Les Gouttes de Dieu
Encyclopedia
is a New York Times Best Selling Japan
ese manga
series about wine
. It is created and written by Tadashi Agi
, a pseudonym employed by creative team of sister and brother Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, with artwork by Shu Okimoto. All the wines that appear in the comic are authentic.
The series was first published in November 2004 in Weekly Morning
magazine in Japan, and still runs to date. It is also published in Korea
, Hong Kong
and Taiwan
. Since April 2008, volumes have also been published in France
by Glénat
. As of December 2007 the series had registered sales of more than 500,000 copies. American publisher Vertical Inc
will publish the series under the title "The Drops of God", with the first volume scheduled for a September 2011 release.
A live action
television adaptation, also titled Kami no Shizuku
, was broadcast by Nippon Television
in January 2009.
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 Shinohara Miyabi (紫野原みやび)) and colleagues in the newly formed wine department of his company, which he now joins.
Green background means the competitor won the round and picked the correct wine.
Both choices were judged to be incorrect, therefore a rematch was held.
Although they selected the same wine, as Issei refused to describe his wine, he was judged to have lost this round of the competition.
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 and retain a small stock for those buyers he deems to be genuine connoisseurs.
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".
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series about wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. It is created and written by Tadashi Agi
Tadashi Agi
is a Japanese manga storywriter, novelist and screenwriter. His original name is Shin Kibayashi . He graduated from Tokyo Metropolitan Musashi Senior High School and Waseda University School of Economics & Political Science. The penname "Tadashi Agi" is shared with his sister...
, a pseudonym employed by creative team of sister and brother Yuko and Shin Kibayashi, with artwork by Shu Okimoto. All the wines that appear in the comic are authentic.
The series was first published in November 2004 in Weekly Morning
Weekly Morning
is a weekly Japanese seinen manga magazine published by Kodansha, aimed at adult men. It debuted in 1982 as and is also known as simply .- Series running every week :- Series running every other week :...
magazine in Japan, and still runs to date. It is also published in Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
and Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
. Since April 2008, volumes have also been published in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by Glénat
Glénat
Glénat can refer to:* Glénat, Cantal, a commune in the Cantal département in France.* Glénat , a French publisher, specialising in comics and manga....
. As of December 2007 the series had registered sales of more than 500,000 copies. American publisher Vertical Inc
Vertical Inc
Vertical Inc, headquartered in New York, United States, is a Japanese novel and manga company founded in 2001 by Hiroki Sakai. In February 2011 the company was bought by Kodansha and Dai Nippon Printing .-Titles:...
will publish the series under the title "The Drops of God", with the first volume scheduled for a September 2011 release.
A live action
Live action
In filmmaking, video production, and other media, the term live action refers to cinematography, videography not produced using animation...
television adaptation, also titled Kami no Shizuku
Kami no Shizuku (TV series)
Kami no Shizuku is a Japanese multi-awards winner television comedy series, based on the manga series Les Gouttes de Dieu. Produced by Nippon Television and featuring Kamenashi Kazuya, Tanabe Seiichi, Naka Riisa, Nozomi Sasaki, and Yuki Uchida, it was first broadcast on January 13, 2009, running...
, was broadcast by Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
in January 2009.
Plot
Kanzaki Shizuku (神咲 雫) is a junior employee in a Japanese beverages company 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 Kanzaki Yutaka (神咲 豐多香), 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 Toomine Issei (遠峰 一青), 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 Shinohara Miyabi (紫野原みやび)) and colleagues in the newly formed wine department of his company, which he now joins.
The "Twelve Apostles" and "Les Gouttes de Dieu"
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 (土肥 ロベール). So far, the identities of eight "Apostles" have been disclosed.| Shizuku's choice | Issei's choice | References | |
|---|---|---|---|
| First Apostle | 2001 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny Chambolle-Musigny wine Chambolle-Musigny wine is produced in the village of Chambolle-Musigny in Côte de Nuits of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée Chambolle-Musigny may only be used for red wine with Pinot Noir as the main grape. There are 25 Premier Cru vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny, and two Grand Cru... 1er Cru Les Amoureuses |
1999 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny Chambolle-Musigny wine Chambolle-Musigny wine is produced in the village of Chambolle-Musigny in Côte de Nuits of Burgundy. The Appellation d'origine contrôlée Chambolle-Musigny may only be used for red wine with Pinot Noir as the main grape. There are 25 Premier Cru vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny, and two Grand Cru... 1er Cru Les Amoureuses |
|
| Second Apostle | 2000 Château Palmer Château Palmer Château Palmer is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855... |
1999 Château Palmer Château Palmer Château Palmer is a winery in the Margaux appellation of the Bordeaux region of France. The wine produced here was classified as one of fourteen Troisièmes Crus in the historic Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855... |
|
| Third Apostle | 2000 Santa Duc Gigondas Gigondas AOC Gigondas is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée in the southern Rhône wine region of France. It is solely a Red wine region with a small amount of rosé wine produced. Being a little brother of Châteauneuf-du-Pape, the wine is moderately prestigious and can yield beautiful results when... |
1981 Château de Beaucastel Château de Beaucastel Château de Beaucastel is a winery located in the southern part of the Rhône valley in France, which is primarily noted for its Châteauneuf du Pape wines produced in a long-lived style. For its red Châteauneuf du Pape, Beaucastel includes all 13 grape varieties that are traditionally part of the... Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley... |
|
| Rematch | 2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley... Cuvée da Capo |
2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Châteauneuf-du-Pape AOC Châteauneuf-du-Pape is a French wine Appellation d'origine contrôlée located around the village of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in the Rhône wine region in southeastern France. It is the most renowned appellation of the southern part of the Rhône Valley... Cuvée da Capo |
|
| Fourth Apostle | 1992 Château Lafleur Château Lafleur Château Lafleur is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde. As all wine produced in this appellation, Château Lafleur is unclassified, but the estate is estimated among the... |
1994 Château Lafleur Château Lafleur Château Lafleur is a Bordeaux wine from the appellation Pomerol. The winery is located on the Right Bank of the Bordeaux wine region, in the commune of Pomerol in the department Gironde. As all wine produced in this appellation, Château Lafleur is unclassified, but the estate is estimated among the... |
|
| Fifth Apostle | 2000 Marc Colin Montrachet Montrachet Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is situated across the border between the two communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet and produces what many consider to be the... |
2000 Michel Colin-Deléger Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet and on the... |
|
| Sixth Apostle | 2001 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Barolo Barolo is a red Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita wine produced in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape and is often described as one of Italy's greatest wines... Cannubi Boschis |
2001 Bruno Giacosa Bruno Giacosa Casa Vinicola Bruno Giacosa, in tandem with the label Azienda Agricola Falletto , is an Italian wine producer from the Piemonte region in the district of Langhe situated in Neive, who produces a number of Barbaresco and Barolo wines, as well as other bottlings of Arneis, Barbera, Dolcetto and a... Barolo Barolo Barolo is a red Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita wine produced in the northern Italian region of Piedmont. It is made from the Nebbiolo grape and is often described as one of Italy's greatest wines... Falleto |
|
| Seventh Apostle | 2003 Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz Barossa Valley Barossa Valley The Barossa Valley is a major wine-producing region and tourist destination of South Australia, located 60 km northeast of Adelaide. It is the valley formed by the North Para River, and the Barossa Valley Way is the main road through the valley, connecting the main towns on the valley floor of... |
2003 Sine Qua Non Sine Qua Non (wine) Sine Qua Non is a California cult winery known for its Rhône style blends, a tendency to avoid repetition, and a very limited production of wine that is highly difficult to obtain... The Inaugural (Eleven Confessions) Syrah Central Coast AVA Central Coast AVA The Central Coast AVA is a large American Viticultural Area that spans from Santa Barbara County in the south to the San Francisco Bay Area in the north. The boundaries of the Central Coast include portions of six counties. With around planted to wine grapes, Chardonnay accounts for more than... |
|
| Eighth Apostle | Jacques Selosse Jacques Selosse Jacques Selosse is a Champagne grower and producer based in the Avize region of Champagne.-History:The estate was founded by Jacques Selosse and his family in the 1950s, with the first vintage being bottled in 1960.... Cuvée Exquise NV |
2000 Billecart-Salmon Billecart-Salmon Billecart-Salmon is a medium-sized champagne house in Mareuil-sur-Ay, France. Founded in 1818 with the marriage of Nicolas François Billecart and Elisabeth Salmon, it is one of the few to remain family owned.... Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé |
Green background means the competitor won the round and picked the correct wine.
Both choices were judged to be incorrect, therefore a rematch was held.
Although they selected the same wine, as Issei refused to describe his wine, he was judged to have lost this round of the competition.
Impact
The Japanese importer Enoteca has stated that the comic character 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.After an issue with a mention of lesser known producer Château Mont-Pérat
Château Mont-Pérat
Château Mont-Pérat, archaically Domaine du Peyrat, is a Bordeaux winery from the appellation Premières Côtes de Bordeaux in the department Gironde. The estate is located on the Right Bank of the Garonne, opposite that of Graves, in the commune of Capian....
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
All Nippon Airways
, also known as or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 35 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009...
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 and retain a small stock for those buyers he deems to be genuine connoisseurs.
A 2007 Reuters
Reuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
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
Decanter (magazine)
Decanter is an up market magazine on wine and spirits, published in over 90 countries on a monthly basis. The magazine content includes news from the industry, vintage guides and wine recommendations. Decanter organizes the annual Decanter World Wine Awards.-Wine Ratings:Decanter employs a 1 to 5...
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".