Drops of God

For the French-American-Japanese television series, see Drops of God (TV series).

Drops of God
First volume cover
神の雫 (Kami no Shizuku)
Genre	Cooking Drama
Manga
Written by	Tadashi Agi (Shin Kibayashi, Yuko Kibayashi)
Illustrated by	Shu Okimoto
Published by	Kodansha
English publisher	NA: Vertical
Magazine	Weekly Morning
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	November 18, 2004 – June 12, 2014
Volumes	44
Manga
Drops of God: Mariage
Written by	Tadashi Agi
Illustrated by	Shu Okimoto
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Weekly Morning
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	May 28, 2015 – October 15, 2020
Volumes	26
Manga
Drops of God deuxième
Written by	Tadashi Agi
Illustrated by	Shu Okimoto
Published by	Kodansha
Magazine	Weekly Morning
Demographic	Seinen
Original run	September 21, 2023 – April 18, 2024
Volumes	2
Television drama
Kami no Shizuku (2009) Drops of God (2023)

The Drops of God (神の雫, Kami no Shizuku) is a Japanese manga series about wine. It is written by Tadashi Agi, a pseudonym employed by creative team of sister and brother Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, and illustrated by Shu Okimoto. The story is told in two parts – the first part focusing on protagonist Shizuku Kanzaki and his rival Issei Tomine on their search of the "Twelve Apostles" wines, and the second focusing on finding the "Drops Of God". A third part of the series serves as short sequel details Shizuku's life after the competition and taking Issei's daughter under his wing.

The series was first published in November 2004 in Weekly Morning magazine in Japan and ended in June 2014, with the final volume out in July. A sequel manga series, titled Drops of God: Mariage (マリアージュ ～神の雫 最終章～, Mariage - Kami no Shizuku Saishūshō) continued where the original manga left off, focusing on Shizuku traveling abroad to deepen his knowledge of wine and his search for the "Drops of God". The manga's theme is the "marriage" between wine and food, exploring the many different combinations between them. Serialization began on May 28, 2015, a few months after the original manga ended its serialization, and was completed on October 15, 2020, collected into a total of 26 volumes.

On September 13, 2023, another sequel was announced, titled Drops of God deuxième (神の雫 deuxième, Kami no Shizuku deuxième) and began publication in Weekly Morning magazine on September 21 and ended on April 18, 2024. The story takes place after Mariage, with an older Shizuku traveling the world and arriving in Paris to teach Issei's daughter about wine. It is slated to run for only two volumes.

Drops of God is widely successful, receiving praise for its accurate knowledge of wines, characters, story, and art, and is famous for its global impact on the wine market, especially the sales of wines profiled in the manga. Drops of God also inspired two live-action TV adaptations.

Plot

Shizuku Kanzaki is a junior employee in a Japanese beverages company, Taiyo ("Sun" in Japanese) Beer mainly focusing on selling beers. As the story opens, he receives news that his father, from whom he is estranged, has died. His father was the world-renowned wine critic Yutaka Kanzaki, who owned a vast and famous wine collection. Summoned to the family home, a splendid European style mansion, to hear the reading of his father's will, Shizuku learns that, in order to take ownership of his legacy, he must correctly identify, and describe in the manner of his late father, thirteen wines, the first twelve known as the "Twelve Apostles" and the thirteenth known as the "Drops of God" ("Kami no Shizuku" in the original Japanese edition and "Les Gouttes de Dieu" in the French translation), that his father has described in his will. He also learns that he has a competitor in this, a renowned young wine critic called Issei Tomine, who his father has apparently recently adopted as his other son.

Shizuku has never drunk wine, in part a reaction against the ruling passion of his late father, nor had any previous knowledge about wines. However, with strong senses of taste and smell, and an uncanny ability to describe his experiences from those senses, Shizuku submerges himself in the world of wine and tries to solve the mysteries of the 13 wines and defeat Issei. In this, he is also helped by knowledge gained from his time as a child with his father, and supported by his friends, including trainee sommelier Miyabi Shinohara and colleagues in the newly formed wine department of his company, which he now joins.

Production

Development

All the wines that appear in the comic are authentic, with Yuko and Shin Kibayashi being passionate wine lovers and even owned a 3,000-bottle collection. Neither of the authors have professional wine qualifications, but they grew up learning about French food and wine from their grandfather and drank wine every day as a hobby. One day, the siblings tried a 1985 DRC Échezeaux and become more entranced in the deeper aspects of the wine world, stating "when [they] had it, it made us think about the culture, the people, and we started to see these complex pictures and patterns like a rug. It made us see these illusions."

Whenever the siblings drank wine, they played a game of describing the "image" of wine, much like how characters in manga tend to do, and realized they shared "similar imagery without much diversion of vision from each other". Wanting to share their visions with other people, Shin suggested creating a manga centered around wine. When deciding which wine to feature in the manga, they researched and consulted with wine experts, and every wine that appeared in manga the siblings tasted. Based on a certain standard, they tasted various kinds of wine at all price ranges and from different parts of the world, even ones that don't appear in the manga. They excluded wines they thought readers would be disappointed in, regardless of price, or wines they personally found "unattractive", though they made sure no negative thoughts about wines were shown in the manga.

For the sequel series, the siblings became more interested in food pairing after introduced the pairing of oysters and Chablis wine in The Drops of God. In the depiction of Drops of God: Mariage, they wanted to emphasize how food and wine were intrinsic with each other, as there "are combinations that complement each other and that work against each other". To find an exquisite food pairing, they choose to spend time in their kitchen and at restaurants trying out different ingredients from Japanese, Chinese, and Western cuisines in order to find out what pairs best with wine.

Theme

As frequently shown in the manga, the theme of the manga centered around the deep complexity of wine and the "story" behind it, and how wine "mirrors a country's food culture and lifestyle." According to the Kibayashis, they stated that wine is the "main character" of the story, instead of the protagonists Shizuku and Issei.

In series, the word "tenchijin" is used, which refers to the "elements that create wine: heaven/vintage, earth/terroir and man." A Japanese winemaker, Koji Nakata, used this on his wine label and was one of the inspirations for the sibling writers as they realized that "every amazing wine has these essences. It needs good terroir, vintage, and more than anything, a good winemaker... None of these essences can be absent to create a good wine. Even if one of them overpowers the other, it'll offset the balance. It's not simply an industrial product. When a person receives the gift from heaven and the earth, he can create wine. In the back of our mind, we always wanted to convey how amazing that is."

Characters

Shizuku Kanzaki (神咲雫, Kanzaki Shizuku)

A young employee in Taiyo Beer beverages company, and the legitimate son of Yutaka Kanzaki and his late wife (who died when Shizuku was six). His father gave him an elite education about wine when he was still a child, though he didn't realize it until reaching adulthood. However, he started rebelling against his father in his teens, resenting his father's obsession over it, and finally drove him to join a beer company. Incidentally, he was transferred to the wine department in the company and started to undertake the task of finding the "Drops of God". His sense of taste and smell is extremely sensitive, so much so that he could discern the components of an unopened bottle of wine. He also inherited the superb intuition and verbal expressiveness about wine from his father. On the other hand, his knowledge about wine is amateur-level, but has been growing since he started working in the wine department and meeting various wine experts and lovers throughout his journey. He also travelled around the world with his father during childhood, giving gave a him broad experiences, being well-immersed in arts and culture of the world. The first wine he had ever tasted was Château Mont-Pérat.

Shizuku believes drinking is an essential part in understanding a wine, and comes to see wine drinking as a fun experience under any circumstance. He is simple-minded and optimistic, radiating a charming and warm personality that allows him to easily befriend anyone he meets and is helpful towards those in need. His concentration when pursuing goals and handsome appearance have attracted many women, but his insensitivity to romantic cues meant such feelings are normally unnoticed and unreciprocated.

Miyabi Shinohara (紫野原雅, Shinohara Miyabi)

A sommelier apprentice working in a French restaurant, she is very knowledgeable in all matters related to wine and has shown some talents in wine tasting. However, due to bad luck and a possible lack of intuition, she has failed to pass the Sommelier qualification exam several times. She was subsequently contracted by Taiyo Beer to work as a consultant for its wine department.

She has been supporting Shizuku with her knowledge about wine, but Shizuku often mocks her to be too bookish about wine, though her skills improves as time passes. She almost always appears together with Shizuku, and harbors romantic feelings towards him, often expressing jealously over other women Shizuku spends time with. In the story, a running gag depicts Miyabi as having the habit of bringing a male friend to her apartment to drink wine, and almost always ending up drunk and waken up realizing she has undressed herself to her panties while drunk.

Yutaka Kanzaki (かんざき ゆたか, Kanzaki Yutaka)

Shizuki's father and was one of the leading wine collectors in the world, with his entire collection said to be worth around 2 billion yen at the current market price. At age 67, he died of pancreatic cancer before the beginning of the story and left a will that initiated the "Drops of God" search, with the underlying purpose of providing guidance to his two heirs, Shizuku and Issei. Yutaka was a globally renowned wine critic on par with Robert Parker and his writings used to influence the market price of various wines. In his younger days, Yutaka made a fortune through wine futures trading and has forged numerous connections throughout his lifetime, many of which Shizuku would become acquainted with during his journey.

Although enigmatic and deeply dedicated to his passion for wine, Yukata was ultimately a loving father to Shizuku, though he dislikes how Yukata put him through many strict, unique training methods in his youth and resented how Yukata seems to put wine over him and his late mother. During Issei's childhood, Yukata kept his distance from his older son, only checking in on him a few times, but eventually regretted this decision, thus including him in his will and legally adopted him one week before his death.

Issei Tomine (遠峰一青, Tōmine Issei)

Young and charismatic, he is a renowned wine critic and became the adopted son of Yutaka shortly before his death, and set his eyes on Yutaka's huge wine collections. Shizuku and Issei are the two beneficiaries listed in Yutaka's will, subsequently he became the main rival of Shizuku in the search of "Drops of God". Issei is in fact the illegitimate son of Yutaka and Honoka, thus Shizuku's half-brother - a fact Issei is aware of and seek to surpass Yukata's legacy, though only a few people (not even Shizuku and Sarah) know this secret.

He is often seen as arrogant and cold, but is in fact extremely hard-working to improve his tasting skills and understanding of wine, enduring great hardship and even risked his own life to further his understanding of Yutaka's descriptions of wine in the will. For example, in the searches of "Drops of God", he traveled in Taklamakan Desert alone, climbed Mont Blanc, participated in multiple Marathons, and attempted deep diving. Issei has dedicated his life to wine to an obsessive degree, and will never lie about any matter related with wine, which is reflected in the fair-mindedness he has shown in his contest with Shizuku.

Christopher Watkins (クリストファー・ワトキンス, Watkins Christopher)

A young American man sent by his father, Charles Watkins, to join in the search of the "Twelve Apostles" wines, starting from the "Ninth Apostle" and onwards, as in accordance to Yukata's will. Raised by his wine expert father, he is a genius in wine tasting with experience and talent that rivals both Shizuku and Issei, such being was able to identify the first eight Apostles immediately after hearing the descriptions and even one-up them on a few occasions. However, at the end of the search of the "Ninth Apostle", Robert criticized him for simply "copying and presenting Yutaka's account" without truly understanding the nature of the wine. After this setback, Christopher decided to start a journey to his refined own understanding of wine, though he still observes the "Drops of God" competition for his father and unofficially participates in looking for the Apostles.

Although a frivolous self-admitted Japanophilia with a womanizer streak, Chris is a very sharp-minded, hard-working, and kind person, helping people along his journey. Despite knowing her feelings for Shizuku, Chris also develops a sincere crush on Miyabi, though she firmly rejects his romantic overtures.

Ryouko Kiryuu (きりゅうりょうこ, Kiryū Ryōko)

She is Yutaka's lawyer and was naturally present when Yutaka made his will, being entrusted with the management of Yutaka's wine collection and the execution of his will. Along with Robert, Kiryuu presides as an overseer for the "Drops of God" search and thus a neutral figure in the competition, though she worries over Shizuku.

Shiro Fujieda (ふじえだ しろう, Fujieda Shirō)

The owner and sommelier of the wine bar "Monopole", the mentor of Miyabi and a trusted counselor for Shizuku. While quick remind Shizuku and his friends of their ever-growing tabs, he is very generous and often takes out fine wines to treat friends (such as Opus One and Calon-Ségur) and provides samples to help Shizuku whenever he needs it. In his younger days, he studied wine in France and used to be a member of the student protest and communist movements. Over the course of the series, more of Fujieda's personal life is revealed, such as his family and is eventually married to his old flame, Akie.

Soichiro Mishima (みしま そういちろう, Mishima Sōichirō)

The owner of a famous restaurant chain and Miyabi used to work in one of his restaurants. At the beginning of the story, he was a businessman focusing on maximizing profits, such as instructing his managers to reduce stocks of wine in the restaurants and buy from nearby liquor stores when customers place orders instead. His managers all saw him as a cold-blooded businessman, but Mishima reunited with his past lover and in turn became a warmer and more generous person. Mishima is a good friend to Shizuku and Miyabi, lending them a hand from time-to-time and serves as another confidant to them, and they also helps him in return.

Maki Saionji (さいおんじ マキ, Saionji Maki)

The president of Saionji Corporation / SAION Tradeing, which specializes in the import and sale of wine, granting her extensive connections in the fine wine business. She is the financial sponsor of Issei and his on-and-off casual lover, though she wishes to have Issei to herself, despite knowing his habit of having romantic flings with other women. Maki is an unscrupulous and spiteful woman that will do anything to achieve her own purpose, even once setting up a trap to disadvantage Shizuku in searching one of the Apostles, and driving Loulan away from Issei out of jealousy.

Robert Doi (どい ロベール, Doi Robēru)

Half-French half-Japanese, Robert was Yutaka's most trusted friend and rival, having known each other since their youth. An eccentric with a cranky temperament, he currently lives in a cardboard hut built in a park in Ginza called Chateau Robert, while in fact he is a billionaire and the park in which he lives is actually privately owned by himself. Robert is a renowned wine connoisseur and has the experiences and talents to accurately identify the Apostles after hearing Yutaka's accounts in the will, hence serves as the unbiased judge of the "Drops of God" contest. Although neutral, he will sometimes give out advice to both Shikzuku and Issei. While he tries to hid it, Robert's health has been weakening over the course of the series, but is determine see Yukata's will through.

Sarah

The half-French half-Japanese, half-sister of Issei (born to the same mother) and a successful model, currently contracting with Taiyo Beer as its commercial model. She first drank wine at the age of 5, became a regular wine drinker at the age of 12, and started to fall in love with wine at the age of 14. She has extensive knowledge about wine, though not to the same extent as her brother, and Miyabi once commented Sarah is "like Madam Leroy". Sarah likes talking to Shizuku and has a somewhat devious interest in him, but keeps the fact that she is the sister of Issei away from Shizuku and sometimes checks on Shizuku's progress in searching various Apostles and reports the information back to Issei.

Kawarage (かわらげ)

The manager of the wine department of Taiyo Beer and is one of the founder of the wine department, having established it with his superior and fellow wine connoisseur. A reticent and gentle old man, he often appears invisible in the department, but his knowledge and love of wine is unparalleled in the department. He also trusts his subordinates a lot and acts like a father-figure towards them, which greatly aids Shizuku in his search for the Apostles wines.

Chosuka Honma (ほんま ちょうすけ, Honma Chōsuka)

Shizuku's colleague in the wine department and a hardcore wine hobbyist. He was dumped by a French woman before and subsequently became a fierce supporter of Italian wine, having deep knowledge in that category. Of humble origins, both his parents died and he has devoted himself passionately to wine, with his small apartment is almost fully stuffed with wine storages. Despite clashing Shizuku at first, they become good friends and Honma looks after the younger members in a brotherly way and always eager to help Shizuku in his "Drops of God" competition. Tadashi modeled Chosuka after the real life Japanese wine critic Atsushi Honma.

Ryusuke Kido (きど りゅうすけ, Kido Ryūsuke)

The most junior employee in the wine department and most tech savvy out of all them. At first, he knew nothing about wine and wanted to be transferred to the PR department, but he was assigned to the wine department instead due to a mistake of the new employee training department. However, he was slowly brought into the world of wine, and started to appreciate the depth and delicacy of wine. He also started to develop romantic relationship with a female colleague in the company and enjoys trying wine together. Kido dreams of spreading cheap and delicious wine that is relatively unknown, including wines outside France and Italy, amid Japanese wine drinkers. As a running gag, Kido would often receive comical forms of abuse from Honma whenever he makes a cheeky remark.

Kyrgyz Loulan

A Xinjiang girl with a Japanese mother who lives in the Taklamakna desert, and she was named after the ancient Loulan Kingdom. During the search of the second Apostle, Issei met her and she aided him in his mission. She knew nothing about wine at first, but has a superb sense of smell that rivals Shizuku's, prompting Issei invited her to come back to Japan to help him in the search of Apostles. She entered a romantic, somewhat casual relationship with him, but a jealous Maki eventually drive her away. Loulan then went to France alone and was adopted by Charles Watkins after witnessing her talent with wine. Under his masterful tutelage, Loulan learned more about wine and established herself as a genius wine taster in Paris in a matter of months, becoming a more sophisticated and haughtier person in the process. Having seen his obsessive devotion to wine first hand, she determined to surpass Issei in order to save him.

Junya Ishikawa (いしかわ じゅんや, Ishikawa Junya) and Kenya Ishikawa (いしかわ けんや, Ishikawa Kenya)

Twins brothers that are Miyabi's high school friends and they looks after their family liquor store together after their father retired. Junya graduated from the elite Hitotsubashi University and believes "the quality of the wine depends on from which winemaker's hand it is made". Unlike Junya, Kenya used to be a Bōsōzoku and dropped out of high school and believes "the quality of the wine depends on from which vineyard it is made". Their constant bickering initially caused them to split the store in two sections, but Shizuku and Miyabi helps them find a compromise and develops a good friendship with the former.

Ryo Takasugi (たかすぎ りょう, Takasugi Ryo)

Smart, humble, and handsome, Ryo is Miyabi's high school classmate and her first love. Due to his wealthy family background, he was transferred to an elite private school where many of his schoolmates came from similarly wealthy backgrounds. There, his old value system was challenged and he slowly transformed to a brand-conscious and snobbish man. However, with the help of Miyabi, Shizuku and their colleagues Ryo regained his former self and rekindles his old friendships, as well forming one with Shizuku. After Ryo's father planned to send him to China to start new business there, Ryo proposed to Moegi, his former classmate's sister, and asked her to go to China together, which she accepts.

Moegi Tanaka (たなか もえぎ, Tanaka Moegi)

Ryo's girlfriend and Miyabi's old high school friend. She is a timid girl with low self-confidence, often thinking Miyabi and Ryo being a more matching couple. When invited to a party by Ryo, one of the girls in the party who knew Ryo in a miai tried to humiliate the humble-looking Moegi, and tricked Moegi in participating in a blindfolded wine tasting contest. However, Moegi turned out to have a great intuition about wine, and her descriptions of the wine received compliments from Issei. After a few months of dating, Moegi accepted Ryo's proposal to China with her fiancé and help him start a new business there.

Honoka Tomine (とおみね ほのか, Tōmine Honoka)

The mother of Issei and Sarah who is a leading wine taster in France, and her husband is the director of a major airline. She has placed herself as a neutral figure in the contest between Shizuku and Issei, though will give them advice to nudge them in the right direction. When Issei was still a child, Honoka once attempted to kill him in a snow mountain during a depressive episode, which she is deeply ashamed of.

Charles Watkins

The father of Christopher Watkins and is one of the most wealthiest men in American, having a hand in many businesses and is a renowned wine collector. He is a long-time friend and rival of Yukata, similar to Robert. However, Charles also has complex love-hate relationship with Yukata, and according to Chris, wishes to take "revenge" against him by using Chris and his adoptive daughter, Loulan, to interfere in the "Drops of God" search.

The "Twelve Apostles" and "The Drops of God"

To win each round of the competition to identify the 13 mystery wines, Shizuku and Issei have to present a correct choice of wine and a justification of the choice which most closely matches Yutaka's description of the wine in his will. The judge is Yutaka's old friend Robert Doi. The thirteenth wine, "The Drops of God", is never revealed in the series, stating every person has own personal "Drops of God" because every person’s taste is different.

	Shizuku's choice	Country	Issei's choice	Country	References
First Apostle	2001 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses	France	1999 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses	France
Second Apostle	2000 Château Palmer	France	1999 Château Palmer	France
Third Apostlea	2000 Santa Duc Gigondas	France	1981 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape	France
Rematchb	2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo	France	2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo	France
Fourth Apostle	1992 Château Lafleur	France	1994 Château Lafleur	France
Fifth Apostle	2000 Marc Colin Montrachet	France	2000 Michel Colin-Deléger Chevalier-Montrachet	France
Sixth Apostle	2001 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis	Italy	2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falleto	Italy
Seventh Apostle	2003 Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz Barossa Valley	Australia	2003 Sine Qua Non The Inaugural (Eleven Confessions) Syrah Central Coast AVA	USA
Eighth Apostle	Jacques Selosse Cuvée Exquise NV	France	2000 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé	France
Ninth Apostlec	2005 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio di Sotto	Italy	2005 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio di Sotto	Italy
Tenth Apostle	2002 Grands Échezeaux Grand cru Robert Sirugue	France	2007 Grands Échezeaux Grand cru Robert Sirugue	France
Eleventh Apostle	Priorat (DOC) 2008, Les Manyes - Terroir Al Limit	Spain	Priorat (DOC) 2008, domaine Ferrer Bobet - Seleccio Especial	Spain
Twelfth Apostle	Château d'Yquem 1976	France	Château d'Yquem 1975	France
Drops of God

  Green background means the competitor won the round and picked the correct wine.
^a Both choices were judged to be incorrect, therefore a rematch was held.
^b Although they selected the same wine, as Issei refused to describe his wine, he was judged to have lost this round of the competition.

^c Christopher also participated in this contest and found the correct wine. However, Issei's description of the wine was closest to Yutaka's understanding, and was judged as the victor by Robert

Media

Manga

Drops of God was serialized was in Kodansha's Morning magazine 2004 to 2014 in Japan. It is also published in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Since April 2008, volumes have also been published in France by Glénat. By December 2007, the series had registered sales of more than 500,000 copies. By May 2021, Drops of God had sold over half a million copies, more than 3.5 million. By August 2021, series has cumulativated over 15 million copies in circulation.

Vertical Inc. published the series in North America under the title The Drops of God. After publishing four volumes (covering the first eight Japanese volumes and the first two Apostles), the fifth volume jumped ahead to the story arc for the Seventh Apostle (volumes 22 and 23 of the Japanese edition), published under the name The Drops of God: New World. Vertical stated that this was done "by author request" and urged readers to "tell all your friends about the series so there will be second and third seasons to fill in the gap!"

Starting on October 14, 2019, Vol. 1-11 of the English translation were available digitally through ComiXology on Kindle, with plans to have all 44 volumes in English translation by Kodansha. These were available free for Amazon Prime members. In May 2020, Vol. 12-22 of the English translation were released and Vol. 23-33 in October 2020. They released the final volumes, Vol. 34-44, in May 2021.

Volume list

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 20, 2005	978-4-06-372422-6	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590421
1. The Scent of a Hundred Flowers (百の花の香り, Hyaku no Hana no Kaori) 2. A Prayer to the Fruitful Earth (豊饒なる大地への祈り, Hōjōnaru Daichi e no Inori) 3. The Profound and Subtle Queen (重厚にして繊細なる女王, Jūkō ni Shite Sensainaru Joō) 4. Over the Bed Wafts an Aroma of Awakening (ベッドの上は目覚めの香り, Beddo no Ue wa Mezame no Kaori) 5. The God of Burgundy (それはブルゴーニュの神様, Sore wa Burugōnyu no Kamisama) 6. A Maiden Fleeing through Strawberry Fields (苺畑で逃げゆく乙女, Ichigo Hata de Nige Yuku Otome) 7. Tasting in the Park (公園でテイスティング, Kōen de Teisutingu) 8. Cradling God's Blessing in Both Hands (この神の恵みを両手に抱いて, Kono Kami no Megumi o Ryōte ni Daite)
2	May 21, 2005	978-4-06-372435-6	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590438
9. Draining the Glass of Reunion (再会のグラスを飲み干して, Saikai no Gurasu o Nomihoshite) 10. A Maiden Smiling in the Strawberry Fields (苺畑で微笑む乙女, Ichigo Hata de Hohoemu Otome) 11. The Sweet Dessert of Parting (別れのデザートは、甘く, Wakare no Dezāto wa, Amaku) 12. The Ones Who Watch Over (見届ける者たち, Mitodokeru-sha-tachi) 13. At All the Battles' Start (すべての闘いのはじまりに, Subete no Tatakai no Hajimari ni) 14. A Lovely, Cruel Flower (可憐で残酷な一輪の花, Karende Zankokuna Ichirin no Hana) 15. Tough Love for a Saucy Lolita (小粋なロリータに愛のムチを, Koikina Rorīta ni Ai no Muchi o) 16. The Mystery Man of the Wine Division (ワイン事業部の怪人, Wain Jigyōbu no Kaijin) 17. Merry-Go-Round (メリーゴーラウンド, Merī Gō Raundo) 18. A Fantastico Night (ファンタスティコの夜, Fantasutiko no Yoru)
3	August 21, 2005	978-4-06-372459-2	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590445
19. Karma and Cuisine (因縁は料理とともに, Innen wa Ryōri to Tomon) 20. The Wine or the Cuisine (ワインか料理か, Wain ka Ryōri ka) 21. Father and Daughter (父と娘と, Chichitoko to) 22. Passionate Gods Awaken (熱き神々の覚醒, Atsuki Kamigami no Kakusei) 24. And the True Preparations Begin (そして本当の準備を, Soshite Hontō no Junbi o) 25. Quietly a New Round Opens (新たな火蓋は静かに切られ, Aratana Hibuta wa Shizuka ni Kirare) 26. Happening Across a Wonderful Gift (素敵な贈り物には偶然に, Sutekina Okurimono wa Gūzen ni) 27. The Necessity of French Wine (フランスワインという必然, Furansu Wain to Iu Hitsuzen) 28. Downtown Wine Brothers Blues (下町純情ワイン兄弟, Shitamachi Junjō Wain Kyōdai)
4	November 20, 2005	978-4-06-372477-6	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590452
29. Drink Daddy's Wine! (父ちゃんのワインを飲め！, Tōchan no Wain o Nome!) 30. Manly Tears! The Brothers' March (Otokonaki!? Shitamachi Junjō Kyōdai Kōshinkyoku) 31. Invitation to an Opulent Ball (華麗なる舞踏会への招待, Kareinaru Budōkai e no Shōtai) 32. Removing That Mask (その仮面を外して, Sono Kamen o Hazushite) 33. The Great French Wine Blunder (大いなる仏ワインの誤算, Ōinaru Futsu Wain no Gosan) 34. Dead Heat in the Entrance Hall (玄関ホールのデッドヒート, Genkan Hōru no Deddo Hīto) 35. One with Sunflowers at Dusk (落日の向日葵畑に心かさねて, Rakujitsu no Himawari Hatake ni Kokoro Kasanete) 36. Thus Spoke the Will from On High (天上の存在、遺言状はかく語りき, Tenjō no Sonzai, Igonjō wa Kaku Katariki) 37. Deep in a Hushed Forest of Mysteries (その静謐なる神秘の森の奥で, Sono Seihitsunaru Shinpi no Mori no Oku de) 38. Like Violet Butterflies Flitting Across the Surface (水面を彷徨う菫色の蝶に, Minamo o Samayō Sumireiro no Chō ni)
5	January 21, 2006	978-4-06-372490-5	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590469
39. Closing Her Eyes at a Shimmering Past (眩し過ぎる過去に、女は瞳を閉じて, Mabushi Sugiro Kako ni, Onna wa Hitomi o Tojite) 40. Three Glasses Inviting to the Past (過去へと誘う３杯のグラス, Kako e to Izanau 3-pai no Gurasu) 41. The Zen Riddle of Tasting (テイスティング禅問答, Teisutingu Zenmondō) 42. Tasting in Cosplay (コスプレ・で・テイスティング, Kosupure de Teisutingu) 43. The Perfect World by the Spring (泉のほとりの完全なる世界, Izumi no Hotori no Kanzennaru Sekai) 44. Water Spouting from the Depths of Mystery (神秘の淵から湧き上がる水, Shinpi no Fuchi Kara Waki Agaru Mizu) 45. Until Despair Becomes Memory (絶望が思い出に変わるまで, Zetsubō ga Omoide ni Kawaru Made) 46. A Glass to Meet the Past (過去と出逢うためのグラス, Kako to Deau Tame no Gurasu) 47. Sometimes Love Goes with Silence (時に愛は、沈黙とともに――, Toki ni Ai wa, Chinmoku to Tomo ni) 48. An Angel Dances before the Dueling Knights (決闘の騎士の眼前で、天使が舞う, Kettō no Kishi no Ganzen de, Tenshi ga Mau)
6	April 21, 2006	978-4-06-372510-0	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590476
49. With the War God's Blessing on the Eve of Battle (決戦前夜、軍神の加護を我が手に, Kessen Zenya, Gunshin no Kago o Ga ga Te ni) 50. The Too-Perfect Lovers (あまりにも完璧な恋人たち, Amarini mo Kanpekina Koibito-tachi) 51. Fashioned by Man (人の造りしもの, Hito no Tsukuri Shimo no) 52. Bittersweet the Taste of First Love (初恋の味はほろ苦く, Hatsukoi no Aji wa Horonigaku) 53. An Unforgettable Friend (忘れがたき旧友, Wasure Gataki Kyūyū) 54. To See That Old Smile Again (あの日の笑顔をもう一度, Ano Hi no Egao o Mōichido) 55. The Reigning Kings of Bordeaux (ボルドーに君臨する王者たち, Borudō ni Kunrin Suru Ōja-tachi) 56. A Deluge of Sensuality (官能の洪水, Kannō no Kōzui) 57. The Law of Transience (盛者必衰の理, Jōsha Hissui no Kotowari) 58. What Makes a Queen a Queen (女王たる所以, Joōtaru Yuen)
7	July 21, 2006	978-4-06-372543-8	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590483
59. A Bitter Gift (甘くはないギフト, Amaku wanai Gifuto) 60. Left Bank Treasure Hunt (ボルドー左岸の宝探し, Borudō Sagan no Takarasagashi) 61. Two People, Separate Times (あれから二人、違う時間の中で, Ara Kara Futari, Chigau Jikan no Naka de) 62. Proof of Class (一流の証明, Ichiryū no Shōmei) 63. A Pegasus Soaring through Time (時を駆ける天馬, Toki o Kakeru Tenma) 64. Friends, Wine, and Yakitori (友とワインと焼き鳥と, Tomo to Wain to Yakitori to) 65. A Visitor from Yore (在りし日からの訪問客, Arishi Hi Kara no Hōmon Kyaku) 66. Yet Beautiful in Faded Sepia (セピアに色褪せて、なお美しく, Sepia ni Iroasete, Nao Utsukushiku) 67. A Mysterious Smile (微笑みはミステリアス, Hohoemi wa Misuteriasu) 68. Encountering da Vinci (ダ･ヴィンチとの邂逅, Da Vinchi to no Kaigō)
8	October 23, 2006	978-4-06-372556-8	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590490
69. A Wine of Ill Will (悪意のワインボトル, Akui no Wain Botoru) 70. The Woman in the Wine (ワインに棲む女, Wain ni Sumu Onna) 71. Critical Point of Malice (悪意の臨界点, Akui no Rinkai-ten) 72. A Blood-Soaked Party (パーティーは血塗られて, Pātī wa Chinura Rete) 73. The Wages of an Affair (そして、関係の代償を, Soshite, Kankei no Daishō o) 74. Enveloped in a Sandstorm (砂の嵐に抱かれて, Suna no Arashi ni Idakarete) 75. Thinking of Mona Lisa (モナ・リザを想いながら, Mona Riza o Omoinagara) 76. To a Supple, Healing Smile (潤いと癒しの微笑みに, Uruoi to Iyashino Hohoemi ni) 77. A Toast of Remorse and Humiliation (悔恨と屈辱の乾杯, Kaikon to Kutsujoku no Kanpai) 78. To Bring Back the Wine (ワインを取り戻すために, Wain o Torimodosu Tame ni)
9	November 22, 2006	978-4-06-372569-8	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590506
79. Pulling the Strings of Recollection (記憶の糸を手繰って, Kioku no Ito o Tagutte) 80. Memories Inside the Cave (思い出はカーヴの奥に, Omoide wa Kāvu no Oku ni) 81. Opened by the Sweet Aroma (甘き香りに扉を開いて, Amaki Kaori ni Tobira o Aite) 82. As Your World Expands, Just a Little (少しだけ広がるキミの世界, Sukoshi Dake Hirogaru Kimi no Sekai) 83. At a Wall Blocking Love (愛をさえぎる高い壁に, Ai o Saegiru Takai Kabe ni) 84. Father, Son, and Native Land (父と子と生まれた国と, Chantoko to Uma Reta Kuni to) 85. Threshold Between Heaven and Earth (天と地のはざまで、人は, Ten to Ji no Hazama de, Hito wa) 86. Mixing Together, Bold and Straight (混ざり合い、強くまっすぐに, Mazari Ai, Tsuyoku Massugu ni) 87. Hoping for Another Late-Night Chat (もう一度、夜更けに語り合いたくて, Mōichido, Yofuke ni Katariaitakute) 88. A New Compass Beyond the Desert (新たなる羅針盤は砂漠の彼方から, Aratanaru Rashinban wa Sabaku no Kanata Kara)
10	February 23, 2007	978-4-06-372578-0	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590513
89. A Large Hand in a Nostalgic Land (郷愁の場所で出会った大きな手に, Kyōshū no Basho de Deatta Ōkina Te ni) 90. The Relentless Pursuit of Wine (追いかけて、追いかけてワイン, Oikakete, Oikakete Wain) 91. An Actress's Resolve at the Makeup Table (女優の決意はメイクの前に, Joyū no Ketsui wa Meiku no Mae ni) 92. In Search of the Banished Palate (封印されたその味覚のために, Fūin sa reta Sono Mikaku no Tame ni) 93. Bringing the Sweet Days of Youth to a Close (甘く薫る青春の日を終わらせて, Amaku Kaoru Seishun no Hi o Owara Sete) 94. A Sense of the Journey to Come (旅立ちの予感に抱かれるまま, Tabidachi no Yokan ni Daka reru mama) 95. Feeling the Passage of Decades (大いなる時の流れを、この身に感じて, Ōinaru Toki no Nagare o, Kono Mi ni Kanjite) 96. A Place Filled with Familiar and Non (新しさと懐かしさが出会う場所で, Atarashisa to Natsukashisa ga Deau Basho de) 97. Cultivating a Future Worth Pining For (懐かしい未来を育てる老人, Natsukashī Mirai o Sodateru Rōjin) 98. Connecting the Future, Connected to the Past (繋ぐ未来、繋がれる過去, Tsunagu Mirai, Tsunaga reru Kako)
11	May 23, 2007	978-4-06-372599-5	October 14, 2019 (digital)	9781646590520
99. Restive Nights, Reassured Mornings (戸惑いの夜も、確信の朝も, Tomadoi no Yoru mo, Kakushin no Asa mo) 100. The Fading Feel of the Ancient Tree's Bark (老木の手触りは虚空に消えて, Rōboku no Tezawari wa Kokū ni Kiete) 101. Into the Labyrinth, with No Escape Route (迷路の前で退路を断つ覚悟を, Meiro no Mae de Tairo o Tatsu Kakugo o) 102. The Long Road Beyond the Tree (老木へと続く遥かなる道を往け, Rōboku e to Tsudzuku Harukanaru Michi o Yuke) 103. Slumber of the Wine-Loving Artist (ワインを愛した芸術家のまどろみ, Wain o Aishita Geijutsuka no Madoromi) 104. An Aroma of Grapes, Long Kept Hidden (大切に隠された葡萄の香り, Taisetsu ni Kakusareta Budō no Kaori) 105. Enveloped by Double Handfuls of Love (両手いっぱいの愛に囲まれて, Ryōte-Ippai no Ai ni Kakoma rete) 106. Phantom Encounters at the After-Dark Playland (夜の遊園地で出会う幻影, Yoru no Yuenchi de Deau Genei) 107. Pride Staked on Silence (その誇りに懸けた沈黙, Sono Hokori ni Kaketa Chinmoku) 108. True Bitterness, Found After the Fact (遅れて知る真実の苦さ, Okurete Shiru Shinjitsu no Nigasa)
12	August 23, 2007	978-4-06-372622-0	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646592999
13	November 6, 2007	978-4-06-372633-6	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593002
14	December 6, 2007	978-4-06-372651-0	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593019
15	February 22, 2008	978-4-06-372664-0	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593026
16	May 22, 2008	978-4-06-372686-2	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593033
17	August 22, 2008	978-4-06-372725-8	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593040
18	November 21, 2008	978-4-06-372751-7	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593057
19	December 22, 2008	978-4-06-372759-3	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593064
20	March 23, 2009	978-4-06-372779-1	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646593071
21	August 21, 2009	978-4-06-372815-6	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646595419
22	November 13, 2009	978-4-06-372838-5	May 6, 2021 (digital)	9781646595426
23	January 22, 2010	978-4-06-372849-1	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646595433
24	March 23, 2010	978-4-06-372879-8	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646595440
25	August 23, 2010	978-4-06-372849-1	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646595457
26	November 5, 2010	978-4-06-372938-2	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596683
27	December 22, 2010	978-4-06-372968-9	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596751
28	March 23, 2011	978-4-06-372988-7	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596768
29	June 23, 2011	978-4-06-387005-3	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596775
30	September 23, 2011	978-4-06-387045-9	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596782
31	November 17, 2011	978-4-06-387064-0	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596799
32	February 23, 2012	978-4-06-387084-8	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646596805
33	May 23, 2012	978-4-06-387107-4	October 20, 2020 (digital)	9781646597284
34	August 23, 2012	978-4-06-387134-0	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597314
35	November 22, 2012	978-4-06-387156-2	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597321
36	February 22, 2013	978-4-06-387188-3	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597338
37	April 23, 2013	978-4-06-387204-0	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597345
38	June 21, 2013	978-4-06-387221-7	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597352
39	September 20, 2013	978-4-06-387247-7	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597369
40	November 22, 2013	978-4-06-387268-2	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597376
41	February 21, 2014	978-4-06-387293-4	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597383
42	May 23, 2014	978-4-06-388322-0	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597390
43	June 23, 2014	978-4-06-388339-8	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597406
44	July 23, 2014	978-4-06-388349-7	May 18, 2021 (digital)	9781646597413

Drops of God: Mariage

Drops of God: Mariage (マリアージュ ～神の雫 最終章～, Mariage - Kami no Shizuku Saishūshō)'s serialization began on May 28, 2015, a few months after the original manga ended its serialization, and was completed on October 15, 2020, collected into a total of 26 volumes. On August 31, 2023 Kodansha USA revealed they licensed the sequel and the first volume was initially to be release digitally on September 26, 2023, but was pushed back to October 3, 2023.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	October 23, 2015	978-4-06-388537-8	October 3, 2023 (digital)	978-1-68-491784-6
1. The Two Shops (二つの店) 2. Wine Without Fault (ワインに罪なし) 3. Narita Divorce (成田離婚) 4. A Happy Mariage (幸せな結婚) 5. Two Mariages (二つのマリアージュ) 6. The Final Mariage (最後のマリアージュ) 7. The Promised Day (約束の日) 8. The Order of the Drops of God (神の雫騎士団)
2	January 22, 2016	978-4-06-388552-1	October 24, 2023 (digital)	9781684917853
9. Classic Ingredients (王道食材) 10. A Race Against Time (時間との戦い) 11. Mariage with Blue Cheese (ブルーチーズとのマリアージュ) 12. Mariage with Hard Cheesee (ハードチーズとのマリアージュ) 13. The Family and the Old house (古い家と家族) 14. Mariage of the Sea of Remembrance (追憶の海のマリアージュ) 15. Memories of Yutaka Kanzaki (神咲豊多香の追憶) 16. A Perfect Mariage (完璧なマリアージュ) 17. A Godlike Mariage (神のマリアージュ) 18. Qualifications Test (資格審査) 19. To Each His Own Mariage (それぞれのマリアージュ)
3	April 22, 2016	978-4-06-388585-9	November 28, 2023 (digital)	9781684917860
4	July 22, 2016	978-4-06-388621-4	December 26, 2023 (digital)	9781684917877
5	October 21, 2016	978-4-06-388649-8	January 30, 2024 (digital)	9781684917884
6	January 23, 2017	978-4-06-388683-2	April 23, 2024 (digital)	9781684917891
7	April 21, 2017	978-4-06-388714-3	—	—
8	July 21, 2017	978-4-06-510045-5	—	—
9	October 23, 2017	978-4-06-510277-0	—	—
10	November 22, 2017	978-4-06-510515-3	—	—
11	January 23, 2018	978-4-06-510736-2	—	—
12	April 23, 2018	978-4-06-511228-1	—	—
13	July 23, 2018	978-4-06-511896-2	—	—
14	October 23, 2018	978-4-06-513094-0	—	—
15	November 22, 2018	978-4-06-513464-1	—	—
16	January 23, 2019	978-4-06-514140-3	—	—
17	April 23, 2019	978-4-06-514969-0	—	—
18	July 23, 2019	978-4-06-516559-1	—	—
19	October 23, 2019	978-4-06-517638-2	—	—
20	November 21, 2019	978-4-06-517828-7	—	—
21	January 23, 2020	978-4-06-518154-6	—	—
22	April 23, 2020	978-4-06-518998-6	—	—
23	July 20, 2020	978-4-06-520237-1	—	—
24	October 23, 2020	978-4-06-520910-3	—	—
25	November 20, 2020	978-4-06-521230-1	—	—
26	December 23, 2020	978-4-06-521579-1	—	—

Drops of God deuxième

Another sequel manga, titled Drops of God deuxième (神の雫 deuxième, Kami no Shizuku deuxième), began serialization in Weekly Morning magazine on September 21, 2023 and ended on April 18, 2024.

No.	Original release date	Original ISBN	English release date	English ISBN
1	March 22, 2024	978-4-06-534786-7	—	—
2	May 22, 2024	978-4-06-535466-7	—	—

TV series

2008 Korean TV series project

In 2008, a Korean adaptation was in the works, with actor Bae Yong-joon (who the Kibayashi siblings modeled character Issei after) expressing interested in it, but ultimately fell through and was never greenlit.

2009 Japanese TV series

Main article: Kami no Shizuku (TV series)

A live action television adaptation, also titled Kami no Shizuku, was broadcast by Nippon Television in January 2009.

2023 multinational TV series

Main article: Drops of God (TV series)

On August 24, 2021, a multinational, multi-lingual TV series was announced. The series is a co-production between Legendary Television, Dynamic Television, France Télévisions and Nippon Television-owned Hulu Japan and in partnership with Adline Entertainment. Legendary Television will handle worldwide sales for all territories apart from France and Japan. Apple TV+ picked up streaming rights for the series.

It consists of eight hour-long episodes and filming locations for the series including France, Italy, and Japan. The screenplay was written by Quoc Dang Tran, and the series was directed by Oded Ruskin and produced by Klaus Zimmermann. In this adaptation, the main character Shizuku is portrayed as a French woman instead of a Japanese man, named "Camille", and Shizuku's father, Yukata Kanzaki, is reimagined as Alexandre Léger, the "creator of the Léger Wine Guide and emblematic figure in oenology". French actress Fleur Geffrier and Japanese actor Tomohisa Yamashita are starring as Camille and Issei, respectively. In an interview, Tran revealed that he read all 44 volumes of series and the TV drama spent five years in development, with various experts and consultants to ensure the story was authentic. Yamashita took 40 hours of lessons, underwent a strict diet, and watched the 2009 series in preparation for the role. Geffrier also received training from Sébastien Pradal, the show's consulting sommelier and tasting coach for the actors. The series premiered on April 21, 2023. In May 2024, the series was renewed for a second season.

Hulu Japan premiered the series exclusively in Japan on September 15, 2023.

Others

A social game based on Drops of God created by Mobage was released in on February 9, 2011, and is only available in Japan. In November 2007, a music album inspired by the series was released.

On January 22, 2009, a diary book detailing the Kibayahi siblings creative process about the manga and columns of their research was released. A photo book about Kazuya Kamenashi and the 2009 TV series on March 3, 2009.

Reception and impact

The series has received both local and global critical acclaim, being praised for its story, art, and educational knowledge of wine. It has been featured in the New York Times Best Selling list of manga many times.

Drops of God was also featured in The New York Times' Dining and Wine section, highlighting the wines shown in the manga and their impact of sales.

The success, popularity, and cultural impact of Drops of God has been credited to its influence for increasing interest in wines, especially the ones introduced in the manga, most notably, propelling obscure winemakers to celebrity status, increasing domestic and international sales, and even fed into wine speculation with bottles that were usually priced around $20 reaching the thousands overnight. In 2018, online wine magazine Grape Collective that French wine producers, such as Château Calon-Segur, Château Palmer, Saint-Estèphe, and Château Le Puy, gained 130% rise in sales in Japan during the first year of the manga's publication. In 2013, the mention of Château Poupille in the series had increased sales by 20 to 30% in Japan and around 50% in Taiwan, China and Korea.

When French comic book publisher Glénat translated Drops of God, the French wine market experienced visible changes in their stocks, particularly for three producers in their international and abroad sales. One of the most memorable wines covered in the Drops of God is Château-Mont-Perat, with its normal price of €15 changing to €150 per bottle and rise annual production of 25,000 cases to 50,000. In L'Expansion, the manga is cited to be "an extraordinary [sales] lever, much more effective than the Parker points". In France, the French government acknowledged that contribution, and the writers were presented with two awards, Order of Agricultural Merit in 2011, and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2018 for their influential impact in their economy and help in maintaining interest in wine in young people. In 2010, prestigious La Revue du vin de France awarded the Drops of God staff their "Special Award of the Year", making them the first Japanese people to receive the award. In July 2009, Drops of Gods was even featured the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards Hall of Fame.

The Japanese importer Enoteca has stated that the character Shizuku has begun to influence its stock ordering decisions. The sale of fine wines in South Korea has increased significantly as a result of the popularity of the comic, with the sale of wine rising from less than a third of the market to around 70 per cent of alcohol sales. In 2005, elite South Korean companies was even reported to had bought all the wines introduced in The Drops of God as a way to “educate” their employees.

Youth demand for wine in Taiwan is largely driven by Drops of God. After an issue with a mention of lesser known producer Château Mont-Pérat came out, a Taiwanese importer sold 50 cases of Mont-Pérat in two days. Sales of Umberto Cosmo's Colli di Conegliano Rosso also leaped 30% after being mentioned in the Manga series. All Nippon Airways reported it had to recraft the in-flight wine lists to accommodate the increased interest.

After being featured in the finale of the Japanese television adaptation series of Kami no Shizuku in March 2010, the little-known Bordeaux wine 2003 Château le Puy became significantly popular in Japan. In September 2010, the proprietor of Château le Puy, Jean-Pierre Amoreau, made public his intention to cease international sales of their 2003 vintage in order to deter wealthy speculators, so that the wine remains within reach of everyone.

A 2007 Reuters feature asserted that "wine industry experts believe part of the manga's appeal is that it teaches readers enough about wine to understand the drink and impress their friends, but does so in an entertaining way". In the July 2009 Decanter publication of "The Power List" ranking of the wine industry's individuals of influence, Shin and Yuko Kibayashi placed at number 50, citing that the work was "arguably the most influential wine publication for the past 20 years". In 2012, the Kibayashi siblings were nominated Wine Intelligence Business Award for their contribution in the wine industry. In 2016, the Kibayashis was awarded with the Asian Wine Personality award by The Drinks Business and Vinexpo for their influence on the wide trade, acknowledging wide readership across Asia, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and Indonesia.

The 2023 live-action TV series has also received positive reviews from critics. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the 2023 series has an approval rating of 100% with an average rating of 8.2/10, based on 24 critic reviews.

By 2023, the franchise has sold over 5 million copies worldwide.

An Indie game titled "Drops of God: Creating your Ambrosia" is based on the series.

Wine Salon and WineGame app

In 2019, the Kibayashis siblings collaborated with President of Bijou USA and Vice President of Bijou Japan, Peter Chiang, whose family the Napa Valley estate Kanpai Wines, on two Drops of God-themed projects, the Wine Salon and WineGame app. From October 20–21, the Kibayashis assisted in preparing the wine menu for a two-day event, choosing 30 different wines from 9 different producers. The Kibayashis also spend the event singing books and interacting with fans. During a press released, Shink and Yuko stated that they approached the event the same way they did with the series:

We will be applying the same principles for the exploration of American wines we shared in the manga: Heaven, Earth, Man and Marriage ... In The Drops of God, heaven represents the weather, and is a direct reference to the climate of a given geographical area. Earth refers to terroir, or soil and viticultural/cultural practices and conditions. Man refers to winemaking and cellar practices, while marriage refers to the marriage of wine and food.”

Winemakers that also attended the event credited the Kibayashis for their influence and praised Drops of God for its storytelling and creativity, as "[recognizing] these virtues in the wines that it folds into its stories" and emphasizes "The magic of wine is that it is as much a story as it is a beverage: a marriage of place, process, and people. Drops of God celebrates this magic.”

Following the venture, online wine salon for US consumers and a Wines of God app (developed by Chef Jose Andres and Rob Wilder), a branded version of the WineGame app, both named after the manga, was launched. Drops of God-themed Wine Salon and WineGame app features an interactive educational wine game, personal wine recommendations for individual members, special offers from restaurants and hotels, and notify members of wine-related events.

References

• Les Gouttes de Dieu publications Archived March 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine Bedetheque (in French)

Footnotes

External links

• Drops of God at Morning (in Japanese)
• Drops of God (manga) at Anime News Network's encyclopedia
• Drops of God Japan Hulu (in Japanese)
• Drops of God Apple TV+