Eventually, Shizuku and Issei face a challenge from a secret group of wine experts whose self-appointed role is to safeguard Yutaka Kanzaki’s true goal – the perfection of the “combination” of wine and food. In the second volume, deemed worth seeking out “God’s dropsIssei and Shizuku must first pass a preliminary test, which includes cheese paired with wine from Yutaka’s collection. Each contestant then had to give a presentation about such a marriage and convince the cabal to let them advance to the next round.
The second volume is so infuriating that I’m almost at the point of being unbearable (more so than usual), so if the wine and cheese talk is boring you, get on with it now.
Shizuku’s presentation hinges on its pairing with Comté cheese, which, of course, like all cheeses, is incredibly complex. And, I’ve also had a lot of Comté wine, mostly in Normandy, and I can absolutely say to you that it paired well with any wine we picked up in the local shops while traveling around France. There are perfect pairings, but Comté goes with just about anything. We ate a lot.
Shizuku wowed his audience with his speech, which was called perfect until Issei got a score above perfect by pairing stinky cheese with wine from St. George’s Night (a town I actually visited, mostly to visit the Mithraic temples) that would cost over $250 if you could buy it today. The wines in Beaune are excellent, even the country wines they offer tourists. We tasted quite a few Grand Cru vineyards there and, my friends, pairing wine with food is not difficult. Seriously. Beaune wine goes well with a good meal (I still dream about that duck at the little roadside place) and any crap we have in tourist traps.
So, as I watched Issei struggle with his current alcoholic state, it suddenly dawned on me…Drops of God: Marriage only You-ji-oh! With wine. Now I can never read it the same way again.
At the end of Volume 2, bartender Fujieda, our street nerd, offers what I consider to be profound advice—marriage is not about ingredients, but about meals. In this increasingly complex story about wine and food pairing, Issei always brings a sour note to my palate. His wine acumen may be great, but as a character he’s as insufferable as a cheap seahorse. You can tell me he’s a genius, but man, what a bore.
Therefore, the third volume is a break from Issei and his melodrama and a return to the melodrama of the real world. Mama-Miya, a Western-style izakaya, once again requires the extremely specific skills Shizuku is trying to build. A big food and wine competition is about to begin, and if they win, the little restaurant could reach new heights of success. Of course, judges are corrupt. The whole thing was a trap from the beginning, and Shizuku and the others will eventually face Issei.
I love how Shizuku’s dramatic description of marriage becomes shorthand for this dish. The wine starts out soft and velvety, like a newborn fawn, but when paired with the Wagyu beef curry, it turns into a powerful stag, hence the name “Growing Fawn” Curry. This, along with the use of vitriolic hashtags online during the contest, makes me feel like this is a true part of the story.
Moreover, in addition to the plot of saving today’s little people, Shizuku’s supporting characters also Drop of God Already back. This is important because Shizuku is not capable of carrying this story on her own. Immediately, he and trainee sommelier Miyabi are unable to express their obvious feelings, and like every classic shounen battle story, their emotions simmer beneath the surface. It’s childish, but we don’t have time for romance here, wine and food, no matter how ridiculous the reason.
At the same time, the challenge will become more difficult, with pairings focusing on everyday foods like curry and sushi that are complex to pair with wine. You can imagine how happy I was that this book agreed with me that Gewürztraminer pairs well with curry. ha! I think I finally learned something from this absurdity.
Volume three ends with a delightful interview with the team of brothers and sisters who created the work under the name Ajizheng. They take drinking very seriously and were only dragged into this comic because readers kept asking them what wine goes best with food. Since this is my favorite part, I also want to thank all the readers. Otherwise, we’ll have to deal with more Issei, and I’ll never know which humble sushi was best paired with the wine I had no intention of purchasing. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to find some Comté and wine to go with lunch.
