The wine became glamorous. Lovely subject. Perfectly played and translated. I've never heard so many beautiful words about wine in one piece. In addition to the wine theme that attracts me personally, there is a good dramatic intrigue. And actors that are nice to watch. I don’t watch the series very often, but it was difficult.
See the taste of wine and taste the landscapes of Tuscany
This is how an interesting director Oded Ruskin offers us, who shot previously intriguing and action-packed series No Man’s Land and Under a False Flag. The bright colorfulness of the comic book found its perfect embodiment in the rapid transitions and twists of the plot: Paris, Tokyo, Tuscany, Thailand. The plot of the series at the level, the play of the actors in general is worthy of admiration, just a reference French heiress and a stiffly strict aristocrat of the Japanese kind. Here another feature of the series on comics is the simplification and abundance of schemes and stamps, and how else to tell about the taste of wine to an ordinary viewer, not a winemaker and not a sommelier, for the first time the director of the film based on the book Zuskind Perfumer, even more interesting was the experience of the story about the art of chess in the female performance in the series Royal Gambit in Russian translation God by the Queen. There was a similar feeling, as if the door to an amazing and bright wine world full of emotions and impressions was opened. At the same time, the authors managed to weave an excellent drama and personal story into the plot, it is recommended to watch and think. On the contrast of cultures, relationships, traditions and approach to knowledge, the narrative is built, the culmination of the mini-series keeps in suspense, but the finale, the so-called catharsis, is a bit incomplete in my opinion. But in this case, the film, where the colorful description can be this plot, the facts only complement the life-affirming video series about love for nature, man, guilt, human feelings and family values. I would like to note the dignity of the film, which is free from vulgarity, vulgarity and cynicism, smoking is of course present, but there is practically no nudity for the sake of it or permanent swear words, here everything seems to be a little real and sincere.
Before us is an adaptation of the eponymous Japanese manga, which was created by the French screenwriter of Vietnamese origin Kuok Dang Chan, the author of the TV series Bureau, Ten percent, Parallels and others familiar to the Russian audience.
The world-famous sommelier dies, leaving, to put it mildly, an unusual will, according to which the inheritance in the form of a mansion in Tokyo and a collection of wines from 87,000 bottles will receive either his daughter or his best student, having passed some test. Further on the plot begins the most interesting, so in order not to spoil, it is better to talk about the artistic and semantic aspects of the show.
The Ode of Guilt and PR of Oenology.
Yeah. We have a real ode to blame. The series will certainly be appreciated by wine lovers, even those who are not professionals in this field. The series is sure to push finally, those who have long been going and have not yet decided to dive deeper into the world of wine. Someone will not do without a sudden sense of false expertise in the question after viewing. But, as it seems to me, the series should not be considered in the theoretical and encyclopedic plane. Yes, we will see and hear here many names of famous, and most importantly, really existing (!) wine brands. Someone will not be lazy to make a full list of the names of wines, grape varieties, chateaus and harvest years mentioned in the series. We will see how to open the bottle and determine the color. Some knowledge is really stored in your head after watching, but this is only what lies on the surface. The series will not make you a sommelier or an oenologist, and it did not have such a task. Like several classic books on French cuisine, flashed in the frame in Lasse Hallström’s Divinity and Passion, the guilt here and everything associated with them hint to the viewer that the real truth, the very essence, lies much deeper than we can imagine. After all, you need to read books, and then learn to cook from them. The same goes for wine.
About the series as about the movie.
From an artistic point of view, the series is very unusual. There are flashbacks, visualization of smells in the psychedelic style, and change of locations (Italy, Japan, Thailand, France), and real wineries with their cellars, barrels and tanks. With the selection and playing of actors, too, everything is fine. Separately, of course, Tomohisa Yamashita’s play is the embodiment of Japanese perfectionism and samurai restraint.
What's the show about?
The whole plot of the series begins with wine, develops through wine and ends with wine. The scenes, Paris and Tokyo, show on the one hand two different cultures, on the other hand, for heroes constantly covering a distance of almost 10,000 km, wine seems to blur all boundaries. . .
It is a film about the challenge that innovators pose to the classic conservatives and about the archaic who cannot resist modernity.
This movie is about the collapse of family foundations, when the authority of the older generation is useless.
This is a film about childhood injuries and their overcoming.
This is a film about the difficult relationship between fathers and children.
This is a movie about the mistakes of youth and about the secrets that people carry throughout their lives.
It is a film about human values and meanings, about people’s commitment to their favorite cause, and also a little about the dangers of professionalism, bordering on obsession.
Finally, it's a movie about freedom. On accepting oneself and freeing oneself from inner bondage. And all of that, what would you think? Of course it is!
In vino veritas.
The wine in this film is both a central character and an invisible thread. Wine is like a cosmopolitan, giving all the people of the world to communicate in one language. By the way, there are four languages in the series: French, Japanese, English and Italian! This is a clear allusion to one of the variants of the meaning of the famous phrase In Vino Veritas (truth in wine) – “wine unleashes tongues”. At the same time, a very bright development of storylines allows the viewer to refocus attention from wine scenes to the fate of the heroes. Perhaps the creators of the series hint the viewer to taste the wine and watch the development of the story in a contemplative mood*? Well, at least we have that opportunity.
Excessive alcohol consumption is harmful to your health.
Camille is a French woman, the only daughter of the famous sommelier Alexander Leger, whom he taught as a child to recognize tastes and smells. Issei is a Japanese, his best student and descendant of a wealthy dynasty. She is emotional, impatient, sincere and completely unable to drink alcohol due to childhood trauma. He is a restrained, reasonable, meek and thoughtful heir to the diamond empire, who chose his own path. The two meet for the first time after Alexander's death at the probate. His entire fortune, his home in Tokyo, and the world’s largest and most expensive private collection of wines will go to anyone who proves he knows them better than his rival. Camille and Issei will have to guess the blend and the year of the harvest literally by two sips, solve wine riddles in the style of the Da Vinci Code from the picture, select wines for exquisite dishes. And most importantly, they will need to find answers to their questions about family, true love and purpose.
It should be noted that the series is Japanese-French. Filmed on the Japanese manga of the same name, which became very popular in France. And it's amazing! The whole concept is built on the contrast of the two cultures, their differences and common features. How we can be different and how we can complement each other. East and West, logic and feelings, restraint and emotionality. And this thought can be traced in the series from the first to the last series in everything: in relationships, traditions, locations, food, and, of course, in wine culture.
The series becomes action-packed and anime due to the absurdity of inheritance competition, the variety of trials and movements around the world, but is facilitated and landed by a love line and family drama. I would say it is a bouquet from Wasabi, In Search of the Divine Recipe, Eat, Pray, Love and MasterChef.
It has always been difficult to imagine how sommeliers recognize all these notes of raspberries, coriander and pretty leaves. In the Drops of God, this is perfectly visualized on the example of Camille: she literally rummages through a pile of junk on the shelves of her memory or wanders through the forest of the subconscious and smells every blade of grass, looking for the right aroma. I also really liked the reception when it is covered with sensations in the form of colorful clubs of paint. So to revive tastes and processes that the viewer cannot comprehend with his eyes is a great technique.
What kind of red wine will emphasize both lobster and white mushroom pie? And then I thought of Mataro grapes from the sand terroirs of California. The delicate aroma of blackcurrant changes and gives a subtle taste of dried white mushrooms after decanting. This wine resembles both spring and autumn, the change of seasons, the flow of time.” After this, you will definitely want to re-examine the usual tastes and smells of fruits, spices, plants, mushrooms, land, rain and the whole world around.
Another big plus of the series is travel and locations. Paris, Tokyo, Tuscany. Sunny vineyards, dark wine cellars, narrow streets of the Italian province, Japanese restaurants. And Alexander Leger’s mansion in Tokyo and Issei’s apartment are chic examples of modern houses that contrast vividly with the traditional ancient wineries of Europe.
So if you want to spend the perfect summer weekend from home, grab a bottle or two of good wine (excessive drinking is bad for your health), let in the warm evening air by opening the window, turn on Drops of God and enjoy every drop.
As someone in the wine industry, the wine line in this film seems pretty banal to me. About how to become a master of wine in 5 minutes, we have already been told in the tape “Opened” and in the book “Wine Snob”.
The first series is stuffed with battered themes of childhood trauma, hyperprotection, overbearing mothers (fathers, grandfathers) like soap series from TV. Then the plot leads to the Indian line 'and in the end they were all brothers and sisters'.
I immediately lost interest in what was happening on the French side of the conflict, but decided to see how the events in the Tokyo branch of the plot will develop. You didn't. It even encouraged me to explore the topic of winemaking in Japan.
I end up rooting for Tomohis Yamashita. Professionalism must prevail, not emotion. I wish Camila happiness in her personal life and psychological health.
After seeing this series on the Apple Tv platform, I decided to watch the trailer. It became interesting what can be done about the world of expensive collectible wine. I immediately liked the trailer, a beautiful picture, interesting locations. Let the typo is not the most original, but it does not get worse from this.
A rich sommelier dies. He has a daughter with whom he fell out years ago and a talented student. In his will, he indicates that a collection of wine worth 150 million US dollars will go to the person who passes 3 trials. Of course, the trials will be about wine. The problem of the main character is that due to a childhood injury, she has an intolerance to alcohol.
And it would seem that the story of the struggle for inheritance we have seen a hundred times. But here the story goes much deeper. And relationships in the family, and the fight against childhood injuries, acceptance.
The cherry on the cake is the heart of the heroine. I thought it was better than Sherlock. Turns out you can. The visualization of how it defines fragrances is just 10/10. This is the level of both Sherlock and Perfumer. After watching the 4 episodes, I’m really looking forward to seeing where this story leads. It's very nice to watch.