Food Wars! The Third Plate Episode 12 Review: The One Who Aims for the Summit

After the last episode’s absurd cliffhanger in Food Wars, we are thrown straight away to the results of the battle and some intense progress in the show’s story.

Japanese Original Episode Title: 頂を目指す者

Plot

Yukihira and Tsukasa are still battling in the shokugeki that will decide both their fates. Yukihira’s dish, unorthodox as usual, combines chestnut snacks with what looks like some really juicy venison, while Tsukasa’s presents the meat with two variations of peppercorn sauce, after some really cautious cooking.

Yukihira grabs the girls who have been spying on them through the window and asks them to judge the dish. Unanimously, Tsukasa wins, despite his dish being a bit banal if you ask me, but he decides that he does not want Yukihira to join Central, after all, him being so unpredictable, and thus unfit to support a control freak like Tsukasa in the kitchen.

Yukihira is excited, as he recognizes that Tsukasa is still his superior, but he’s now closer than ever to reaching him. In the meantime, several Tsotsuki clubs (especially the ones Polar Star Dormitory members belong too) manage to beat Central and stay open. The dormitory is having a party when Azami decides to visit and tries to drag Erina with him. In a mild confrontational tone, Azami expresses his admiration for Yukihira’s father, being unaware of their relationship. Yukihira, of course, informs him of the truth, and that’s ow Erina finds out her idol is Yukihira’s dad.

Episode Highlights

It’s not bravery: If Yukihira was not an anime character, given his personality, he would probably be dead by now. He always goes too far without calculating the consequences of his actions and each and every decision he makes is completely reckless. Now, in the shonen anime world, this can be attributed to talent, passion, and bravery, but in the real world, this sort of lifestyle gets you killed, usually after a cocaine overdose. Anyone with the slightest bit of brain would know how to better pick his battles than Yukihira – had this battle not been casually brushed aside for the show’s needs (as I mentioned in my previous episode review) we’d be spending the rest of Food Wars watching Yukihira peeling potatoes for Tsukasa. Not only because he wanted him as his right hand, but because any rational opponent would love to get someone like him out of the way so easily.

Bad, bad pacing: This season’s pacing is so detrimental to the quality of the show, and I honestly cannot understand why! We got half the season wasted on a stupid food festival where the same thing was happening day after day. Then Erina’s strange father wasted more precious screen time, and we ended up with half an episode’s worth of what should be Yukihira’s most epic battle (he challenged the first seat ffs) and all the Shokugeki that took place to save Totsuki clubs were summed up in thirty seconds, even though popular main characters where participating in them! What a disappointment.

Please stop talking: Yukihira’s behavior after he got a free ‘get out of jail’ card by Tsukasa is just… wow. At least Tadakoro still has some common sense and urged him to shut up.

Erina’s hair: I mean it’s always been out of control, but in this episode, I really thought that orange wig had a life of its own.

Themes & Trivia
Kuri Chestnuts: The chestnuts Yukihira uses in his recipe are actually a real Japanese snack. Is that some casual product placement or what… I’m pretty sure these things can’t possibly be used in cooking.

Poivrade: Also known very commonly as peppercorn sauce, it is one of the most regular steak sauces ever. I appreciate the quality of Tsukasa’s cooking, but that was so incredibly boring. On the other hand, Yukihira did use processed snacks in his dish… I mean…

Told you so

Here’s to the end of a really anticlimactic Food Wars cour. Since they’ve decided to continue the show in April, I do hope they’ll put some more effort into it.

How did you find this Food Wars episode? Let us know in the comment section below! And don’t forget to check the rest of the FALL 2017 anime reviews on MANGA.TOKYO!