TITLE: Food Wars! – Shokugeki no Soma Vol. 22
YEAR: February 2018 (US Release)
COMPANY: Vertical Comics
STORY BY: Yuto Tsukuda
ART BY: Shun Saeki
CONTRIBUTOR: Yuki Morisaki
It is the rematch that everyone has waited for, Soma vs. Hayama.
As Soma lost badly against Hayama in their first battle, both now put it all on the line as Soma is determined to get one of the three vacant seats in the new Council of Ten.
All this and more in the 22nd volume of “Shokugeki no Soma”!
What is “Food Wars! – Shokugeki no Soma” about?
In 2012, writer Yuto Tsukuda and artist Shun Saeki created their manga series “Shokugeki no Soma” which continues to be serialized in “Weekly Shonen Jump”.
The manga was voted #3 in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees “Recommend Comics of 2014” in Japan and voted #12 in the 2014 “Kono Manga ga Sugoi!” Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey and continues to be a popular series in Japan.
With a total of eight tankobon volumes released in the U.S., Viz Media will be releasing the first manga volume titled “Food Wars! – Shokugeki no Soma” in North America in August 2014.
The series revolves around a young teen named Soma Yukihara who works for his father, chef Joichiro Yukihira, at their local restaurant.
Trained to cook at an early age and known for trying to combine various foods together as experiments, Soma has been known to cook dishes that make people feel they have tasted the best food ever to touch their tastebuds. But his goal is to someday beat his father in cooking.
But with landsharks trying to get control of the land to build condo units where the restaurant is located, one day while returning to the restaurant, everything inside is removed.
While Soma wants to rebuild, his father tells him that he will be closing the restaurant for two or three years to travel and as for Soma, he is enlisted in Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute where the elite of the elite attend and less than 10% of its students ever graduated.
But his father gives Soma a stern message, if he can’t make it at Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute, he will never beat him.
Determined to prove to his father that he can graduate as an elite cook, Soma is still looked down by his fellow students and faculty because unlike them, he is not wealthy and his family did not own a four or five star restaurant.
But Soma is determined to prove them wrong.
In volume 21, Soma and friends are part of the Resistance against Azami Nakiri, the new Dean of Totsuki Institute. The Totsuki Institute are doing all they can to undermine Soma and friends.
And now with the exams kicking into full gear, Totsuki Institute professors loyal to Azami are going all out to make sure that things go bad for Soma and friends by making sure they are not getting the best ingredients or no ingredients.
Can Soma and friends find a way to pass their exams?
In volume 22, the next challenge is bear meat and this will be the long awaited rematch between Soma and Hayama, as Soma lost badly against the spicemaster.
If Soma loses, he will be kicked out of school. If Hayama loses, Professor Shiomi and the Shiomi Institute closes down.
So, the two put everything on the line in their latest battle with one of the most complex, difficult ingredient…bear meat.
As a big fan of manga series about food and the culinary industry, “Food Wars! -Shokugeki no Soma” is a series that I absolutely enjoy.
For one, you have an antagonist that was cooking since he was young, often experimenting on different foods, even know that all his combinations are not always successful. But he also was brought up in a family restaurant and has to attend a school of elitist who think their food is the greatest and that they are more refined because they are wealthy.
So, it’s pretty awesome to see how far these people will put him down and until they eat his food, their reaction, and probably this may be the best word to describe their reaction to his food as “orgasmic”.
With the 22nd volume, Soma does his research to understand one of the most complex ingredients to prepare, bear meat. Because of its gaminess and pungent smell, Soma must find a way to prepare a delicious meal without the smell. And because he will be taking on the person that he has been longing for a rematch against, the question is if Soma can defeat Hayama.
But both are putting everything on the line as Soma knows if he loses, he is expelled from the school. Hayama was blackmailed in joining the Council of Ten in order to make sure Professor Shiomi and her Institute continues.
So, both men are now going to take on each other in a difficult rematch in preparing the best bear dish. Who will win?
Featuring wonderful artwork and an exciting storyline, this is a rematch that no one wants to miss!
Overall, “Food Wars! Shokugeki no Soma” is a magnificent manga for those who love cooking, cooking competitions and with volume 22, Soma takes on Hayama in the highly anticipated rematch. Highly recommended!