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Check Out a Preview of Sommelier Manga Drops of God Newest Volume
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
Duo "Tadashi Agi" and artist Shū Okimoto's Drops of God manga's final 11 volumes premiered digitally in English for the first time today and publisher Kodansha Comics has released a preview of volume 34 for Anime News Network readers.
The story revolves around a young man whose father, a famous Japanese wine critic, passes away. When he visits his father's estate to lay claim to his inheritance, he learns that his father adopted another man and that the two must compete to identify 13 wines in order to earn the inheritance: a vast fortune in the form of a wine collection.
The series is available digitally as part of the Comixology Originals line of content at no additional cost for members of Amazon Prime via Prime Reading, Kindle Unlimited, and Comixology Unlimited. The manga is also available for purchase through Kindle and Comixology.
Throughout its serialization, the manga had famously boosted the sales of wines profiled in the story. The French wine magazine La Revue du vin de France has recognized the manga, giving it the magazine's top award in 2010. The New York Times also profiled the manga in its Dining and Wine section in 2008.
The manga inspired The Drops of God Wine Salon subscription service in October 2019. The manga's creators Shin and Yuko Kibayashi (known together under the pen name Tadashi Agi) collaborated with vintner Peter Chiang for the salon, which included a curated wine club and personal wine recommendations for individual members. Guests also met the Kibayashis and tasted 30 wines at two debut events in Yountville, California and Beverly Hills, California in October 2019.
Kodansha Comics Comixology and released volumes 1-8 re-edited with new cover art and debuted volumes 9-11 in English in October 2019. The companies then launched volumes 12-22 in May 2020 and volumes 23-33 in October 2020.
Vertical previously licensed the series in 2011 and released part of the manga in North America.
Source: E-mail correspondence
