First Impressions / Shokugeki no Souma

「ひと皿の記憶」 (Hito Sara no Kioku)
“The Memory of a Dish”

So after many episodes of Kojirou being an apparent a** for no reason, we finally learn more about his past and why he is the way he is. This is what I’ve been waiting for since we’ve been introduced to his character because he doesn’t seem that hated by the general public and there has to be a reason for his attitude towards students and cooking. It’s not at all surprising that he’s always been gifted at cooking, but no one is perfect and even Kojirou has struggles in his field. It’s also very realistic to see that he has problems managing his staff and the critique that he receives in France… being Japanese and all. Having been to France as well, I do see signs of prejudice even just amongst tourists so I can’t imagine what it’s like to actually start a career there. I definitely give Kojirou credit for not being French and yet still coming in to try and make a name for himself. He’s successful, but at a cost and since this is what he’s been striving for, I don’t blame him for becoming this tough, no bullsh*t type of character. A lot of people work hard to get to where they want to go with their careers and sacrifice a lot to get there. At the same time, Kojirou did receive a lot of disrespect from his fellow line cooks and chefs while he was “soft” and I think that’s a huge contributing factor to his character. Of course, I think there are a lot of extremes with the people that Kojirou dealt with. You have people that completely disrespect your recipes and change them (and your own recipes are like your children, it’s something you spent time perfecting and creating) and there are people that honestly want to help and make it better. Unfortunately Kojirou didn’t see the difference and treated everyone like his enemy… and this is his choice on how to deal with his problems. It’s definitely not how I would’ve demanded order in my kitchen, but I can see why he treats his students the way he does now and how he became the Legumes Magician.

I was spoiled ahead of time, but it still surprises me that Megumi was given an “exception” to the typical shokugeki rules. It’s an unofficial shokugeki, but I thought they should’ve been more consequences riding on the results given that Souma did challenge Kojirou seriously. It’s a good thing that there wasn’t, because now we know that they’ve lost… but it just feels like Gin was “teaching them a lesson” and letting them off easy. It was a good lesson for Megumi because she stepped out of her comfort zone and did something that was different than Kojirou and even got his vote! However, I think Souma was the one that took it hard because he went in expecting to win and it’s his first official loss (even if he wasn’t the chef in charge). I don’t think he blames Megumi by any means, but he probably wishes he could’ve done more and or had more control. Gin’s comparison of him to Kojirou was an interesting one. I never expected them to be similar but their drive towards cooking and “being the best” warrants the same mentality to some extent. Their difference comes in the way that they handle difficult situations and Souma obviously has a warmer personality than Kojirou does. You can see it in the way that he supports Megumi and even when he loses, he still puts on a strong face for her.

Is it wrong to think that Hinako completely steals the spotlight every episode? I know the focus is supposed to be on Megumi and Kojirou but I love just adorable Hinko is. She’s so cute and sees the good in everyone and it makes me want to put her in my pocket! The chibi scenes definitely lighten up the mood and bring a smile to my face every time I see Hinako or Megumi. See, food doesn’t have to be an “orgasmic” experience in order to be a standout one. There are many ways the mangaka can portray good food without people’s clothes flying off.

The scenes with Kojirou’s memories of his mom and his childhood were also a great addition this week. It reminded me heavily of Ratatouille’s final scenes with Anton Ego and his own recollections of his own mother. It’s funny how food can easily take you back to a certain place in time; it means even more when it reminds you of a certain someone. There are a ton of home cooked meals that would certainly remind me of my grandparents or parents in general. Anyway, I thought that was a nice touch to the episode and if Kojirou wasn’t human enough for you then, he most certainly is now.

Bottom Line – @RCCherrie: A tough first loss for Souma, but he can’t blame himself for something out of his control #shokugeki_anime. #Shokugeki_anime’s latest ep reminds me so much of my fav Pixar film #Ratatouille =3 Love it!

 

Preview

End Card

19 Comments

  2. Shinomiya’s past is covered in the currently running spinoff manga, SNS: Etoile.

    He was also voted the 7th most popular character in a recent Shonen Jump poll.
    Other mentions include Megumi (#4), Souma (#1), Erina (#2), Takumi (#3).

    zztop
    Reply

  6. You really can’t blame Shinomiya for being the jerk that he is, considering the treatment he got in France. His own cooks were practically sabotaging him and his career was on the line so he had to become ruthless and that’s what got him his medal. Who knows for how many years Shinomiya has been adapting this ruthless policy on cooking so of course Gin would be concerned.

    Is it wrong to think that Hinako completely steals the spotlight every episode?

    Not at all Cherrie. Hinako for me was practically the reason last week’s episode wasn’t so tense, and the seiyuu’s delivery was just really spot-on, both last week and now. She was practically breaking the ice whenever she was on screen. Hinako’s now one of my favorite non-student characters, along with Shinomiya.

    I was spoiled ahead of time, but it still surprises me that Megumi was given an “exception” to the typical shokugeki rules.

    I think because it was unofficial that Gin and Hinako could practically do what they want too. Remember they weren’t judges but their votes, including Shinomiya’s, were counted so we got a tie. When Hinako volunteered to take charge, it almost made me forget that despite being such a carefree person she is still a Tootsuki graduate so you still can’t count her authority out (Gin did accept it). I’m actually wondering how much all of this Gin planned. Perhaps the moment he saw Souma protesting Megumi’s expulsion that he saw an opportunity to teach Shinomiya something too. I wouldn’t be surprised if Gin also planned this to teach Souma some humility since Souma believes so much his cooking has what it takes to beat an alumnus. And on giving Megumi consideration, Show Spoiler ▼

    You could say Gin already trusted Megumi would serve something worthy of letting her stay in Tootsuki and he himself did acknowledge Megumi’s hospitality is her greatest weapon.

    Speaking of that, I actually think Megumi’s hospitality is the greatest trait a chef could have, something that in my opinion she beats Souma in. Everyone was surprised at how Megumi was still considerate of the who will eat her food even in a career-threatening competition, and I was surprised that the alumni didn’t consider the allspice effect of being easy on the stomach. They only saw it as something to aid in making your food smell better.

    However, I think Souma was the one that took it hard because he went in expecting to win and it’s his first official loss (even if he wasn’t the chef in charge).

    I don’t know if it was intentional or not in the animation but Souma wasn’t exactly smiling when the votes were about to be cast. The only time he would show a carefree smiling face was when he was looking at Megumi, as if to reassure her everything was going to be okay. I guess it showed that he was really anxious about the results and yeah he took it really hard that it was a landslide win by Shinomiya.

    Zhinvu
    Reply

  7. Why
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2007.jpg
    is
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2008.jpg
    Megumi
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2009.jpg
    so
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2023.jpg
    adorable!?
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2015.jpg
    The same goes for Hinako. She was cute then and she is cute now.
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2025.jpg
    Kojirou during his high school days makes me think of Souma, especially in this screenshot:
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2016.jpg
    This was a great halfway point. Souma experienced his first loss to someone other than his father (I don’t know if his draw with Takumi counts though.), Megumi had character development, and we end Episode 12 with the Polar Star Dormitory students.
    https://randomc.net/image/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma/Shokugeki%20no%20Souma%20-%2012%20-%20Large%2033.jpg
    I sure will miss Kibou no Uta and Spice as the opening and ending themes, hopefully Misokkasu and Oomori Seiko will produce great songs like their predecessors.
    Show Spoiler ▼

    ichigo
    Reply

  10. Souma was also upset that he lost in a match that only he was trying to win. He did not think about hospitality like Megumi or serve a terrible plate like Shinomiya. So he lost on BOTH fronts as a chef, meaning total loss.

    Dorian
    Reply

  14. Doesn’t really count as a loss for Souma since he was merely being assistant to Megumi…so the whole ‘first defeat’ rings hollow. It obviously would have been a different ball game if Souma had participated personally.

    Megumi never had a chance against a world-class chef from the start nt were we given any indication she was particularly capable so the fact that she lost isn’t really a surprise

    Eugene
    Reply

    1. Shinomiya mentioned something about pate when he took the first bite of Megumi’s dish. I’m guessing the meat and the chicken liver that Mizuhara mentioned were used to make the pate. Although why she needed three gigantic slabs of meat to make it is beyond me.

      Rudy
      Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *