Chopped Salad, Part II, Main Course Please- Shokugeki no Souma Season 3 Part II

So now we are on season 4 of Shokugeki no Souma.  Actually, no.  Despite this series not being aired directly after the third season of Shokugeki no Souma, it is being treated as its extension.  And why shouldn’t it, when it essentially starts from the point its predecessor left off from and directly builds off its cliffhanger?  But at the start of this season 3 extension of Shokugeki no Souma, I was still worried about whether it would continue the prior seasons’ tendency to produce shot, choppy series which are technically above average.  Will this continue the trend or will it be a return to form of 24-26 episode series, like in the first season?

 

 

Thankfully, unlike its immediate predecessor, there is very little, if any, time skip for the second half of season 3, and the series manages to steadily ease its way back to where it left off.  The first half of this season thankfully devotes plenty of time to explain past events involving Sohma Joichiro, Yukihira’s father, which significantly strengthens the plot.  It nonetheless stays realistic and reasonable, with no excessive drama to play up the story.  Thankfully, with this structure and emphasis, all of the characters are given a renewed sense of vigor, especially Nakiri Erina.  The second half of this part of Shokugeki no Souma involves a series of tests, and is structured like its predecessor, with the first half of the series focused on a series of tests designed to sabotage the rebels’ (anyone opposed to Nakiri Azami and his Central organization) status as students at Totsuki.  The control that Azami has managed to amass is impressive, and while the lopsidedness present in its predecessor is still present, the conflict thankfully is more subdued versus Eizan’s blunt sabotage techniques from not too long ago.  The unconventional ways that the main characters go about addressing the obstacles thrown at them is extremely impressive, but what is equally impressive is how the series manages to balance out the battles in this part of the series with the backstory.

 

 

This part of Shokugeki no Souma manages to transition to the second half with a bit more subtlety than Azami’s entrance and coup d’état from a few episodes, and thankfully doesn’t throw an unmanageable number of characters at the viewers all at once.  Instead of messing with the tried and true formula of eliminating or rigging Shokugekis, a variation of the competition is used and works it to its advantage.  Azami doesn’t do much to improve his stance as an antagonist, unfortunately, as his monotonous dialogue and apathetic smile are still too flat.  While Joichiro’s backstory along with the ending do somewhat help, the series is at the point where the cracks to Azami’s cold demeanor should have cracked at least a little bit more.  However, the rebels and characters from Central are at least able to show their true depths and abilities, and it is very satisfying, with the competitions being proper competitions.  To see what I mean, just look at the judges’ demeanor.  Listen to their reasoning.

But that’s the problem with this portion of Shokugeki no Souma.  By the time the main Shokugeki is over and the series could lift itself to the next level, the ending has arrived.  This, unfortunately, was another 12 episode segment rather than one 24-26 episodes long.  The story is enjoyable, don’t get me wrong, but most everything has stayed the same from its predecessors, from the quality of the animation and drawings to the music and colors.  However, the structure is getting annoying.  Now, thankfully, Shokugeki no Souma does not commit the sin of Bleach, which was make half of the series filler and lurch between that and the main series.  However, chopping up a story up into small 12-13 episode segments creates a lurchy feeling in and of itself.  The problem is that a series, even something that starts in the middle of an existing story, takes a while to get going, and then once that is past, it has to abruptly stop since the ending has come.

 

 

This series can’t stand alone, there’s no question about that.  It is in the direct middle of an existing story, and basically just has to continue the standard from its predecessors, which thankfully it does.  However, Shokugeki no Souma is showing signs that it must be treated specially, in that it is not a series to follow during its premiere.  Instead, it is one where it is best to wait and take bites of in 24-26 episode chunks rather than 12-13.  Go ahead and keep watching if you are a fan from prior series, of course, and while the story in this segment is more enjoyable than the prior one, it can be hardly described as pushing the envelope.  Another helping, please, but this time make it larger.  And with another round of drinks.