Shokugeki no Soma: The Fifth Plate.

This is the kind of show that you watch, and ask yourself, ‘what did I just witness?’ To give the simple answer, it is quite literally, food porn. If you have not seen any of the show, you have no idea how apt of a description that is.

The concluding season of Shokugeki no Soma comprises a final tournament that the best chefs of Totsuki academy have to overcome. As it usually is the case with this show. Each season is a collection of tournament arcs revolving around the idea of fighting with one's cooking. So in essence, Masterchef. However, there is also the addition of outlandish ludicrousness in the presentation of the events to follow that could only ever be done in anime or a Stephen Chow film, with a healthy dose of erotisicm that would not look out of place in a XXX porn parody of the show.

With all these disparate aspects mixed into the show I can safely say that this is not for everyone. The slapstick comedy, the outlandish presentation, the voluptuous curves of the men and women in orgasmic bliss upon tasting food, and the mouth wateringly highly rendered plates of food all mixed in a cauldron, has created a cacophony of chaos that is so ludicrous that you have no choice but to laugh alongside it, because you mind has not better response than that. This is a show that, by all logical rights, has no business working as well as it does. Yet the execution of it is immaculate for what it intends to be.

As stated earlier the narrative is quite simple; it is a Masterchefesque tournament arc with a simple goal. Win and be the best in the world. A colourful collection of characters are introduced so that the variety within the show is upheld as it has done so in the previous seasons. Each with a different quirk, each over the top in their own way, each with their own individual goal in mind, and each unique in their design, helping them all stand out from the crowd. Character progression is quite slight, as many of them behave as they did in the first season with the exception of Erina. However, what there is an abundance of is character development, as even the lesser characters have some attention given to them, allowing them to stand out in their own way.

The only time the animation quality spikes is when they are presenting the food and showing off the ingredients, while the rest of the movement is static at best, with a lot of still frames so that time and effort can be devoted to what is important, stated above. At times it would even drop dramatically so that comedy can be enhanced to accentuate the slapstick nature of it. Though I would say the intentional comedy in the show is probably its weakest aspect. The music is more akin to a fantasy or Shonen anime, where there is a bombastic progression making each cooking battle seem like a matter of life and death. This only goes further to add to the lunacy already mixing in the cauldron.

Despite the madness in the show, when you get down to it, the message behind it is quite wholesome. It shows the children's desire to please their parents, as no one else's approval, or praise, when earnest, means more to them. The mother’s desire to wish the best for their children, wanting the best path in life for them to walk down, while loving them intensely. The fathers desire, to protect his family at all cost, even if it is at a detriment to himself. Finally, to have someone in your life that breathes life into, help find yourself, and to cook for.