Hello and welcome to Project Nitsuj. It’s time to continue our look at Food Wars with season 2. Released in summer of 2016 and following the success of the first season, fans both old and new were excited to see this series return. While only having 13 episodes instead of 24 like the previous season expectations were still high as this season was covering the Fall Elections one of the best arcs from the series and the first real tournament arc as well. Hope your hungry because we’re about to see a lot of tasting. This is Food Wars S2.
Opening and Ending Theme
Our opening for the second season is “Rough Diamonds” by Screen Mode. So far this is the best opening from the anime series. You get hyped just hearing that first note and forget that the main theme of this anime is cooking. I could totally picture this song being in a battle anime. A good song overall, but that’s to be expected from Screen Mode, they always make good openings.
The ending is “Snowdrop” by nano.Ripe. Hands down my favorite ending in the entire series. Every time I heard this song at the end of each episode I got goosebumps and wanted to know what was going to happen next (well I knew what was going to happen because I read the manga, but still). The lyrics are deep, meaningful, and really hit hard for the characters that are going to lose this season, but at the same time inspires them to rise back up.
Episodes 1-4
At the start of the second season Souma finds out he’ll be participating in the first match of the elections and his opponent will be (drum roll please) Alice (so it comes down to science versus man). The theme of their battle is bento. Alice finishes first with some extravagant bento that combines science and food as one using the latest cooking technology (scene here: https://youtu.be/fD91eBDrNwo. I suppose next they’ll be combining math with trading cards. Just throw me in the fridge when this ever happens). Souma presents his dish which is a nori bento which is a big hit with the judges because of the variety he offered and the many surprises his dish had (which even surprised me. Scene here: https://youtu.be/JsvViHSi794). In the end Souma wins the first round unanimously.
We move on to the next match in episode 2 with Megumi vs Ryo the assistant of Alice who may appear plain and docile at first glance but when he starts cooking he becomes a wild man out for bloodlust. Their theme is ramen and we see that Ryo is sticking with his strengths by creating a seafood-themed ramen as is Megumi since she came from a port town. During the match Alice sits with Souma and his friends (weren’t you crying on the floor 2 minutes ago?) where she reminiscences about Ryo. We find out he also grew up in a port town where her family had a lab set up. While there as a child Alice came across Ryo in a tavern where he was the head chef. In Ryo’s eyes the kitchen is a battlefield (true) where you either win or lose and your goal is to crush whoever stands in your way. The two present their ramen to the judges where it’s a pretty close battle. Ryo’s ramen hits hard but Megumi’s ramen counters his ramen by filling you with peace (scene here: https://youtu.be/rYzAOwxnpV4. It’s Megumi’s motherly cooking vs Ryo’s savage cooking).
Episode 3 opens with Megumi falling to Ryo where even though she lost she still gets a standing ovation from everyone now realizing it wasn’t a fluke that she made it this far. We move on to the next day of the tournament where the first match is Akira (the king of spice style) against Hisako (the doctor of culinary) and their theme is the American classic, the hamburger (trademark). Hisako’s dish is a soft-shell turtle burger (a favorite dish of the Shredder) where she literally kills the turtle right in front of the audience (and there goes my appetite). Her dish is a hit with the judges, but Akira served his burger, kebab burger (oh God that sounds delicious. And this is coming from a guy who’s 80% vegetarian), that takes advantage of the pickle aspect to enhance the flavor of the burger meaning the taste just explodes within your mouth and you can’t get enough of it (man, I’m getting hungry just talking about it). In the end Akira wins overwhelmingly not only because his burger was the better one but also because Hisako lacks drive. Akira is aiming to be number 1. He’s not settling for second or someone else being better than him. He wants to stand at the top for everyone to see and know that he’s the best. Hisako lacks this ambition. She’s not aiming for first place she’s content with playing second fiddle to Erina which isn’t what Erina needs. Erina doesn’t need a yes man (or woman in this case) she needs a friend, someone who’s going to challenge her and who she can confine in and trust. During this match we get to meet the 8th and final participant in the selection Mimasaka who despite the fact having the appearance of a delinquent muscle-bound biker, he’s actually quite smart and detailed in everything he does (he sounds like the kind of guy who would flip if someone messed up his room or bathroom). His match against Takumi is next but before the match Mimasaka mocks Takumi and belittles his family restaurant and brother pissing off Takumi and getting him to agree to a shokugeki where both parties steak their most precious cooking tool on the line.
In episode 4 Takumi and Mimasaka have their shokugeki where the theme is desserts and they’re both making the exact same thing (coincidence? Hell no). Mimasaka has been stalking Takumi for weeks and making notes about Takumi such as what he does, when he eats, sleeps, go to the bathroom (what kind of porn he likes), etc. all in an effort to grasp what Takumi is going to make. Then, once he figures it out he studies on how the make the dish slightly better and win the shokugeki where he destroys the pride of others and takes their cooking tool (this is so messed up. This is like someone making an exact copy of the Mario games and passing it off as their creation). Even a few of the judges find this whole thing messed up but they have to be fair and impartial in their judgement. Takumi tries to add something new to the recipe at the last minute to give him the edge, but Mimasaka predicted this would happen and prepared for it. In the end Mimasaka wins and crushes Takumi taking his cooking tool and everything (fake ass Ditto) adding it to his collection (scene here: https://youtu.be/XVcoIlKODOE). After the credits, Souma returns to his room to find Mimasaka waiting for him (okay, I’m calling the cops) where he says they’ll be facing each other in the next round (something tells me someone is out to get Souma) and of course he wants a shokugeki with Souma which he accepts however they raise the stakes. If Souma wins, Mimasaka gives back all the cooking tools he’s taken but if Souma loses he has to quit being a cook forever (scene here: https://youtu.be/Rl8Y4KLj3r0, and then I don’t know maybe go to nursing school or something. Hmm~, that’d be a good series).
Episodes 5-8
So at the start of episode 5 Souma tells Mimasaka he’s going to be making beef stew for the next round (he was gonna find out anyway, why waste his time?). The news quickly spreads about Souma and Mimasaka’s match with a young middle schooler named Mitsuki who works for the school paper taking an interest in Souma and wanting to do a report on him. At first Souma says no but he eventually lets him do the report as long as he agrees to taste-test Souma’s dishes (just fill out this paperwork so he’s not liable if you die during the tasting). While Souma makes good dishes that please Mitsuki he feels that it’s not enough to win so he goes to get a second opinion in the form of Erina (a member of the harem even if she doesn’t know it yet). At first she says no but she agrees to do it as long as Souma offers compensation (Erina no ecchi) by getting her the remaining volumes for a manga she’s reading. She tastes his dish and says it’s not good saying he’s missing the whole point of this match (the point being to make your beef stew impactful on the first bite. While Souma’s dish is good it doesn’t start to kick in until the third bite. Something like this works at a diner where people come in, sit down, relax, say hi to Christopher Walken, and eat while also enjoying the casual feeling of the diner. However, this is a contest you’ve gotta sell your dish on the first bite or you’re gonna lose). Souma soon hits a wall but he receives a gift from Ikumi which gives him the answer he needs to win. After a few days the day of the match comes where the judges this time are alumni and the cooking begins where as you would guess both Souma and Mimasaka are making the same dish with Mimasaka’s dish having a twist ingredient.
At the start of episode 6 Mimasaka reveals the twist for his dish, bacon (https://youtu.be/LC-KxY07aVI). He plans to use the bacon as garniture (or garnish for some of you out there) which will really let his beef stew stand out. Also, he reveals that he hacked into Mitsuki’s computer and got all his notes on Souma (okay, can we just arrest this guy? He has broken at least three laws already). Souma soon switches up his strategy by doing improv cooking but Mimasaka figured he would do that as well. Mimasaka presents his dish first to the judges (and going by the logic of this anime, anyone who presents their dish first is most likely to lose) and it’s a hit with them. Souma than presents his dish which is an array of beefs shoved into one stew (it looks like what would happen if a child tried to pack all of his favorite food into one dish) and sends the judges on a rollercoaster of taste (all aboard~ *maniacal laugh*). While it may not look good and thrown together at the last-minute Souma’s dish is perfectly balanced that you taste every flavor in his dish perfectly. Souma then admits that he also thought along the same line as Mimasaka for his dish but felt it didn’t fit his cooking style, so he created a dish based on his memory from everything he’s done in the past (so in truth it wasn’t improv cooking. It was instinct cooking). In the end Souma wins unanimously and he gives his dish to Mimasaka which sends him on a trip to the past where we see that at a young age Mimasaka was a gentle soul who could memorize any dish just by seeing the recipe once. This of course didn’t sit well with his dad who saw his cooking as a cheap imitation with no originality whatsoever. His dad finally reached his breaking point with him when he made his dad’s signature dish for a contest but added one twist to it to make it his own and won. Mimasaka’s dad exiled him from the kitchen and sent him to Totsuki where he embraced his imitation with a twist cooking and began taking everyone down to prove he was the superior chef. After Souma’s victory everyone gets back their tools except for Takumi who gives his tool to Souma saying that one day he’ll reclaim it from him and also vows to defeat Mimasaka in the future as well (scene here: https://youtu.be/1i0oxulYPw0).
In episode 7 the semifinals continue with Ryo against Akira and the theme is still western dishes. Both of them stick to their strengths. Ryo creates a western style seafood dish while Akira cooks a mean duck that gives off an amazing scent and wows the judges as well as the audience (momentum shift). But Ryo doesn’t care about that as he stays focused on his cooking and once the judges taste both dishes we see that they’re unsure of who to vote for (keep in mind these are alumni and all of them held one of the Elite 10 seats during their time at the academy so this is a big deal). After much struggle two judges vote for Akira, two vote for Ryo, and the fifth judge can’t decide on who to vote for (chose woman!). They decide to make the match a draw and since they don’t have time to re-schedule their match at a later time, they decide to allow both of them to go on to the finals meaning it’s a three-way showdown between Souma, Akira, and Ryo and their theme is the pacific saury an extremely fragrant fish and considered part of the common man’s dish (on the surface it looks like everyone has an edge with this theme but in truth they don’t. Ryo has the most advantage because seafood is his specialty and Akira has a minor advantage because bringing out the aroma of his dishes gives him an edge. Souma, really doesn’t have an advantage in this fight meaning he’s the dark horse going into this battle).
At the start of episode 8 Souma and Megumi go to the fish market in order to prepare for the finals (a date at the fish market. You sure know how to show a girl a good time Souma). While at the market they run into Ryo and Alice where we get a crash course in picking the best saury. Just because one saury is the freshest doesn’t mean it’s usually the best. You also have to factor in the umami (savory taste) which is basically the meaty taste of the saury. The insonic acid (the umami) in fish increases over time and it depends on when and where the fish was caught and you can usually tell how good their umami is by the fish’s color, eyes, and how straight it stands up when you hold it (*Nitsuj pauses for a second* hmm~, I was expecting one of the Jack Bros. to come in and deliver a dirty line. I guess not. Moving on). Souma decides to test and show off his skills by picking what he believes to be the best saury but Ryo shows him he’s wrong by picking another saury that’s smaller and flatter than Souma’s which turns out to be the better of the two (that’s a man of the sea for you). Souma also finds out that Akira came by earlier and was able to pick the best saury by just smelling them (like I said, Souma is at a huge disadvantage going into this match). Realizing he’s at a major disadvantage in not being able to pick the best ingredients, Souma begins thinking of a way to compete against them. After much thinking he decides on ageing his saury to bring out its fullest umami and gets the help of his dormmates Ryoko, Yuki, and Ikumi who are experts on ageing techniques to help him with his ageing method. He tries out all of their methods which include malt rice, smoking, and high humidity and makes good dishes from all of them but they’re just not good enough to beat Ryo and Akira. While thinking of a better way to perfect the ageing of his saury he finally finds his answer thanks to Fumio. The day of the match arrives where we see the judges are Dojima, the headmaster and Erina’s grandpa, Senzaemon, and Alice’s mom who came after hearing about her daughter’s defeat and became interested in tasting one of Souma’s dishes (scene here: https://youtu.be/pTyIfpNnt_s).
Episode 9 starts with the cooks presenting their saury. Both Ryo and Akira’s sauries look good, but Souma’s looks like a rusted dull blade (what the hell is that thing?). Even Ryo and Akira are pissed about this and wave him off as being the loser of this tournament. The three get to cooking where Ryo presents his dish first which is Autumn Pacific Saury Cartoccio. Using film as a pouch to preserve the flavor it releases an aroma of flavor that gets the mouths watering and keeps the meal nice and fresh. Next up is Akira who presents an antipasto dish, a dish which is usually intended to pique a person’s appetite at the start of a course (think appetizers only fancier). At first it looks like nothing special, but then he lights it on fire releasing a powerful aroma from a single spice that makes everyone call it delicious without even tasting it. Akira’s dish completely dominates Ryo’s dish and puts him in the lead. Finally, it’s time for Souma’s turn and he presents Salted Rice Bran Pacific Saury Rice which while good doesn’t seem to wow the judges all that much until Souma offers them seconds to present the true form of his dish (and he might have just made a big mistake here. Like I said this is a competition, you need to sale your dish on the first time).
In the first half of episode 10 Souma presents the missing element of his dish, soup made from soy milk. This turns Souma’s dish into a creamy porridge enhancing the already existing flavors which amazes the judges and even gains the respect of the other students. All this time everybody has been looking down on him and believing he can’t win because he’s going up against the elites. If it was anybody else they would have given up and said it’s impossible to win. Yet, Souma isn’t backing down from them. He’s taking them head on and coming up with methods never seen before (he’s making everyone look lazy by comparison). The time to finally decide the winner has come. As the judges deliberate, we see Akira’s backstory where we find out he was born in the slums in another country (which I’m going to assume is India because of his expertise in spices). He was found by Jun who recognized his amazing talents, brought him back to Japan, and allowed him to become the chef he is today (well that explains why he fights so hard for her). In the end, the winner of the Fall elections is. . .Akira (now nobody can complain that Souma wins all of his matches)! While all the dishes were good the deciding factor was originality and Akira’s dish excelled in this department. Despite losing Souma accepts his defeat well and this only motivates him more as he’s found someone other than his dad to beat. A few days go by where we see Souma and Ryo at Jun’s lab conversing with Akira and doing little competitions with each other (Jun on the other hand is just happy to Akira conversing with friends. She is such a mom). Jun also warns them that they don’t have much time to rest as they have to get ready for the Stagiaire (scene here: https://youtu.be/i35Ci__qNnk).
So episode 11 we find out that Stagiaire are basically internships (unpaid ones mind you). The students get sent to various businesses in the food industry and work there for practical experience. During this internship the students are required to make a visible mark on the place of business that they’re at. A few days pass where the Stagiaire begins and in the first round Souma will be partnering up with another student and that student is Hisako (this is an interesting pairing). Right away Hisako makes it clear she wants nothing to do with Souma and refuses to work with him (just like her boss, she’s a tsundere). We also see she’s hung up on her loss to Akira and hasn’t spoken to Erina since then. They arrive at the restaurant they’ll be working at where it’s a pretty regular place with nothing too major or all that appealing that is until rush hour comes. Souma and Hisako quickly see that the place has trouble keeping up with orders from commuting customers (who need to catch the next train quickly so it’s like: give me now or I cut you). The place goes through multiple waves of customers (it’s like a battlefield) where Souma is able to keep up and Hisako starts off slow but quickly gets the hang of it and is able to keep up. Meanwhile, Erina is doing her Stagiaire with Megumi in a French restaurant where she’s already butting heads with the head chef (I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw this place on the news). She of course quickly takes over the kitchen and Megumi finds a way for them to improve the sauce proportions so no food goes to waste. At the end of third day Souma realizes that the work he and Hisako are doing isn’t good enough. While the restaurant is doing good now once they leave it’ll go back to where it started (and he’s right. They’re just a temporary fix to their situation. If they want this internship to be a success they have to fix the major problems which is either hiring more staff to take care of these rush hours or do pre-orders). Hisako and Souma hold an emergency meeting with the staff at the restaurant where she proposes cutting down their menu which the staff refuse to do, so Souma makes the suggestion they become a reservation-only restaurant and they like that idea (and with today’s technology it’ll be a lot easier). The change to reservation-only is a huge success as things run along smoothly and our two interns pass the first part of the Stagiaire with flying colors. Souma also helps Hisako out by telling her to walk beside Erina instead of behind her (translation: be Erina’s friend. Not her assistant. She already has enough brown nosers in her life, what she needs is a friend. Someone to confine in and push her to new heights). We also see Erina misses Hisako as well and has always thought of her as friend. Hisako thanks Souma for his words and this seems to help her move forward.
For episodes 12-13, Souma goes the next stage of his Stagiaire where he’ll be working with Shinomiya (the man who handed Souma his first loss besides his dad). Shinomiya is opening up a Tokyo branch of his French restaurant (he conquered French and now wishes to conquer the land of the Rising Sun. Viva la Shinomiya). Right now the place is doing a pre-open event where Souma sees firsthand just how intense cooking in Shinomiya’s kitchen is and struggles to keep up with the rest of the staff. Seeing his mistakes, Souma spends the rest of the week getting prep work done early, asking the other staff members on how he can become more efficient, and teach him new techniques (scene here: https://youtu.be/LihfJXmZly8). On the final day of his Stagiaire Souma enters a competition to create a dish for the restaurant that he can call his specialty. Using everything he’s learned, he puts together a French take on a chicken and egg rice bowl using a quail stuffed with risotto (you burned risotto *kicks trash can*! Get out~). While everyone likes it, Shinomiya says it’s not good enough for his menu, however, he helps refine the recipe so that it can become a dish on the menu (praise from Cesar. Scene here: https://youtu.be/B2dTKarsEgQ). Shinomiya allows Souma to pass the Stagiaire and once he returns to school he’s greeted by people wanting to challenge him to a shokugeki and he accepts beating them in the process (looks like the next school term is going to be an exciting one).
Current Thoughts
This was another good season that does a good job telling one of the best arcs from the manga. I did like how they focused on more chefs this time around while still keeping Souma in the forefront and relevant. Everybody was expecting to rage when Souma won the election saying that he always wins, but they threw a nice curve and had Akira win showing us that Souma still has a lot to learn and now he has someone else to aim for and win against. The stuff with the Stagiaire at the end may have been rushed, but to be fair it wasn’t that major of an arc in the manga and only served as down time to prepare us for the next major arc that was set to come. I did like how Souma befriended Hisako at the end and Megumi befriending Erina as well was a nice touch. There’s more Food Wars to come so stick, because things are going to pick up. Thanks for reading and I’ll see you next time on Project Nitsuj.