Shokugeki No Soma Parents Guide

, about half way through Season 1 at this point, but I am astounded at how it has sucked me in completely. Not to mention how much I want to eat all the food shown, IBS and lactose-intolerance be damned. It also makes me

But… will I watch it with my teens? If you read the title of this post, you already know the answer. “Absolutely not.” However, I think it’s still a good anime for teens to watch!

I had an inkling that before approving my Anime & Manga Club request, I should take precursory look at the show. Watching anime is one of my favorite extracurricular things I do as a librarian (besides reading)! The show is listed as PG-13, but I know that anime has a very  w   i   d   e  definition of what constitutes that rating. Sitting down to watch the first few episodes, I thought to myself “It’s just a cooking anime, how good/bad could it be?”

Shokugeki No Souma Uhd Wallpap

I was happily surprised. The show continuously delves into intricate cooking techniques, explains flavor profiles, explores different cultures’ cuisines, and focuses heavily on the relationship between food and diner. It’s actually fairly educational. The characters are well-rounded, and have healthy-ish relationships with each other and are believable. So then why not show it to my teens?

Because that previously mentioned culinary education is often animated as the diner experiencing an erotic, borderline raunchy, reaction to the food that is strategically drawn to keep the show within the parameters of the PG-13 rating. It’s not directly showing any body parts, but the characters:

If you google image search “food wars foodgasm” you’ll see the less than mild stuff I’m referencing. In the past, I’ve tolerated a lot of fan service for the sake of plot. One of my favorites is

Anime World Wallpapers Live 4k

It may be defined as non-traditional fan service, since it sort of serves a purpose and all people regardless of age, gender, or body type are subject to being animated in a foodgasm scene, but it’s fan service nonetheless. I couldn’t justify watching it with my teenagers, especially since some of them don’t understand what the show is implying, and I’m not there to educate them (although I have done sex ed programs in the past). This isn’t to say that we haven’t watched anime without fan service,  

Comes to mind readily, but it goes to show how much of it I can reasonably ignore for the sake of responsibly entertaining my teens. 

Fan service is durationally much longer and involved than traditional fan service, which usually consists of a pose or a moment in the plot.

Soma (video Game 2015)

My general guideline for showing an anime that has fan service is that, if an adult comes in, which they often do because I share the space with our Art Gallery, will they report me to my director/supervisor for showing something inappropriate to my teens? Will the patrons complain that the anime sounds inappropriate (remember how in 

The voice actors put on aroused tones). This is largely why I have established the policy of looking up ratings and pre-watching any show unfamiliar show suggestions.

A show that I still think has some mighty redeeming qualities, and ones that I wish other anime/manga would take into consideration, so I absolutely still recommend it for teens to watch on their own or to borrow the manga from the library.

Is There A

One of the main reasons I keep watching the show, and why it’s important for teens to watch it too, is the main character of Soma Yukihira.

While Soma is often portrayed as oblivious to the obnoxious barbs of his peers at Totsuki, that doesn’t stop him from being a courteous competitor. He acknowledges his classmates’ strengths without overly boasting about his own, only focusing on how he can perform his best.

He is a subversive, gentler male character when compared to the toxic masculinity often presented in anime,   and someone that doesn’t seem to care about being perceived a certain way, other than being known as a good cook. That’s the kind of character I’d like my teens to watch and (hopefully) emulate.

How Food Wars Lost Its Flavor

This anime doesn’t shy away from letting its characters fail, even Soma, which adds a heightened sense of drama and suspense. Paired with the pacing of the show, Food Wars doesn’t follow a cut and dry formula, like other Topic Animes do, like say

. Most anime predictably works around the premise that the protagonist will succeed– it’s the good ones that keep you in suspense of how that end goal will be accomplished. It’s the even better ones that let their protagonists fail in meaningful ways that last more than an episode. 

One of the characters who seems in a perpetual free fall is Megumi Tadokoro. Sweet, caring, and considerate, she is suffering from a major case of Imposter Syndrome nonetheless because of the rigorous demands set at Totsuki. She manages to keep on trying and persevering through the show, tackling challenges in her own humble way.

Parents Tier List

She is a character that doesn’t seem to be affecting her emotions in a manipulative or punitive way either, she’s genuinely anxious.  The show even delves into other characters helping her through her anxiety without othering her because of her mentality. Whether she’s an anxious person because of the stress of school, or if that’s just how she is, the show does a good job of portraying a teen with anxiety that has friends.

Often in anime, and even in our Westernized shows, people with anxiety are shown to be loners, and more readily coded as “socially awkward” or “shy” by creators. 

Instead. They were bummed, but not surprised with my decision (especially the ones who were already familiar with the anime). I still plan on purchasing the manga for the collection though.

Introducing Anime To Parents By Going Into Food Wars Blind To Watch With Them Thinking Its Just A Cooking Show Is A Bad Idea

(As a disclaimer, I haven’t read the manga, so this review is purely about how the anime functions as an anime, not an adaption of the manga.)

Posted by twotwenty547

Tweet