Quite the exciting episode seven we have here with a lot of setup for future arcs!
Continuing off from the sobering ending of episode six, Azami’s assistant informs Souma that all his friends have been expelled. Now I was hopeful for Tadokoro and Aldini because it seemed like they were deliberately excluded from the initial list, and I’m glad to see my prediction was true! Leave it to our favorite Elite Ten member Rindo-senpai to have such an easygoing test. Rindo has been characterized fairly heavily on the whimsically playful side (befitting of her cat eyes), and I’m sure the gravity of her culinary skill will be reinforced when she finally decides to get serious in the future! I’m definitely looking forward to seeing her in action and I’m slightly glad that her prowess wasn’t revealed so early on in the arc.
As for Aldini and Tadokoro being the only survivors with Nakiri and Souma, I couldn’t be more excited. Although I love the other Polar Star rebels, the current team really is the dream team. Megumi has proven herself time and time again that she’s an amazing chef (shoutout to the amazing monkfish episode). Aldini is Souma’s “rival” of sorts and it’s great to see them working together rather than bumping heads in friendly competition. Nakiri x Souma is the ultimate ship, so I’m just waiting for that to come further into fruition. All together they’re a great cast of solid characters and I’m looking forward to their synergy in the future.
So all of Souma’s friends have been expelled. What’s Souma’s solution? To the surprise of no one, it’s the extremely far fetched goal of overtaking the majority of the seats in the Elite Ten. It almost gave me flashbacks to when Souma challenged Shinomiya to a Shokugeki over Megumi’s expulsion. But is is possible? I’m not entirely sure. Souma is an extremely resourceful and skilled chef, but can Aldini and Megumi keep up? I’m just a bit concerned about the power creep that’d come with those two defeating the Elite Ten in a fair match.
Saiba Joichiro’s arrival, it was as dramatic as it could’ve been. Nakiri is pleading with her father to rescind the expulsions, the helicopter blades are whirring in the background, and the sky is cloudy. When all hope seems lost, Bam! Joichiro comes in for the rescue and Director Azami takes the bait instantly. Eternal servitude seems a bit too high a price for the Team Shokugeki, but Joichiro is probably confident in his son and Nakiri, or has no other choice. I’m secretly hoping we get to see a Shokugeki between Azami and Joichiro, but that will probably never happen. One can dream though!
The episode nears it end with the announcement of another training arc! But this time it’s with Dojima and Joichiro, so it’s sure to be on an entirely different level. However, whatever insane training our cast is going to receive will probably be the very minimum they need to stand up to the Elite Ten. They might have to go head to head with Tsukasa Eishi and that guy is an absolute monster. The “silent” teamwork practice is amusing since Joichiro and Souma are constantly butting heads, but it’s awesome to see Megumi’s prior experience coming in handy. She’s keeping up with Dojima and Aldini’s pace, and it’s crazy how much she’s grown since her initial introduction as a fairly timid girl.
Overall, super hyped for the next episode and now it’s just a countdown until the Team Shokugeki!
The Central Arc has ended as of the recent manga chapter release from Japan.
There’ll likely be some aftermath chapters dealing with the ending, but safe to say there’s enough material for maybe 1 more cour.