Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 72 – The Determination To Succeed

The contest to the top

Aw, I was hoping Megumi would come out victorious, but I suppose after the last few chapters that doesn’t matter as Megumi has already displayed that she is capable of challenging the rest of the cast within the story. The fact that she managed to “undress” the fundoshi of Senzaemon with her food is proof that she has abilities to take notice of. Still, Kurokiba winning is interesting, I wonder who he will end up facing in the next round =/. Will it be that unnamed guy related to Eizan? And speaking about him, is he really a high school student?

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 71 – Not Afraid To Challenge

Her “courage” and “resolve” laid bare for all to see

What a fantastic chapter, no matter what the result ends up being, the coverage Megumi has gotten through these last three chapters has been incredible, especially how it highlighted her ability to stand beside the main character as a serious chef who is not afraid to meet her opponent head-on. Just like how Souma has the courage to challenge any style of cooking, Megumi is showcasing herself as being the same, challenging Ryou to a serious flavour match despite knowing that rich flavours are his forte.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 70 – The Violence Of Flavour

Well this is an interesting colour spread, especially the uncharacteristic natures of some of the characters, but a great colour spread nonetheless

I guess “violence” really can be used to describe the flavour Ryou produced with his dish, but still, what an interesting way to illustrate the intensity of a chef’s dish. The brawler nature of Ryou was conveyed quite vividly through the reactions of the judges after tasting his dish and almost wanting to keel over. The fact that Senzaemon ‘stripped’ and the guests have taken a huge interest in Ryou is expressive of how great his dish was and the challenge Megumi needs to overcome if she is to come out victorious for this round.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 69 – Difference In Perspective

The conflicting perception of cooking between the chefs

Along with Megumi and Ryou’s origins from port cities and their experience working as chefs at an early age, the differences in their perception of cooking and its meaning is also setting-up this battle as an incredibly exciting one. Ryou, through the rough childhood he had to endure arrived at the view that cooking involved only yourself and making your opponent(s) submit to you. Megumi on the other hand found a way forward through the confusion and doubt her mind trapped herself in with the aid and support of others.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 68 – Megumi VS Ryou

With the challenge theme as Ramen and watched by the eyes of many, the Megumi VS Ryou battle begins!

It is only the first chapter of their battle and yet it has developed into one which is incredibly intense. Both Megumi and Ryou originate from Port Cities and both have decided to use Seafood to create their soups, yet there is a contrast in the way their soup will be presented; Ryou with his rich soup abundant with flavour and Megumi with her transparent graceful soup whose ingredients are in harmony with each other. As for how the flavours will compare when the dish is complete, we will just have to wait and see how the two of them incorporate all the ingredients within their Ramen dish together in the end.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 67 – Megumi’s Confidence

Any apprehension or dread she holds has totally disappeared…those eyes express a harmonious state of mind

Those eyes of Megumi’s when she was walking out to the center of the arena, they conveyed so much determination and belief. I am not exactly sure what Megumi did to prepare herself, but she really does look more relaxed and centered, a total contrast to her usual flustered self. Right now Megumi does seem to be in state in which she could defeat someone of Ryou’s level, especially if she remains focused and confident in her abilities (which is unique amount the current students in the first year).

Shokugeki no Soma Chapter 61 – The Feeling That Goes With Cooking

The ‘secret’ behind Megumi’s cooking

That was a cute and enjoyable chapter, especially with the kids attaining an interest and excitement for cooking. I was curious to see if the job Isshiki had prepared was something serious, but it turns out it was something much more relaxing and amusing. Souma and Megumi were quite good at focusing the kids attention and the comment Megumi made about her approach to cooking was really cool – no wonder her cooking is filled with so much warmth. The cliff hanger caught me off guard even though it was something I was wondering about, does Megumi have feelings for Souma? Looks like some romantic feelings for Souma may have formed inside Megumi.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 60 – The Autumn Election Finalist

The eight finalist: ?, Megumi, Alice, Souma, Ryou, Hisako, Akira, Takumi

You have to admire how Souma dives head-first into the world of cooking hungry to learn as much as he can and experience as much of the cuisine styles he becomes aware of. What Souma achieved in a month with his use of spices for the Autumn Election preliminaries was incredible, but he still feels the burning desire to want to push himself even more, and because of that it becomes apparent why Souma is such a talented cook, because he is always open to pushing himself and wanting to learn more. It is that passion coupled with his ability to blend the different cuisine styles he learns together so magnificently which makes Souma such a skilled and amazing chef.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 56-57 – Taking Flight

The first Shokugeki no Soma character and dish popularity poll results

I love how these dishes of Isami, Takumi, Alice and Megumi were presented and the emotion and meaning those dishes embodied. The Aldini brother rivalry was a charming quality Isami and Takumi share between each other, they go hard at each other inside the kitchen and outside trying to out do the other, but the emotion driving them is the love they have for each other and the hopes that they will continually keep challenging the other and consequently keep moving forward when it comes to cooking. Alice’s dish was a spectacle to look at and the innovative design, presentation and preparation of the dish was completely phenomenal. I can’t wait for Akira and Souma’s dishes to be judged next issue =D.

Shokugeki No Soma Chapter 48-52 – The Autumn Election

The beginning of the Autumn Election signals the beginning of the battle towards the top

The Autumn Elections, one of the significant and important events for the Tootsuki Academy first year students has begun and amongst the 60 students competing in this competition, only 8 will move on towards the next round, four from group A and four from group B. An intense grueling challenge ushers in the journey each of those 60 students will take in the competition and marks the beginning of an outstanding legend the 8 who progress can potentially carve for themselves through their cooking. One of the most exciting aspects about this competition is the fact that there are more than 8 named characters, so wondering who exactly will get through to the next round does add an extra layer of intensity and intrigue. The gauntlet has been thrown down and the players have come out to play, who exactly will end up surprising and awing us?