Desserts Should Taste Sweeter- Shokugeki no Souma Season 4

 

So now “Shokugeki no Souma” is on its fourth season, as my last review was instead for the second half of the third season.  The previous segment had been abruptly cut off in the middle of a grand tournament, with the protagonistic rebels facing off against Azami and the “Central” organization in a team Shokugeki, with losing individuals being eliminated from further competitions and facing expulsion.  After the first round, the rebels were well ahead of “Central” in their quest to oust Azami and his minions, so it is perfectly logical as to where to continue the story.  Would this be the season where the team Shokugeki would conclude or would the audience be left hanging once again?

 

 

Now, “Shokugeki no Souma” has been around a while now, and there’s not much that the fourth season has to do to maintain the standards of the prior three seasons.  The characters are already established, along with their personalities and motivations.  The general outline of the story and situations these characters find themselves in are also already set, especially considering that the prior season ended in the middle of a big tournament.  Thankfully, the producers of the show did not screw up this task, something that one realizes right from the getgo at the beginning of this new season.  This is a good thing, since the awkward end from the past season at least was made at the conclusion of the tournament’s first round, and this fourth season highlights the start of the second round.

 

However, several aspects of the first round which made the previous season enjoyable were not done to the same standard as before.  The characters retained their personalities and skills from before, including character chemistry and quirks, and especially welcome was the revelation of second seat Rindou’s specialty, very fitting considering her personality.  However, as the fourth season progressed, there was something slightly off about how the second round was conducted, which could have been foreshadowed by the fact that there was less background music used in these rounds.  Much less drama was used in this season to build up tension during the tournament’s matches, since there was much less time and focus on each individual match itself.  It’s a problem especially for the members who have yet to exhibit their true skill or personality, or for those well-established characters to show how they have developed.  The series also relies too heavily on flashbacks for character development and skill building, including the characters’ motivations for joining one side or the other.  Look at the motivation behind why former Elite Ten member Megishima joins Souma and the rebels, or even more apparently, how Megumi developed and enhanced her skills.  It would have been brilliant to see some of the behind-the-scenes training that these individuals went through, as there was just so much that happened that viewers didn’t see.  Other classic crutches that the series unfortunately heavily relied upon include the over-sexualized reactions to tasting dishes along with the heavy prevalence of nicknames based on cooking style or quirks.  These aspects were overused in the prior seasons resulting in confused identities to characters and masking their true methodologies.

 

 

The results from the battles themselves do result in glistening and vibrant food porn, but because there was less time focused on each battle, the techniques used, and explanation behind each individual’s win or loss versus prior seasons, the battles themselves feel more anticlimactic as the series just attempts to just go through the matches as quickly as possible to fit everything in.  While there is some character development in the fourth season, the rushed pace results in little time being devoted to this aspect, so characters don’t really get shown the limelight as the series just attempts to keep moving.  This is especially unfortunate considering some of the prior matchups which showed the actual skill disparity between certain characters, such as the informal Tsukasa-Souma shokugeki.  The series also previously did not have much action or animation, and what little action there took place was rather repetitive, but this season takes it to a whole new level, with one of the few instances being when Momo is cooking her extravagantly cute desserts (seriously, her Queen’s Apple Tart would easily look in place at a Parisian bakery).  Another instance is when antagonist Azami reveals one of his (ridiculously implemented just for fanservice) powers towards the latter half of the series.  This power is out-of-place, results in too many loopholes, and just leaves a very bitter aftertaste to the series.

 

 

But perhaps I’m being a bit too harsh on the fourth season of “Shokugeki no Souma.”  After all, this series doesn’t have to try very hard to earn its viewers and fans.  But that, you see, is the problem.  It’s enjoyable to see that the series finally finished the tournament, that the storyline and characters moved on, and the season has a solid conclusion.  There is even the promise of a fifth season.  But enjoyable as this season is, it can’t stand on its own and is just coasting by on its predecessors’ tailwinds.  It feels at best middle-of-the-road and more of the same and at worst half-assed.  If the series could have just slowed down and taken its time to let aspects just naturally marinate, it could have significantly enhanced the flavor of not only the characters but also the plotline and battles.  Instead, the producers just served last season’s leftovers (delicious as they were) by reheating them in a microwave.  For fans of the prior seasons, by all means, please watch this season, even though it will feel like an obligation to continue.  For those who had lost interest already, this season will do little to get you to return.