Food Wars! Volume 8 manga review

Manga
Food Wars! Volume 8 manga review
By Leroy Douresseaux
October 20, 2015 - 19:45

Viz Media
Writer(s): Yuto Tsukuda, Adrienne Beck
Penciller(s): Shun Saeki
Letterer(s): NRP Studios
ISBN: 978-1-4215-7966-5
$9.99 US, $12.99 CAN, 208pp, B&W, paperback
Rating: T+ (Teen Plus)

Food Wars! Volume 8 cover image

Rated “T+” for “Older Teen”

Soma Yukihira grows up cooking in a restaurant that his family owns, Yukihira Family Restaurant, which is located on the less attractive side of town. The 15-year-old wants to be a better chef than his father, Joshiro Yukihira. So the teen hones his skills day in and day out. Then, his father suddenly decides to enroll Soma in a classy culinary school, Totsuki Saryo Culinary Institute. Soma does not believe he needs to go to school, so can he really succeed in a place that prides itself on a 10 percent graduation rate?

As Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma, Vol. 8 (Chapters 58 to 65; Put Your Heart Into It) opens, the preliminary round of the Fall Classic comes to a close. Soma throws down an omelet as the dish he offers in the curry category. Even if he wins, his opponent in the final round of the eight contestants with the highest scores will be someone who is impossibly formidable for her age.

[This volume includes a bonus side story, “Erina's Summer Vacation.”]

THE LOWDOWN: Of course, reading the Food Wars! manga makes me think of eating delicious food, and damn, I'm hungry, again. Once more, the series offers delectable dishes, and the recipes are included more often than not.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma Volume 8, however, goes deep into competition. I found myself quickly flipping through the pages. Every chapter was a treat that had me anticipating the next. Sure, the food looks good, but series creators, Yuto Tsukuda and Shun Saeki, know that the drama is what makes this foodie narrative so tasty.

POSSIBLE AUDIENCE: Hungry readers and foodies will want to sample a few courses of the Shonen Jump Advanced title, Food Wars!: Shokugeki No Soma.

Rating: A/10