What They Say:
“The Imprisoned Queen”
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
Azami taking over the school has been the biggest event in the history of the series as far as I’m concerned. For once, Souma is incredibly insignificant in the face of these changes that dramatically affect all of Totsuki, and even the culinary world of this series in general. At least that would be the assumption, but as one could guess from the OP, Azami’s predecessor from whom he stole the throne decides that the most appropriate first course of action is to head straight for the hotheaded transfer freshman and beg for his help. Senzaemon may appear to us largely as a person of power, but he’s a family man above all else, as seen as he takes action for the sake of his granddaughter before his school as a whole. It may seem naïve to concern oneself with a single girl over the future of top-tier culinary education and all those who strive for success in the field, but beyond just being Senzaemon’s granddaughter and the world-famous God Tongue, Erina is a victim of her father’s intense psychological abuse that has traumatized her enough to still deliver cruel judgments on imperfect food even after ten years of recovering from his torment.
Now I could start to roll my eyes at the idea of Souma being tasked to “save” Erina at the old man’s plea. If this was going to turn into an arc with Erina helplessly trapped in Azami’s birdcage of sorts as Souma marched on to whisk her away from harm, we might have a problem. But despite the leads sharing a seiyuu, this is no Sword Art Online. Before Senzaemon can finish telling his story, those closest to Erina have already come to sneak her out and help her run away from home in a far more innocent manner that evokes feelings of love and camaraderie. And once Souma has finished hearing the request, he turns down the offer and simply decides that he’ll continue to work toward making Erina applaud his cooking. If not for Erina already being bailed out by the others, I could’ve seen that as a typical “I won’t let anyone take you” declaration that would lead to ultimately the same result despite Souma’s surface denial (we have enough of a tsundere population in this show already), but it’s Megumi who ends up bringing them all together, and Souma simply returns home to find that the first step has basically been completed without any help from his whatsoever. Admittedly, throughout this process Erina doesn’t display the most agency, but given the trauma her father has dug up just by coming back into her life and beginning his plans to return her environment to the same one that has haunted her for a decade, it’s completely understandable that it falls on her real friends and loved ones to step in for a hand.
The best part of all of this is that Erina ends up in an environment that we would never imagine her in: Polar Star. The elitism that her father, her prestige, and other aspects of her upbringing had drilled into her isn’t quite enough to deter the endless charm of this group of misfits, and Erina accepts her role as their new taste-tester. She may have never come here under any other circumstances, but seeing her surrounded by a group like this is really the last step to turning Erina into a member of Souma’s tight circle that she has been skating around for some time now. Knowing the cause of her iciness also drives home just how sweet of a person she can really be.
In Summary:
While Azami’s larger plans for domination look to be examined next time, this one is all about how his arrival affects Erina, and the various perspectives involved. It skillfully avoids falling into some less desirable “white knight” patterns and utilizes its dynamic cast appropriately and creatively.
Grade: A-
Streamed By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Roku 3, Sceptre X425BV-FHD 42″ Class LCD HDTV.
