While there is some potentially interesting character work, the subject matter of wine limits its appeal. In The Drops of God, Shizuku Kanzaki has a hard legacy to live with: his father Yutaka Kanzaki was a famous wine critic who over the years had also accumulated a famous wine collection. Because of this, everyone assumes he must know everything about wine and his bosses think he should be able to sell it. He readily admits he doesn’t drink it and has no plan either. It is clear he resents the amount of attention his father gave the beverage as well as the tests he put his son through. So while he is unfamiliar with wine itself, he is able to impress Miyabi, an apprentice sommelier, by how he switches the wine from containers to enhance the taste.
Upon hearing that his father has died, he learns that his father had adopted Issei Tomine, a famous wine critic, a week before his death. Shizuku and Issei are now in a competition to identify thirteen wines, the so-called “Twelve Apostles” and the thirteenth, the Drops of God. Whoever wins inherits Yutaka’s entire wine collection. While this seems like a task that Shizuku would easily lose, he does have that technical training and, by getting help from Miyabi, he discovers he has a strong sense of smell that may have resulted from some of the training his dad gave him as a child.
Contrasting Shizuku, Issei Tomine is somewhat arrogant, yet not to the point of being foolish. He knows this is a contest and, while he has an edge, he isn’t resting on his knowledge. There is also a sense that he earned his place in this contest with his hard work and skill and genuine love of wine versus Shizuku being Yutaka’s son.
He also contrasts Shizuku in terms of women. Shizuku wanted a nice group date with Miyabi, who is innocent and very earnest, and they seem to be generally compatible. Issei seems to have a casual hook-up with a woman he knows who is wearing make-up and is very materialistic and smug about how she will help Issei sell the wine he is bound to win. He seems almost indifferent to her presence.
So, while the differences in competitors made for some interesting character beats, the wine talk got very dull. So much is just Shizuku trying different wine smells, and others talking about why wine is so important, and then adding to the tension of someone needing this specific wine to cut a deal. It started to feel a little much to me. A show can take a subject I do not care about and make it interesting based on the characters and situation but I found myself drifting away near the end. Like someone talking about a passion you just don’t share.
To the show’s credit they try to find visual ways to increase the interest. For starters, the animation of the wine is beautiful. Seeing it pouring out provides a lot of texture and depth that definitely stands out compared to everything else around it. Or the visual cues of smelling and tasting wine, and how it is experienced, from simple fruits that one smells to something abstract like a concert in the 70s. Without us being able to taste or smell the wine, it is an effective way to get the idea across.
I have read that the show and the live action version have made wine lovers very happy and even turned people who do not like wine into fans. While I didn’t fully respond to this, it is definitely for wine lovers and those who want to learn more about wine with some personal drama to keep things moving.
The Drops of God will be streaming on Crunchyroll April 10, 2026 with new episodes following every Friday.
