(Light snoring)
Really? He's sleeping?
How can he be asleep at a time like this?!
There it is!
Done!
That aroma...
(Murmurs)
Hey, look! Check out his pot!
That's rice! He's boiled vegetables and spices in with the rice!
[AKIRA] That pot of yours...
I see you've added a paste of apples, bananas, and carrots.
Interesting. It will give the rice a thickness, making it into a kind of risotto.
Well done, Akira!
You can smell all that just standing there?
You've got yourself a great sniffer.
No. There's another hidden element.
The aromatic spices that he's using aren't all that unique...
so what's making this aroma so complex?
The truth is, I was experimenting till early morning.
I was trying to really concentrate on the aroma
and kinda fell asleep in the middle of it all.
Nothing fazes you, does it?
You just keep on watching...
for when my dish really starts to come together.
(Opening Song)
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Man, look at that redneck. She's barely even trying to cook down there.
I swear, she pisses me off!
You don't belong here! Go back where you came from!
[AOKI] What was that?
What'd you dill weeds just spew outta your mouths?!
Got something to say, say it to me!
AAHHHH!
[FUMIO] That's enough!
Just leave the punks be.
But, Miss Fumio, they deserve it!
They're talking so friggin' loud Megumi's gonna hear!
Just cheer those two on as much as you can, boys.
Alright, then. We understand.
Megumi! Yuki! Good luck!
Yeah!
[AOKI and SATO] Cook that food's butt!
This should just about take care of
all the prep work.
Now I have to get to work on the protein.
Ah!
Do you know what is the greatest burden in the kitchen?
A fool not paying attention...
who doesn't know their surroundings and gets in the way!
Oh, okay! I'm very sorry! I'll be more careful.
Oooohh...
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Miyoko finally added her spice!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] Now that it's got a strong aroma,
she's adding it to the egg and stir-fried rice!
Look at that! He's awesome, too!
[SCHOOLBOY 4] He cut that pasta so fast!
[SCHOOLBOY 5] Such technique! To think, he could take a mezzaluna,
which is mainly used for dicing, and slice noodles so perfectly!
Check out his brother behind him. What kind of dough is that?!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Oh, I can't take my eyes off either of them!
Looks like Megumi's holdin' her own, bro!
Totally, dude. Let's see some of her awesome technique!
[AOKI] Ah! Uhh...
AHHH!
Dude...
Megumi Tadokoro...
After the rumors I heard about your Food War with Chef Shinomiya,
I thought you had what it took to go up against a man,
but I overestimated you.
(Shocked gasps)
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Look at that!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] She's using monkfish?!
How is she gonna prepare THAT?!
(Chuckle)
[ORIE] What does that girl think she's doing?
Slicing the meat while it hangs.
Yes, I already know that.
The skin of the monkfish is covered with a gelatinous substance,
so it's hard to prepare on a cutting board.
She's using the traditional method to break it down.
But still...
Because it's hangin' in mid-air
without a stable surface,
it takes a special skill to be able to cut it properly.
[SATO] For her to choose such a tough fish to prepare at a major event like this is pretty bold!
Order up!
[MEGUMI] Up till now, I've done nothing but rely on Soma,
who always stays positive in any challenge.
I know Soma is nowhere nearby...
but I know he's fighting too!
I don't know if I can do this properly on my own, but...
Soma, please, give me some of your strength and bravery!
[SOMA] I learned that from back home.
It's how I was taught to get my mind right.
The only drawback is you can't do it by yourself.
Okay!
[OLD CHEF] I'm so sorry.
Our suspended-cut monkfish is a specialty,
And I would like to keep it up for the entertainment of our customers, but...
my body just can't provide the strength it takes.
Don't force yourself.
You've worked real hard for a long time.
[MOTHER] It's more show than anything.
You don't have to do this anymore.
[FISHERMAN] What was that?!
You want me to teach ya suspended cutting?
What the hell you talkin' bout?
There's no way a woman, a kid, could do it!
Um, please! I want to help my family's restaurant!
Please help, sir!
Please help me!
Please help me, sir!
Please, sir!
Alright...
If you promise not to do any whinin' about it,
I'll teach ya how to do it. But listen up!
Don't you dare say it's hard work or you wanna take a break for a while.
I will throw ya right out on your butt!
[FISHERMAN] No, no, no! That ain't how it's done!
Quit makin' me repeat myself!
You ready to tell me you can't do it?
Go on, just quit. Give up!
Uh-uh!
(Amazed exclamations)
Can we...
keep it... going now?
Incredible!
Oh, sweetie.
Suspended cutting!
Oh, man! She friggin' broke it down!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] A whole monkfish, all by herself!
What on Earth does that girl intend to make?
Aw yeah, there she goes!
Now this is Megumi's true skill!
You two better run off and go cheer for Ryoko and everyone else from Kyosukei!
Gotcha!
Leave it to us!
[FUMIO] Yes, that's the spirit.
You've got my respect, girl.
After all, you ARE a member of Kyokusei.
All right! I've got some tricks of my own!
[URARA] We'll soon be out of time!
Everyone, please get your dishes ready!
[URARA] Five!
Four!
Three!
Two!
One!
(Ding ding ding)
[URARA] Time is up!
(Cheering)
A little longer...
Just a little longer, Hisako Arato!
Soon, the moment will come where I beat you,
and Miss Erina will only notice me!
I will be hers and hers alone.
And your guide will be ME, Urara Kawashima!
Cutesy!
You're the cutest thing ever, Urara!
(Girls growling)
[URARA] We have five judges,
each of whom can award 20 points!
In other words, food will be judged on a scale, with 100 being a perfect score.
Only the contestants with the top-four scores will move on to the finals.
Just four of us?
Now our first contestant!
Judges, please begin the testing!
Well, well...
Mmm! Most delicious!
[FUMIO] Osaji Kita...
Organizer of the Kita Gastronomy Club,
which only the most elite of the cultural and business worlds are allowed to become members.
The power of money brings all the world's delicacies to that man's table.
[FUMIO] Over there is Shingo Ando.
He's an author and essayist that holds sway over all culinary culture.
Lord knows how many restaurants he's shut down with a stroke of his pen.
This dish uses achari murughi spices,
a dish representative of northern India, as a base.
[KITA] The splendid fragrance of the chat masala is used to increase the acidity profile.
[KITA] What's more, the meat was prepared in a chicken tikka style
rather than as a chicken marsala.
Having been deboned, it's tender enough to eat with a spoon.
It's a well thought-out dish,
one that's considerate of the diner.
[KITA] Now THAT is a student of Tohtsuki, my friends!
Why, thank you very much.
And now for the score, please!
Let's see it!
[SCHOOLBOY] The maximum score per judge is 20 points, not 10, right?
[SCHOOLGIRL] But they praised him so much!
My dish is only good for a measly 33 points?!
What's that supposed to be?!
Watch yourself!
Who the hell do you think we are?!
Every day we critique chefs with a lot more tricks up their sleeves
than you could possible imagine!
This was prepared well, but it's still on the level of a mere student.
And listen here. You should be ecstatic if you were to reach even 50 points.
I see. The Sendawara sisters aren't the only sharks in the tank.
[TAKUMI] All five of them have spent years indulging in the finest of cuisines.
They have a completely different standard when it comes to taste.
[URARA] 28 points!
31 points!
6 points!
No way... All those dishes were really well done!
Are you kidding me? No one's even reached 40 points yet.
The string of harsh reviews continues!
Now then, our next dish is...
UUUGGHH!
That reeks!
[ORIE] What is that stench?!
Ingest...
It's the Nao Sadatsuka's special...
(Terrified screams) pitch-black Laksa curry!
(Disgusted outcries)
It smells like sewer water!
[URARA] It's Hell on Earth!
Death has assailed us here at this venue!
I can't imagine something like THIS at an event meant to celebrate the finest of cuisine!
[URARA] It's killin' me!
Yeah. I thought something like this might happen.
I'm glad I came prepared with some protection.
Laksa. A dish from Southeast Asia that uses a noodle with a unique, "slippery" mouthfeel.
The darkness of the broth is from squid ink.
[KITA] This commanding stench that turns the nose...
Please no!
It's kusaya.
I knew it!
Why in the hell would you use something like that in a CURRY,
you twisted heathen?!
Kusaya...
A dish famous on the Izu Islands.
The same saltwater used to steep fish for years or even decades,
a fermenting liquid known as "kusaya broth,"
is used as a brine for blueback fish such as sardines
that are then left to dry in the sun.
It really stinks!
On top of that, it's my own special blend.
I chose to use flying fish and mahi-mahi.
It uses a kusaya broth I brewed oh-so carefully.
You get a zero, you little devil child!
I've eaten some strange foodstuff in my time, but this...
Uh, Miss Orie, you're trying it?!
Merely to fulfill my responsibility
as a sponsor of this competition.
The harsh acidity mixed with that foul, fishy odor...
It smells like an unwashed toilet!
I-it's delicious?
[ORIE] But it stinks! It really stinks!
But it's so delicious!
Even though it stinks!
Wh-wh-what's going on?
She says that it stinks, but she keeps going back in for more!
The flavor reminds me of kapi, a fermented shrimp paste.
By using ingredients far stronger than those in kapi,
she creates a depth of flavor comparable to laksa,
which uses fish stock as its base.
It all makes horrible, wonderful sense!
The seafood flavor spreads across the tongue!
It's delicious!
The more you chew it,
the more this "stink" grows into a good thing!
She's used spices like lemongrass, as well as coconut milk,
to give the dish some added flavor!
Having kusaya as the star ingredient
actually makes the curry that much more enchanting!
Nao Sadatsuka is an expert in simmered dishes.
She's a wealth of knowledge regarding dried fish
as well as other dried goods that ae hard to work with.
(Cackle)
[ISSHIKI] Her cooking room gives off a sinister air,
one that would send children crying to their mothers.
The odor emitting from it has been known to cause quite a commotion.
And thus, the reason for her nickname...
"The Boiling Witch"!
True aesthetics are rare in most food. One must dig deeper to find them.
The essence of fine cuisine is hidden in the grotesque.
Such creativity!
This is the first page in a new book on curry!
It's nasty... It's stinky, I love it!
I can't stop myself!
(Pungent moan) I'm a slave to its stench!
(Cackle)
[URARA] Um, there we have it! 84 points!
[SCHOOLBOY 1] That's the first time someone's cleared fifty!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] I can't believe it was her who did it!
[SCHOOLBOY 3] She's in first place for now!
Aah... I would like Miss Erina to partake in my delectable curry.
Well, while we're airing out the venue, let's go ahead and continue.
Will the next student please come forward?
I've waited for this...
to utterly defeat and humiliate you
in front of everyone, Hisako Arato.
[OFFICIAL] Alright.
This battle is being recognized as an official Food War!
Do either of you have any objections to the rules?
So we're clear, Hisako,
if I win this battle,
you will hand over your prized role as Miss Erina's assistant.
Of course, Nao.
And if I win, from now on...
you won't get within 50 meters of my treasured Miss Erina!
Being at her side to bask in her glow...
while being subjected to her verbal cruelties is my dream!
Oh, all the foul obscenities that would pour forth from her godlike tongue...
(Sinister laugh)
But we have already battled for that privilege.
I have beaten you. And quite decisively.
Yes...
But since that time...
I've had to view her divinity through binoculars...
and have resorted to sending my beautiful angel just 30 sad letters a day.
I should have made that off-limits as well.
But if I publicly annihilate you at this Fall Selection,
Miss Erina may well have a change of heart.
She will let me walk by her side forever more.
[SCHOOLBOY 1] Look! Miss Erina's assistant is next!
[SCHOOLBOY 2] I bet she'll put out an awesome dish!
[HISAKO] Please enjoy.
[ORIE] The roux looks watery and lacking thickness.
This looks more akin to a soup curry.
This meat is mutton, is it not?
[KITA] Though from the same animal, it has a stronger smell than lamb,
but the spices should mask the odor.
[ORIE] Odor!
(Cackle) The effects of my cooking still linger on, don't they?
That, my dear, is my curse!
My curse upon you, Hisako!
Well, I guess we should give this dish a try.
This is...
OH!
Is everything okay over there, Mister Ando?
Uh...
What?
Wh-what?!
This from Ando,
the man who actually mutters unintelligibly,
actin' like some uprooted, withered tree.
I don't know what's going on,
but now you're starting to sound like someone
in a kung fu movie!
[ANDO] This unique aroma... It's...
Fuuwaaa...
Angelica! Rehmannia! Lovage! And peony!
This dish uses the four main ingredients
of Chinese herbal medicine as its main base!
It's the Four Pillars of Herbalism!
When devoured all at once,
the Four Pillars do great things.
They can instantly bring people back from the grips of death's hands!
[KITA] Of course!
She must have infused them along with the spices!
Yes. That's her specialty after all.
Hisako Arato: the Expert of Medicinal Cooking!
[ALICE] It's a discipline based in Eastern medicine.
The combination of techniques creating nourishing food
infused with natural drugs and herbs used in Chinese remedies.
A fusion of food, medicine, and pharmacology...
My original spice mixture contains
ginger, star anise, and a dash of fennel thrown in.
I added that to four more medicinal ingredients.
I boiled those spices about an hour earlier to draw out their medicinal properties.
And then, I added the vegetables and mutton and let them simmer until moist
and the flavors seeped in.
Shaoxing rice wine and coriander elevated the aroma profile.
Ahh...
Come to think of it,
curry and medicinal foods
have a lot in common with each other, don't they?
[KITA] Kyo-o is turmeric.
Dai-i-kyo is star anise.
Sho-i-kyo is fennel.
All these spices are absolutely essential in making a great curry!
So that was her goal here.
A blending of curry and medicinal cooking!
My brand of medicinal cooking:
brings forth a "Four-Pillar Mutton Curry"!
Ah! I can feel it! It's true!
The energy from this medicinal meal is racing through my body!
AHHH!
It's superb!
The flavor of the mutton is heightened by the spices,
and the vegetables have absorbed the roux,
becoming sweet and velvety smooth!
Thanks to the Four Pillars,
the body feels warmed the second you take a bite!
Definitely. Medicinal food is said to aid the kidneys and lend strength...
as well as rid the body of toxins.
[KITA] It's the perfect balance of flavor and aroma!
This is incredibly well done!
It not somethin' you'd expect a student to prepare!
This is divine singularity.
Eating this curry makes the last dish look like a simple indulgence.
AHHH!
I-it can't be...
I thought my dark curry and my wickedness had made slaves of the judges!
Here you go, Ms. Nao.
Once you eat some, you will soon understand
the stark difference in level between you and me!
Hesitation... Chaos..
THAT is the essence of my cooking, and yet...
It's all being washed away.
I'm being cleansed!
Stop it!
My family has had a long relationship with Chinese medicine.
I've incorporated all that into my cooking,
so that I could help Miss Erina,
who has been forced into hardship from such a young age.
That is the source of my medicinal cooking.
In the palaces of ancient China,
emperors were assigned a medical diet called "gastric health,"
which was the introduction of medicinal food.
To me, Miss Erina is the only empress I will serve.
Nao Sadatsuka, your cooking shows you only think of yourself to impress.
You have no right to serve the divine Miss Erina!
Stay far away.
And get up.
So then, Hisako Arato's score is...
92 points!
(Cheering)
This is so insane!
That's why Miss Erina has chosen her to be her aide!
That's over 90 points!
[SCHOOLBOY 4] She easily beat Sadatsuka's score!
(Laughing)
My Big Sister, Miss Hisako!
(Ending Song)
[URARA] Now this is a match to watch!
Big Brother...
I really want to beat you.
You think you can handle something like that?
Hmph!
I'll give you a shot, Little Brother.
[URARA] The Aldini Brothers!