Hello and welcome to my first episode-by-episode blog post in a long time. Since this part is still a work in progress, I’ll probably limit such posts to one per season, but we’ll see how things continue.
Now you may ask, what does O&A at the end of this article mean? Well, even though I’m delving into more common territory in anime blogs, I wanted things to be different with Meteor Dreamer.
So instead of giving a general review, I’ll highlight and outline each episode and provide thoughts along the way. Finally, I will extract different things from the animation and expose their symbolic meaning. Therefore, this part is called O&A (coUnlike Q&A), it stands for Overview and Analysis.
In this case, let’s continue! First, I’ll cover my favorite anime of the season: The War Horse of the Shoehalberd: Sara of the Second. So let’s get started!
“Shoji no Warhorse: Ni no Sara” Episode 1
| Takumi Aldini demonstrates in a quick introduction. |
Season 2 begins immediately, without wasting any time, heading straight into the fall elections. We don’t get much of a recap before the game in this episode, and the animation seems to be moving a little faster than before.
Maybe this is just the first episode, or maybe it’s a theme that runs throughout the series. Still, it’s clear we’re still watching the same great Shokugeki.
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| “Tashiro hasn’t changed at all!” |
After a brief introduction, we have time to see Tadokoro preparing for her competition (a little crazy) since she will be cooking on the same day as Souma. The photo above really shows the contrast between the two on their big day.
We then headed to the arena to wait for the first match between Soma Yukihira and Alice Nakiri to begin. After listening to Erina’s somewhat lengthy explanation, we found the theme choice for this game to be surprising box lunchthis is a somewhat simple dish.
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| Lunchbox example. |
Today, a bento is the Western world equivalent of a lunch box in which food is prepared and protected for later consumption. Lunch boxes can hold a variety of different meals and dishes and come in different layouts.
As seen in this episode, bento boxes are usually divided into small compartments, each for individual dishes. This dish seems to be popular with Soma because of its simplicity.
However, the cooking begins and Alice seems to have a special recipe. As seen in previous episodes, Alice is known for her unique and “different” dishes. They also draw on future or scientific technologies and rely less on standard methods. We rarely see her use skills like hospitality and heart/resilience that are the focus of Tadokoro and Soma’s cooking. This is where things get interesting and symbolism comes into play.
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| Alice VS Summa! This is not only a battle of cooking, but also a battle of personalities. |
From now on, I feel like the episode is less about the cooking and more about the characters and development between the two. In this way, the analysis begins. At first glance, Alice and Souma are two very different characters; not just in personality, but also in color scheme, as you can see in the image above.
There is almost no color in Alice’s appearance. She has white or silver hair, basic white clothing, and pale skin. The only thing with color is her red eyes, which may hint at her inner nature. After all, they say the eyes are the windows to the soul.
On the other hand, we have the very colorful Souma. He has bright red hair, tan skin, black or blue clothing, and yellow eyes. Their appearance is almost opposite.
Now we can think about their cooking style and the relationship between these colors. Alice’s cooking skills can be described as very methodical. Yes, she created unique pieces, but they were carefully crafted and scientific in nature. This method works well with dull color schemes. We even see this when she presents the Temari bento to the judges.
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| Please note; each dish is neatly placed side by side for easy selection. |
The judges noted her dishes and how well they were prepared. They all enjoyed the dish and commented on its merits. Now there’s a lot to be said about the edibility and cooking techniques of this dish, but I got something a little different from it.
Throughout her time serving the judges, the judges commented on how great the dish was, even commenting that it was like eating at a traditional Japanese restaurant. They were even amused at how she applied all her skills to such a simple subject.
The thing is, the key feature of her bento is that the judges mostly knew what they were getting, and of course, it tasted… good. While her cooking and presentation were excellent and her technique impressive, her dish lacked heart.
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| You can learn a lot from your children! |
Of course, after that it was Soma’s turn. As the king of dish innovation, Soma brings unexpected dishes, and his bento is the complete opposite of Alice’s bento. His bento is simple and bland, but full of surprises. Additionally, the effort put in is different.
Soma takes a less scripted approach to cooking and instead takes a more human approach. His motivation comes more from his interactions with other people, such as children, regular customers and his own experiences. This even spices up his dish with children’s candy.
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| Even the dean of Totsuki Academy remembers that fun and innovation are key elements to successful cooking. |
After tasting Souma’s bento, the judges started smiling and experienced many silly scenes. The point is that the judges had fun eating Soma’s food. They are even more delighted by the surprises his dishes offer and enjoy innovations. At this point, the outcome of this game is already very clear.
That being said, I don’t necessarily think Alice is a bad cook. I also don’t think there’s anything “wrong” with Alice’s character. She attracts the judges for taste and quality, while Soma attracts innovation and enjoyment. Most importantly, he also uses science and technology to make the finished product delicious.
Ultimately, the game is a battle between technology and humanity. Alice and Souma represent each other. I believe this episode will be a great one for both Alice and Souma as we get to know more about both characters. Although Alice lost this battle, I think her cooking skills will be much better in the future.
As Souma continues to advance in the tournament, we await Tadokoro’s match in episode two!
Sorry if this is a long post. This is a new topic and may take some getting used to. Please leave feedback and comments below and I’ll be sure to read them all!
As always, thank you for reading~