10 Second Anime - Shokugeki no Soma S3 - Episode 16

Souma faces Hayama as his opponent in the next round of exams using bear meat as the main ingredient.

Episode 16 - "Revenge Match"

Meh.

It's too bad that the third season of Shokugeki was given over to some B team of animators, because this is the arc that totally could have used some shounen style filler from the manga. I'm talking about filler in the best sense, where minor characters' back stories get fleshed out and detailed in the second retelling for the anime. With Hayama joining Central, there was this whole plot involving the 2nd Year Central enforcers from the Autumn Elections getting beaten down by Seniors who stood just below the Elite 10 Council. Then Hayama had to beat all those guys.

We missed our chance to get to see most of the 2nd Years in action in the first half, only seeing Rentarou's grudge match against Ryou. Here was the second chance missed. Even a half episode would have done justice to these characters, but no. The Scrolling Picture Drama is a choice to make this season as cheaply as possible without sacrificing the quality of visual frames.

Heh.

So, Hayama is now a villain and he became the 9th Seat (provisionally) of the Elite Council. He says he has his reasons. He also says the Shiomi (Spice) Research Group doesn't exist under Central. I sense a hard compromise from Hayama here, but he's too proud to admit it to Souma.

Suck it, Souma! Hayama beat you to the Elite Council. It doesn't count, though. Provisional member. See?

Are these next rounds of testing makeshift shokugeki, or what? The examinee has to beat another guy by being judged by a supposedly neutral group? Sounds like a shokugeki to me, with the stakes being expulsion or advancement. If Hayama loses, does he get expelled? This isn't very clear.

Doujima should make things fun and interesting.

Bear meat! Gao!

The ingredient games are over, but the test takers still have to procure all their other ingredients besides the bear meat.

Bear meat is smelly and gamey, perfect for a Spice Master to tame. "Why are spices always the key when I face off against Hayama?" asks Souma. Breaking the fourth wall here. Yeah, producers! What's up with that?

And here comes Kuga for some reason!

These two get along, but only as frenemies. Well, they're both villains in the story, right?

Har. Kuga has a convoluted reason to get Souma to beat Hayama and take his seat on the council. Why doesn't Kuga just challenge Hayama? Because this scheduled testing is the quickest way to get some shokugekis agreed to and battled out? It all makes sense to Kuga, I'm sure.

So, when was Kuga removed from the Council? Rindou thinks he should still be around even if he's not a member anymore. Souma has questions. So does the audience.

Souma has a hot pot idea to tame the bear meat, but that doesn't really celebrate the bear. The dish has to roar too, right? He's getting an inkling of using the disgusting smell somehow like cheese or fermented dishes. Break out the squid and peanut butter!

There's a girl with a baseball cap who joined Hayama (provisionally) on the Council. She also appears in the opening credits. Is she an anime only character? I don't remember anyone like her from the manga. What a waste to introduce some anime only character instead of actually animating and fleshing out the actual source material.

Souma figured out an ingredient to pair with the bear meat to take out the gaminess, the next step is the smell. Of course, that's going to be the big reveal in the contest against Hayama.

Speak of the devil, let's raise up the drama by dragging him into the story by letting him brag about cajun spices. I see nothing here that celebrates the bear meat. He just tamed the gaminess and eliminated the bad smell, so it's like looking at a circus bear pedaling a bicycle. Let that fire bear roar, Souma!

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Lame. The last preview teased us with some sexy Rindou, and they just barely stuck that steamy scene in right before the next preview. Fine. I'll take your steamy Rindou pictures, but I won't enjoy it. As much.

Next time, some cute twins look like they're about to explode into foodgasms.