Drops Of God - General Discussion

[AnimeMania]

Drops of God is an 8 episode Drama TV Series that will have a two episode premiere on Apple TV+ on Friday, April 21, 2023, followed by a new episode streaming every Friday. Drops of God was filmed in multiple countries like France, Japan and Italy and in various languages, like French, Japanese, and English.

The TV Series is loosely based on the 2020 (Kami, no Shizuku), "The Drops of God" and "Drops of God: New World" Manga Series, written by brother "Shin" and sister "Yuko" Kibayashi, under their pseudonym "Tadashi Agi" with artwork by Shu Okimoto.   

Drops of God is a story about Oenology, the science and study of wine and winemaking.

“Drops of God” is set in the world of gastronomy and fine wines. Frenchman Alexandre Léger, creator of the famous Léger Wine Guide and emblematic figure in oenology, has just passed away at his home in Tokyo at the age of 60. He leaves behind a daughter, Camille, who lives in Paris and hasn’t seen her father since her parents separated when she was nine years old. When Camille flies to Tokyo and Léger’s will is read, she discovers that her father has left her an extraordinary wine collection — the greatest collection in the world according to the experts. But, to claim the inheritance, Camille must compete with a brilliant young oenologist, Issei Tomine. Léger's biological daughter versus his spiritual son: the duel is about to begin. There are three tests, all related to wine tasting. The winner will take ownership of Léger's empire, the loser will leave empty handed. But how could Camille win such a duel? She knows nothing about wine, and worse: she has never tasted a single drop of wine.

Stanley Weber as Alexandre Léger
Margaux Chatelier as Marianne Léger
Fleur Geffrier as Camille Léger  
Manon Maindivide as Camille Léger (child) 

Tomohisa Yamashita as Issei Tomine 
Azusa Okamoto as Katase Yurika
Diego Ribon as Luca Inglese
Makiko Watanabe as Tomine Honoka
Tom Wozniczka as Thomas Chassangre
Gustave Kerver as Philippe Chassangre

[AnimeMania]

Drops of God         April 21, 2023      AppleTV+

Episodes 1-2     Titles and Description

Spoiler

S01.E01: A Father
Camille heads to Tokyo after receiving an unexpected call from her estranged father.

S01.E02: Sky, Earth, Humans
Despite her physical aversion to wine, Camille accepts her father’s challenge. Issei’s family complicates the test for him.

[aghst]

Very few reviews so far, doesn't seem to be a big high-profile series for Apple TV +.

NPR Fresh Air gave it a very positive review so will try to get to it.

[Rickster]

I’ve watched about an episode and a half. I find the basic plot set up very contrived, and the subject matter mostly appealing to wine geeks.

[AnimeMania]

S01.E03: Duel

Issei gives a journalist stunning information about the competition. Camille thinks she’s found the first wine, but verifying it is risky.

Premiere Date: April 28, 2023    AppleTV+

[AnimeMania]

S01.E05: The Link

Issei and Camille puzzle over the second test, which involves a 17th-century painting and mysterious one-word clue.

Premiere Date: May 12, 2023    AppleTV+

[AnimeMania]

S01.E06: Legacy

Camille travels to Italy to solve the painting’s riddle, while Issei stays behind to confront his mother.

Premiere Date: May 19, 2023    AppleTV+

[AnimeMania]

S01.E07: Food and Wine

Lorenzo reveals why Luca wanted Camille to oversee the Léger Wine Guide. Meanwhile, Camille and Issei fly to Paris for the third test.

Premiere Date: May 26, 2023    AppleTV+

[aghst]

Ok just watched the pilot.

Camille doesn’t drink alcohol, seems to have rather violent reactions to it but decides to take part in the contest, because she has some unresolved issues with her late father?

Or is the money too much to dismiss?

As an adult there seems to be some resentment at his manipulative ways,  both from the daughter and the ex-wife.

The will seems to be one more mind-fuck from him yet in his death bed video he claims it will draw them closer.

Then they show the flashback, little Camille did seem to have joy in anticipating the little blind folded taste tests he put her through when she was little, though the opening flashback seems to suggest parenting which borders on abuse.

OK as a skeptic of oenophilia, a lot of things which seem nonsensical.  How does he accumulate such wealth?  If he owned and ran wildly successful wineries maybe.  Or made money in other businesses but was a collector.

They described him as some kind of professor with the Japanese guy being a student.

Then the whole thing with how they taste the wine.  Camille is surrounded by colored smoke when she sips the wine?

But they have to identify the wine and have a month.  If they’re only relying on taste, why would they need a month?  The language used to describe the taste is often anthropomorphized, as if they’re describing personality traits.  It’s inconsistent and highly subjective lexicon, which often raises skepticism.

There isn’t really a way to identify tastes in a precise way so that they could research a vintage.  It’s not like they’re going to run a sample in a centrifuge and analyze it’s ingredients or measure the exact alcohol percentage or other scientific measures like determine the pH.

Their palates aren’t some precision instruments so an additional month is pointless.

Do wine experts claim to be able to perform this feat, identify the exact vintage from one single blind taste test?

 

[AnimeMania]

S01.E08: All or Nothing
(Season Finale)

Camille and Issei come to a realization.

Premiere Date: June 2, 2023    AppleTV+

[abbyzenn]

Surprised hardly any one is commenting on this.  The first episode was a bit boring.  Not sure why I stuck with it - I've now finished 6 episodes.  While the first two were very slow the past three have flown by.  I'm really curious as to how this will end.  For the beginning episodes the Japanese guy showed no personality and rarely had more than a smug scowl on his face but as we learn of his background that changes.  Meanwhile Camille has also grown into someone likeable.  

I'm enjoying the scenery.  Most of episode 6 was in Italy.  I like all that languages used here - French, Japanese, English and Italian - it's more realistic than many shows in that regard.

I like this show and I say that as someone who's wine tastes run to zinfandel and presecco.

[abbyzenn]

Wow - no posts since my last one.  I finished watching the show and I absolutely loved the ending (which is rare for me).  

[aghst]

On 4/26/2023 at 10:55 AM, Rickster said:

I’ve watched about an episode and a half. I find the basic plot set up very contrived, and the subject matter mostly appealing to wine geeks.

It's definitely more than that.  It is a human level drama and the characters show distinct personalities as the story unfolds.

Yeah they took liberties.  I am not so sure the greatest wine experts can just sniff a glass of wine a couple of times and be able to tell where and when it was made.

They do kind of a gimmicky thing, Camille smells and tastes the wine and she's literally taken or transported somewhere else, specifically wine cellars where they have the actual names of the wineries, the vintages.

She later calls it her superpower.

She hasn't studied wine like Issei but she's got hypersensitive senses of smell and taste.

 

The ending seems pretty settled yet Apple lists it as a season finale, not a series finale.  Camille and Issei both find love and come out happy after The Contest, which could have made one or the other miserable.

I'd be surprised if this is a big hit.  I think Silo probably gets more attention as well as Platonic and later this month the Hijack series with Idris Elba.  Also it's a mix of foreign languages so that may be another obstacle for this show to find a bigger audience in America.

Thought they briefly touched on the politics, in the wine world with a guide making or breaking wineries and wielding all kinds of power, and also the prejudice in Japan against interracial marriages and the fact that Issei being of mixed race would not be accepted by his own family or other parts of Japanese society.

 

[Mr. R0b0t]

Quite enjoyed this and appreciate Apple taking a big swing like this even if it didn't seem to catch on very well with the general public.  

[meep.meep]

On 5/27/2023 at 11:48 PM, aghst said:

Do wine experts claim to be able to perform this feat, identify the exact vintage from one single blind taste test?

 

Yes.  It's part of the tests that you have to pass to be a master sommelier.  There are 3 different tests that mirror what happens in the 3rd test that Camille and Issei take.  One is a big written geography of wine exam like we see in the test where they are answering different questions ("Where is the Walla Walla valley?").  One is a test of service:  serve this table and find and serve the best wine for the food they have ordered.  One is a blind taste test to identify 12 different wines to their best ability.

There was a great show on the Esquire network called Uncorked that followed people trying to achieve master sommelier status.   People can be really talented in one area but not in another.  They showed one guy doing blind tastings at a party and he got them all right.  You have to have an incredible palate.  Most of us don't.

We're supposed to think that Camille and Issei do because of their father.  He isn't as talented as she is; she is hampered by not having tasted many wines as he because of her "allergy."  Having finished the show, the quickness of her getting past the "allergy" was what struck me as ridiculous.

[seth]

We've watched 4 episodes so far, gonna finish it.

Pros: Acting and international settings are superb. Very intriguing story in the Mystery category. Being a wine-geek will help, but anyone who likes a good mystery will still enjoy.

Cons: Plot devices and plot set-ups seem contrived in spots; several "that would never have happened" set-ups just to drive the story forward. You'll need to check your 'believability' meter at the door and just enjoy.

Also, hard-to-watch in terms of the overt selfishness and manipulativeness of most of the parents. Much of the story centers around a wine-expert father who starts preening his childhood daughter to be a follow-in-my-footsteps clone of him. That alone is child-abuse, but he's also brutally shaming of her when she make mistakes. The child's mother and the Japanese 'competitor's parents are equally self-absorbed assholes who demean their kids every chance they get. So if unfit parents like that make you cringe, you may have trouble making it through the first 4 episodes.

[AnimeMania]

‘Drops Of God’ Season 2 Heading To Apple TV+

In Season 2, Camille and Issei again face a nearly impossible challenge: to uncover the origin of the world’s most wonderful wine, a secret that even Alexandre Léger failed to unlock.

No release date mentioned.

[aghst]

I thought this was one and done.

Oh well, looking forward.

[abbyzenn]

Well that's certainly a surprise!  Although I really liked it I can't believe it was such a hit - maybe it appealed alot to French and Japanese audiences.

Look forward to Season 2.