The Drops of God Episode 1 Review: A Serviceable New Vintage
The review frames the new anime as a competent but visually uneven adaptation that may struggle to find its audience in a wine market that has changed significantly since the manga's 2004 debut.
Reporting from 1 sources: Anime Feminist.
The Drops of God, the anime adaptation of the long-running wine manga by Tadashi Agi, premiered its first episode. The series follows Toyotaka Kanzaki, a young office worker who claims to know nothing about wine despite displaying innate tasting and decanting skills inherited from his late father, a famous wine critic. He must compete against rival Issei Tomine to inherit his father's rare wine collection. The episode condenses the manga's slow start into a 24-minute format, reorienting the story around Toyotaka's perspective. The review notes that the adaptation preserves the series' approachable tone and educational wine talk, with Toyotaka serving as a relatable surrogate for newcomers. However, the review criticizes the animation quality, pointing out noticeable 3D fluid graphics and character models that degrade in medium and long shots. The reviewer argues that while the core wine appreciation scenes are visually strong, peripheral elements feel underdeveloped. The series arrives two years after its Apple TV live-action adaptation and after the manga's conclusion, which the review suggests may have reduced the production's artistic ambition.
The Drops of God anime adaptation premiered as part of the spring 2026 season, following two prior live-action adaptations in 2009 and 2023. The series is a multinational production involving Japan, France, and the United States. The first episode focuses on establishing Toyotaka Kanzaki as a protagonist who, despite claiming no wine knowledge, demonstrates trained skills in decanting and providing tasting notes. His rival Issei Tomine is introduced having a religious experience while tasting a Miani wine, comparing it to the opera Salome. The review from Anime Feminist notes that the adaptation cuts much of the manga's dense wine talk to focus on Toyotaka's personal journey, raising questions about whether the series has enough substance beyond its educational component. The reviewer also observes that the wines featured, many of which were already rare when the manga launched in 2004, feel even more inaccessible today, potentially limiting the show's appeal to established wine enthusiasts rather than a broader audience.
Synthesized by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.
Sources
- Anime Feminist The Drops of God – Episode 1