Original Air Date: May 22th, 2015
As the Tootsuki Training Camp begins, Soma meets Takumi Aldini, self-proclaimed rival.
This episode provides examples of:
- Adaptation Expansion:
- There's a scene of Erina and Hisako reading the booklet of the Training Camp.
- At the buses, there are shots of the Aldini brothers, Ikumi, Alice and Ryou getting to their respective vehicles.
- The Stinger shows that Ibusaki and Marui are work partners and Erina passed succesfully her session with Donato.
- The other Stinger shows that Takumi was waiting in a corner, while planning to step on his foot. While this is adapted from one of the Omake bonus, in the anime, Isami is also there mocking Takumi.
- Always Identical Twins: Notably Averted. Soma and Megumi are shocked when they find out that not only Takumi and Isami (Takumi being blond and skinny, and Isami big and brunette) are related, but also that they are fraternal twins.
- Ambiguously Bi: The first thing Hinako does in her introduction is to stop Donato from flirting with Megumi only to do that herself. However, during her foodgasms, she fantasizes with a tenor singing to her.
- Annoying Younger Sibling: After Takumi tries to pose as cool and fails, Isami immediately laughs at him and calls Takumi "lame".
- But Not Too Foreign:
- The Aldini brothers, by both their heritage (half-Japanese, half-Italian) and their cooking styles, by using Japanese ingredients applying Italian techniques.
- Also applied to the Aldini's dish. The Duck grilled with Salsa Verde, while inspired by the Italian version, was critiziced by the other students for not being a Japanese dish, but Hinako corrected them by pointing out that it was made with Japanese ingredients such as improvised Uruka, Perilla, Spring onion and Mirin.
- Captain Oblivious: While Ikumi and the Polaris residents note the glares of the entire room on Soma, yet Soma is the only one who doesn't have a clue.
- Death Glare:
- At the Training Camp, almost every student starts to glare at Soma.
- Chapelle shoots his glare at Hinako when she and Donato go to flirt with Megumi.
- Establishing Character Moment: Takumi made his firs contact with Soma by stomping on his shoe for more than ten seconds and marking him as his rival. When he first challenged him during the training session, he is quickly turned down by Hinako and turning the atmosphere awkward. Then his younger twin Isami starts to mock him.
- Evolving Credits: The rotating dish in the opening changed. For the ending "Spice", the foodgasm reaction is from Shun and Marui.
- Fainting: Upon hearing that the Training Camp was also known as Training from Hell, Megumi fainted and started to say that it was a honor to meet all of them.
- Fanboy: Marui was blushing in excitement when he described all of the Legendary Alumni.
- Felony Misdemeanor: While justified, Koujirou Shinomiya expelled a guy on the spot because his shampoo had a strong scent. And the camp didn't even start yet.
- Female Gaze:
- While explaining to his kouhais about the Training Camp, there's a shot of Isshiki's butt in his fundoshi.
- Erina's food makes Donato strip naked in his Foodgasm.
- The Gadfly: Both Soma and Isami start to make fun of Takumi's failed attempt to pose as a cool rival.
- Gratuitous Italian: The Aldini brothers use Italian words like "Grazie". Takumi is the one who uses more Italian though.
- Impossibly Delicious Food: Takumi and Isami managed to make a Duck grilled with Salsa Verde with improvised uruka (sweetfish entrails, which they made quickly by boiling it in sake and soy sauce), chives, perilla and yuzu pepper paste, and also being the only team to not go for fish.
- Mood Whiplash:
- Just as Takumi passionately asked for Hinako to make a cooking contest out of the assignment, she refuses. Soma and Isami then proceed to mock an embarrassed Takumi.
- As Takumi swore to have a duel with Soma some other day, the camera pans out to show Isami dragging him to complete their assignment.
- Megumi is amazed by how fast Isami is capable of cutting the duck meat at such quick pacing. Then Isami turns to her with a smiling goofy face and asks her if she wants something.
- Nerves of Steel:
- After hearing the horrible descriptions of the Training Camp and how half of the students will be expelled, Soma was immediately planning the entire week and what kind of games they could bring. When Yuuki questioned him how he could be so calm, he simply said "Then we just have to be the good half".
- When Hinako announced that the task consisted of looking for ingredients in the mountains, almost all of the group started to panic, except for Takumi, Isami and Soma.
- Outside-the-Box Tactic: Takumi and Isami take a huge advantage by choosing duck, because they knew everyone else would automatically associate "Japanese food" theme with "river fish".
- Red Shirt: Parodied. When Shouji, Daigo and Marui declare that they will pass the Training Camp and return to the Dorms, a big sign of "Deathflags" is displayed above their heads.
- Say My Name: When Megumi faints and says her goodbyes to everyone, Yuuki dramatically screams Megumi's name.
- Secret Test of Character: Hinako's test was made to discard people who can't face unexpected environments, in this case, how many of them can be creative in an open field about their options.
- Tsundere: As soon as Ikumi sees Soma again, she blushes and tries to keep her cool around him.
- Unwanted Harem: For Megumi, as first Donato Gotouda flirted with her, followed promptly by Hinako Inui.
- Worthy Opponent: Takumi had been determined to be Soma's only rival since Day 1. Megumi even notes that Takumi might be Soma's equal in skills and resourcefulness.
