(Jiggle jiggle)
(SIGH) I need something that inspires.
(Lion roar)
No, that's not it.
(Ricocheting bullet)
Still not quite there yet.
I need something special today.
Ooh! Now we're talking!
(Flames roaring)
(Opening Song)
[SCHOOLBOY 1] So did you hear about today's Food War?
[SCHOOLBOY 2] Yeah. It's Meat-Meat vs. Bowl-club, right?
Man, you gotta feel sorry for Bowl-club.
I mean, Erina Nakiri has it out for them.
[SCHOOLBOY 3] Yo, have you read the Tohtsuki Sports?!
It says someone else is cooking.
[SCHOOLBOY 3] Look! Now it's that uppity transfer student,
Soma Yukihira!
[KANICHI] Here are the tools and ingredients you'll need for the battle.
I got everything you asked for.
Nice.
Thanks again for all your help!
So were you able to get any sleep last night?
Uh...
Well when we were done, I wanted tweaked the sauce a little bit more.
I slept about two hours, I guess.
Uh...
(Distant crowd chatter)
So many people!
Soma! Whatever you do don't look out in the audience!
You don't want to lose your nerve!
Alright, there's no need to freak out,
everything is going to be just fine, okay?
Just be calm and don't lose it! Yeah, yeah...
First, you need to calm yourself down, m'kay?
Huh?!
You're not even a little bit scared?
[MEGUMI] I mean you have to cook with all those people watching.
[SOMA] Not at all.
Huh?
I mean,
not compared to standing in front of customers
with my family restaurant's name on the line.
If I do end up beating you...
would that make me the new Tohtsuki No. 7?
[URARA] Sorry for the wait, you guys!
The Food War Administrative Bureau has officially recognized
this challenge as a Food War!
(Crowd cheers)
And as always, I will be your emcee.
I'm Urara Kawashima, a freshman in the high school division!
Love you!
You're cutest thing ever, Urara!
HEY!
WE LOVE YOU!
[URARA] Now then, from their respective corners,
here come the contestants!
(Cheers)
[URARA] The first contestant to join the battle...
The Meat Master, Ikumi Mito!
(Laughs) (Cheers)
Oh, don't go flaunting those big udders of yours, you little hussy!
I am all the boys in this school will ever need!
I am the cutest thing to ever walk this Earth!
And now! To introduce our next contestant...
Eat crap, you dirty transfer!
Who do you think you are?!
Go back home to your diner!
This is the part where you get what's coming to ya, a-hole!
The transfer student who's been garnering rave reviews here at the academy,
Soma Yukihira!
[ONLOOKER 1] If he's facin' Mito, I already know who's winning this one.
He's toast. There's no way I'm gonna miss seeing him get expelled from this Academy.
(Nervous whimpers)
What is with all these rude people
and their attitudes?
I'll never forget,
back when I battled the Standing-While-Eating-Soba Research Society,
there was no emcee, not even an audience!
The only ones there were stray dogs drawn by the scent of food.
(Loud booing) [KANICHI] What is their problem?
Soma, didn't you just transfer here this spring?
Why do they all hate you so much?
Dunno.... I haven't done anything that I know of.
(Whimpers)
[URARA] Let's have a quick review of the rules, shall we?
We have three honorary judges.
The theme is "rice bowls."
And the main ingredient for today's battle is...
meat!
(Cheers)
[URARA] If Ikumi Mito wins,
the Rice Bowl Research Society will be disbanded,
and Soma Yukihira will leave the Academy.
But if Soma wins,
the "Bowl-club" will get more funding
and additional cooking facilities.
Also...
Ikumi will become a member of Bowl-club!
(Astonished murmurs)
Hey there, short-timer.
It looks like this will be your last day here.
If you have any last words, now's the time.
You think so?
(Swish)
I think we'll have plenty of time to talk
once you're a member of Bowl-club.
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Look, over there!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] Dude! Erina Nakiri!
[SCHOOLGIRL] O.M.G! It's her!
[IKUMI] Erina...
[YUKI] Whoa, for real? Why's she here?
Why would a member of the Ten show up for this?
Especially to see something as lame as the Bowl-club?
Probably because she's part of Erina's faction.
You really think that's it? Or is there some other reason?
Well, Soma Yukihira, I am so looking forward to this.
I cannot wait to see you suffer a humiliating defeat.
[IKUMI] Why would Miss Erina come to watch this in person?
Contestants, are you ready?!
Get to your cooking stations!
[URARA] It is winner take all...
in this battle decided by the palate!
Let the Food War...
BEGIN!
(Horn blows)
[IKUMI] Hey, transfer student.
Let me show you the kind of ingredient a pissant like you
will never get to use.
Hm?
Presenting...
the ultimate grade of beef!
Man, I knew she'd bring that sucker out.
That is some A5-ranked beef!
(Whimper)
Yah! HAH! AGH!
(Grunting)
That is one massive butcher cleaver.
She's making precision cuts even with that huge blade!
Aaaugh! She can really cut some meat!
[AOKI] Dude! Will you look at that slab?!
I've never seen marbling as fine as that!
[SATO] Man! Both the meat and the fat
have some sweet luster!
(Pleasant sigh)
(Sniff)
Good girl...
Your subtle sweetness tickles the senses...
As meat is smoked,
flavor components like glutamic acid are increased,
and it starts to emit a gentle, sweet aroma.
This is the ultimate meat,
and it will be cooked by the ultimate hands: mine.
Mmm...
[IKUMI] First, fry it to give the surface some color.
Scoop up the butter and pour it all over the meat's glistening surface.
(Laughs)
The aroma of melted butter is wafting throughout the whole building!
Ahh! It's making me ravenous from just the scent alone.
(Astonished gasps)
So rad!
(Chuckle)
This process creates a "barrier"
that traps the meat's savory juices inside.
Next...
It goes into the oven!
This will apply heat to the meat's interior.
Now then...
What about the transfer student?
[URARA] Meanwhile, as for Soma's dish...
It seems he sure is dicing up an awful lot of onion.
Just how do you think he plans on using them all? Wha-?!
[URARA] It looks like he's bringing out the meat!
So, how will it stack up to the A5 beef?
Huh?!
(Mutters and groans)
It was on sale?
Uh... Half-price?!
Huh?
Hehe. I got it out of the bargain bin.
Musta been my lucky day.
(Awkward laugh)
You are a disgrace! Unbelievable!
Oh my god! Stop it!
What in the heck are you ingrates doing?!
Do you really think Soma is going to be able
to make it through all this?
(Laughs)
Why don't you just give up already?
Use the time you have left to go pack your things.
(Oven opening)
Hm.
[ERINA] Do you know what it is...
that makes her different?
Aside from the cut itself,
it's the way she treats it.
[ERINA] That is correct.
But her true worth is her delicate touch.
She knows exactly what the meat needs.
There's no one more sensitive.
64 degrees...
No, it's more like 65. Perfect.
[ERINA] And Ikumi Mito knows that the lips
are the most sensitive part of the human body.
That being said, when it comes to distinguishing the appropriate temperature,
she's on another level.
[ERINA] And when she touches the meat,
her prowess becomes even more evident.
She's something else...
Watch closely.
See how her fingertips caress the grains with loving intention.
Like a pianist playing an elegant solo.
A silent melody for the heavens.
A carnivorous sonata of meat.
I WILL give Miss Erina a victory!
[IKUMI] What, you're still here?
Oh transfer student, you seem to've gotten pretty quiet over there, haven't you?
What happened to that attitude of yours from three days ago?
Hm?
Pah!
Guess it's hard to talk smack
when you're in a panic.
How pitiful.
[SOMA] I don't need to say a thing.
Hm?
'Cause in a bit,
my rice bowl is going to do all the talking for me.
Huh?
And eloquently, too.
Also, it's common knowledge that you can't trust a chef
who spends more time hurling insults than perfecting their dishes.
(Angry grunt)
You have no idea who you're dealing with!
(Sizzling)
(Sizzling moans)
Just what is he...
[URARA] Okay, time's almost up!
(Dramatic music)
(DING)
[URARA] And we're done!
[URARA] We will now begin judgment.
First up, Ikumi Mito's dish.
[IKUMI] This is an A5 Wagyu ri rice bowl.
[URARA] Ri is French for "roast" or "broil."
So basically, it's like, used to say food that's been cooked in an oven, duh!
I love you! Hehe!
The meat has been cut so that it resembles a flower in bloom.
I never dreamed I'd set eyes on a rice bowl of such beauty.
I guess it's time to dig in. This looks really wonderful.
(Squeals of deliciousness)
It's almost too delicious!
I'm getting weak in the knees!
Amazing! This profound depth of flavor is truly A5-grade.
When she was preparing this meat,
even the angle of heat was taken into consideration.
When the flame is applied at a right angle to the fiber direction,
it causes the meat to heat uniformly and allows the juices to run freely.
Taking the meat's fiber into account is the mark of a true master chef!
And underneath these "petals"...
This garlic rice was cooked in melted butter and beef fat.
I would happily eat three bowls of this exquisite rice alone!
[KATSUNORI] The way this dish was made, you could even call it sensuous!
The execution is simply incredible!
(Crowd gasps)
What do you think, transfer student?
This is the pleasure of the flesh!
Mmm...
That should just about do it.
I can't wait to see the look on that transfer's
stupid face when he loses.
This doesn't look too good.
Everybody out there is acting like Mito has already won!
[URARA] Next, We have Soma's dish to be presented to the judges.
So tell us, what do you call your rice bowl?
Uh, well...
Let's see, how about,
"Yukihira-Style Chaliapin Steak Rice Bowl."
Hm...
You want us to try your "Chaliapin Steak"?
So all you did was use onions to make cheap meat tender, huh?
After what we've just eaten...
Hahaha!
Think I'd rather go home still basking
in the juicy glow of that A5 meat flower.
Hm?! Hm?!
(Gulp)
[YOSHIKI] Uh, well, it does look more enticing than I'd imagined.
[KATSUNORI] Uh, shall we have some then?
Tch. He could never use such cheap meat to make anything worth a damn.
Ah!
(Ravenous chomping)
What is going on here?!
I can't! My hand won't stop moving!
Mm! The meat is SO tender, but also...
The sauce!
This special sauce is infused with minced onions
and really whets the appetite!
What is this?!
Such a depth of flavor...
After the steak was cooked,
the frying pan was deglazed with red wine! OGH!
He simmered the remaining meat juices in the wine,
and then he used THAT to fry the onions!
He added cornstarch to make it smooth
and he allowed it to melt perfectly with the meat and rice
in a beautiful dance.
The flavors are rounded out by a mirin-infused soy sauce!
The browning of the rice gives it a broad depth of flavor!
Ohh! Yes!
Yeah, Soma!
Onions are essential to a Chaliapin Steak,
but it looks like he tweaked it.
And I think he also did something with the sauce.
So is that really all there is to it?
But sauce is just... sauce!
It should be no match for my top-quality meat!
The meat and the sauce are both full of flavor
but the more I eat, the hungrier I get!
You are not kidding.
I feel like I could eat this forever!
These undertones of acidity...
Don't tell me...
That's right!
The key to my dish lies in the rice.
It's the rice?!
The rice in that steak bowl
was mixed with homemade pickled plum paste.
It's a refreshing pickled plum rice!
I knew it!
That is the refreshing taste that makes you
want to keep eating!
The steak is light and fluffy, and full of deliciousness.
That beautiful sauce is simply glorious!
And the pickled plum in the rice is so light and brisk!
Hahaha!
[ALL THREE] The tastiness of each component...
elevates the other in harmony!
Uh!
We can't help but scarf it down!
Shredded plums?
That's all it took?
He may have tweaked things a bit,
but his ingredients were all cheap!
It doesn't make any sense.
Oh, God!
I'm already finished with my bowl!
Is there any more left?
Where can we get some more of this?
[SHIGENO] The ri rice bowl was excellent,
but my chopsticks wanted to move more towards THIS bowl.
Wait, what was that?!
What about my garlic rice?
They didn't finish it!
[SOMA] Yup...
I thought long and hard about how I should
best flavor the rice in this dish...
[SOMA] After I heard from Kanichi that you'd probably use marbled beef...
I figured you would understand that you couldn't use any bold seasonings in the rice,
or else it would clash with the beef's flavor.
Your dish may look like a rice bowl, but it's not.
(Gasp)
Like the head of Bowl-club said:
Cheap and tasty. Meals should be summarized in one bowl.
Oh just be quiet!
This argument is a complete waste of time.
With my top-quality meat, there's no way you could've possibly-
Why don't you give it a little listen?
Hear what my rice bowl has to say.
Or are you scared?
(Dramatic, tense music)
(Gasp)
Ooh...
He's right.
This rice bowl does speak to you.
It says, "Eat me as fast as you can!"
[IKUMI'S MOM] Happy ninth birthday, Ikumi!
Thank you so much, Mommy! I really love it!
(Laughs)
(Tearing) [IKUMI] Hah?! [DAD] Put that down!
[MOM] No. Please don't do this! No!
[DAD] Shut up! The successor to the Mito family has no need for such pleasures!
Listen closely, Ikumi:
Your sole focus should be on getting stronger and better!
Understand?!
(Scarfing)
Dammit! Why'd I suddenly remember something like THAT?
Ah?
It's... It's because of this.
It's whispering to me,
saying it's okay to do what I want.
That it's okay to be myself!
Dammit...
Ah. Ahh...
Dammit!
(Caramelized moans)
[URARA] Ladies and gentlemen, the winner is Soma Yukihira!
(Crowd cheers)
You're welcome!
Incredible, Soma!
[AOKI] He friggin' did it! [RYOKO] Yeah!
Way to go!
What?!
I don't believe it...
I lost the Food War.
Ah!
Miss Erina!
[ERINA] Clear out the cooking room I gave her.
I have no time for failures.
Understood, Miss Erina.
[SOMA] Yo, Meat-Meat!
Why don't you lemme eat a little more of your rice bowl?
Don't you talk me, you dirty little troll!
And stop calling me Meat-Meat, you hear me?!
Why not?
You,re probably the best meat cook I've ever met.
Wh-what?!
Look forward to working with you...
Okay, Sweet Meat?
What did you just say?
You piece of crap!
Be sure to come by the clubroom.
[KANICHI] Hey, Soma...
Huh?
[KANICHI] You really are one hell of a guy.
You're the only one that can properly keep Bowl-club afloat.
You're the next Don of Bowl-club!
Please, Soma!
(Laughs and cheers)
(Ending Song)
(Annoyed grunts)
(Big sigh)
[SOMA] Oh, Sweet Meat.
Brbrbrbrbr!
'Kay. Right.
[IKUMI] I-I'm coming in.
Oh, Meat-Meat, you came!
Of course I did.
So Soma hasn't bothered to come to class yet, has he?
He told me to come by, so I felt I didn't really have much choice in the matter.
[KANICHI] Um, about that...
Huh?
Hmm?
Nah, I'm not gonna join your club.
(Both scream)
I mean, all I really wanted to do was just check it out.
And because I did,
I've built up a great new menu of rice bowls
that I can try at the restaurant one day.
Thanks for helping with everything.
I'll make sure to stop by once in a while!
So, that's that.
[KANICHI] Still, we have more funds now,
so let's work together to revive Bowl-club!
You are the only one that can do it.
Keep us afloat.
You're the next Don of Bowl-club!
Meat-Meat...
Grrrr!
[IKUMI] Shut the hell up!
Don't call me "Meat-Meat"! Ahhh!
(Kanichi screams in pain)
[MEGUMI] Ever since that day,
Ikumi Mito seems to have grown even more violent...
[MEAT-MEAT] RAAAGGHH!