The first chapter in the epilogue might actually be better than the accumulative content of the entire previous arc. The schools moving in the right direction, Erina is behaving like you expect her to behave, Megumi new found confidence is clear for everyone to see, and Souma is doing what I expected him to do years ago.
Maybe this was what the original plan always was, and it was the editors that pushed the new direction that sucked. Next chapter we finally get to get a more detailed look at how Jouchirou met his wife.
Artwork look different though, everyone looked younger and softer(?), not sure what to make of Erina's new hair style though.