First Impressions / Shokugeki no Souma

「神の舌」 (Kami no Shita)
“God’s Tongue”

After an incredible premiere, Shokugeki no Souma delivers another episode of unexpected dishes and surprises. Not only are Souma’s dishes completely new to me, but it really shows off his creativity and what he’s learned from cooking alongside his father. What he creates this week is just a simple bowl of rice topped with some solidified sauce and egg, but just the idea of it and the presentation is amazing. Of course I can’t tell you how it actually tastes, but I think the ingeniousness comes from the actual product that he produced in so little time. In the world of anime, anything is possible as long as you can envision it. So I applaud Souma and his creativity in the kitchen. He’s thinking outside-the-box and because of his unique background, he’s able to cook something delicious that’s not your typical European standards. As for the actual experience shown through Erina’s interpretations… well this week’s images didn’t bother me as much (not that I was ever that disturbed). It was actually hilarious to see little flying Souma’s tickling Erina with feathers.

Nakiri Erina (Taneda Risa) makes her debut this week having what’s known as “God’s Tongue”. Apparently this means that she has a very refined taste palate and she uses it to critique others. Judging from the few scenes and the other transfer students who fled the room, impressing her is completely unlikely. Her reputation makes her the ideal person to judge the student admissions and no one dares to stand against her… that is, except Souma (who just doesn’t know any better). First of all, I’d like to say that while I applaud Souma and the simplicity yet intricacies of his rice bowl, I also love his character’s ignorance. It makes him so charming and adorable to watch. I wouldn’t expect him to behave any other way, given that he is our MC and his confidence level is what makes him stand up to Erina. His arrogance is something that doesn’t prove to play in his favor though, even though it’s well warranted this time. I can see where Erina is coming from and obviously with this huge smirk on his face and his background, there’s no way she was going to give him a chance. What that means though is that she’s compromising her role of picking the best students for the school to keep her pride.

Souma won’t stay away for long though judging that by the previews. This old man (whom I guess is probably Erina’s grandfather and the school’s principal) is going to override Erina’s rule and offer Souma a spot at the school anyway. After all, this is supposed to be a shounen anime with a protagonist that stands out above all others because of his hardworking personality or special abilities. Souma just happens to have both to his advantage. I can’t wait to see him actually competing against other students and finally stumble upon a task that he can’t complete. You’ll never learn if you never fail so perhaps we’ll see that next week as he attends class and meets other students.

P.S. I also wanted to mention that Souma’s father is quite the handsome DILF 😉 His long hair and his sexy voice… AND he can cook?! God, I’m in love! I hope he makes more appearances later on; especially if the story reveals how he got his culinary skills to begin with (perhaps at the same school?) and what motivates him.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: Poor Souma! I love how his character stands out. He’s so innocently charming =3 And of course, all that food… I’ve never thought of making rice so creatively! Must try one of these days…

Full-length images: 21, 25, 30, 31.

 

Preview

43 Comments

  1. https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2036.jpg
    Half-Strip = PASS!

    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
    Thank you for the screens!

    Erina is really only great for comedy and fanservice…next episode is the true heroine!
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg

    Ptolemaios00
    Reply

    2. Rather than true heroine, I’d consider her as true protagonist, or at least dual protagonist along with souma.
      I’d love to see Erina knocked out from her high seat later and getting much needed developments, though. That would be awesome.

      zeroyuki92
      Reply

    1. “God Tongue” huh? Imagine the possibilities. ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
      https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2021.jpg

      Failing someone because you can’t admit that you were wrong. Bad 1st impression on tsundere Erina.
      https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2032.jpg

      You know shit is about to get serious when the Zeus of Food strips.
      https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2036.jpg

      Silke
      Reply

  3. https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
    The main face of the manga besides the titular character, though it’s arguable whether you could consider her a main character given her involvement in the story later.

    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%2030.jpg
    Tosh. Nuff said.

    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2002%20-%20Large%20Preview%2003.jpg
    Waifu wars will begin next week. Interesting to note that after Jouichirou mentioned about finding a woman to devote your cooking, the scene changes to Erina‘s butt.

    belatkuro
    Reply

  4. Best girl next episode. 😀

    I do like how over the top the anime is, which means it’s faithful to the source. It just looks that much more crazy when it’s animated. If someone were to walk in my room, they’d think I was watching some strange hentai, lmao.

    chromenova
    Reply

    1. Actually I dug back into the manga to check, and that gag is apparently an anime-original. Kinda interesting since through 2 episodes the anime has been pretty faithful to the manga, but the anime staff have no need to apologize for adding that one in. XD

      Purple Bomber
      Reply

      1. Fun Fact: The jukebox scene from Episode 1 and the Baby Erina scene are from the original oneshot of Shokugeki no Souma. The creators turned it into the series we have today (^o^)!

        ichigo
        Reply

  9. Watching Koufuku Graffiti makes me hungry so I need to make some snacks.
    Watching Shokugeki no Souma makes me hungry and horny so I need to make some snacks and…wait what?!

    lividsama
    Reply

  10. This is one of the best adaptations we’ve seen in a while. While I personally don’t really like the overuse of CGI especially on the food part, I love that they managed to transition the essence of the manga and it’s mix of cooking, food, action, comedy, ecchi and dash of romance so well. It just really leaves you hungry for more.

    Juan
    Reply

  11. Erina failing Souma even if he passed the test just because she was humiliated, even with her talent and family prestige, now that’s just wrong. As tempting as it is to read ahead, I’ll stick to the anime to see in motion if this won’t be the first time Souma knocks Erina off her very high horse. Actually I’ll be looking forward to seeing Souma kick elitist arse in this school, like that guy who looked down on him for owning just a neighborhood restaurant. If only they knew the owner of that little neighborhood restaurant is a highly sought after chef that can make monks break their fasting habits.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

    1. That will definitely happen… but I also think Souma has a lot to learn too. I can imagine that he’s better than probably the average student at the school, but there’s no way that he’s always going to be at the top. And we already know that his father is far superior.

      Cherrie
      Reply

      1. Now that you mention it maybe Souma did go a little overboard with his teasing Erina during the test. Souma definitely has confidence in his cooking and I guess it bordered on arrogance for Erina. Still I can’t really blame Souma. My impression of him so far is someone who doesn’t like being looked down on and is very eager to pay back insults with interest, especially when it’s trash talking his own Yukihira restaurant.

        Zhinvu
        Reply

  12. Its getting increasing harder to watch this anime while in the pack train on my way to work.
    But nope I ain’t complaining, especially with all these hentai-ish drawings!

    ornehx
    Reply

  14. I just got strongly reminded of a certain perverted boy with his pet Angeloids for that Erina food reaction scene. XD

    In any case, the second episode built up nicely on the first, taking off from when it prepared to take flight last episode, only for Soma to fall flat on his face with his silly attitude and Erina’s reactions. How she acts around Soma pulls her completely out of character and it’s fun (and cute) to watch, which is also a reason I jumped onto their ship though

    Show Spoiler ▼

    I didn’t account for her to be made into a Fang-tan though. Adds a little more appeal to her awesome character design than she already has. Good job, J.C Staff.

    There’s no questioning the quality of their over the top reactions – Always entertaining and fun to watch. The elitist issue does bother me a bit as it did in the manga, but Soma deals with it. You’ll see, anime viewers. :p

    Lastly, I also think I can pretty much throw the 3-episode rule out the window now, even after reading the source material. They have been doing well so far, sticking rather closely with the original story and adding in some funny anime-original material. Keep it up, J.C Staff.

    Owaranai
    Reply

  15. P.S. I also wanted to mention that Souma’s father is quite the handsome DILF 😉
    His long hair and his sexy voice… AND he can cook?! God, I’m in love!

    Whyyy….just why did I have to understand what DILF means within 3 seconds lol.
    Cherrie, hold your horses XD

    I hope he makes more appearances later on; especially if the story reveals how he got his culinary skills to begin with (perhaps at the same school?) and what motivates him.

    Show Spoiler ▼

    But…how many episodes is this again?

    Techim
    Reply

    1. No idea yet… hoping for at least 2-cour but if not, then hopefully it’ll be good enough for them to create a second season =) I imagine that since the manga has been running for at least 2 years that there’s enough material.

      Cherrie
      Reply

  17. Erina failing someone because she’s embarrassed for already looking down at him is not funny at all, it’s not what professionals do. Souma’s expression is priceless though

    Shiro
    Reply

    1. I don’t think that’s funny either; although the animation makes it seemingly less serious. Definitely a shot at her credibility. Although she still has the best taste buds around, she’s probably not the most suited to be on the board of student admissions. She’s still a student after all so you have to remember that she probably thinks for herself first before what’s best for the school. She’s also a tsundere so I think that’s expected of her at this point 😉

      Cherrie
      Reply

    2. I think the point is that Souma pushes her buttons enough such that she acts irrational when he’s involved. The episode is a microcosm of their relationship; she’s cold and haughty to most everyone else, but Souma gets her fuming.

      mongoose22
      Reply

  18. Erina in short is think of herself like a God. have the power of Careers or can crush them. She is to long living in the Clouds. The World is there to please her tongue. And what all she needs to do is eating…

    WorldwideDepp
    Reply

  19. Erina is adorable haha. Well it might be hard for some to see that though, because she is pretty mean, but she’s my favorite character from the series.

    Why? Well the interactions between Soma and Erina are more interesting to me than that of which he will have with the other heroines. It’s nice to see him loved and all, but it’s more fun in my opinion when he’s challenged. That’s because Soma is a very arrogant and confident character himself, and those watching are already starting to see.

    What also makes their interactions appeal to me more is the way Soma handles it. As seen by this ep, normal people run away in fear of the domineering Erina. Soma on the other hand could care less, which just makes it all the more amusing and funny in my opinion. He’s completely shaking up her world, which is saying a lot since she’s probably never had anyone to challenge her.

    She is a judge, but she’s 15 and at heart she’s still a child and a girl. Having some equally as arrogant boy call her out would obviously drive her crazy hahaha. Which is fun to see, these cool and collected types, actually lose their cool.

    Oh just realized I wrote a whole bunch about random stuff and Erina LMAO. Sorry for that, great episode and great post!!!

    Kevin
    Reply

  22. While what Erina did is really bad and unprofessional, I think that opens up for some great character development for her (and Soma) going forward. Both of them are arrogant, but one is an elite and the other is a nobody. I’d like to see both of them reach a common ground and see each other as equals in the culinary world.

    And Soma’s father pretty much said how this series will pan out. I just wonder who’ll be that girl whom Soma will devote his cooking.

    Did the manga reached that point already, establishing an official couple?

    Reikakou
    Reply

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