First Impression – Shokugeki no Soma
What’s cooking, good looking?
 |
There seems to be a sudden spike in “food porn” shows that deliver on drool-worthy food and fanservice. First there was Koufuku Graffiti, and now the ecchi aspect has escalated to give us Shokugeki no Soma. I for one welcome this new trend of sexual eating in anime. This is the start of something beautiful… |
I may be among the few who actually enjoy cooking shows that plainly teach you how to make something. I’d be completely satisfied with a show that just had regular old cooking minus all the panting, moaning, and near orgasms. But trying to sell a cooking show to anime fans could be tough, so they decided to throw in a boatload of innuendos and a heavy dose of shounen battle manga sensibilities. I’m not complaining though! These added flourishes make things more spicy as we see cooking conjure such…unique…reactions from the taste testers.
The way imaginations run wild while eating food makes me very optimistic about the future of Shokugeki no Soma. It’s not just people eating food and moaning in an uncreative way to try and get a rise out of viewers. They go all the way with that imagery until boobs are bouncing every which way, clothes are flying off, and even guys are getting meat juices spraying into god knows where. It’s so ridiculous that you just have to laugh.
I also like that the eating process gives rise to some whacky visual metaphors that show a limitless amount of imagination. For instance, Soma’s peanut squid is so bad that it’s described as being forcefully groped by tentacles, which then leads to a ridiculous image of Mayu being wrapped with tentacles. I also enjoyed seeing food so bad it had to be not just described with words, but a clip of a jukebox smashing the blonde-haired girl’s head. Reality blends with the imaginary almost seamlessly to describe the tastes in a playful and exciting way.
Pretty sure all the guys will hate me for my choice of screenshots
Cooking is never just cooking and food is never just food. Eating gourmet delights transports you to different worlds and creates all sorts of new sensations. I’ve only read a bit of the manga, but with the flare for the absurd that Shokugeki no Soma has been sporting so far, I can only imagine the scenes will get crazier and better. Food so bad it transports the diner to hell and they have to climb back up to Earth on a spaghetti thread? Curry so spicy you hallucinate a heavy metal band screaming in your face and then using your tongue as a guitar pick? The possibilities are endless, and I have a feeling this show is not afraid to turn things up to 11.
Shokugeki no Soma is one of those shows that isn’t just silly…it’s EXTREMELY SILLY. The kind of silly that treads dangerously on the line of being the work of an idiot or a genius. But so far, I really like everything we’ve seen so far about the show. Underneath the veneer, it’s just another shounen battle story with a cocky, super-talented protagonist. But I find that everything else is done so perfectly that it’s able to overcome being just another batch-produced, stereotypical anime. Shokugeki no Soma is an insane show, and I love it for pulling out all the stops right from episode one. There’s genuine cooking knowledge here – I get the feeling the mangaka really does love food. He’s just packaging it in a way so that it also contains tits, which I imagine is just another thing he loves. There’s a lot of passion behind this series and I’m really impressed with the first episode so far. Good on you, JC Staff, for not dropping the ball. I’ve been craving bacon like crazy after watching this….
Almost forgot to put a screencap of the main character instead of near-NSFW eating reaction pics…
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Jukebox!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Who comes up with a jukebox as something to strike someone in the head?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
…and idiot or a genius, just like OC says…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’d say both. It’s a deadlock.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
I *suki*heart* you for your choice of screenshots. If I were a guy. 😛
Life Sexy. Shabadadu~
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Wait, you’re a girl? I’m so lost.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Hold it! Back up! What was that?! There’s trouble processing the last part of the first paragraph.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
A sudden turn of event’s leaves our community holding it’s breath…..What will transpire?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Mwhahahahaha? 😛
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Explain yourself…
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nyanni? 0:3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’m going to leave it right there. Otherwise, I’ll be more confused. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
Was this a trap-bait?
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Nyaa~? 0:3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This is literally food porn! Are we sure there’s no ethics committee of any kind watching this? 90% chance they’d find this obscene. As if any of us would care, actually. Looks like your love of food is negating the ecchi elements, OC. Because I don’t know you to be one for that genre. I heard it’d be there, my expectations that it be subtle and all but not played out like this. My eyebrows were raised.
Verdict: I can work with this and the lead is the type that works hard for what he wants.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It’s pretty saucy! I’m honestly torn about whether to tag all the posts as NSFW because it’s so borderline.
Yeah, I’m not big on fanservice because uh I’m not really interested in having boobs shoved in my face. But when it’s there to be ridiculous, fun, and silly then I’m all for it.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I’m gonna be “that guy” with this show. Like with Koufuku Graffiti, I’m just not into the reactions to the food. Turns me off entirely. Too over the top, just feels fake. The story part of the show seems good, but it feels like it’ll be annoying to sit through five minutes of overstimulation to see the rest of the show.
And people’s mouths in close up sakuga are still squicky for me.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I’m sure you can’t be the only one a little turned off here. It’s even more intense than Koufuku Graffiti and if you don’t like the over the top reactions, the plot is pretty much buried underneath.
I think it’s cute that mouth close-ups kinda freak you out though :3
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
I dunno if it’s a freak out, but there’s certainly things I’d rather look at.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
This was a ton of fun! I have only read like 15 chapters of the manga and just wait for the first few cooking battle moments! They are awesome and to the ones that hate the ecchi elements I guess you are going to be missing out on the fun.
THAT OST omg DO WANT.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
First, brawls for half priced lunches in Ben-To. Now we have full scale wars over cuisine. Is there anything the Japanese aren’t capable of turning into a battlefield?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I read like 5 chapters and really liked it…then I got busy. But yes, I’m looking forward to the battles too!
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I haven’t read the manga but looks like the battles will be cutthroat given the way the school was depicted at the end.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I’m going into the battle’s expecting a more kinetic, sexy, and perverse form of Master Chef. Can you imagine how many more numbers FOX could pull in if Master Chef was like this?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
spinoff: Souma’s Kitchen Orgasms
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The ratings would be outrageous!
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Hmmm…
Red hair – check
Spikey hair – check
Good chef – check
Why is Emiya moonlighting in another show?
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
I am the bone of my iced tempura mixing bowl..
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Steak is my body, batter is my blood..
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Trace omlet!
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Trace On-igi…
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
If this implies he can conjure food out of thin air instead of swords then I’d befriend him IMMEDIATELY.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
Wholly prepared food? Or just the ingredients? It’s the difference between summoning a plate of dressed and cooked swordfish, and the actual fish itself. In the best situation, if you play your cards right,a surprised and angry swordfish could come in handy….
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Oh yes, I now do rememeber that Extra/CCC does have a cookoff.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Gate of… Babylon.
Only the finest are kept in there, be it swords or food! – Quote
POWUH: and Athenaeum Châtelaine with 2212 comments
The idea of food wars shounen-type series was interesting, especially since there’s been an influx of food related anime as of late. Unfortunately, I wish I had read more carefully and found out this ecchi elements before watching the premiere. But oh well, you live and learn.
Have fun with this you guys, I heard the source material is pretty good. 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
The PV and promo stuff was pretty tame so I can see where the misdirection happened. Thankfully, I knew what to expect going in so I could watch it without anyone else in the room…
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Definitely! This is the kind of series dangerous to watch in a crowded house. That’s why we have headphones!
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
I swear that as soon as the tako rape scene ended, my mom entered my room and I was laughing maniacally and left her weirded out.
Seriously, this is seriously unexpected. I couldn’t watch this without stopping whenever someone entered fearing that some crazy stuff would happen again.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
This is the kind of show you wait until everyone else is asleep to watch.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
When all of a sudden you break out in laughter and wake everyone up. And then the rush to your room to see what is going on.
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Make sure your bedroom door is closed beforehand. That or find a secluded room.
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
Love Hotels exist for that purpose in Japan.
POWUH: 900-999 with 915 comments
Great suggestions, though all of them fail eventually.
First because I don’t have all the time of the world right now to stay awake until late at night. Second because as DGK pointed out, I would start laughing out loud and everyone would wake up panicking. Third, my bedroom doesn’t have a door right now.
And wtf, who would rent a love hotel room to watch actual anime? That’s going a little too far hahaha
POWUH: Meta Team and Meta-Analyst with 3844 comments
The initial answer was mean towards privacy. Love Hotels exist for reasons of insufficient home privacy. There is nothing to say the use cannot be repurposed. Then again, some *certain* anime that would be appropriate in a Love Hotel setting. 😉
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
this show is EPIC…but the OP song sucks
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
I’ll agree the OP leaves much to be desired.
POWUH: 600-699 with 691 comments
the music just…has no place there, anyway…foodgasm’s make up for it
POWUH: Meta Team and Ringleader Extraordinaire~ with 6433 comments
I loved the manga (art is GORGEOUS!) and it’s interesting as hell in anime form too. I’ll be looking forward to Tootsuki shenanigans.