Shueisha’s Shonen Jump series has dominated the anime and manga industry for several decades now. Most of the popular Shonen series you might have come across are tied to the publisher’s magazines. This is especially the case for Weekly Shonen Jump, a manga magazine that was launched in 1969. It eventually became the best-selling manga magazine thanks to the popularity of several classics such as One Piece, Dragon Ball, Naruto, and more. However, while the magazine is famous for serializing unique and fan-favorite stories over the decades, it also has a history of rushed endings. Creating weekly series for years can often lead to burnout and health issues, which isn’t a secret in the manga industry.
Not to mention that there are rarely times that and ending has been satisfying for fans in Shonen Jump. This is true even for the most beloved series such as Naruto and Bleach. Over the decades, while the series have become shorter, they still face rushed endings and lots of other issues. This also includes Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma, which reached its conclusion in 2019. Following the controversial manga finale, the anime also concluded on September 26th, 2020, and it was unable to save the disappointing finale.
Why Is Food Wars!: Shokugeki no Soma Ending Controversial?
Shonen series based on cooking are still rare, especially something like Food Wars that transforms high-pressure cooking into an intense, competitive shonen battle. The story centers around Souma Yukihara, who enrolls in Tootsuki Culinary Academy, a world-renowned school where aspiring chefs deal with intense pressure. Expulsions of incompetent students are common in a place where everything leads to competition. However, due to the intense curriculum, students who do graduate as chefs are recognized for their talents all over the world.
The story follows his journey as he encounters new friends and rivals along the way while trying to surpass his father’s cooking skills. The series had a steady run for the most part, but things changed significantly when the BLUE Arc abandoned its grounded culinary realism. It focused more on overused Shonen tropes by introducing a criminal underworld of dark chefs who wield absurd weapons and possess supernatural-like skills. The assassination training particularly felt off in a series that focused on the protagonist’s culinary journey. Not only that, but the final antagonist, Asahi, got an unearned redemption arc that stole a lot of screentime.
The screentime could’ve been used for the side characters whose potential was wasted in the finale, but that wasn’t the case at all. Another common Shonen gimmick the series followed was the unresolved romance between Sohma and Erina. Shonen Jump series often focus on hints of slow-burn romance without ever solving it in the finale, and it’s disappointing that Food Wars went down the same route, especially since Erina’s feelings for Sohma were quite clear.
Food Wars Anime Made Major Changes in Season 5
Food Wars sparked quite a lot of controversy during its final stretch, and the anime was unable to save fans from disappointment. The series remained faithful to the manga for the most part, but there were several changes in the fifth season. It didn’t adapt the 3-chapter epilogue titled Le Dessert. The epilogue follows the characters a few years after the events of the final arc. Not only that, but the anime also made changes regarding the relationship between Erina and Sohma. While the manga confirmed Erina’s feelings for him, the anime only hinted at them with an altered tone. Among the many disappointing changes, the final season also featured rushed character introductions, especially for Asahi. The anime ended only one year after the manga, which means that the controversy hadn’t died down completely. Unfortunately, it only made things worse for fans with all the unnecessary changes.
Shonen Jump Series Still Can’t Escape Rushed Endings
The many issues with the Food Wars ending aren’t something Shonen fans are unfamiliar with, and it’s disappointing such tropes keep happening even after so many years. Shonen Jump has a long history of disappointing fans at the very end of the story. While a majority of the reason is because of the pressure creators are dealing with, oftentimes, the story also takes an unexpected turn that doesn’t always impress fans. Shonen is a diverse demographic ranging from stories about fantasy, action, adventure, sports, and even slice-of-life. However, the pattern of disappointing endings is a much bigger problem seen in more series. Stories like Fullmetal Alchemist and Mob Psycho 100 are rare and still praised for their well-written conclusions.
Do you think Food Wars! deserved a longer, more satisfying conclusion, or was the ending actually good? Let us know in the comments how you would have liked to see this beloved Shonen Jump series end!
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