Episode 25: The main tournament of the Autumn Elections starts with Soma and Alice, both of whom are making bentos. Using her array of scientific techniques and state-of-the-art equipment, Alice presents a temari sushi bento that uses flavors from each piece to compliment the flavor of the next. Meanwhile, Soma presents his own take on a nori bento, using a molecular gastronomy technique he learned from a cheap candy product to make umami-packed nori spheres. Feeling the warmth of his dish better suited the bento theme, the judges declare Soma to be the winner.
Episode 26: Megumi goes up against Ryo in the second match, in which they must make a ramen dish using pre-prepared noodles. As both Megumi and Ryo make ramen using seafood based broths, Alice recalls when she first met Ryo ten years ago. With the judges getting up close during the final stages, Ryo presents his Soupe de Poisson Ramen first, impressing the judges with a rich flavor made using crushed lobster shells. Despite the shift in the crowd's tone, Megumi concentrates on finishing her Kozuyu Chicken Soy Sauce Ramen, which draws out umami from scallops and simmered dried vegetables while also using a flavor-changing sauce.
Episode 27: Despite a close battle, Ryo is declared the winner, though Megumi is still praised for her efforts by the crowd. The next day, as Akira and Hisako face off in a hamburger duel, Soma meets the eighth contestant, Subaru Mimasaka, who joins him, Megumi, and Takumi in watching the battle. Hisako presents her dish, a soft-shelled turtle burger, but is defeated by Akira's kebab burger, which takes advantage of the burger's pickle aspect to enhance the flavor. Prior to the fourth match, Subaru provokes Takumi by insulting his brother, turning their match against each other into a Shokugeki.
Episode 28: The Shokugeki between Takumi and Subaru commences with Takumi's mezzaluna on the line. For the dessert theme, both sides decide to make a semifreddo. Subaru's investigative approach to Shokugekis is revealed, wherein he makes his own twists on his opponent's recipes to improve his own dish. At first, Takumi desperately tries to think about what twists he can make within the limited cooking time, but he remembers his training and calms down. After Subaru impresses the judges with his twists, Takumi presents his semifreddo with an added layer of lemon curd made with olive oil. However, Subaru reveals he had predicted Takumi's actions and added his own secret ingredient; preserved lemons, claiming both his victory and Takumi's mezzaluna. Afterwards, Subaru shows up at Soma's dorm to challenge him to a Shokugeki in the semi-finals, putting up Takumi's mezzaluna for Soma's knife. However, Soma, having no respect for Subaru as a chef, raises the stakes, putting his career as a chef on the line for all the tools Subaru had won in his past 100 Shokugekis.
Episode 29: Soma is approached by journalist Mitsuru Sotsuda, who asks to cover him as he works on a beef stew recipe for his Shokugeki against Subaru. Agreeing to taste test after Soma allows her to borrow some manga, Erina criticizes Soma's dish harshly, stating that it isn't suited for the match's main topic. Thinking Erina's words over, Soma gets a burst of inspiration after receiving some meat from Ikumi. Soma realises that his dish must stand out on the first bite, and decides to make his stew using oxtail. The day of the Shokugeki soon arrives, and Subaru reveals that as a result of his profiling, he has predicted Soma's actions and is also using oxtail, and is bringing his own twist on it.
Episode 30: Subaru uses smoked bacon as a garniture for his stew, revealing that he got his information from hacking into Mitsuru's notes. Even when Soma reveals his intent to use various cuts of beef to improvise his dish on the fly, Subaru still appears to have predicted Soma's move, remaining confident in his bacon addition. Although the judges are impressed by Subaru's bacon garniture, Soma astounds them with his dish by using various meats for his garniture, revealing he had created the dish from everything he had learned so far, unanimously winning the match. As a result, Soma manages to return all the tools that Subaru had taken from their original owners. Takumi, however, decides to leave his mezzaluna with Soma until he can win it back himself.
Episode 31: Ryo and Akira face off against each other in the second semi-final match, in which they must make Western-style dishes. Akira presents his dish, Canard Apicius, using his combination of spices with duck to wow the judges. Meanwhile, Ryo serves up Eel Matelote, adding plums to provide an electrifying taste. With the judges evenly split on which dish to vote for, they declare that the final round will be a three-way match between Soma, Akira, and Ryo, with the theme revealed to be pacific saury.
Episode 32: In preparation for the final, Soma goes with Megumi to the fish market, where they come across Ryo and Alice. There, they learn about the varying factors about picking the best pacific saury, which Ryo appears to be an expert on. Hearing that Akira also has a talent for picking out the best fish, Soma is left concerned about how to compete with the two of them. Soma ultimately decides on aging his saury, asking for help from Ryoko, Ibusaki, and Ikumi due to their experience with aging methods. Trying out each of the three methods; using malt rice, smoking, and high humidity, Soma manages to think of a way to surpass the others after a run-in with Fumio. The day of the final arrives, and Soma brings out what appears to be a completely unrecognizable piece of saury.
Episode 33: Under a moonlit sky, the finals begin, with Alice recalling the many cooking battles she's had with Ryo. With only half the cooking time passed, Ryo presents his dish; a cartoccio cooked in herb butter inside film bags. Next, Akira presents a seared carpaccio, which uses fire to unleash its powerful aroma, which comes from a single spice. Finally, Soma presents his dish; Salted Rice Bran Pacific Saury Rice, which he thought of after seeing Fumio's pickles. Just as it seems his dish has failed to impress the judges, Soma brings out his dish's true edge.
Episode 34: Soma presents his dish's missing element, a white soup made from soy milk that turns the rice dish into a creamy porridge, enhancing the already existing flavors. Meanwhile, Satoshi, who deduces that Eizan was the one who drove Subaru to provoke Soma, tells him that it was Soma's drive to never give up that got him so far. As the judges make their decision, Akira recalls how Jun brought him out of the slums and helped him become the chef he is today. With originality being the deciding factor between the three dishes, Akira is declared the winner of the Autumn Elections for his specialty dish. Afterwards, Soma speaks with Joichiro, stating his determination to continue finding his own way of cooking. A few days later, Soma hangs out with Akira and Ryo, while Jun explains the Stagiaire training program for first year students to the three of them.
Episode 35: The Stagiaire program requires students to take up residence at various restaurants outside of the school and leave their mark on their assigned restaurant. Soma ends up getting paired with Hisako, who has been feeling inferior since losing the Autumn Elections, and they are sent to Mitamura Western Restaurant. Immediately, they discover that the restaurant is struggling to keep up with the barrages of orders from commuting customers, but Soma manages to use his experience to take control and keep everyone organised. Meanwhile, Erina and Megumi are sent to a French restaurant, where Erina instantly takes command of the kitchen, while Megumi finds her own way to make improvements. While Hisako becomes more accustomed to her role, Soma believes that the restaurant needs to change, so that it doesn't begin to struggle again once the Stagiaire is over. With the staff unwilling to cut down their large menu, Soma suggests that they try switching to a reservations-only restaurant, allowing them to better cater to their customers. After passing the first stage of the Stagiare, Soma encourages Hisako to stop feeling ashamed of her defeat and return to Erina's side, telling her that she should aim to stand alongside Erina, instead of behind her.
Episode 36: The next step of the Stagiaire reunites Soma with Shinomiya, who is opening a Tokyo branch of his French restaurant, Shino's. As the restaurant begins its first pre-open day, Soma witnesses firsthand the intensity of working in Shinomiya's kitchen and struggles to keep up with the rest of the staff. Thinking over his failures, Soma spends the rest of the week getting prep done early so he can ask the other staff members for advice on how to become more efficient in the kitchen and learn new techniques. On the final day, Soma decides to enter a competition to create a dish for Shino's menu that he can call his specialty.
Episode 37: At the end of the pre-open's final day, Shinomiya calls in and serves food to his fellow alumni and his mother, recalling what inspired him to pursue French cuisine. As the competition finally arrives, Soma uses about everything he's learned to put together a French take on a chicken and egg rice bowl using a quail stuffed with risotto. Despite ultimately deciding that dish isn't good enough as it is, Shinomiya helps Soma refine his recipe so that it can become an item on his menu, leading Soma to pass the Stagiaire. With the Stagiaire over, Soma returns to Totsuki, ready to take on anyone who challenges him to a Shokugeki.
Rating: 8/10(Average)
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