shun SAEKI
Translation/Adaptation: Adrienne Beck
What They Say:
Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress of the school that he belongs there at all?!
The assignment is to invent a new dish worthy of appearing on the high-class Totsuki Resort’s breakfast menu. To create their dishes, Soma and his friends use the combined knowledge and confidence they’ve gained while at the cooking camp to individually pass the challenge—everyone, that is, except for Soma! Having made a critical error, he finds himself behind with little time left. What can he do to overcome his biggest hurdle yet?!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Last time, the grueling first year cooking camp reached its pinnacle with a class assignment that required the students to serve breakfast food, buffet style, for the hotel’s guests. Erina, the Aldini brothers, Ikumi the beef bowl girl, and Megumi (high off her victory against Shinomiya) had no problems reaching their 200 plate quota while Soma failed to serve a single dish. With only thirty minutes left on the clock, will Erina get her wish and see the our hero expelled from the Totsuki Culinary Institute? Even without reading the series, there’s a good chance that anyone can predict the outcome.
Unless there’s a business reason, I can’t of anyone that would willing close out a series so soon after starting it. There’s absolutely no way that the hero is going to experience a franchise killing failure, no matter how high the stakes get. It should then come to no surprise that Soma prevails in spite of the last book’s cliffhanger. His success also connects to the series’ theme of finding success in your mistakes. I didn’t mind this particular story turn because it was a good chance to see Soma follow his own guidance and wisdom. And yet, there’s no real impact to his victory because it is expected that he will persevere in some MacGuyver-like way. That’s the problem with creating Totsuki’s severe punishment. There is no way that Soma is ever going to “lose” in a way that will get him kicked out of the school. It could happen, a great writer could figure out the best possible way to carry the story forward, but I’m not holding my breath.
Such feelings of disappointment soon melted away like a slice of butter on a hot roll. The camp story arc is over and the events that unfold off campus made me fall in love with Food Wars all over again. Soma and his friends in the street market lament the loss of business due to a Totsuki-backed deli that boasts the best fried chicken in the country. Calling upon a somewhat lovelorn Ikumi, they try to come up with their own variation of the dish to help revitalize the area. What I really liked about this arc is a moment of reflection by Soma who recognizes a change in his abilities as a chef since his admittance to Totsuki. Where he once laughed at the idea of paying money to learn how to cook, his renewed speed, efficiency, and creativity in creating the fried chicken wrap shows maturity. Even his friends and fellow business partners notice he has come a long way from forced bizarre pairings onto unsuspecting friends.
In Summary
Now that the camping trip is over, Food Wars feels fresh and revitalized. Soma’s early trouble is met with with inevitable success which makes the victory ring hollow. The adventures he experiences back home, however, completely make up for the narrative shortcomings of the school environment. Seeing the cheeriness of Soma and the gang warms the heart as they work and play outside the cruel tutelage of their passionate instructors. Now that they have survived such an incredible test, the characters smile a lot more and, in the case of beef bowl girl, relationships and feelings for one another begin to develop. The book ends with the introduction of a new villain who intends to see Soma fail during the next leg of the school year, although I have a feeling he’s going to be just fine.
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: A
Packaging Grade: A
Text/Translation Grade: A
Age Rating: Older Teen
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: April 7, 2015
MSRP: $9.99
