The live action series Drops of God , a new adaptation of the best-selling Japanese comic Kami, no Shizuku written and created by Tadashi Agi.
It has been acquired by Apple TV+ . A multinational and multilingual project that will be released on the platform in 2023, excluding Japan.
The first official image is also available with the announcement:
Composed of eight episodes, the series is set in the world of wine and gastronomy. Camille Léger ( Fleur Geffrier seen in Elle) discovers that her estranged father has bequeathed her largest collection of wines. But in order to claim her inheritance he will have to compete against her Issei Tomine ( Yamashita Tomohisa appeared in The Head, Tokyo Vice, Alice in Borderland) whom her father regarded as her son.
The synopsis
The series opens with the world of gastronomy and fine wines in mourning because Alexandre Léger, creator of the famous Léger Wine Guide and an emblematic figure in oenology, has just died at his home in Tokyo at the age of 60. The late Alexandre leaves behind a daughter, Camille (Fleur Geffrier), who lives in Paris and has not seen her father since her parents’ separation when she was nine.
Camille flies to Tokyo to attend the reading of Léger’s will and discovers that her father has left her an extraordinary collection of wines, the largest in the world according to experts. But, to claim her inheritance, Camille must compete with a brilliant young winemaker, Issei Tomine (Tomohisa Yamashita), whom her father has taken under his wing and who in Léger’s will is referred to as the “son spiritual” of her. But is her connection to Issei really only spiritual?
The cast
The screenplay is written by Quoc Dang Tran (Netflix’s Marianne, Disney+’s Parallel) and directed by Oded Ruskin (Amazon’s Absentia, Hulu’s No Man’s Land). At the production Klaus Zimmermann of Dynamic (Borgia, Trapped).
It is co-produced by Legendary Television, Dynamic Television, France Televisions, Les Productions Dynamic and Hulu Japan (owned by Nippon Television ). In association with 22H22 and Adline Entertainment .
Kami, no shizuku (Drops of God)
Tadashi Agi is the pseudonym used by Yuko Kibayashi and her brother Shin Kibayashi , who wrote the story of the manga. The drawings are by Shu Okimoto .
The comic, unpublished in Italy, is published in France by Glénat and in North America by Vertical Inc. It was published from 2004 to 2014 in Kōdansha’s seinen Weekly Morning magazine.
Shizuku Kanzaki is an employee of a Japanese company, Taiyo Beer, which mainly deals with the sale of beers.
He receives the news of the death of his father, Yutaka Kanzaki a world-renowned winemaker, who owned a large and famous collection of wines.
To gain access to 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”. He also discovers that he has a competitor, a young and renowned wine critic named Issei Toomine who was apparently adopted by his father.An international success
Globally acclaimed for its story, design and educational knowledge of wine, the series has impacted the sale of wines throughout history.
In 2018, wine producers such as Château Calon-Segur, Château Palmer, Saint Estephe and Château Le Puy achieved a 130% increase in sales in Japan during the manga’s first year of publication.
In 2013 the mention of Château Poupille led to sales growth in Japan from 20% to 30%, about 50% in Taiwan, China and Korea.The release in France also had an impact, particularly for three producers, in terms of their international sales. The price of Château-Mont-Perat went from €15 to €150 per bottle and annual production was raised from 25,000 to 50,000 cases.
In Taiwan, young people have been deeply influenced by manga. When the little-known Château Mont-Pérat was named, one importer managed to sell 50 cases in 2 days. Sales of Umberto Cosmo’s Colli di Conegliano Rosso rose by 30%.
The French government has recognized the contribution of the manga and the two brothers have been awarded two awards: Order of Agricultural Merit in 2011, and Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2018 for their impact on the economy and for helping to maintain the interest of wine in young people.
Kami no Shizuku adaptations
An early live action adaptation aired on Nippon Television from January 13 to March 10, 2009. It stars Kazuya Kamenashi, Seiichi Tanabe, Riisa Naka, Nozomi Sasaki and Yuki Uchida .
A Korean series was announced in 2008, but the project was delayed in 2010 due to Korean product placement regulations for the various existing wine brands that would appear in the drama.