“If I beat you in a Shokugeki, will you rescind Tadokoro’s expulsion?”
Impression
I actually found this episode even more exciting than its manga equivalent! I know what’ll happen next, but for some reason I’m still so hyped! It was very ironic that Megumi and her new-found confidence had to be cruelly shot down by Shinomiya the very next day after she confided in her friends. I mean, I eventually grew to like Shinomiya, but not because of this arc – the current him is a right piece of work. As they presumably have complete freedom in the tasks they set, the alumni are probably influenced by their own experiences and personalities – and the attitude Shinomiya is encouraging is one needed to survive in a winner-takes-all, dog-eat-dog world. For the gentle Megumi, it’s not something she would deal well with coping in at all. Of course, to an extent she has to deal with it, and something like bad luck or chancing upon bad ingredients is just a part of life. But it’s not like she just sat down and gave up – she got round the limitation she was faced with through a level of creativity that Shinomiya himself acknowledged. And she did so without compromising the key essentials of the recette that she was set. Yet, she was fired.
It’s because Shinomiya believes his recette is perfect that he’s expelled her, to the point that even unavoidable changes are unacceptable. In essence, it’s his big fat ego. I mean, this was the guy who expelled someone a couple of episodes ago for using the wrong hair product, and did the same to two guys today who spoke a single sentence to each other. In taking his ego into account, though, his pride basically guarantees that he’ll accept the Shokugeki challenge so boldly issued to him by Soma – he believes in his superiority, after all. I know it might seem like Soma’s aid completely goes against what Megumi was trying to achieve in not asking for his help, but that’s not the issue here – in displaying her creativity with the wine she displayed her skill just fine. It’s that Shinomiya was being unacceptably unfair, and that’s what Soma is trying to contest here. It’s basically not the right time for Megumi to go – when she deserves an expulsion, I suspect Soma wouldn’t be too quick to intervene.
Will he win? You’ll have to wait and see. It’s a challenge I’m sure Soma has always wanted, but the first impression is of course that he’s bitten off more than he can chew – Shinomiya is a very big fish, and his arrogance is actually backed by both skill and past results. Soma will eventually be able to see eye to eye with him, but as of now it’s obvious that neither his ‘power level’ nor Megumi’s (if we’re going to speak in shounen terms) is anywhere near that of Shinomiya’s. In mentioning that Isshiki-senpai, now the Seventh Seat of the Elite Ten, had once been in Soma’s position, Dojima does give us some light foreshadowing. But Soma has a long, long way to go.
Finally, the fanservice is as admirably gender-balanced as ever. We went from naked muscles to Megumi’s duck seeing the world!
Those shounen vibes must be why playing ‘Battle Ignition’ from Bleach goes so well with scenes of Soma being fired up or seeking justice! I AM ECSTATIC! 😀
It is essentially a battle shounen dressed up as a cooking manga, with a touch of fanservice on the side. So pumped!
IIRC, Shinomiya has his own manga spinoff too.
Shokugeki no Soma Etoile! It should be immediately readable after the end of this arc, and is about Shinomiya and his post-Tootsuki experiences. Even though there are only three chapters out so far, it helps to indicate why Shinomiya acts the way he does now.