Current shokugeki FAQs
So a couple of questions have come up repeatedly, and a few questions are repeatedly asked. So I’ve compiled a list of few FAQs which I’ve answered as best as I could. So if these questions repeat, i can just link them to this article.
Q: When will the Anime return?
A: Nobody has any real idea. It was absent in the recent Shonen Jump Expo, where other titles were advertised. Neither JC Staff or Shonen Jump has revealed any news.
(Personal Opinion: Charitably, it’s been indefinitely delayed. The previous season sales haven’t been positive, and that coupled with dissatisfaction with the current manga arc means that chances of getting a new season is slim.)
Edit: Recently season 4 has been confirmed for Fall 2019. So I guess I was wrong)
Q: What happened to the manga that everyone hates it?
A:After Central, we are introduced to so called Noir Chefs (chefs who cook for dictators and criminal bosses) who want to undermine Tootsuki academy. Then we’re told that the head of the Noirs was an Asahi Saiba, who Jouichiro claims to be his “other son” despite Soma never hearing of such (later it was revealed that he wasn’t really Jou’s son, but damage was done). Then Asahi beats Jou offscreen, which hurts Jou’s character for the sake of making Asahi OP. Then Asahi infiltrates Tootsuki in the guise of a new professor, defeats Soma in a shokugeki, and woos Erina because he wants Erina to be his wife.
It gets worse. Soon Erina is kidnapped by Asahi and is challenged to defeat him at Blue (the prestigious competition which Jou was qualified for, but didn’t participate in). At the same time Jou shows up, tells the truth about Asahi, gives Soma an invite to Blue, and Soma takes it as a chance to defeat Asahi. And so we go to Blue, and it is the worst competition this series has ever shown.
It starts off bad enough when Soma, Megumi and Takumi are the only Tootsuki students in Blue (We meet Eishi later, but he graduated so doesn’t count), and where Asahi is given a pass on the first few rounds. Then in the actual competitions, Soma abandons everything he learnt in Tootsuki so passes the initial rounds with just his diner knowledge.
But it really gets bad when the Noirs show up. Their methods of cooking are more circus acts than actual culinary techniques, like chainsaws and juggling ovens. At least the meals prepared in the RdC could be conceivably made by actual chefs. Which chef uses chainsaws and detonators to make a cake? The Noirs are just overhyped anime villains.
The plot becomes more contrived as the story goes on. Erina reverts to her Ice Queen/helpless damsel persona, no cooking or food is shown, often just cutting to the results, the head of the WGO turns out to be Erina’s mother who undermines her, and worst of all, Asahi is revealed to have a literal superpower, where if he touches another chef’s cooking utensil, he can master it immediately.
The story is a mess at this point, and nobody’s happy with the direction this story has taken. That’s why we have more hate threads than actual fan content these days.
TL;DR : Awfull villains, terrible final competition and superpowers
Q: Where are the side characters?
A: Their role has been reduced to the bare minimum. The focus is on Erina, Soma and Asahi, with Takumi and Megumi having minor supporting roles at best. The others are reduced to extras.
Q: Will there be another arc after Blue?
A: Again, nobody has any real news.
(Personal Opinion: At this point, Blue feels like a finale, with a final boss for Soma to overcome. So I don’t think there will be another arc after this, especially since manga sales and Weekly Rankings have not been kind to the series.)
Edit: Yup, confirmed final arc, with a three chapter epilogue in Jump Giga
That’s all the FAQs I have come up with. Do comment with other FAQs and with your answers. And do upvote if you like this post.
Edit: changed 2 answers to be more concrete
Edit 2: forgot to a write about Jou’s defeat. Fixed that.