Shokugeki no Souma: Ni no Sara

EPISODE 1

TOTSUKI TEA CEREMONY AND CULINARY ACADEMY

The Totsuki Tea Ceremony and Culinary Academy

is a culinary sanctuary which continues to produce numerous world-renowned chefs.

COOKING IN PROGRESS

The Autumn Elections organized for the freshmen

has now reached its climax.

The students who have passed the preliminaries

prepare for the next battle.

POLAR STAR DORMITORY

All right!

Did I pack a petty knife?

I did.

My timer?

Did I pack it?

It's just a briefing for the finals.

You don't need any tools.

You're right.

Jeez, you're always like this.

Hey Tadokoro, our ride is here.

Let's go.

The individually unique and skilled eight contestants

will now compete head-to-head

at the final stage

of the Autumn Elections.

WHAT FILLS THE BOX

Soma- kun , your name was drawn to compete in the first match at the finals.

The theme is "bento."

Bento, as in a lunch box?

That's right.

You have today to prepare for the match tomorrow.

I'm surprised this school chose a humble dish like a bento.

What do you mean?

How ignorant of you.

The bento is part of Japan's unique culture.

Seasonal bentos made with high-quality ingredients

have been a favorite among gourmets.

It's known by prominent chefs worldwide and it's now in the French dictionary.

It's a fitting theme to celebrate food.

It's clearly different from your style of second-rate dishes.

I really can't stand your personality.

I'm usually good at keeping a conversation going,

-but you're really something. -What?

The ride back from the camp was awkward too.

What's up with you! What's your point?

You're so annoying.

It's rare to see Nakiri raise her voice.

Oh, I have other matters to attend to.

Excuse me.

Yukuhira Soma,

do your best to survive to the end.

Losing in the first round will spoil the mood.

So, who am I up against?

THE NEXT DAY GATTEN HALL

Thank you for your patience.

Round one, the first match of the Autumn Election finals

is about to start!

Entering now is Yukihira Soma, who tied for second place in preliminaries.

-All right! -Go Yukihira!

He will go up against Nakiri Alice, who won first place

in block B by a large margin.

Nakiri Alice is the granddaughter of Director Nakiri Senzaemon

and has won every type of international contest.

She's called the child of molecular gastronomy.

The highest score in the preliminaries went to her curry

which exhibited the best of the latest technology.

How will you compete, Yukihira?

Yukihira- kun ,

I'll make you melt today

with my cooking.

She's got state-of-the-art equipment.

Even the audience can feel the tension.

Battling one of the Nakiris in this atmosphere...

I know...

I can't imagine how much pressure he's under right now.

It's really a shame

that I can only watch you cook once on this grand stage.

Once you lose, you can watch me from the audience.

That's not possible.

Your theatrics and outdated ideas

can't surpass culinary wisdom.

You couldn't sleep last night?

Yeah, I was preparing well into the night.

I was up till dawn.

But no need to worry, this is just a regular day for me.

Discerning palates, shiny sharp knives

and ingredients...

What's different is that there's a formidable competitor.

I'll internalize everything that I can gain from defeating you today.

The theme for match one is "bento."

You have two hours.

Begin cooking!

WAITING ROOM

You can do it, Soma- kun !

It's like a science experiment.

Marui, explain!

Well, this is beyond my knowledge--

Are the glasses just for show?

My Japanese DNA is happy.

What?

It's just that for someone who mocked artistry,

you have skill.

Of course I do! How rude. Stop staring at people.

I remember being stared at during training camp...

The director's granddaughter...

Damn, Yukihira... you better have a plan.

He'll be able to...

Both contestants should be finishing up soon.

The first one to finish is Nakiri Alice.

Let's have lunch.

What is that?

There's mist... in a clear dome?

She easily surpasses our imagination.

One of her strange dishes again.

The excellent presentation arouses interest, a real celebration of food.

It's temari sushi.

Yes, I incorporated the best of my abilities in this temari bento.

How beautiful...

The mist was liquid nitrogen.

It kept the temperature low and the sushi fresh.

If you don't mind,

I'd like you to eat it in order, starting with the top left.

It starts with seafood?

This is espuma on top of the abalone.

That espuma is foam made with kelp stock.

The abalone is also wrapped in kelp.

Wrapping it in kelp takes out unwanted liquid,

making it last longer.

-It's a good technique for bento. -That's right.

But I don't think that's its only purpose.

That sushi uses bonito aged for two days at a low temperature.

Incredible flavor!

This flavor isn't just from the bonito...

The flavor enhancers in the bonito's inosinic acid

and kelp's glutamic acid are creating synergy.

As you eat the items in order, the bento builds on your palate.

How amazing...

-I want to try! -Sounds good.

Now to the second row.

These cake sushi are made using vegetables.

Instead of dried seaweed,

I used thinly sliced vegetables to wrap them.

After all, dark colors don't match this bento.

Finally, on to the third row.

It's like it's the main dish...

It's made with aged beef tenderloin.

There it is again!

Two flavor enhancers are combining in my mouth!

The inosinic acid comes from the beef, but what is making glutamic acid?

It's the tomato.

Tomato? I don't see it in here.

It was in the cake sushi.

I separated the tomato

into its pigment, fiber and jus with the centrifugal separator.

I filtered the jus and added a few drops

onto the cake sushi.

-No way... -There's no trace of the ingredient.

The very last item.

What's this ball beside the sea bream sushi?

This ball... is concentrated stock.

It's a deconstructed sea bream chazuke!

She lives up to her reputation of being the child of molecular gastronomy,

using her prowess to entertain whoever is eating.

This satisfaction is equal

to that of a feast at a luxurious restaurant.

Culinary wisdom is overflowing from this small bento box!

-He stripped! -He did it!

The director stripped!

It was superb.

That's Nakiri Alice's capabilities.

Is she really our age?

I could never reach that level.

When talent is too strong, at times it casts a shadow.

It's a sad fate.

Totsuki Academy has no place for cowards who'd give up at this level.

Look at him.

Five bentos, ready!

There's at least one chef who's not shrinking back.

Yukihira Soma, what is your dish?

Seaweed bento.

What? Seaweed bento?

How can you defeat Nakiri Alice with that?

SOMA'S SEAWEED BENTO (IMAGE)

-Seaweed bento? -Why?

He's going to lose.

Yukihira- kun ,

what's a seaweed bento?

What, you don't know?

Want me to make you one too?

But it's not a regular seaweed bento.

Yukihira Style Evolved Nori-ben .

Here you go, please enjoy.

It's a lunch jar.

You can keep rice and soup warm in this stainless steel thermal container.

I see, Japan's lunchboxes are so advanced.

Nowadays, it can keep it warm for up to half a day.

When you put hot soup in it, it keeps the rice warm for longer.

Wow, how smart!

She's so relaxed.

It's still a battle.