The weird pacing issues seemed thankfully non existant in this episode thankfully.

Also totally forgot about the verbal bitchslap Hayama gives Hisako.

'Your mindset and goals are too small,' after her entire match intro was 'I just wanna follow Erina,' was so true.

Her 'motivations' stand out in stark contrast to the series' best characters, which is probably what makes her so bland and pathetic by comparison...

And oh god seeing Shinomiya and Soma in the outro has me so jazzed! The stagiaire is still probably my favourite arc so far in the manga.

 

Those central stooges who are serving as examiners are just really boring and lame. I really don't like this cartoonish way they are depicted, gleefully sabotaging them in really petty ways which they are obviously going to overcome anyways.

Really dragging things down.

 

Next week, they're going to deny Polar Star's quidditch team the right to reform.

 

Yeah I'm really confused by the different speeds this anime seems to switch between. You have the first couple episodes at a normal pace then you have the more recent episodes where we have like 2 straight hours of the tournament.

 

...Saberina?
/10char

 

Still in the warmup stage, imo. I'm pretty sure a few of the rebels will fail at some stage, if only for shock factor.

 

Spoiler

Brainsplosion

 

Hem hem, what will Umbridge and her inquisitors come up with next time?

 

Manga's getting a bit stale at this point. I'd really appreciate a change of pace in whatever their next test is supposed to be.

 

Honestly, as a cook the only thing keeping me going through this section of the manga is the realistic level of confidence going on here. You deal with good professional chefs and you will see this level of competence no matter what curve-ball gets thrown at them. If they are given a time frame and even some form of ingredients to work with, they will put a good plate in front of you.

Black box challenges in kitchens are great for showing this.

 

Rebels are being pitted against the E10. Now, quite obviously it's not going to be a Shokugeki, I'm thinking a specific challenge for each to go through.

Still, this would be a good spot to have a couple of them maybe fail.

 

Rindou is like an orgasm face machine...

... I approve.

 

New chapter. More Rindou (she will overtake Alice as best girl at this rate). And a face-heel turn.

Spoiler

We're getting that Hayama v. Souma rematch sooner than I expected. I'm glad the author is bringing him in for this, and on the side of the Elite Ten too.

I'm really looking forward to the next few chapters.

 

I somehow doubt this face heel turn is real. Screams more like one of those poorly thought out plans to infiltrate the evil organization and tear it down from the inside. That or they have something on him to keep him in line.

 

I never liked Hayama. In a show where everyone puts their soul and character into their cooking and tirelessly work to better themselves, he is the only one who wins because superpowers. Fuck that guy.

Even so, I'm pretty sure he'll be revealed to be a double-agent of some sort, he looked really passionate about Shiomi, if nothing else.

Still, I really, really hope Soma caves his face in during their match.

 

He seem to are more about Shiomi than the reschearch society, but since Shuomi care about the RS, I can see him actually making a deal with central to preserve it in exchange for his cooperation.

With all the hype around his nose, it's a win-win for them.
One less troublesome rebel and the winner of the autumn selection with them

 

Laughed my tits off at the look on Soma's face when he spotted the 'skinheads' lol

 

Kugabro pleases me. I guess Souma is going to take down an Elite Ten on paper here, though it doesn't carry as much weight imo as if he had beaten the seat's legitimate owner. Which is probably the author's intention, to keep some cloud of doubt over whether Souma is actually on an E10 level.

 

Kuga is a mean little bitch, but it works in Soma's favor this time.

Turns out dismissing some of the best cooks out of hand pisses them off. Who knew?

I fully expect Soma to win this, for various plot reasons. The how will be interesting.

 

Minor guess on a Leonora return or we get Alice's dad's Debut.