Drops of God

The series was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Morning in Japan from November 2004 to June 2014. A sequel manga series, titled Drops of God: Mariage (マリアージュ ～神の雫 最終章～, Mariāju - Kami no Shizuku Saishūshō) was serialized from May 2015 to October 2020. The story continues where the original manga left off, focusing on Shizuku traveling abroad to deepen his knowledge of wine and his search for the "Drops of God", with the theme being the "marriage" between wine and food, exploring the many different combinations between them. On September 13, 2023, another sequel was announced, titled Drops of God deuxième (神の雫 deuxième, Kami no Shizuku deuxième) and was serialized in Weekly Morning from September 2023 to April 2024. The story takes place after Mariage, with an older Shizuku traveling the world and arriving in Paris to teach Issei's daughter about wine. Widely successful and received praise for its accurate knowledge of wines, characters, story, art, and is famous for its global impact on the wine market, especially the sales of wines profiled in the manga. The series also inspired two live-action television adaptations. An anime television series adaptation produced by Satelight aired from April to September 2026.

• Portal — yes

• Title — Television drama • Content — * Kami no Shizuku (2009) • Drops of God (2023)

• Type — tv series • Director — Kenji Itoso • Writer — Yū Mitsuru • Music — Eishi Segawa • Studio — Satelight • Licensee — * Crunchyroll • Network — Tokyo MX, BS NTV, Kansai TV, HBC • First — April 10, 2026 • Last — September 18, 2026 • Episodes — 24

• Type — manga • Title — Drops of God deuxième • Author — Tadashi Agi • Illustrator — Shu Okimoto • Publisher — Kodansha • Imprint — Morning KC • Magazine — Weekly Morning • First — September 21, 2023 • Last — April 18, 2024 • Volumes — 2

• Type — manga • Title — Drops of God: Mariage • Author — Tadashi Agi • Illustrator — Shu Okimoto • Publisher — Kodansha • Imprint — Morning KC • Magazine — Weekly Morning • First — May 28, 2015 • Last — October 15, 2020 • Volumes — 26

• Type — manga • Author — Tadashi Agi (Shin Kibayashi, Yuko Kibayashi) • Illustrator — Shu Okimoto • Publisher — Kodansha • Imprint — Morning KC • Magazine — Weekly Morning • First — November 18, 2004 • Last — June 12, 2014 • Volumes — 44

• Ja Kanji — 神の雫 • Ja Romaji — Kami no Shizuku • Genre — * Cooking • Drama

Shizuku Kanzaki is a junior employee in a Japanese beverages company, Taiyo ("Sun" in Japanese) Beer 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 Yutaka Kanzaki, 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 Issei Tomine, 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 Miyabi Shinohara and colleagues in the newly formed wine department of his company, which he now joins. Following a draw on the "Apostles" wines, Shizuku and Issei received a near year-long grace period before the search for the "Drops of God" resumed. They are tasked by The Order of the Drops of God, a social club created by Yutaka and seven of his closest friends and fellow wine experts, to overcome each of their respective challenges to gain the seven pages of describing the "Drops of God" in Yukata's will. Aiding Shizuku in his competition are the family that operates the Western-style Izakaya Mama-Miya and other chefs, where Shizuku find temporary employment to study wine and food pairing.

All the wines that appear in the comic are authentic, with authors Yuko and Shin Kibayashi being passionate wine lovers, even owning a 3,000-bottle collection. Despite neither author having professional wine qualifications, they grew up learning about French food and wine from their grandfather and drank wine every day as a hobby. One day, the siblings tried a 1985 DRC Échezeaux and become more entranced in the deeper aspects of the wine world, stating "when [they] had it, it made us think about the culture, the people, and we started to see these complex pictures and patterns like a rug. It made us see these illusions." Whenever the siblings drank wine, they played a game of describing the "image" of wine, much like how characters in manga tend to do, and realized they shared "similar imagery without much diversion of vision from each other". Wanting to share their visions with other people, Shin suggested creating a manga centered around wine. When deciding which wine to feature in the manga, they researched and consulted with wine experts, and every wine that appeared in manga the siblings tasted. Based on a certain standard, they tasted various kinds of wine at all price ranges and from different parts of the world, even ones that don't appear in the manga. They excluded wines they thought readers would be disappointed in, regardless of price, or wines they personally found "unattractive", though they made sure no negative thoughts about wines were shown in the manga. For the sequel series, the siblings became more interested in food pairing after introduced the pairing of oysters and Chablis wine in The Drops of God. In the depiction of Drops of God: Mariage, they wanted to emphasize how food and wine were intrinsic with each other, as there "are combinations that complement each other and that work against each other". To find an exquisite food pairing, they choose to spend time in their kitchen and at restaurants trying out different ingredients from Japanese, Chinese, and Western cuisines in order to find out what pairs best with wine.

As frequently shown in the manga, the theme of the manga centered around the deep complexity of wine and the "story" behind it, and how wine "mirrors a country's food culture and lifestyle." According to the authors, they stated that wine is the "main character" of the story, instead of the protagonists Shizuku and Issei. In the series, the word "tenchijin" is used, which refers to the "elements that create wine: heaven/vintage, earth/terroir and man." A Japanese winemaker, Koji Nakata, used this on his wine label and was one of the inspirations for the sibling writers as they realized that "every amazing wine has these essences. It needs good terroir, vintage, and more than anything, a good winemaker... None of these essences can be absent to create a good wine. Even if one of them overpowers the other, it'll offset the balance. It's not simply an industrial product. When a person receives the gift from heaven and the earth, he can create wine. In the back of our mind, we always wanted to convey how amazing that is."

• Shizuku Kanzaki (神咲雫, Kanzaki Shizuku): • A young employee in Taiyo Beer beverages company, and the legitimate son of Yutaka Kanzaki and his late wife (who died when Shizuku was six). His father gave him an elite education about wine when he was still a child, though he didn't realize it until reaching adulthood. However, he started rebelling against his father in his teens, resenting his father's obsession over it, and finally drove him to join a beer company. Incidentally, he was transferred to the wine department in the company and started to undertake the task of finding the "Drops of God". His sense of taste and smell is extremely sensitive, so much so that he could discern the components of an unopened bottle of wine. He also inherited the superb intuition and verbal expressiveness about wine from his father. On the other hand, his knowledge about wine is amateur-level, but has been growing since he started working in the wine department and meeting various wine experts and lovers throughout his journey. He also travelled around the world with his father during childhood, giving gave a him broad experiences, being well-immersed in arts and culture of the world. The first wine he had ever tasted was Château Mont-Pérat. • Shizuku believes drinking is an essential part in understanding a wine, and comes to see wine drinking as a fun experience under any circumstance. He is simple-minded and optimistic, radiating a charming and warm personality that allows him to easily befriend anyone he meets and is helpful towards those in need. His concentration when pursuing goals and handsome appearance have attracted many women, but his insensitivity to romantic cues meant such feelings are normally unnoticed and unreciprocated. • Miyabi Shinohara (紫野原雅, Shinohara Miyabi): • A sommelier apprentice working in a French restaurant, she is very knowledgeable in all matters related to wine and has shown some talents in wine tasting. However, due to bad luck and a possible lack of intuition, she has failed to pass the Sommelier qualification exam several times. She was subsequently contracted by Taiyo Beer to work as a consultant for its wine department and eventually earned her sommelier license during Shizuku's year-long traveling. • She has been supporting Shizuku with her knowledge about wine, but Shizuku often mocks her to be too bookish about wine, though her skills improves as time passes. She almost always appears together with Shizuku, and harbors romantic feelings towards him, often expressing jealously over other women Shizuku spends time with. In the story, a running gag depicts Miyabi as having the habit of bringing a male friend to her apartment to drink wine, and almost always ending up drunk and waken up realizing she has undressed herself to her panties while drunk. • Yutaka Kanzaki (かんざき ゆたか, Kanzaki Yutaka): • Shizuki's father and was one of the leading wine collectors in the world, with his entire collection said to be worth around 2 billion yen at the current market price. At age 67, he died of pancreatic cancer before the beginning of the story and left a will that initiated the "Drops of God" search, with the underlying purpose of providing guidance to his two heirs, Shizuku and Issei. Yutaka was a globally renowned wine critic on par with Robert Parker and his writings used to influence the market price of various wines. In his younger days, Yutaka made a fortune through wine futures trading and has forged numerous connections throughout his lifetime, many of which Shizuku would become acquainted with during his journey. • Although enigmatic and deeply dedicated to his passion for wine, Yukata was ultimately a loving father to Shizuku, though he dislikes how Yukata put him through many strict, unique training methods in his youth and resented how Yukata seems to put wine over him and his late mother. During Issei's childhood, Yukata kept his distance from his older son, only checking in on him a few times, but eventually regretted this decision, thus including him in his will and legally adopted him one week before his death. • Issei Tomine (遠峰一青, Tōmine Issei): • Young and charismatic, he is a renowned wine critic and became the adopted son of Yutaka shortly before his death, and set his eyes on Yutaka's huge wine collections. Shizuku and Issei are the two beneficiaries listed in Yutaka's will, subsequently he became the main rival of Shizuku in the search of "Drops of God". Issei is in fact the illegitimate son of Yutaka and Honoka, thus Shizuku's half-brother - a fact Issei is aware of and seek to surpass Yukata's legacy, though only a few people (not even Shizuku and Sarah) know this secret. • He is often seen as arrogant and cold, but is in fact extremely hard-working to improve his tasting skills and understanding of wine, enduring great hardship and even risked his own life to further his understanding of Yutaka's descriptions of wine in the will. For example, in the searches of "Drops of God", he traveled in Taklamakan Desert alone, climbed Mont Blanc, participated in multiple Marathons, and attempted deep diving. Issei has dedicated his life to wine to an obsessive degree, and will never lie about any matter related with wine, which is reflected in the fair-mindedness he has shown in his contest with Shizuku. • Christopher Watkins (クリストファー・ワトキンス, Watkins Christopher) • A young American man sent by his father, Charles Watkins, to join in the search of the "Twelve Apostles" wines, starting from the "Ninth Apostle" and onwards, as in accordance to Yukata's will. Raised by his wine expert father, he is a genius in wine tasting with experience and talent that rivals both Shizuku and Issei, such being was able to identify the first eight Apostles immediately after hearing the descriptions and even one-up them on a few occasions. However, at the end of the search of the "Ninth Apostle", Robert criticized him for simply "copying and presenting Yutaka's account" without truly understanding the nature of the wine. After this setback, Christopher decided to start a journey to his refined own understanding of wine, though he still observes the "Drops of God" competition for his father and unofficially participates in looking for the Apostles. • Although a frivolous self-admitted Japanophilia with a womanizer streak, Chris is a very sharp-minded, hard-working, and kind person, helping people along his journey. Despite knowing her feelings for Shizuku, Chris also develops a sincere crush on Miyabi, though she firmly rejects his romantic overtures. • Ryouko Kiryuu (きりゅうりょうこ, Kiryū Ryōko): • She is Yutaka's lawyer and was naturally present when Yutaka made his will, being entrusted with the management of Yutaka's wine collection and the execution of his will. Along with Robert, Kiryuu presides as an overseer for the "Drops of God" search and thus a neutral figure in the competition, though she worries over Shizuku. • Shiro Fujieda (ふじえだ しろう, Fujieda Shirō): • The owner and sommelier of the wine bar "Monopole", the mentor of Miyabi and a trusted counselor for Shizuku. While quick remind Shizuku and his friends of their ever-growing tabs, he is very generous and often takes out fine wines to treat friends (such as Opus One and Calon-Ségur) and provides samples to help Shizuku whenever he needs it. In his younger days, he studied wine in France and used to be a member of the student protest and communist movements. Over the course of the series, more of Fujieda's personal life is revealed, such as his family and is eventually married to his old flame, Akie. • Soichiro Mishima (みしま そういちろう, Mishima Sōichirō): • The owner of a famous restaurant chain and Miyabi used to work in one of his restaurants. At the beginning of the story, he was a cold-blooded businessman focusing on maximizing profits, such as instructing his managers to reduce stocks of wine in the restaurants and buy from nearby liquor stores when customers place orders instead. After Mishima reunited with his past lover Anne, he became a warmer and more generous person. Mishima is a good friend to Shizuku and Miyabi, lending them a hand from time-to-time and serves as another confidant to them, and they also helps him in return. Sometime later, Mishima was forced to closed his business due Maki and Issei, and moved to Paris to run a small wine shop. • Maki Saionji (さいおんじ マキ, Saionji Maki): • The president of Saionji Corporation / SAION Tradeing, which specializes in the import and sale of wine, granting her extensive connections in the fine wine business. She is the financial sponsor of Issei and his on-and-off casual lover, though she wishes to have Issei to herself, despite knowing his habit of having romantic flings with other women. Maki is an unscrupulous and spiteful woman that will do anything to achieve her own purpose, even once setting up a trap to disadvantage Shizuku in searching one of the Apostles, and driving Loulan away from Issei out of jealousy. • Robert Doi (どい ロベール, Doi Robēru) • Jin Urayama • Half-French half-Japanese, Robert is a member of the Order of the Drops of God and Yutaka's most trusted friend and rival, having known each other since their youth. An eccentric with a cranky temperament, he currently lives in a cardboard hut built in a park in Ginza called Chateau Robert, while in fact he is a billionaire and the park in which he lives is actually privately owned by himself. Known as the "Minstrel of Wine", Robert is a renowned wine connoisseur and has the experiences and talents to accurately identify the Apostles after hearing Yutaka's accounts in the will, hence serves as the unbiased judge of the "Drops of God" contest. Although neutral, he will sometimes give out advice to both Shikzuku and Issei. While he tries to hid it, Robert's health has been weakening over the course of the series, but is determine see Yukata's will through. • Sarah • Lynn • The half-French half-Japanese, maternal half-sister of Issei and a successful model, currently contracting with Taiyo Beer as its commercial model. She first drank wine at the age of 5, became a regular wine drinker at the age of 12, and started to fall in love with wine at the age of 14. She has extensive knowledge about wine, though not to the same extent as her brother, and Miyabi once commented Sarah is "like Madam Leroy". Sarah likes talking to Shizuku and has a somewhat devious interest in him, but keeps the fact that she is the sister of Issei away from Shizuku and sometimes checks on Shizuku's progress in searching various Apostles and reports the information back to Issei. • Kawarage (かわらげ) • Akihiko Ishizumi • The manager of the wine department of Taiyo Beer and is one of the founder of the wine department, having established it with his superior and fellow wine connoisseur. A reticent and gentle old man, he often appears invisible in the department, but his knowledge and love of wine is unparalleled in the department. He also trusts his subordinates a lot and acts like a father-figure towards them, which greatly aids Shizuku in his search for the Apostles wines. • Chosuka Honma (ほんま ちょうすけ, Honma Chōsuka) • Soshiro Hori • Shizuku's colleague in the wine department and a hardcore wine hobbyist. He was dumped by a French woman before and subsequently became a fierce supporter of Italian wine, having deep knowledge in that category. Of humble origins, both his parents died and he has devoted himself passionately to wine, with his small apartment is almost fully stuffed with wine storages. Despite clashing Shizuku at first, they become good friends and Honma looks after the younger members in a brotherly way and always eager to help Shizuku in his "Drops of God" competition. Tadashi modeled Chosuka after the real life Japanese wine critic Atsushi Honma. • Ryusuke Kido (きど りゅうすけ, Kido Ryūsuke) • The most junior employee in the wine department and most tech savvy out of all them. At first, he knew nothing about wine and wanted to be transferred to the PR department, but he was assigned to the wine department instead due to a mistake of the new employee training department. However, he was slowly brought into the world of wine, and started to appreciate the depth and delicacy of wine. He also started to develop romantic relationship with a female colleague in the company and enjoys trying wine together. Kido dreams of spreading cheap and delicious wine that is relatively unknown, including wines outside France and Italy, amid Japanese wine drinkers. As a running gag, Kido would often receive comical forms of abuse from Honma whenever he makes a cheeky remark. • Kyrgyz Loulan • Konomi Kohara • A Xinjiang girl with a Japanese mother who lives in the Taklamakna desert, and she was named after the ancient Loulan Kingdom. During the search of the second Apostle, Issei met her and she aided him in his mission. She knew nothing about wine at first, but has a superb sense of smell that rivals Shizuku's, prompting Issei invited her to come back to Japan to help him in the search of Apostles. She entered a romantic, somewhat casual relationship with him, but a jealous Maki eventually drive her away. Loulan then went to France alone and was adopted by Charles Watkins after witnessing her talent with wine. Under his masterful tutelage, Loulan learned more about wine and established herself as a genius wine taster in Paris in a matter of months, becoming a more sophisticated and confident person in the process. Having seen his obsessive devotion to wine first hand, she determined to surpass Issei in order to save him. • Junya Ishikawa (いしかわ じゅんや, Ishikawa Junya) and Kenya Ishikawa (いしかわ けんや, Ishikawa Kenya) • Twins brothers that are Miyabi's high school friends and they look after their family liquor store together after their father retired. Junya graduated from the elite Hitotsubashi University and believes "the quality of the wine depends on from which winemaker's hand it is made". Unlike Junya, Kenya used to be a Bōsōzoku and dropped out of high school and believes "the quality of the wine depends on from which vineyard it is made". Their constant bickering initially caused them to split the store in two sections, but Shizuku and Miyabi helps them find a compromise and develops a good friendship with the former. • Ryo Takasugi (たかすぎ りょう, Takasugi Ryo) • Smart, humble, and handsome, Ryo is Miyabi's high school classmate and her first love. Due to his wealthy family background, he was transferred to an elite private school where many of his schoolmates came from similarly wealthy backgrounds. There, his old value system was challenged and he slowly transformed to a brand-conscious and snobbish man. However, with the help of Miyabi, Shizuku and their colleagues Ryo regained his former self and rekindles his old friendships, as well forming one with Shizuku. After Ryo's father planned to send him to China to start new business there, Ryo proposed to Moegi, his former classmate's sister, and asked her to go to China together, which she accepts. • Moegi Tanaka (たなか もえぎ, Tanaka Moegi) • Ryo's girlfriend and Miyabi's old high school friend. She is a timid girl with low self-confidence, often thinking Miyabi and Ryo being a more matching couple. When invited to a party by Ryo, one of the girls in the party who knew Ryo in a miai tried to humiliate the humble-looking Moegi, and tricked Moegi in participating in a blindfolded wine tasting contest. However, Moegi turned out to have a great intuition about wine, and her descriptions of the wine received compliments from Issei. After a few months of dating, Moegi accepted Ryo's proposal to China with her fiancé and help him start a new business there. • Honoka Tomine (とおみね ほのか, Tōmine Honoka) • A member of the Order of the Drops of God, she is known as the "Tasting Witch", a leading wine taster in France, and Yutaka's former lover. The mother of Issei and Sarah, and her husband (Sarah's father) is the director of a major airline. She had a complex relationship with Yutaka and is haunted by past, which reflects her peculiar relations with Issei and Shizuku. When Issei was a child, Honoka once attempted to kill him in a snow mountain during a depressive episode, which she is deeply ashamed of. • She has placed herself as a neutral figure in the contest between Shizuku and Issei, though will give them advice to nudge them in the right direction. However, both Honoka and Robert realize her personal feelings was affecting her judgement and stepped down of the Order, allowing her to be more relax. • Charles Watkins • Known as the "Noble Wine Collector", he is the father of Christopher Watkins and is one of the most wealthiest men in American, having a hand in many businesses and is a renowned wine collector. Similar to Robert, He is a long-time friend and rival of Yukata, and a member of the Order of the Drops of God. However, Charles also has complex love-hate relationship with Yukata, and according to Chris, wishes to take "revenge" against him by using Chris and his adoptive daughter, Loulan, to interfere in the "Drops of God" search. • Yoshida • The kind and gentle butler and caretaker of the Kanzaki mansion. During the "Drops of God" competition, he is a quiet neutral figure that helps with the service and attends to the various figures that visit the mansion, but he deeply cares for Shizuku and is privy to the fact Issei is his master's illegitimate son. • Komi Mamiya • A bright, sensible and friendly young woman that helps runs her family's Izakaya and helps Shizuku during his last months of traveling by employing him at the restaurant. More practical than her father, she sometimes argue with him over decisions, but wholly supports those she loves. • Kurazo Mamiya • Owner and chef of the Western-style, multi-location Izakaya Mama-Miya. A proud and stubborn man who runs his business with his wife Kami and daughter Komi. Despite being trained in French-style cooking, he knows little about wine, relying on Shizuku and others on such matters to create good pairings. • Tohru Kamoshida • Mama-Miya's sommelier and Komi's boyfriend, who is in charge of Mama-Miya's secondary branch. His family runs a sushi restaurant, but choose to earnestly devotes himself to wine and is a promising talent, but struggle with picking out proper wine and food pairings. • Count Romano Visconti • Known as the "Silent Wine Aristocrat", he is a strict and assertive member of the Order of the Drops of God. • Francoise Black • Known as the "Empress of the Vineyards", she is a member of the Order of the Drops of God with great artistic sense. • Lord Henry Gilbert • Known as the "Arbiter of Wine", he is a fair and impartial member of the Order of the Drops of God and a wine critic. • Andrew Wang • Known as the "Gold Taster", he is a cunning and capricious member of the Order of the Drops of God. With lineage that ties back royalty and nobles, Wang is successful entrepreneur and owns a large collection of wines that rivals Yukata. Wang possess excellent wisdom and knowledge of food/wine pairings, with only Yukata surpassing him and harbors deep reverence towards his old friend. • Émilie Mikasa • Half-Japanese Half-French chef that specialize in classic French cuisine. While serious and aloof, she's a pleasant, moral and passionate person, even outing herself for being put in unfair advantage by her sponsor in a competition. She moved to Paris to open a new restaurant and helped Shizuku in picking out wines for the "Drops of God" challenge. As small running gag, she has a habit of snapping corks with her bare hands when annoyed. • Louis Bernard • The Corsican owner of the business license and sommelier of Chef Mikasa's Paris restaurant, which he ran years ago with his deceased friend Alain before being it was shut down. Stubborn and traditional, he's proud of French wine and has little knowledge of New World wines, but putting in effort overcomes his biases. Aiding Mikasa in reopening his former place, he fell in love with Mikasa and the happy couple quickly married. • Jiro Bernard • Half-French half-Japanese, he is the son of Louis and his first wife, who died when he was young. Sweet and earnest, he is a patissier apprentice that studied under famous pastry chef Toshi Yoroizuka, and wish to find pairings with New World wines and French cuisine. • Harashima • The hard-working and honorable chef and owner of the popular Bistro 9. A famous former high school baseball player, he runs the Bistro with his former teammates and is affectionally called "Captain". After meeting Shizuku in a competition, the two became friends each other and consult with each other over food and wine.

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. The thirteenth wine, "The Drops of God", is never revealed in the series, stating every person has own personal "Drops of God" because every person's taste is different. • Shizuku's choice — Country — Issei's choice — Country — References • First Apostle — 2001 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses — France — 1999 Georges Roumier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses — France • Second Apostle — 2000 Château Palmer — France — 1999 Château Palmer — France • Third Apostle — 2000 Santa Duc Gigondas — France — 1981 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape — France • Rematch — 2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo — France — 2000 Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée da Capo — France • Fourth Apostle — 1992 Château Lafleur — France — 1994 Château Lafleur — France • Fifth Apostle — 2000 Marc Colin Montrachet — France — 2000 Michel Colin-Deléger Chevalier-Montrachet — France • Sixth Apostle — 2001 Luciano Sandrone Barolo Cannubi Boschis — Italy — 2001 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Falleto — Italy • Seventh Apostle — 2003 Glaetzer Amon-Ra Shiraz Barossa Valley — Australia — 2003 Sine Qua Non The Inaugural (Eleven Confessions) Syrah Central Coast AVA — USA • Eighth Apostle — Jacques Selosse Cuvée Exquise NV — France — 2000 Billecart-Salmon Cuvée Elisabeth Salmon Brut Rosé — France • Ninth Apostle — 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio di Sotto — Italy — 2005 Brunello di Montalcino Poggio di Sotto — Italy • Tenth Apostle — 2002 Grands Échezeaux Grand cru Robert Sirugue — France — 2007 Grands Échezeaux Grand cru Robert Sirugue — France • Eleventh Apostle — Priorat (DOC) 2008, Les Manyes - Terroir Al Limit — Spain — Priorat (DOC) 2008, domaine Ferrer Bobet - Seleccio Especial — Spain • Twelfth Apostle — Château d'Yquem 1976 — France — Château d'Yquem 1975 — France • Drops of God lightgreen 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. Christopher also participated in this contest and found the correct wine. However, Issei's description of the wine was closest to Yutaka's understanding, and was judged as the victor by Robert.

The following is a list of the wines appearing in the manga series. • Tankōbon volume — Chapter number — Wine • Volume 1 — Chapter 1 — Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg 1990 Aleth Le Royer-Girardin Pommard Rugiens 2000 Aleth Le Royer-Girardin Pommard Rugiens 1999 Henri Jayer Richebourg 1959 • Volume 1 — Chapter 2 — Château Mouton Rothschild 1982 • Volume 1 — Chapter 3 — Château Mont-Pérat 2001 Opus One 2000 • Volume 1 — Chapter 5 — Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee Cros-Parantoux 1999 • Volume 1 — Chapter 6 — Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts 1997 • Volume 1 — Chapter 7 — Miani Rosso Domaine Jean Gros Vosne-Romanée 2001 Domaine Jean Gros Echézeaux Grand Cru 2002 • Volume 2 — Chapter 9 — Champagne Salon 1995 • Volume 2 — Chapter 10 — Emmanuel Rouget Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux 1999 • Volume 2 — Chapter 11 — Château d'Yquem 1990 Château Calon-Ségur 2000 • Volume 2 — Chapter 14 — Château Mouton Rothschild 2000 • Volume 2 — Chapter 16 — Château Lagrange 1996 • Volume 2 — Chapter 17 — Château Giscours Le Haut-Médoc de Giscours 2000 • Volume 3 — Chapter 19 — Verget Chablis 1er Cru 'Vaillons' 2003 • Volume 3 — Chapter 20 — Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 2000 • Volume 3 — Chapter 22 — Château de Saint Cosme 2001 • Volume 3 — Chapter 23 — Domaine François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Louis Jadot Chablis 2002 • Volume 3 — Chapter 25 — Les Caves de la Loire Coteaux du Layon 1978 • Volume 3 — Chapter 26 — Château La Mission Haut-Brion 2001 La Chapelle de la Mission Haut-Brion 2000 Château Le Pin 1982 • Volume 3 — Chapter 28 — La Pousse d'Or Santenay 1er Cru 'Clos Tavannes' 2002 • Volume 4 — Chapter 29 — Domaine Philippe et Vincent Lécheneaut Marsannay 'Les Sampagny' 2001 • Volume 4 — Chapter 34 — Bellenda Contrada di Concenigo Colli di Conegliano Rosso D'Angelo Canneto 2000 Velenosi Roggio del Filare • Volume 4 — Chapter 35 — Château Boyd-Cantenac 2001 • Volume 4 — Chapter 37 — St. Michael-Eppan Sanct Valentin Alto Adige 2000 • Volume 4 — Chapter 38 — Ata Rangi Pinot Noir

Written by the sibling team Yuko and Shin Kibayashi under the pseudonym Tadashi Agi, Drops of God was serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Morning from November 18, 2004, to June 12, 2014, with its chapters compiled in 44 tankōbon volumes and released from March 20, 2005, to July 23, 2014. It was also published in South Korea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan. Since April 2008, volumes have also been published in France by Glénat. By December 2007, the series had registered sales of more than 500,000 copies, which increased to over half a million copies, and by May 2021, more than 3.5 million copies. By August of the same year, the series has accumulated over 15 million copies in circulation. Vertical Inc. published the series in North America under the title The Drops of God. After publishing four volumes (covering the first eight Japanese volumes and the first two Apostles), the fifth volume jumped ahead to the story arc for the Seventh Apostle (volumes 22 and 23 of the Japanese edition), published under the name The Drops of God: New World. Vertical stated that this was done "by author request" and urged readers to "tell all your friends about the series so there will be second and third seasons to fill in the gap!" Starting October 14, 2019, Volumes 1–11 of the English translation were available digitally through ComiXology on Kindle, with plans to have all 44 volumes in English translation by Kodansha, which had been made available free for Amazon Prime members. In May 2020, volumes 12–22 of the English translation were released, alongside volumes 23–33 in October of that same year, with the final batch of volumes 34–44 released in May 2021. In Fall 2025, Kodansha USA started reprinting the printed, 2-in-1 omnibus editions of the manga.

Drops of God: Mariage (マリアージュ ～神の雫 最終章～, Mariage - Kami no Shizuku Saishūshō) began serialization on May 28, 2015, a few months after the original manga ended its serialization, and concluded on October 15, 2020, with its chapters collected into a total of 26 tankōbon volumes. On August 31, 2023, Kodansha USA revealed they have licensed the sequel, with the first volume initially to be released digitally on September 26, 2023, but was pushed back to October 3 of the same year.

Another sequel manga, titled Drops of God deuxième (神の雫 deuxième, Kami no Shizuku deuxième), began serialization in Weekly Morning magazine on September 21, 2023, and concluded on April 18, 2024, into a total of 2 tankōbon volumes.

In 2008, a Korean adaptation was in the works, with actor Bae Yong-joon (who the Kibayashi siblings modeled character Issei after) expressing interested in it, but ultimately fell through and was never greenlit.

A live action television adaptation, also titled Kami no Shizuku, was broadcast on Nippon TV in January 2009.

On August 24, 2021, a multinational, multi-lingual TV series was announced as a co-production between Legendary Television, Dynamic Television, France Télévisions and Nippon TV-owned Hulu Japan, in partnership with Adline Entertainment, with Legendary Television handling worldwide sales for all territories apart from France and Japan. Apple TV+ picked up streaming rights for the series which consisted of two seasons, with Season 1 aired in 2023 and Season 2 aired in 2026.

An anime television series adaptation was announced by Pony Canyon on November 20, 2025. It is produced by Satelight and directed by Kenji Itoso, with Yū Mitsuru writing and supervising scripts, Takehiro Suwa designing the characters, and Eishi Segawa composing the music. The series aired from April 10 to September 18, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks. For the first cours, the opening theme song is "hate you? love you?" performed by Hokuto Yoshino, while the ending theme song is "Kami no Shizuku" (カミノシズク) performed by Maaya Uchida. For the second cours, the opening theme song is "Call Me Asap" performed by Super Dragon, while the ending theme song is "Every Summer" (エブリー・サマー) performed by Eill. Crunchyroll streamed the series. Tropics Entertainment licensed the series in Southeast Asia for streaming on Tropics Anime Asia YouTube channel.

A social game based on Drops of God and created by Mobage was released on February 9, 2011, and is only available in Japan. In November 2007, a music album inspired by the series was released. On January 22, 2009, a diary book detailing the Kibayahi siblings creative process about the manga and columns of their research was released. A photo book about Kazuya Kamenashi and the 2009 TV series on March 3, 2009.

In 2019, the Kibayashis siblings collaborated with President of Bijou USA and Vice President of Bijou Japan, Peter Chiang, whose family the Napa Valley estate Kanpai Wines, on two Drops of God-themed projects, the Wine Salon and WineGame app. From October 20–21, the Kibayashis assisted in preparing the wine menu for a two-day event, choosing 30 different wines from 9 different producers. The Kibayashis also spend the event singing books and interacting with fans. During a press released, Shink and Yuko stated that they approached the event the same way they did with the series: Winemakers that also attended the event credited the Kibayashis for their influence and praised Drops of God for its storytelling and creativity, as "[recognizing] these virtues in the wines that it folds into its stories" and emphasizes "The magic of wine is that it is as much a story as it is a beverage: a marriage of place, process, and people. Drops of God celebrates this magic.” Following the venture, online wine salon for US consumers and a Wines of God app (developed by Chef Jose Andres and Rob Wilder), a branded version of the WineGame app, both named after the manga, was launched. Drops of God-themed Wine Salon and WineGame app features an interactive educational wine game, personal wine recommendations for individual members, special offers from restaurants and hotels, and notify members of wine-related events.