Anime Review: Shokugeki no Souma (Food Wars!)

“If you truly want to chase after something until the end, you have to put down restraints and everything else in order to pursue it.” -Yukihira Souma (Shokugeki no Souma)

          Today's anime review is on Shokugeki no Souma, a cooking anime with 2 seasons and a total of 37 epsiodes. It's really interesting to watch and I recommend watching it. There's some comedy in there so I'm sure you'll get a laugh out of it. Besides that, hope you enjoy this week's review.

                     

Synopsis: Shokugeki no Souma is basically about a 15-year old boy named Soma Yukihira who’s the main character for this anime and he wishes to become the head-chef at his father’s restaurant and also to someday surpass him. His cooking abilities are superb as they can be quite creative yet skilled. One day, his father decides to close down the restaurant which leads to Yukihira having to be sent off to Tootsuki Culinary Academy which is an elite cooking school. However, it’s not just any cooking school, it just happens to be the very difficult and graduate rates are extremely low. It is also known for having food wars called “Shokugeki” where students can face off in a showdown to demonstrate their cooking skills in an intense showdown where there are high stakes in hand. Yukihira has to find a way to survive this school along with his new classmates that are just as skilled as he is and also some that are above him. He faces many great challenges. He also makes new experiences and learns new techniques that help him grow into a greater chef.

                                              (COVER)
                                

Characters: There are plenty of characters for Shokugeki no Souma. I'm not going to to over each and every single character in depth but if you're interested, you can click this link⇨Shokugeki no Souma characters and find out more about them. Either way, the picture on the bottom shows practically the main cast for this series.

As for naming the characters...

⇨ The one in the middle with red hair and apron is Soma Yukihira. The girl next to him on the left with blue hair is Megumi Tadokoro. The other girl next to him on the right is Erina Nakiri. On the far left, the boy who's face you can't really see is Shun Ibusaki. The one with glasses is Zenji Marui. The 2 girls at the bottom are Ryoko Sakaki which is the one with purple-ish hair and Yuki Yoshino with the hair buns. The boy with blonde hair is Takumi Aldini and the one above him with brown hair and squinted eyes is Isami Aldini. The guy wearing practically just a tie and nothing else is Satoshi Issiki and the girl with blonde hair next to him is Ikumi "Nikumi" Mito. Now on the far right you've got the boy with black spiky hair who's named Ryo Kurokiba. The girl below him is Alice Nakiri with the wierd look in her eyes. The boy with silver hair is Akira Hayama. The girl with short pink hair is Hisako Arato and the girl in the back with a gleaming red eye is not really important but her name is Nao Sadatsuka. That basically concludes the character's names.

Art/Animation: I gotta say, I really liked the art and character designs for this anime. My favorite characters...well there were a lot but my main one is Yukihira of course. No topping anyone there.

(Favorite Character!!!)

Furthermore, the animation was great in my opinion and I enjoyed watching every single episode of Shokugeki no Souma. There were some really cool parts or scenes. Since this is a cooking anime, it was pretty neat watching the characters prepare food in this really awesome manner.

For example, on episode 14, there was a part where Yukihira is cooking and he needs to complete 200 servings under a required time or he'll be expelled. It was pretty intense but he managed through just barely. The gif on the bottom shows him making souffles, it was thrilling to watch!

I thought that this scene in the bottom was in a way kinda like a bad ass moment (excuse my language) because you got to admit, him throwing the knife in the air like that and catching it like a boss as if it was nothing was actually pretty awesome.

                        

There are plenty of more cool scenes that I would like to show but I won't. However, if you're interested, check this anime out. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

Music: The music for the openings and endings are good and I personally think that it suits and compliments this anime as it is. They were pretty up to beat especially the season 2 opening. Overall, there's not much to say here so that's about it.

This basically concludes today's anime review. Tune in next time for next week's review.

Anime Review: Tokyo Ghoul

“Pain is your friend pain is your ally. Pain tells you when you have been wounded badly. But you know what the best thing about pain is? It tells you you’re not dead yet.” -Kaneki Ken (Tokyo Ghoul)


Today's anime review is on Tokyo Ghoul, a pretty well known anime. It's based mostly on horror and supernatural but it's nerve-wrecking to watch since it gets pretty intense and so much is taking place. There's two seasons of Tokyo Ghoul and I think that a third season might be airing but I'm not so sure. It can also pack a punch and there's a chance that it can make you cry because it tends to make you sad in some scenes throughout the anime. Either way, hope you enjoy this to the point that you might consider watching it, or not.

(COVER)

Synopsis: Going off according to myanimelist.net (click for link),“Tokyo has become a cruel and merciless city—a place where vicious creatures called “ghouls” exist alongside humans. The citizens of this once great metropolis live in constant fear of these bloodthirsty savages and their thirst for human flesh. However, the greatest threat these ghouls pose is their dangerous ability to masquerade as humans and blend in with society.” So basically, Tokyo Ghoul is basically about a boy named Ken Kaneki who is a college student. One day he met Rize Kamishiro who he went on a date with. Unaware by the fact that she was secretly a ghoul who devours human flesh, he barely survives this dangerous encounter and was taken to the hospital with serious injuries after almost being killed. After that encounter, Kaneki is turned into a half ghoul which is very rare. However, he must consume human flesh in order to survive. So now he lives his life as a half ghoul and half human. Then, "Anteiku" which is a coffee shop that is run by ghouls, take him in and they teach him to deal with his new life and Kaneki is faced with a lot of challenges along the way.

Characters: There are several main characters for Tokyo Ghoul. The main protagonist of it all is Keneki. Then you've got other characters like Touka, Hide, Hinami, Tsukiyama, Yomo, Uta, Nishiki, Rize, Amon, Juusou, and plenty more. Throughout both seasons, new characters are introduced but the ones I mentioned here are the main ones. The picture below shows some of some of the main characters in chibi form so don't get mistaken that that's the way they appear in the anime (they're similar but the art style is different), there's not many great pics where I can get all of them in one. So that's that. There's some character development in my opinion especially with Kaneki after having to deal with living as a half-ghoul and half-human.

My favorite character is Juuzou by far and I just love his personality and how he is portrayed in Tokyo Ghoul. He may be a little messed up but he's a pretty cool character.
(Juuzou)


Art/Animation: I really enjoyed the animation and art for Tokyo Ghoul. I loved the vibe it gave off which was kinda dark, gloomy, and mysterious. I looked forward to watching the episodes and looking over the different scenes that caught my interest. One of my favorite parts was when Hinami released her Kagune when encountering Modo after he attacked her and Touka.



Another of my favorite scenes which come later in season two is when Kaneki battles Ayato.

             

Also when Kaneki turn into a Kakuja which I have to say was ridiculously insane but intense. I didn't expect that coming. However, it was one of the coolest scenes that I have seen in Tokyo Ghoul
                                 
                            

                            

Music: The one thing about watching Tokyo Ghoul is the opening for the first season. The song is amazing and you just can't skip it. It's one of the best openings there is. Besides that, I recommend that you go and listen to it and see the actual opening because it's pretty epic.

Overall, that ends today's anime review for Tokyo Ghoul. Tune in next time for another weekly review on a whole new anime.

Anime Review:Bleach

"I refuse to carry a king who's weaker than me and get cut to ribbons with him. If you're weaker than me, then I'll destroy you, and take your crown for myself." -Hollow Ichigo "Zangetsu" (Bleach)

Today’s anime review is based on Bleach, not bleach as in the chemical that whitens clothing but Bleach as in the anime. There’s always a misunderstanding when I say “I like Bleach!”. I’m pretty sure people who watch anime will surely get what I’m trying to say. Those who don’t probably think I’m crazy or weird. Either way, Bleach is pretty long considering that there is a grand total of 366 episodes and I know that it’s a lot but it’s all worth watching. There’s mostly fighting and some pretty intense action scenes but there’s also a bit of comedy in there so you’re bound to get some laughs. Besides that, hope you enjoys today’s anime review.

Synopsis: This anime is about a teenage boy named Ichigo Kurosaki who can see and interact with spirits or ghosts and one day unexpectedly, he became a substitute Soul Reaper when Rukia Kuchiki (an actual Soul Reaper) granted her spiritual powers to him after being severely injured in a battle against a strong hollow. Later in the anime, he discovers that his friends also posses a power of their own. Many events follow after such as Rukia being sentenced to death, battling other soul reapers, revealing Aizen’s (a high ranking soul reaper who seeks greater power) experiments with soul reapers and hollows, going to Hueco Mundo (the realm of the hollows), being trained by vizards (exiled Soul Reapers that developed hollow powers and were also part of Aizen’s experiments) but mainly only Ichigo since he is a vizard himself, facing off Aizen’s army of Arrancars, going up against an elite group known as Espadas, and much more. Soon after, Ichigo eventually faces off against Aizen who gained immeasurable power that seemed infinite, however Ichigo ends up being victorious but loses all his powers after using so much power. It would be much better for someone to watch it instead than being explained the details because there is just so much going on that you tend to get lost with all the action there is. Of course, Bleach doesn’t just end there. There’s a whole other arc with new characters and much more action.

Characters: There are many characters in Bleach, too many in fact but they all matter. Each and every single one of them have a unique personality and you might grow attached to some characters whether they're on the good side or bad side. First of all, you’ve got the main protagonists which are Ichigo, Rukia, Orihime, Chad, and Uryu. Then there’s the Antagonists which include the hollows and Aizen for the most part. Lastly, you’ve got the supporting characters which are the Soul Reapers, the Vizards, and the Urahara shop gang. To be more exact, there are plenty more characters in the entire anime like the Bounts, Xcution, and Wandenreich.

(Ichigo and Friends)

  

                                        (Soul Reapers)

                        

                                            (Vizards)

                        

                                           (Hollows)

                        

                                    (Arrancars/Espadas)

                                            

Animation/Artwork: I definitely enjoyed watching Bleach and gazing at most of the characters because they put in a lot of effort into making their designs while also considering the part that there are so many of them. I felt that each character had a unique personality. I was also stunned with the cool effects they put into the fighting scenes and I was pulled in by the intensity and awe-inspiring battles. I just love watching these kind of things. It was really thrilling. I especially liked the scenes where Ichigo would be fighting like the one where he's up against Ulquiorra (an Espada) and he transforms into a Vasto Lorde, and that caught me by surprise that I got drawn in with excitement. It's one of my favorite parts for this anime. The detail they put in this scene made it more fun to watch because of all the effects they added.

(Vasto Lorde Ichigo)

Other great scenes include the times when the 13 Court Guard Squad Captains use their Bankai. My favorite ones include Byakuya Kuchiki's bankai and Toshiro Hitsugaya's bankai.

                               (Toshiro Hitsugaya Bankai)
                          

  
                                    (Byakuya Kuchiki Bankai)
                        

Overall, the animation and Artwork are pretty awesome and it enhanced this anime to make it more entertaining to watch.

Music: Thinking about the music, there's also a lot of different songs if you consider the fact that there are over 300 episodes and approximately 15 seasons so there's numerous opening and endings for Bleach. I don't know how to describe it in detail so it'd be best for you to listen to them for yourself. The songs vary since the tune in them changes but the songs themselves are pretty good. That's about all since there's not much that I can say for music this time.

So that's that. This concludes's today's anime review, hopefully you guys learned a little and are interested in watching Bleach. Besides that, tune in next time.
                       ⇨Here's my favorite quote...