Manga: Shokugeki no Soma

http://i.imgur.com/3wIRz2o.jpg

Alternative Title: 食戟のソーマ

Type: Manga
Volumes: Publishing
Chapters: Publishing
Author: Saeki, Shun (Art), Tsukuda, Yuuto (Story), Morisaki, Yuki (Story)
Serialization: Weekly Shounen Jump
Genres: Ecchi, School, Shounen, Cooking

Synopsis: Yukihira Souma's dream is to become a full-time chef in his father's restaurant and surpass his father's culinary skill. But just as Yukihira graduates from middle schools his father, Yukihira Jouichirou, closes down the restaurant to cook in Europe. Although downtrodden, Souma's fighting spirit is rekindled by a challenge from Jouichirou which is to survive in an elite culinary school where only 10% of the students graduate. Can Souma survive?

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Feel free to skip the one shot, it paints a poor portrait of the actual series. This is the best battle shounen currently running, if you enjoy the genre you should be reading it.

Quite a traditional fighting manga with martial arts very successfully replaced by cooking. I kept wondering why Archie rants about foodgasms, but the art from a hentai artist really does justice to this story.




Don't read further if you just started:


With soon 8(?) volumes worth of chapters out, I think this series is being remarkably patient with the relationship between the main character dude and the girl. Assuming Erina is the main girl, like classic analysis would dictate. They have only met a handful of times, and rarely for more than an exchange of a few words. Sure, Erina is very tsun-tsun, but that's only if you assume she's drawn to the main character. Objectively speaking she genuinely wants to get rid of him, and if that happened, she wouldn't miss his presence for a second. Another matter is their sheer lack of contact. But it's been revealed she probably admires his old man, so her attitude toward him would likely make quite a turn if she learned his identity.

Been following this from the first chapter when it came out. And it's still amazing. It's a battle cooking manga. And one that's done excellently. Especially the art.

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Originally Posted by Kraco

Quite a traditional fighting manga with martial arts very successfully replaced by cooking. I kept wondering why Archie rants about foodgasms, but the art from a hentai artist really does justice to this story.




Don't read further if you just started:


With soon 8(?) volumes worth of chapters out, I think this series is being remarkably patient with the relationship between the main character dude and the girl. Assuming Erina is the main girl, like classic analysis would dictate. They have only met a handful of times, and rarely for more than an exchange of a few words. Sure, Erina is very tsun-tsun, but that's only if you assume she's drawn to the main character. Objectively speaking she genuinely wants to get rid of him, and if that happened, she wouldn't miss his presence for a second. Another matter is their sheer lack of contact. But it's been revealed she probably admires his old man, so her attitude toward him would likely make quite a turn if she learned his identity.

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I wouldn't necessarily look at their relationship as a romantic one, she is just one of Soma's goals and possibly his final one. If anything i see more of an open/harem ending here.

I think his final goal is beating his dad. It's not that far-fetched to see Erina falling in love with Souma when she finds out who his father is and starts seeing him in Souma.

He has two goals: An immediate one of rising to the first seat of the elite 10 (which his old man didn't achieve), and then later beat the man in a more direct cooking contest as well. The school as such meant little to him, although I think that's changing bit by bit when he's realising he's never going to beat Jouichirou if he doesn't broaden his horizons. Just a little while ago he thought he has no use for the school but to waste some time before going back to the restaurant. Now he knows he would never learn enough in the limited setting of a single restaurant, thus never being able to win against his dad who has travelled all over the world.

PS: Megumi best girl

http://i.imgur.com/vvjWUvu.png

She is adorable.

I don't really like the needy weak types much. Still, she is a million times better than the "main" heroine Erina.

I would disagree that she's needy or weak. She's clearly one of the best cooks in the school, she just had confidence issues early on.

She's not flashy, she's not worldly, and the food she cooks is not very elaborate or groundbreaking.

She's humble, which is the opposite of pretty much every other student the school draws to it.

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Originally Posted by Ryllharu

I would disagree that she's needy or weak. She's clearly one of the best cooks in the school, she just had confidence issues early on.

She's not flashy, she's not worldly, and the food she cooks is not very elaborate or groundbreaking.

She's humble, which is the opposite of pretty much every other student the school draws to it.

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I don't even feel the need to go into that much detail ( though i agree with every single line ) into her character, it's as simple as me liking her for being a nice and hardworking girl. I mean yeah confidence and a dynamite body are good for a ride but at the end of the day Megumi's the one you want waiting for you at home, 100% waifu material.

I'm open to discussion on who has the best design though since there's plenty to choose from in that department but overall Megumi's best girl status is undisputed.

Being humble probably doesn't do one much good in that place. Humble people might have tougher time defending themselves and taking care not to let anybody get in their way. She would have dropped out without Souma, after all, because she couldn't properly take care of herself. She's adorable, alright, and clearly a great cook, but that particular school might not be the best place for her. Although if she manages to get through it, she might be able to develop a stronger personality as a result.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Kraco

She would have dropped out without Souma, after all, because she couldn't properly take care of herself.

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Yeah, she is needy and weak. I wasn't talking about her cooking skills.

She just needs to develop some more into a stronger woman that doesn't cling to Souma. Something that is is kind of doing already because she knows she can't depend on him the whole time.

Anyway, new chap has been out for a few days. And I am beginning to like Alice more and more. Party due dem eyes.

I just caught up with it - it is indeed awesome. I bet that Souma will win this match, he might fail later - he is not typical shounen guy who does not know defeat and needs a cold bucket of water dumped on his head.

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Originally Posted by Archangel

PS: Megumi best girl

http://i.imgur.com/vvjWUvu.png

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Please, she is no Alice.

Alice for best design, Megumi for best waifu, Erina for best a shit.

For this chapter:

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[20:50] <Arkangel> Plus now i can tell how they're gonna spin this
[20:50] <Arkangel> Like i thought, Soma is going to win
[20:50] <Arkangel> And not because of plot armor
[20:51] <Arkangel> There would be value in him losing now as well but too many missed oppurtunities
[20:51] <Arkangel> I'm not saying he'll take the number one spot but there are clearly more battles for him to fight in this tournament

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Well as we expected, he won. We good a good Alice foodgasm aswell. Time to introduce her to the harem. hue hue hue

It was said very literally a couple of times during this fight that Alice is lacking (regarding this particular theme) some crucial experience Souma has due to his setting and circumstances while growing up. Alice apparently didn't really know what a bento is, aside from having seen pictures and read about it. So, she only got the superficial aspects of it, preparing an excellent meal but not an excellent bento. She clearly deserved to lose this time, and not because of Souma's plot armor, just like Archie expressed it.

Man, as much as I enjoy seeing the bishoujo's foodgasm faces, and whole bodies, these old men were also damn funny.

I hope Souma actually goes and asks for some of her food later. It might give him more ideas, considering his old man's restaurant certainly wouldn't have such refined molecular gastronomy. I'm sure she would enjoy serving him any food.

As a character Alice is very well written. She grew up permanently eclipsed by Erina, so she left Japan and tried to make a name for herself elsewhere. Combining never really experiencing warmth even in her own home ("Oh, is Erina-chan around? Oh, is Erina-sama and her god tongue nearby?") to being a foreigner where she fled to try and make a name for herself, she just never understood the same thing that Souma got from his surrogate Grandmother.

Alice's lack of home stability gave her a flighty, flamboyant attitude, even though it also drove her to learn extreme, cutting-edge cooking techniques that stand out a lot.

That same childhood also made her forge her own little family. Not so much that she wanted to copy Erina with her subordinates.

I'd also point out that apparently Soma also tried his hand on some molecular gastronomy... when he was fucking 10.

Soma for president 2016

Souma just gave her the B and she went jelly. Next on the list...Erina.

I really like Alice. She is like the most agreeable Ojou-sama character. She is confident, but not deluded, and her cooking really is very interesting. If it were not a bento battle, Souma might be the one packing up.

Just caught up.

...I've had some good bacon... but none so good that I felt I would be calling Trojan man by meal's end. Very entertaining and well done.

I note that the overall pervyness of the series has declined since the first volume, as if it was there to keep the audience around long enough to vest in the idea of competitive cooking.

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Originally Posted by neflight86

I note that the overall pervyness of the series has declined since the first volume, as if it was there to keep the audience around long enough to vest in the idea of competitive cooking.

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That might be true, but I think it also goes for the author; as the story went forward, he probably got more and more interested in the "serious" setting he had created and the emphasis on the ecchi lessened. Let's hope this development also suits the hentai artist drawing the manga, as it's highly probable he was hired precisely because the original idea required those hot scenes very regularly.

Yeah, guess he had to make an impact with the first couple of chapters with the foodgasms and general artstyle ( which is great )

I'd argue the curry sisters' foodgasms are the most perverted in the series. By far. The one sister is literally clenching her thighs to keep from squirting (chapter 54). I don't care how graphic that sounds, it's true. She also has three or four full-on orgasm faces in chapter 53.

The ecchi hasn't lessened, it's just gotten more focused.

New chap is out.....I am totally in camp Alice now. And RIP Megumi

Having her attending be stronger than Alice seems a little forced but it's not like they had to retcon anything so i guess that's fine, that's why the guy was involved in mystery from the get go.

But damn, poor Megumi. Every time she walks into a challenge with even a shred of confidence she gets screwed.

Poor girl indeed. Sure we are all rooting for her but come on....Alice's aide says she hasn't beaten him often so in terms of cooking skill he'd be better. Ahh maybe she will win with her warm home cooking feels. But how much effect would that have on a guy picked up from the streets?

I'd expect her to lose. I don't think it particularly matters who the opponent is, though, so saying she's screwed by facing any particular one is incorrect. In this sort of tournament they should be able to beat anybody. After all, if there was somebody they couldn't beat, they would have already lost because ultimately they would have to face the person anyway in the final match if not before. Or a person who was able to beat the one they couldn't have beaten, and was thus even more dangerous an opponent. So, they need to have the confidence to beat anybody. It's not good enough to merely aim to be within the top 10 or something.

Souma could have said some nicer words to Alice. I don't think she would have taken them as condescending if they weren't overly obviously so. Maybe he would have, had he known more about her not so warm past. It's not like Souma would have been her real enemy, it's the sister and the rest of the family. That much she has made evident, though, by associating with Souma so freely. But then again, she was always looking down on him, not really seriously considering him a rival, so who knows what will happen in the future. I hope her relationship with Souma won't turn sour.

The real twist would be Megumi still winning, though I really doubt they'd do it.

I wouldn't mind seeing a Souma vs Megumi bout though. If he needed a lesson about losing again, I could think of no better. He just beat Alice in a showy vs warmth fight, and Megumi could probably beat him in a simplicity (but perfection of flavor) vs complexity.

I see that they tried that little cliché bit of Erina being jealous that Alice can be so free, but it was hard to take it sincerely when Erina is such a bitch consistently to everyone but her Second. Instead it came off catty.

http://www.nicovideo.jp/watch/sm23143530

Daww....I secretly hoped for an anime adaption. But still, it looked good.

69:

I find it a bit interesting Alice's second is a man like that. Alice was always lacking a warm family, so why did she take in a dude who's as friendly as a wild beast and thinks cooking is war? Was it because Alice wants to beat Erina and thus having around somebody who only thinks of crushing everybody else is inspiring? That seems to clash slightly with Alice's general attitude that's much more relaxed and jolly than Erina's queen of the (cooking) world attitude.

Megumi isn't having much luck withstanding his stare.

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As expected, Megumi didn't make it. This was more realistic, considering she had no interest in contests before now. She still needs to train and get mentally stronger before she can stand next to people who even thrive in battle. I'd guess that attitude would also be essential in having the courage to invent new, victorious dishes and combinations of tastes. Without courage, one would be conservative, sticking to old ways and methods, and clearly that wouldn't take anybody far with these guys. But it seems she's changing fast.

I do hope Kurokiba will drop soon, though. He's annoying and has zero respect for customers.

Dude undressed his undies. That's worth a shitload of points in his book. That's all that matters in the end.

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Originally Posted by NeoCybercoin

That's all that matters in the end.

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Is it? I very much believe that old man gives absolutely and utterly no freebies to anybody at all. So, it's irrelevant if she impressed him or not, as long as she didn't win. He might remember her name, but she still needs to do everything by herself to get forward.

He doesn't give freebies, that's true. But it seemed like all the judges opinions don't really matter when he judges. They even take his stripping as a judging standard.

Shokugeki no Soma 73

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Oh my god, this chapter was funny. Also a spices specialist and medicinal herb specialist making hamburgers...? That doesn't seem too appealing.

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Originally Posted by Augury

Also a spices specialist and medicinal herb specialist making hamburgers...? That doesn't seem too appealing.

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I don't care about the girl's turtle blood burger, but I certainly would love to taste what the dude was making! Even if it wasn't even a hamburger no matter how you look at it. But I guess from a Japanese point of view it was close enough. The right man won this fight, no doubt about it. Even if we ignore the dude's highly correct words of somebody who's satisfied with being number 2 having no chance against someone aiming for the top, the health food girl had already lost when hamburger was announced to be the dish. A hamburger and healthy have nothing to do with each other. This was even more pointed than Alice failing to understand what a bento is and thus dooming herself.

The chapter certainly describes it as something very specific to him. I would think it's easy to ruin a burger with that many spices if not done properly.


I say Aldini is still hosed in his matchup even with the provocation.

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Mimisaka is kind of a nonplausible character for a cooking manga, but since this is basically a fighting manga with the usual physical fights replaced with cooking, I suppose a copycat brute like that is normal variation in the opponent selection. In the end, half of the regular shounen fighting manga must have such an enemy character. Still, considering the dude has won impossible 100 times by stalking, copying, and then mysteriously enhancing his opponents' best creations, or even the opponents' backgrounds' historically developed creations, it will feel like a plot armor when Yukihira defeats him and tells it wasn't much. However, the barbarian needs to get defeated, so I don't care. At the same time I do need to admit Takumi deserved his fate by losing his cool during the match. Too bad it was against this gorilla.

He is always going to say "It wasn't much". Kind of his thing I suppose.
Yukihara is rather good with improvising and improving on the fly from what we have seen so that would be perfect against a copycat.
Plus I suppose it's also mind games from now on since Mimisaka has no idea wtf he is thinking.

Of course. It's half of Mimisaka's routine to shake the opponents beforehand, but this time it's he who's shaken. And like you said, Yukihira (along with his old man) actually enjoys novel experimenting, even if the results are sometimes poisonous, not delicious. Mimisaka will likely try to spy all of his ingredients, though, and even his trials, so it'll need to be something quite unpredictable. Or he'll need to pull a fast one by feeding Mimisaka false information and then making something entirely different. But that doesn't really seem too shounen spiritish, unless it's relatively minor but still still significant (like not an entirely different dish).

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Erina looked really ronery in this chapter. I wonder if that might actually drive her closer to Souma, since I suppose she's the fated girl in the series. Assuming it has one. I don't personally care for her, there a few others I'd see with Souma before her, but I guess she might change, hopefully.

Other than that, I think the tournament ended quite well. I feel like it would have been too early for Souma to win, yet I wouldn't have wanted the wild beast to win either, especially since he's a Nakiri underling, even if it's Alice, who's my favourite girl in the series. It would have also been strange for the dog to win when the boss got beaten. Not good for the power balance. Hayama, however, is a disciple of an outsider what comes to the central characters, so it's cool in its neutrality.

Souma looked like he suddenly gained a couple of years of maturity during his phone call with the old man.

Eh? He lost.

Of course he lost. Character development and stuff.
Plus Hayama had his waifu by his side.

Nonsense. Badassery trumps character whatever.