Manga Review: Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma, Volume 1, by Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki

Rating (Out of 5): ~3

Publisher: Shonen Jump Advanced (VIZ Media)

Release Date:August 2014

Volumes: 15+

Spoilers?: No.

Buy it here: Amazon. Barnes and Noble. Book Depository. Powells. RightStuf.

Volume: 2. 7.

Goodreads Synopsis:

Soma Yukihira’s old man runs a small family restaurant in the less savory end of town. Aiming to one day surpass his father’s culinary prowess, Soma hones his skills day in and day out until one day, out of the blue, his father decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school! Can Soma really cut it in a place that prides itself on a 10% graduation rate? And can he convince the beautiful, domineering heiress to the school that he belongs there at all?!

Review:

I really want to like this series. I read volume seven before this one, and I liked it. But there was too much food, not enough character, too many erotic faces. And that’s the same problem I had with this volume.

We meet the main three characters at this point, who are all going to this hugely difficult culinary school. Soma is going to beat his chef father. Erina is already on the council and is widely known as a tough critic (even though she’s sixteen). And Megumi is terrified and failing, but is doing it to make her village back home proud.

First of all, and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but there’s too much food. I’ve read very little, and I’m already tired of all the food descriptions and details. I’m just bored with it. The food is pretty and interesting, but it feels like there’s 90% food (at least, including the orgasm-faces) and maybe 10% character? It’s too much for me.

I’m intrigued by Soma, and his rough way with words even if he seems like a nice guy. I like Megumi the most, though. And I’m curious about a possible romance here? Because it’s hinted that Soma and Erina will form something, I think, but I don’t really care for her.

There’s an extra at the end, an earlier edition of the first chapter, and the characters are quite different. Soma is rougher, less of a pretty boy; Erina is pretty similar. It did look like the school was more of a school then, though, as opposed to the competition after competition that it is now.

I’m interested, and I really want to like this series. We’ll see how I feel when I reach volume 6.