Why I really like Souma x Erina - Shokugeki No Souma

I’ve been pretty into Shokugeki No Souma lately. It gets a little tedious at times, like the recent curry battle, where there’s chapter after chapter of everybody’s dishes. I wish there was more character interaction interspersed with all the cooking contests/rounds.

Other than that, though, it’s pretty good. The lead character Souma is laid back and likable. His dad is AWESOME, Megumi is cute, and the other supporting characters/rivals are interesting enough. However, what truly hooked me was the obvious build up that the first chapters had set up, and the slow tease that’s occurring between Souma and Erina.

Erina is pretty polarizing as a character. People either love her, or despise her. And it’s easy to ship Souma with someone like Megumi, or ANYONE else, over Erina, simply for what she did at the start of the manga. IMO, that WAS messed up. To like someone’s dish, but to deny him entry into the school because your ego couldn’t bring itself to admit he exceeded your expectations, or because you think his cooking style or attitude undermines you in some way? No. The funny thing is, after having read Chapter 0, I understand why the author had Erina do this. Because in Chapter 0, she obviously did NOT take this harsh route. She admitted Souma’s dish was good over the competitor, and in turn, he told her what he thought was a flaw in her cooking (boring).

I’ll explain why the the author changed things. Because that was a one-shot. There wasn’t time to start from a high antagonistic level with Erina, and work her down to accepting Soma’s cooking. Likewise, we still haven’t seen Souma taste nor comment on Erina’s cooking. But, both of these things WILL happen IN TIME within the manga. Erina rejected Souma straight off, because he wants the ultimate acceptance to be that much sweeter. He needs there to be something to build towards. Erina already knows his cooking is good, but she doesn’t want to ADMIT it, and she still doubts him. She’s stubborn and tsundere. SUPER TSUN even. And that’s fine if you don’t like that. I know that’s not everyone’s cup of tea. But I like it, because I know she’s going to come down from it. We already have seen hints that Souma affects her, and that there’s more to her than just her “Erina-sama” persona, judging by how easy it is for Alice to tease her and how flustered she gets.

However, with the whole connection and respect for Souma’s father and his cooking (something that Erina and Souma obvious have in common), and his dad’s words at the beginning (finding a woman you want to give all your food to), and especially the recent Erina and Alice chapter, the author is building up a plot thread to not only bring Erina down, but also to open her up. SOUMA will open her up. Because, IMO, that Erina-focused chapter showed a soft-spot of hers.

While Erina is very knowledgable and experienced in the world of cooking, and the business behind it, she is completely inexperienced and even oblivious to normal things. Because she hasn’t lived a normal life, and she’s been consumed with her family’s business, and it seems she’s had to grow up very quickly. She hasn’t even considered everything she’s been missing, including love. These things that normal girls think about aren’t even on her radar. She’s shy, and even unaware about this aspect of life (how she didn’t even think about the possibility that she would get hit on at the pool, or why anyone would do so, and she can’t see what’s so great about holding hands). As the author said, she’s never known the taste of love. ^^

So, personally, that’s how I would like the Souma x Erina (if it happens) plot to progress, and the character’s to grow. Because Souma, too, doesn’t think about these things. He’s too focused on cooking as well. So, they both need to inject this “romantic” element into their cooking, and into their lives, and that’s why they need each other.

And as I said, Souma will criticize her cooking at some point, because it’s too perfect/too boring (perhaps because of her lack of life experiences), and she will take it to heart. And maybe Souma will catch sight of that picture she has of herself with his dad one day, and realize that God’s tongue considers him the epitome of good cooking, and he’ll want to get her to admit HE’S better, since that will be the ultimate confirmation/win over his dad. They’ll want each other’s approval, you know?

All the while, Souma can introduce Erina to the simple, and normal pleasures of life that’s she’s been missing out on all this time. And Souma will wear her down with his easy-going, friendly ways, similarities to his dad, and superior cooking skills. And Erina will learn there’s more to life than just the perfect dish. So, as they are trying to one-up each other, and win each other’s approval, they’ll also win each other’s hearts. ^__~