Ok so, I'm not much of an in depth reviewer, but this one really touched my soul as a slowburn romance drama. I didn't even have a thing for slowburns till I read this one because this fic is done just so well.
I have to say.
This stuff good.
Monke like good stuff.
Monke read good stuff.
Monke praise good stuff.

Hey there, so...This is Frozen-Wave (from reddit) and I've finally, after what's been way too long, come here to say: "I finished reading this!" So that means, it is time for the review I was talking about! And I sure hope I can arrange my scrambled notes into an cohesive text!

This has been a pretty journey with a lot of fun moments, epic moments, as well as heartwarming moments!

For one, I do love a lot of the humor in this! The comedy is insanely strong at some parts and I love it: Love the Fourth-Wall breaks (One of my favorite lines in this story HAS to be: "Northern, Eastern, Western, Southern, and Central," Kaito explained, as for reasons he didn't understand everyone present shivered for a moment.", I love that so much), the way you write Jouichiro is super entertaining (many of his lines had me smirking), the way you write Hinako (the scene of her driving Takumi and Hisako was a blast), Soma theorizing that Azami is Marui's dad was hilarious, the interactions of Chef-Fun and Dog-kun and Yua were a BLAST, Senzaemon in the group chat at the end...Just a lot of good stuff! For one, it's funny (and I love funny) but it also really helps in re-capturing the light-hearted tone of "Shokugeki no Soma", which I really do think you achieved quite well.

Likewise, a lot of Soma's and Erina's banter in this is pretty entertaining but so is their journey from enemies to lovers overall very engaging to read! I love how the first instance of them seriously bonding is after the instance of the rude customer/actor at Erina's mock restaurant. It makes total sense for Soma to give her a bit of a reality check, since he does have more experience with actual customer-service, but also sweet to see him comfort her a little. I like how tenderly their young love grows, how the two dance (it beginning with a flashback Soma has of Jou and Tamako is super sweet as well!) and how they finally kiss, of course! The scene where Erina opens up to Soma about her past with Azami is so bittersweet...and it also made me actually realize how much I prefer the thought of Erina telling her dark past to Soma herself, rather than having Senzaemon do it like it happened in the manga. Through moments like these, one could very much sense their bond just becoming tighter and tighter!

I've generally also really enjoyed Erina's "rebellious princess"-arc in this. I loved seeing her cooking at Yukihira's & how she managed to make herself at home there and blend into the kitchen, despite the fact that probably not a single soul on earth (including herself) would have ever pictured her in this scenario. And I liked the little bits that were about her coming to really enjoy her freedom and being away from all of Totsuki's pressure and responsibilities that come with her surname... She went through so much in her childhood, that I really enjoy her getting a fair share of moments of just being a "typical teenage girl here" (I hope any of that made sense, this was the most difficult for me to work)!

A lot of what you do with the other characters is generally pretty enjoyable! And as I've said on reddit, I am very appreciative of the fact that it isn't just the characters with the most amount of presence in the source material, as well as the most amount of love in the fandom, to get their spotlight here. It's really cool to see a more overlooked, and more unpopular, character like Urara to take on a more prominent role and even have some character development as well towards the end, as we can observe in how she co-hosts the Shokugeki with Yua. The decision of making Yoshiaki and Kanon cousins was surprising, but super fun...Their interactions in this were a blast! It speaks for both an attention to smaller details in the source material (as not many remember Yoshiaki, lol) but also creativity, undoubtedly!

As a good ol' Polar Star Stan, I also liked quite a lot of their material in this...(The way they all said goodbye to Soma when he was expelled...so, so bittersweet but well done!) One of my favorite moments overall was Isshiki's and Soma's unofficial Shokugeki on the cruise. Isshiki is just a perfect big brother figure and you utilized that perfectly, the whole scene was super sweet and I loved the mentoring role Isshiki had in it! Equally sweet are pretty much all the friendship moments with Megumi and Soma! It felt down-right powerful at many parts and I like that a lot. Something I also want to point out, because I very much appreciate it, was the interactions of Soma and Zenji in the first few chapters! Not only were they funny, but I always low-key mourned how little Soma interacts with the male members of his dormitory, besides Isshiki of course, so it was really nice to have some of that here! [Also shout out to making Ryo and Zenji end up as partners in the Stagiares! I always wanted to see them interact in some manner]

Last, but certainly not least, for the characters and their utilization in this fanfiction; as one of the...5 people who does actually really like Etsuya Eizan, I have to say that this is probably one of my favorite takes on him I have seen in fan fiction. Granted, there isn't...too much out there, but still I hope that you know that I do not give away such compliments lightly. His role in this fan fiction is certainly a lot closer to the role I would have liked to see him play in canon. It is incredibly refreshing to see im being an actual threat here, one that does even hold the upper hand for a large amount of time. Adding to that, you're quite good at writing his dialogue which really just makes for an excellent portrayal for this character, which I have enjoyed a ton!

There is certainly a lot of interesting ideas in this story's plot & your experience in actually working in the culinary field, from what I hear, definitely benefits this story greatly! Seeing a bit of a closer look at the inner workings of a restaurant was quite interesting and I really liked the setting of the cruise quite a lot as well!

And all this to build up towards a truly excellent finale! The scene where Soma called up his friends to help him out and sees them again after all this time...OH GOD, MY HEART! I loved it so, so much...It was so incredibly sweet and heartwarming. And then the showcase...Which was really just all around an incredibly well-done finale and pure excitement! The hype was graspable! Truly a couple of chapters of amazingness, that I don't even have the words for, which were well build up towards also!

All in all, a very fun, exciting journey. One I am happy to have finally taken after I've been in this fandom for a whooping siX YEARS- But really, my slowness aside, it is evident how much detail and thought you poured into it and that is something to admire...And I really hope I have not forgotten to say anything important that I wanted to say, but I could imagine I did...because there is just SO MUCH at play here that is fun and interesting!

For some reason, I read “IS THIS STAGE BIG ENOUGH” with the same phrase, “ARE YOU NOT ENTERTAINED”. noice

Ooooh, as someone who is considered a high school dad, I hate that. In another hand, I would love to say well played.

We scream in moderation is such a true statement that I needed a vibe check.

Well played pun

I was saving this review until after I finished classique but I honestly can’t stop blushing and smiling when I remember all of the vivid and honest and immersive beats and scenes in nouvelle. You had me feeling giddy all over I read the entire thing in three days this past week, and refused to stop even when it was over. Listen, if there were to ever be a shokugeki no soma fanfic that needs to be adapted to a movie, it must be this one. You deserve it. So well crafted and paced and exciting. The arcs, the conflicts, the romance, the deeeeeply satisfying emotional pay-offs? You have me feeling real physiological emotional responses: glee, nervousness, pride, dread, love, and the most importantly in this fandom, hunger. I really hope you think back to writing this and sincerely are proud of your art. I have so much more to say but I just…foodgasm! Also want to thank you for how you brought your professional experience and expertise to the novel; definitely made for the visual imagery and the perfect balance of suspending disbelief. Idk… I may come back with more praises on a later date. Totally a multi-time reread.

Thank you Zancrowe for creating such an ambitious and beautiful story. Shokugeki no Soma holds a very special place in my heart and seeing it treated with such adoration and care is genuinely touching. This is leaps and bounds the highest level of craftsmanship I've come across in reading fics. This fic doesn't only subvert the viewer's expectations, it outright blows them out of the water. It does so while also creating a fully realized world around it that feels both unique and homely at the same time. I tend to dislike OCs in stories as I find them as more of an excuse for the author to self-insert themselves into a story to steal the show, but here I find myself falling in love with each and every single OC that pops up. There are so many fresh original characters that you just can't help but appreciate, they make an already loveable set of characters even more loveable. A slow burn through & through, but a welcome one. Finally, a romance that's EARNED. Nouvelle is a wild ride that you never want to leave, a touching farewell to an extraordinary story. Thank you for the memories Zancrowe!

...Jesus Christ, just how many other series were in this ending scene alone?

This is really dated with the idea of Soma's mom... man, those were some days

i love the detail on senzaemon epic old man that he is
they made him seem too pathetic in the manga with central and all
bro just got kicked to the curb 0 screen time

Cool

Nice

Good

Good...