Food Wars! – 20 Question Anime Review

What’s the show? Food Wars! (2015)

And what’s it about? Food!

I could have probably guessed that much, go into detail please. Well it’s about Soma Yukihira and his exploits as he traverses the ranks of elite culinary school Totsuki Academy in pursuit of his dream of surpassing his father at cooking. It’s a cooking school unlike any other where less than 1% of students graduate due to the rigorous process of ‘shokugeki’s’ (Food Wars), which dominate the academic landscape, weeding out the wannabes from the true professionals.

Why do I feel like I’ve just turned on a cooking channel? Yeah it can kinda get like that, but as long as you watch it in Japanese with English subtitles there shouldn’t be any issues. 

So there’s an English dub then? NEVER MENTION THE ENGLISH DUB OF THIS SHOW AROUND ME!

O…kay then… Um, so what’s good about the show? Only everything! It’s a comedy only there’s a kind of genuine emotional relevance connected to every character. It’s practically a sports anime with the kind of detail they go into when it comes to the preparation and serving of a dish, never has a show made me so hungry before. The stakes genuinely feel high every time a shokugeki is issued and because of the character development it only feels higher. And then there’s the fan service…

Fan service? Excuse me? Sometimes the food is just so good that those tasting it are so overcome with adulation that their clothes rip off! Of course not literally, it’s all visual metaphor, but it simultaneously fulfils the shallow need for fan service in this kind of anime and offer a visual representation to externally gauge how good a dish is.

Feels like your just making excuses for seeing anime tiddies. First of all, I thought we agreed you’d never use that phrase again around me. Secondly, it’s not just woman whose clothes disintegrate upon tasting an impeccable dish, men are just as likely to appear naked and aroused upon putting food in their mouth in this show.

This show is sounding kind of perverse. But it’s totally not, I know it’s hard but you should trust me on this. It’s like the anime equivalent of Masterchef except everyone isn’t a self-entitled douche with some thirty-second sob story or one-dimensional persona.

Well that’s good! Anything else I should know? You know this review really should be titled ‘Shokugeki No Soma’, not ‘Food Wars!’

Huh? Well I mean that’s its proper Japanese title, ‘Food Wars!’ is just an annoyingly simplified translation meant to grab people’s attention. Probably because whoever got the rights for the show in the west was afraid a food-based anime wouldn’t be ‘shiny’ enough to make money!

Are you going to make this into a thing? He’s totally going to make this into a thing… I mean why stop there! Why not call ‘Haikyu!!’ ‘Volleyball Show!!’ instead! Or ‘Keijo!’ ‘This Is Totally A Sports Anime, Why Are You Looking At Me Like That, No This It’s Just A Banana In My Pocket.’ Or ‘Yuru Camp’ ‘Laid Back Camp’!

You know I think they did call ‘Yuru Camp’ ‘Laid Back Camp’. ARGH!

Calm down! Umm… oh god I need something to bring him back on topic, I can’t let this end up as another rant review… um? Oh of course! Ah… so does this show have any cute girls I should know about? Of course! Some of the best in fact!

Wow that was easy, uh, great! So tell me about them? Well of course there’s the snobby rich girl who’s something of an antagonist to Soma, her name’s Erina and she’s nicknamed the ‘god tongue’ because her palate is so impossibly refined. Then there’s Ikumi, who loves cooking with meat, she’s got a brash exterior but she’s actually a bit of a sweet heart when you get to know her! And then… daww, its best girl Megumi! She’s a quietly spoken country girl who’s just too precious for words!

I almost prefer the angry you than this you… Don’t hate just because I’ve found my happiness!

Oh I wouldn’t dare dream it. Okay, so I’m almost sold, so now in just three words convince me why I need to see this show. Peanut-butter tentacle porn.

I said convince me to watch it not convince me to never talk to you again. Admit it, you’re curious now.

I will never! Besides you cheated, that was four words. It was hyphenated!

Let’s wrap this up, shall we? As far as an entry point into anime of the ecchi variety, Food Wars is not only tastefully presented (pun intended) but almost all of it makes sense within the show’s plot and aesthetic, and it’s about as equal as you’re likely to find in terms of male/female fan-service. But aside from that it’s a genuinely entertaining, at times hilarious and often touching show with a cast of wonderful, eclectic characters. Premium 5 star Michelin grade anime, 93 out of 100.