(Man whimpering) [IKUMI] So...
are you gonna do it with me?
I know you want to.
Come on. (Gulp)
Just do it with me...
[IKUMI] A Food War.
Dah!
Mmm...
(Opening Song)
(Snoring)
[ISSHIKI] Good morning, Young Soma.
I could use a bit of help.
Could you get dressed and come on over?
Dude.
I stayed up way too late last night.
I'm super tired.
Ask someone else to help out.
Oh come on, don't say that!
You have got to stop doing that!
(Yuki laughs)
I see he woke you up, too.
[SOMA] Yes, he did.
So, what are we supposed to help him with?
We're collecting vegetables from our field.
That's awesome.
We even grow our own stuff here?
(Laughs)
Well, delicious food starts with only the best ingredients.
That's our dorm's motto.
[SOMA] Woah.
[YUKI] That's how Shun gets wood for making his smoked dishes.
[YUKI] Ryoko's specialty is making meals with malted rice,
so she has her own workshop just for that.
(Caw)
As for me,
I want to breed a "Kyokusei Chicken"
equal to the French Poulet de Bresse.
And I let them run free range of course.
That's cool.
[YUKI] And then...
Isshiki's main area of operation...
...is here!
This plot grows dozens of different vegetables.
[SOMA] Woahoho...
...oooooh...
Hm?!
Hup!
Good morning!
Hello Soma. Hello Yuki.
[BOTH] Guuh... [ISSHIKI] A bit of hard work in the morning
helps soothe the spirits.
Let us all sweat together.
What'd he just say?!
Knowing different strains of ingredients and how they grow
is part of learning how to cook.
This is known as Kyokusei Field.
But truthfully, it might as well be called "Isshiki Field".
So... [MEGUMI] Ah, Soma!
Huh?
[SOMA] Oh! Megumi came out too.
Look! These are the vegetables Isshiki grew in the garden.
Don't they look amazing?
You know what Megumi...
That outfit oddly suits you.
Yep. Megumi is Kyokusei's breath of fresh air.
Hm?
Here, take a bite of this.
[SOMA] Oh, thanks.
WOW!
It's so plump and sweet!
I'd love to stock up on these for our restaurant!
This is a quality product here.
Yes, well I may have spent too much time on them.
Because, unfortunately, I haven't really been going to class.
I think he's got his priorities messed up...
Morning, everyone!
[YUKI] It's perfect! [MEGUMI] (Laugh) Wow!
[RYOKO] Isn't it though?
[SOMA] Whoa! This is incredible!
[MEGUMI] Soma, you haven't stopped eating.
[SOMA] Yeah, so what?
Hey, guys! It's time for breakfast!
[YUKI] Work sure gets you hungry. [SOMA] My back hurts!
Oh. You made all this for us, Megumi?
Yep. I'm sure everybody's hungry. Help yourselves.
[RYOKO] Wow! [ISSHIKI] Looks delectable.
I see it's your special three-variety onigiri.
This is FANTASTIC!
Onigiri after working in the garden!
It's time to stuff my face!
Wow! It's delicious!
You used a salt and green onion sauce.
The sauce was added to the flash-boiled chicken tenders
and it coats the onigiri's exterior, too!
The saltiness of it really stirs the appetite!
Doing physical work always makes me want something savory.
And this is seaweed, huh?
It is a staple of onigiri.
You boiled seaweed in sweet soy sauce and added cheese!
That's right! A little cheese actually goes very nicely
with the rich sweetness of the seaweed.
Okay then, what is this last one?!
[SOMA] Oh man! This garlic flavor is so great I can't even stand it!
As you can see, it's just some garlic-marinated pork.
Huh?!
[MEGUMI] When I saw you use honey in our class the other day...
It inspired me.
So I tried changing it up in my own way.
I boiled some pork belly,
then steeped it in a mixture of garlic, miso, sake, and honey.
It goes great with rice,
so I chopped it finely and put it in an onigiri.
Whoa...
Oh!
[MEGUMI] There's barley and green tea, too,
so don't be shy.
(Everyone gasps)
Now this is the true appeal of Megumi's cooking.
It soothes the heart of whoever eats it.
The chicken isn't dried out, and the pork belly is perfectly tender.
They're all made with such thought and consideration.
Glad you like it...
Why can't you ever manage to cook like this in our class?
AHH!
I freak out.
I, uh... I've always had stage fright.
When I get really nervous,
my mind goes blank and I just mess up everything in the kitchen.
Yeah, well that's too bad.
[ISSHIKI] You need to relax more in the kitchen, Megumi.
[YUKI] Totally.
The more calm you are, the better it turns out.
Just does.
[MEGUMI] Hehe. I don't know...
[SOMA] Huh? A "research society"?
[YUKI] Yup! There are lots of them at Tohtsuki,
researching every theme related to cooking.
It's fun.
Each group gets together after class
and works on developing new menus.
Or participates in cooking contests that are outside of school.
They're a lot like club activities,
much like a regular school would have.
I'm a member of the Regional Cuisine Research Society.
Huh...?
[SOMA] You weren't kidding.
Japanese, Western, Russian, Chinese,
haute cuisine, vegetarian, vegan, dairy free...
Huh! They even have fermented and preserved foods.
Boxed lunches at train stations?!
"Rice Bowl Research Society"?
That could be good for the restaurant...
Let's go check it out. Huh?
[SOMA] Come on, Megumi!
Oh, dear...
Huh...
Sorry, but you guys should just beat it.
Bowl-club's on its last days.
We are doomed to get shut down.
[BOTH] Huh?!
[KANICHI] Soma and Megumi, was it?
I am Kanichi.
I run things around here.
Um, are you doing okay, buddy?
You seem like you're kinda down in the dumps.
(Sobbing)
Feel free to laugh.
I couldn't even protect Bowl-club.
Look... a recipe book.
Hm? Looks like menus that Bowl-Club members
have come up with.
Let's see...
They have high-end items and off-the-wall stuff.
With all their own unique spin.
These recipes look pretty interesting!
Why the heck are you guys being shut down?
Huh?!
You mean you actually get it?!
Ahh!
You really do, don't you?!
He's crying!
[KANICHI] The rice bowl's beauty
is they're FAST, TASTY, and CHEAP!
They're pure manliness encapsulated in a single bowl!
It's manly food for men doing manly things!
And as a man with manly cravings,
I will not die until I've thoroughly mastered every last one of them!
He's a little off, isn't he?
Yeah, a bit too intense for me.
My poor Bowl-club...
If only it weren't for Erina Nakiri!
Erina?
That's right.
This is how she does things around here.
First off, she'll suggest that the Council cut the budget
or take space away from groups she doesn't like.
She'll force the motion through.
She grinds people down till they've just got one option left...
You know what that is... A Food War.
[KANICHI] And in exchange for accepting a Food War challenge,
she makes a bunch of outrageous demands,
till in the end she gets exactly what she wants.
It's how she keeps gaining more and more power!
As soon as the other members of Bowl-club learned we were up against Erina, they...
They all friggin' quit!
This guy must not have many friends.
M'k... so you're going to have to face off with Erina?
Well...
(Door slides open)
[ALL] Hm?
Wha-?! Hey!
You're absolutely right, Miss Mito.
It's going to be faster to tear everything down than remodel it.
Oh? Then go ahead.
What do you think you're doing?! What is this?!
[IKUMI] What else? I'm making a preliminary inspection.
You already know how this is going to play out, don't you?
Uh! Uhhh!
It's just like Miss Erina said:
No matter how you dress it up,
a rice bowl is a second-rate dish. Simple, lowbrow cooking.
[IKUMI] You are not needed here at Tohtsuki.
Got it? (Chuckles)
But if you think that you can actually beat me,
(Whimpering) well that would be whole different story.
You follow me, Mr. Club Captain?
(Jiggle)
Your entire club isn't needed here.
Dammit, Meat-Meat.
[MEGUMI] Ah!
What the-?!
My name's not "Meat-Meat".
Never call me that again.
Don't tell me...
that's who he'll face in the food war!
Sounds like it. Who is she?
That's Ikumi Mito...
the butcher and chef nicknamed "The Meat Master."
She's made top grades since middle school,
and is so good, especially with meat, that she's gotten nothing but straight A's.
Her intimate knowledge of meat is as good as it gets here at the Academy!
When it comes to the power of meat other ingredients pale in comparison!
No matter what dish you think you can prattle together...
it will never match the luster of my top-quality meat.
Bein' happy about how much your ingredients cost...
is a disgrace in my opinion.
Huh?
What's that?
[SOMA] Kanichi...
About this Food War...
Would you please let me battle it for you?
Why would you bother to interfere if you're not even a member- Uh?
[IKUMI] It's you. The transfer idiot from the opening ceremony.
I must say I've been wanting to have words with you. Hmph.
You must be very confident in your skills
if you're going to suddenly take on someone else's fight for them.
Or very stupid.
Let's go with your specialty.
We wouldn't want you to be without your meat.
Either way, I'm gonna win.
I don't think so.
And whenever I do beat you...
you will have to leave Tohtsuki Academy.
(Gasp)
Yeah.
Y'know, if you don't have what it takes,
then maybe you shouldn't be mouthing off.
I'm in.
What?
In exchange, if I win...
Well, let's see here...
You'll have to join Bowl-club.
H-Huh?!
[OTHERS] HUH?!
Yeah, that's right...
You'll contribute to the growth of rice bowl culture.
Sorry if it isn't really your thing.
You honestly think you can defeat me?
Hehehe.
(Clap clap)
Attention, everyone. That'll be all for today.
Alright. I will allow your request for the Food War theme.
The main ingredient will be meat, and we'll be making rice bowls!
The battle will take place in three days.
Why'd you do that? Are you crazy?!
Well, thinking expensive meat is everything
is an insult to mom-and-pop diners everywhere.
But more than anything,
it'd be a shame to see this place go.
You're the coolest!
But, uh, Soma,
do you have some sorta plan for winning?
Guess I better think of one.
Oh dear God!
[IKUMI] I am grateful to Erina for entrusting me with this.
I will teach that uppity transfer punk the pleasures of the flesh.
[YUKI] Soma's such a big doofus!
What was he thinking?!
The whole stinkin' school is talking about this!
This could go bad! Hmph.
Yuki, settle down.
I'll try to help out as much as I can.
But there's not a lot of time until they have their battle.
So then...
How will you tackle this, Young Soma?
[KANICHI] Okay. Here goes...
I've been giving this a lot of thought.
Meat-Meat is a specialist in meat, especially beef.
So, I think we should stay clear of that particular protein.
For example, a chicken-and-egg rice bowl...
That would be within the battle theme,
but it will still make our dish different from hers.
That makes sense.
Something outside the box, huh?
Megumi, is there a type of rice bowl you like?
Uh yeah, I don't know if you could call it a rice bowl,
it's not really meat, but, uh...
I love scallops... grilling them!
And as soon as they open up...
I pour in a bit of melted butter and soy sauce.
Then I'll put those on a bed of fluffy hot rice and it's absolutely scrumptious!
Well that's a pity. You could've done a seafood rice bowl.
But unfortunately that doesn't count as a challenge meat...
Okay, okay.
The rules are the rules.
Please don't start crying again.
You have no idea how formidable Meat-Meat can be!
Listen, If she brings out some of her A5 beef,
we're done for!
"A5"? Guess that's good?
It's from a ranking system.
And A5 is the highest quality of beef.
Correctamundo!
When a cow is broken down, the cuts are ranked on fat-to-meat ratio...
[KANICHI] There are three rankings, A to C.
Marbling, firmness, and texture...
The brilliance of the meat's fattiness!
All these determine a cut of beef's Marbling Standard!
These are ranked from 1 to 5.
(Bell ringing)
Meat that has been given top ranking by these two standards...
is classified as A5!
I once ate one of her steaks at an Academy function.
Oh man... it was a whole other level...
It was almost as if you could...
drink it!
Drink it?!
Yes!
The moment I bit it...
the flavor took on a life of its own.
It slid softly down my throat!
If something like this were offered in a restaurant,
the cash would be flying out of your wallet!
Also... and this is very important to remember:
Ingredients must be prepared by the chef.
After all, chefs should be skilled in food prep, too.
The Mito family turned their wholesale meat business
into a massive company,
and have cornered the market on beef production.
Their expertise is undeniably the best the industry has to offer.
They have money! They have facilities!
They have distribution routes!
They have everything!
And that's why Meat-Meat has such badass meat dishes.
He just depressed himself with his own story...
But can you really beat such incredible meat?
I mean, what are you going to do, Soma?
[SOMA] You know...
Hm?
I think I got it...
we should do a rice beef bowl too.
Huh?!
Are you nuts?
Did you not just hear what I said?
When it comes to meat, she is-
You said it yourself, Kanichi:
Rice bowls are fast, tasty, and cheap.
Hm!
Her beef will make a mockery of that.
We want bowls to be respected,
we have to win with a menu using affordable beef.
And we're not gonna use any weird top-quality ingredients.
That's not part of a rice bowl's appeal.
Yeah. Sometimes, even when a man's convictions are tested, he must stand tall.
[SOMA] Yeah, well, I'm gonna go pick up some things. [KANICHI] Prove to the world that he is not-
Do you, like, have a budget?
I'll take whatever you have left over.
Uh, well...
not so much
(Coin drops) [MEGUMI] Huh?
[SOMA] That's it?
(Frantic panting)
I'll just have to take it out of my account!
That's all I have left?!
[ATM] Your account is now empty.
[JOICHIRO] I'll wire you some money for expenses every now and then.
[SOMA] "Every now and then"?
So I guess that means never again.
(Sigh)
This whole thing could be a bad idea.
[KANICHI] Oof! Huh?
These are our best collected recipes.
There might be somethin' in here you can use.
Here you go, there's these, too.
[KANICHI] Oh, thank you! Set that pile over here.
Okay, guys! Shall we get to it?
[SOMA] Order up! Give it a try.
I used beef instead of pork to make a "beef cutlet" rice bowl.
I tweaked Bowl-club's recipe,
using a mixture of chicken and quail eggs to give it a richer taste.
Ahhh...!
That's not bad. But, it's not enough.
When you put it in your mouth, you want a reaction.
With Meat-Meat's food... it hits your tongue with a bang!
"With a bang," huh?
Then we need some fat!
(Sizzling)
[SOMA] This is my "sukiyaki rice bowl,"
cooked in sugar and beef fat with a raw egg dropped in.
Om.
Haaahh...!
[KANICHI] Nah, still not enough!
There's no refinement to it!
[SOMA] Then I'll reduce the beef fat, and instead-
[MEGUMI] Um, how about this recipe?
[SOMA] Okay!
[MEGUMI] He's so sad, he's turned white again!
Splash some water him and snap him out of it!
Nyah!
[SOMA] We've tried all of Bowl-club's best recipes.
I've even tweaked them in every way I know how.
[MEGUMI] Hey Soma.
Why don't you try taking a little break?
Once you're all recharged,
you might get another idea like you did in class.
I mean, I'd say it's worth a shot, right?
Don'tcha think?
Ah.
Like using honey to make the meat
more tender, huh?
Guh!
Megumi! Uh!
Wh-what'd I do?
You are a genius, you know that?!
You've saved us!
It's been in front of us the whole time!
It is ALL about the cheap meat!
Kanichi! Do we have any more steak cutlets lying around here?
I'll take Sirloin or rump. I have an idea!
Uh!
You need steak cuts?
[SOMA] Slice the steak into a grid pattern...
then pound it to spread it out!
Next, cover it with minced onions on both sides and let it sit.
Remove the onions,
and season the meat with salt and pepper.
Cook the meat, melting a pat of butter along with it.
Then caramelize some onions by cooking them in the leftover juices.
Why onions?
[SOMA] Then, spread the cooked onions on top of the meat, and it's done.
That's...
it's Chaliapin Steak!
When opera singer Feodor Chaliapin came to Japan,
he was suffering from a toothache.
He told his hosts that he needed very tender steak,
and this is what the chef came up with.
You can't get this overseas!
It's a unique style of steak found only in Japan!
Well, give it a taste, you two.
Hm. Yeah...
(Echoing) Ahhh...
So light and fluffy...
[KANICHI] It's so tender!
I mean, it's just falling apart.
And with every delicious bite I take, it...
[BOTH] ...melts in my mouth!
(Cows mooing)
The onions contain enzymes that help break down
the meat's protein.
The exact same as pineapples and honey.
That's how the meat is able to get this tender.
[MEGUMI] Haahhh...
You'd never think this was cheap cut.
The flavor is so full and robust!
And it goes great paired with rice.
But, will this really...
Can it do it? Can we beat her meat?!
(Ending Song)
[IKUMI] I will be using fillets of Kuroge Wagyu.
The quality is, of course, A5.
And well...
I have aged it for over a month at this point...
giving it the most intense flavor possible in a steak.
[IKUMI] It is an A5 beyond any other A5.
I will make sure to draw out every drop of flavor.
That pathetic "Bowl-club" will be crushed in an instant.
Oh, I'm looking forward to it.
Well, if you'll excuse me.
To think, an opportunity would come up this quickly...
Soma Yukihira...
The time has come for you to leave Tohtsuki Academy.
(Sinister laugh)