Why Food Wars! is the Best of Us (The Greatest Story Ever Told)

Today we discuss this:

SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA

Otherwise known as: 

FOOD WARS!

Wherein Yukihira

wants to be the very best, like no one ever was. 

Yep, he's one of those.

Thing is, he is good1

But, unlike almost EVERY OTHER POST, this is not about the characters.

Which, Shokugeki has in abundance: 

Instead, let us discuss the JOY that is Food Wars!

And I mean that literally.

See, back in the day, someone very dear to me watched cooking shows constantly. 

Iron Chef & Iron Chef America & Gordan Ramsay. 

I didn't really understand what their obsession was with the genre. 

Until I sat down and started watching with them.

It was incredible!

See, even though they are competing against one another, they are still rooting for one another. 

Everyone is making delicious food.

So they aren't trying to do a pirouette or pummel their opponent into submission.

Instead, they are creating a sensory experience to be enjoyed by, not only their judges, but by their opponents as well.

That is a pretty big shift in the competition world.

So Food Wars! is essentially the anime version of Iron Chef.

However, there are a few exceptions.

For one there is plot, meaning a story. 

So the characters, usually Yukihira are thrown into wild, often melodramatic/cartoonish situations.

E.g. a real estate shark is moving in on their turf, she threatens to close down the place.

Yukihira responds with a wager. 

They'll leave the spot tenantless so they don't even need to buy it off them if she doesn't eat every last scrap of his meal.

Having spoiled all of his choice meat already, the real estate shark accepts the wager.

Let's see what happens next.

(Explicit: The show also contains plot: urban dictionary-the revelation of the naked human form for gratuitous or fan-based service, synonyms: fanservice, ecchi)

She loses the bet.

In the BEST way.

As do her muscled security guards. 

There is a beautiful equality to it.

Keep in mind, these are the mortal enemies of protagonist's little diner. 

Everyone despises one another.

But, they all come together over a wager and quite literally share a meal to determine the victor.

And the result? 

Good guys win, bad guys lose, but everyone and I mean EVERYONE had a good time.

It is the best of us. 

It is the most brilliant idea ever.

The resulting conflict is always competitive.

The solutions always stem from a fusion of tradition and innovation.

This is hands down:

better than Aaron Sorkin.

better than Joss Whedon.

It is pure joy, wrapped inside a compelling story, and a cooking show all at once.

I don't know what else I can say about it, but watch it.

Oh.

And:

Bon appetit.