Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.0

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie Review

A fun fifth season outing for food lovers.

Food Wars: The Fifth Plate brings some new culinary delights to the table. Fans of the established anime series will continue to delight in the tasty treats of the program. The series is produced by Sôji Miyagi (Is It Wrong to Try to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon? ), Noriko Dohi (Little Busters! Refrain), Reiko Oyama (Seraph of the End: Vampire Reign), and Terushige Yoshie (Non Non Biyori Nonstop). The series animation is produced by the acclaimed animation studio J.C. Staff (Aria the Scarlet Ammo, A Certain Magical Index). Created by Yūto Tsukuda (story) and Shun Saeki (art), Food Wars: The Fifth Plate is an enticing entrée for fans.

Sōma Yukihira (Yoshitsugu Matsuoka), Megumi Tadokoro (Minami Takahashi), and Erina Nakiri (Hisako Kanemoto) encounter new challenges in their second year of culinary school. The chefs now have to juggle the semester and find time to handle all of their cooking duties. Yet the biggest hurdle? The challenge of somehow raising 3 million yen (about 30 thousand US dollars) for the new restaurant assigned to them.

Soma finds the challenge especially difficult – all the other students were given restaurants that were already established and properly running to work with. Yet Soma must somehow raise 3 million yen? What can Soma do to save his team and make the property work? The challenge is huge and the stage is set. It’s time for a new “foodie” battle of the chefs! Can Soma fulfill his destiny and become a master chef?

The fifth season finds some new footing for the characters and their journeys. The experiences of the chefs are continuing to be explored and there are new challenges in store for Soma and the rest. The culinary journey unfolds one step at a time and the characters must find a balance between their experiences cooking and moments of living life to its fullest. The epic odyssey of Soma is still at the forefront of the tale and fans will be compelled to continue the journey alongside the chef dreamer – searching for perfection.

Race to the finish!

The animation is exquisite and one of the core strengths of the series. The series has top-notch art direction by Kōichirō Bizen (The Pet Girl of Sakurasou, Date A Live III). The animation makes a big impression on the series – both in regards to background animation and to the character designs, which are expertly handled by Tomoyuki Shitaya (Sagrada Reset, Hatsukoi Limited).

The cinematography by Yutaka Kurosawa (Dream Eater Merry, Minami Kamakura High School Girls Cycling Club) is another key strength of the series. Food Wars: The Fifth Plate brings fans of the production some breathtaking visuals and the lighting is well balanced as well – working well within the aesthetic of the work.

The original score composed by Tatsuya Katō (Love Live! Sunshine!!, Celestial Method) manages to be one of the best components of the series. The music provides the series with some excellent score selections and the score fits the culinary material nicely. The music enhances the tone of the series (adding whimsy as necessary). Kato delivers.

Written by Shogo Yasukawa (Alderamin on the Sky, Hyperdimension Neptunia), Food Wars: The Fifth Plate is a worthwhile continuation for die-hard fans of the series to sink their teeth in to (pun is intended). The foodie anime fan will delight in the new adventures of Soma as he continues to persevere and dedicate himself to perfecting his culinary tale.

Directed by Yoshitomo Yonetani (Ghastly Prince Enma Burning Up, Vatican Miracle Examiner), Food Wars: The Fifth Plate is a solid anime series with good characters and comedic sensibilities. This is certainly a fun show with a nice concept which will appeal to food enthusiasts. Anyone with the enthusiastic taste buds necessary for a food-war anime will appreciate the fifth season outing.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Food Wars: The Fifth Plate is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The set provides fans of the series with a top-notch presentation. This is a superb looking high-definition presentation. Colors are wonderfully crisp and vibrant on the release. The animation looks pristine: clear, crisp, and dynamic. The background animation and layout artwork shines. Sentai Filmworks is a great company and this is another excellent encode for fans of the series.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless, high-resolution audio enhances the experience and makes the anime series all the more enticing. The stereo audio sound imaging is excellent and provides a immersive soundstage for the series. Dialogue is clear and it is easy to understand. The score is well integrated in to the sound design. Fans will be pleased with the release and its available lossless options.

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animations (HD, 4:36)

Clean Closing Animations (HD, 18:15)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: Drifting Dragons (HD, 1:33), Needless (HD, 1:32), Princess Principal – Crown Handler – Chapter 1 (HD, 00:38), and Haikyu!! Season 4 (HD, 1:35).  

Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma - The Fifth Plate Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Food Wars: The Fifth Plate provides food fans with more entertaining food wars. The fifth season is another excellent entry for enthusiasts. The saga has great animation and a solid cast of characters. There is plenty to appreciate. Fans of the program won't want to miss out on the fifth season of the series. The Blu-ray release has an excellent video presentation and exceptional lossless audio. The release is sure to please. Recommended.