Food & Class in Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma

When I consider my list of my favorite anime of 2017, Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma takes one of the top slots. I have a weakness for shonen and the lovable underdog character who works his way to the top, so I couldn’t help but love Yukihira Soma, whose dream is to surpass his father’s level of culinary expertise and take over the local diner his father owns. Of course, in order to achieve his goals, he must attend the uber-elite Totsuki Academy, where students regularly perform in shokugekis, culinary battles to determine their academic fates. While the show does tend to follow many shonen tropes, it still delivers its own utterly unique and engaging story. And as for the food itself — Iron Chef could take a few queues from this series, which showcases recipes more diverse and inventive than what I see on any of my favorite Food Network shows (and believe me, I’d know; I watch a lot of Food Network shows). But beyond the culinary prowess the show’s characters exhibit, there’s also the sheer beauty of the dishes. No anime can truly be called “great” unless its animation lives up to the tone, style, aesthetic, and intention of the narrative. So if you want glistening broths and shiny meat with your culinary underdog story, well, you’ve got glistening broths and shiny meat in Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma. The shiniest of meats As much of a joy as Food Wars! was in its first and second seasons, it turned on the heat, so to speak, in the third season, which premiered this past …