A simple dream is simple to achieve, said no one ever. Especially for Soma Yukihira, culinary prodigy and aspiring master chef. Aiming to both surpass his father's formidable prowess and sample every conceivable culinary combination, Soma’s all set to attend Japan's leading Culinary Academy. But even the wealthy student body blacklists him for daring to attend without so much as a Swiss bank account, Soma's got experience, chutzpa and the spiky hair. They don't stand a chance!

Paradise (and Perdition) On A Plate

Soma's committed to finding the hidden gems of surprise food combos, and is ready to try any mixture. Yet, not all his various taste-testers share his spirit of adventure. It’s true that some of his dishes can send the samplers to heaven and back (in oddly-specific detail!) others give the diner the…exact opposite trip!

Not that there's ever any shortage of guinea pigs. His family's restaurant may be tiny and little known, but the entire neighborhood considers it a hidden gem! However, while clients are lined up out the door, the notorious (and well-developed!) land-developer Minegasaki marks the little eatery as next on her list of extortions! Soma bets the restaurant’s future on his ability to make her any dish she fancies without fault. She agrees, though not without some devious plotting...

Soma returns home the next day, ready to take on the tallest order that Minegasaki can deliver, only to realize that her mooks have turned the kitchen inside out! Never one to be deterred, however, Soma decides to do a little rule bending of his own, and serves her up a treat she never expected!

Yet, just when it looks like Soma's finally ready to step up to the dinner plate, his father serves him a chicken curveball by announcing he's ready to temporarily close up shop. Declaring that it's time for Soma to take the next step in his journey, he sends him to the prestigious Totsuki Saryo School. Since the school only accepts the elite of the elite, Soma's mere presence as a non-socialite is enough to offend every last student in the school! Though their ire and outrage is nothing compared to that of Erina Nakiri, granddaughter of the current Dean!

Erina possesses the "divine tongue", the ability to analyze just how good a dish is! Accustomed to the best of the best out of life, she has little patience for any cooking that's beneath her godlike standards. (Which is to say, just about any cooking not made by her own inner circle.) She expects to cook the uppity low-born newcomer Soma’s goose, but a taste of his "Morphing Furikake Rice" leads her to a decision that surprises everyone! (Bonus: Soma’s even kind enough to include the recipe for the hungry reader!)

Thus begins the journey of Soma through the hallowed halls of culinary education. Can he surpass his father and become a true master? Will he win the respect of the students, staff and even snobby Erina? Which of these will be the toughest challenge? Only time will tell! Until then, I have a sudden urge crack open my own Joy of Cooking…

Personal Take

This manga is completely over-the-top and revels in how seriously the characters take the acts of creating and eating any dish they can. Sigmund Freud would need days to analyze half the antics the characters go through while doing both. That said, the manga has its truly impressive moments, even amidst all the ridiculousness.

Tsukuda-sensei really went to a lot of trouble to analyze how real-life chefs make their food, giving a layer of realism to the otherwise larger-than-life premise. The art itself is also very impressive, and the food really does look every bit as delicious as the characters make it out to be.

Also--personal quirk here--I love how Soma's fearless acceptance of mistakes and failure is the reason he’s become so good. It’s pretty much his defining trait! He discovered half his bag of cooking tricks because he wasn’t afraid to try something new, unlike his sneering classmates who compete over who can follow the recipe the closest. It’s doubly impressive because most shonen heroes are all about rediscovering or perfectly imitating techniques created by someone else; it’s quite a change to have a character create perfection via trial and error!

Overall, if you want a fun, simple story that features pretty people cooking impossibly good food, Food Wars! is ripe for the picking, so dig in! Vol. 1 is available here!

by Chris Turner