Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma

Episode 15

This episode marks the first time that Food Wars! has significantly differed from the source manga. Not that it has at all deviated in terms of storyline – the plot for this episode, which wraps up the camp with a fabulous feast prepared by the alums and a very tense and awkward car ride back to Totsuki when both Soma and Erina miss the bus before settling on the unexpected arrival of Soma's dad at Polar Star is right out of the books, pretty much down to the last detail. What's been left out is a small story arc in-between these two longer ones: a little plot where Soma and Nikumi team up to save Yukihira from a new fried chicken chain. It's not an important part of the overall plot (at least, not so far as I've read), but it is a nice break in the tension of the all-important Fall Classic and Camp storylines, which is why I'm sorry it's been removed.

That detail aside, this episode definitely feels transitional. The real meat of it is the return of Soma's father, Joichiro. Up to this point Soma has been blissfully unaware of his dad's star-studded past, much like no one at Totsuki has any idea that Soma is his father's son. In part this is because Joichiro has changed his last name from Saiba to Yukihira, so even if Soma had heard of him, he wouldn't necessarily realize who was actually being discussed. It's a rude shock to Soma that his dad is so well-known and a former Totsuki student...but it's nothing like the shock Erina's going to get when she realizes that the man she's idolized since she was a little girl is Soma's father. I can't wait to see how that eventually plays out – it could be a great moment of character development for her. More to the point, we start to get more of a hint as to why Joichiro was so insistent that Soma attend Totsuki in the first place: he himself never actually graduated. Could he want his son to do what he never could? It doesn't appear that not having that diploma closed any doors to Joichiro, but perhaps it did and he wants better for his son. He might also see it as a way that Soma can finally surpass him – as the episode closes, Joichiro is challenging Soma to a cook-off like they've always held at their restaurant and which we saw way back in episode one. In any event, the arrival of Joichiro throws Soma for a loop the way nothing else has thus far – not even “losing” the shokugeki with Tadokoro shook him up as much as his dad's appearance and revelations.

This episode maintains a much better pace and flow than some of its predecessors, not feeling nearly as dragged out as some of the camp cooking parts. The foodgasms feel very toned down, even eschewing a snake-themed one when given the opportunity, which is frankly astounding given the show's early history. There are some very off moments visually, however, with one scene, where Soma and his dad are discussing dorm rooms, having Soma looking especially weird; something is wrong with the way his eyes are colored. A little off-putting to me was also the way that the position of Erina's bag on her lap was used as an excuse for multiple close-ups of her legs; there really are other ways to show us that she's holding something tightly, angled away from Soma. More artistically important is the fact that they use almost the exact same shot each time – fanservice is fine, but at least be a little more creative. (Something, I might add, that has rarely been an issue in this show.) We also get our first instance of the new opening and ending themes, which do feel very different from the previous ones. The new opener gives the show more of a fighting feel, while the ending theme apparently exists to fulfill the yuri fantasies of people who would like to see Erina and her pink-haired minion get together. If you've read ahead and can make an educated guess as to who is behind the binoculars, it's a little less yuritastic, but it still feels kind of odd.

While I do lament the loss of the fried chicken story, this lead-up to the Fall Classic is looking like it will be good for getting Soma his edge honed. He's one of the few Totsuki students who understands that losing can be just as important as winning sometimes, as evidenced by his near-miss with the omelets, so let's see how he does when his dad is the one handing out the lessons.

Rating: B

Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.