The Drops of God 1 [Anglais] [Broché]

This is a fun, over-the-top 'be the best that you can be' occupational manga about a wine-taster. Perhaps the closest thing to it in English is "Oishinbo," the gourmet food manga, but where that manga is mostly a series of unrelated episodes about different foods presented in a jocular informative sitcom style, "The Drops of God" is a long-running story arc about the quest for the ultimate wine and the hero's journey from someone who hates wine to embracing his destiny as the man with the golden tongue who loves wine and can successfully taste-identify any wine on the planet etc. etc. (and who can describe said wines in the most flowery imaginable language -- no mere "vegetal, with a hint of tannin" here). It's totally melodramatic and ridiculous, of course, like a Shonen Jump manga upgraded for readers in their 20s instead of their preteens, but still with the same (unintentionally) absurd heart. But if you're in the mood, it's a really entertaining read with a good mixture of drama and data-dump, and attractive, detailed artwork goes down easy.

"The Drops of God" has easily climbed up in the top five of my favorite manga titles. I picked up this title, because for many years I have been curious about wine but had no knowledge of wine whatsoever and I don't even like alcohol. As the years progressed, I would take sip of a small number of wines, trying to figure out the beauty of wine.

The moment I flipped onto the first page of this omnibus, I was captured by the artwork of the manga. Deeply enamored by Shu Okimoto's ability to capture wine's essence, especially in panels where Kanzaki is drawn decanting the wine and his first taste of wine. Yet, his artwork truly shine in spectacular double-page spreads of the character's image of the wine's taste either surrounded by a field of flowers, fruits, or Queen performing their amazing music!

This manga, will awaken your inner Sommelière. But I'll be frank, this title won't be to everybody's liking but it is still a series I would recommend to reader that just want something new in manga, especially if they are tired of battle manga, hahaha.

It also great way to pave a path for those that would like to taste great wine products but don't know where to start. Though the story follows the formula of igniting the engines with the death of the main character's father and the introduction of a rival, Tadashi Agi, does a great job executing it.

Anyways, I should stop talking, I think I spoiled enough. Now GOT BUY A COPY OF "THE DROPS OF GOD"!!!! IT WILL LEAVE YOU THIRSTY FOR MORE!!!!

First let me start off by refuting some of the naysayers. Often the wines discussed in this series are thousands of dollars per bottle and rare. But would millions of people read this manga if it were about a young man inheriting a cellar full of Columbia Crest and B & G wines? Part of the allure of this series is in the characters' fascination with these old, rare, and exotic wines. But I point out that continuously in this series, the 'heroes' try and find the values. They are on a budget and like many of us, cannot afford Meo Camuzet and DRC as everyday wines. The one character who does have access to nearly unlimited quantities of rare wine is considered the 'villain' and is quite a jerky wine snob.

So the story basically follows along with the main character struggling to overcome his aversion to wine in order to claim his inheritance. His father left instructions in his will that either his son or his adopted son (the jerky snob) would inherit his cellar valued at 2 billion yen (about 25 million US dollars). He left instructions for his attorney to arrange a series of blind tastings of 12 wines (the apostles) and a final wine: The Drops of God (aka the God Wine). In a year the two potential inheritors must correctly identify these wines, the winner inheriting the estate.

Now it is nearly impossible for people to do what these two can, but that's part of the fun. I doubt that even the best wine tasters in the world could be sat at a table and served wines blindly and guess the vintage, producer, and type of wine exactly. Usually you kind of ballpark the region, possibly narrowing it down to several estates, then try and get close to the vintage. Something like an '82 Mouton vs an '81 Mouton would be easier than, say blindly tasting a Bordeaux and trying to guess that it is 1989 Cheval Blanc. But again, this is fiction.

But the wines are real. The stories behind the wines (such as the story of Henri Jayer) are real. Either the authors are HUGE wine aficionados or have amazing fact checkers. I cannot find any errors in their writing of these wines. I do also enjoy the main character often comparing the wines to art or music. In fact, his first taste of wine ever evokes a comparison to 70s rock band Queen (yay! for Freddie Mercury references!).

The characters are a little melodramatic, but the main characters are all pretty likable in their own way. The story moves along well, and a lot of time is spent on the characters tasting and discussing wine. It's very well played out, and I feel that it would be a perfect manga to convert into an anime.

I would highly recommend this manga to anyone who appreciates wine and can enjoy a comic based on the subject. Younger readers may not really grasp the full meaning behind the story, and possibly those unfamiliar with wine at any age may not really appreciate this. But even if you're a budding wine enthusiast who likes a good story, then give this a try. I have been reading manga for years (and am now in my 30s), and it's been awhile since a new manga series grabbed my attention like this one did. It has won many awards and even changed the amount of wine consumption in Asian countries. Several of the wineries mentioned even sell out once the issue is released. It's an original story, and I'm mad I didn't come up with the idea first!

Also of note: my partner has never read manga in her life, but I gave her a copy of this to read. She is hooked on it! So open a bottle, relax, read, sip, and enjoy!