[Repost] 'The Drops of God' BYJ New Project.

Dear Baesister,

Wine imports in South Korea have jumped 30 percent since 2005, thanks in large part to a popular manga in which the beverage plays a key role.

Japan’s Asahi Shimbun reports that Kami no Shizuku (Drops of God), by Agi Tadashi and Okimoto Agi, has sold some 700,000 volumes since it was released in South Korea in 2005. (In Japan, the nine volumes have sold 950,000 copies, according to ComiPress.)

Every time the manga introduces a new wine, Asahi Shimbun notes, that wine sells out. Because of its prominence in the series, wine from the Bourgogne region of France is particularly popular among South Koreans

FEATURE-Taste of heaven: Manga spreads 'Drops of God' in Asia

By Sophie Hardach

TOKYO, June 4 (Reuters) - The aroma is like a rock concert, with notes of butterflies dancing over a pond and an aftertaste of Jesus Christ and his disciples.

Wine reviews with a twist are a speciality of "Kami no Shizuku" ("The Drops of God"), a manga comic series that has taken Japan by storm, is conquering Korea and China and has boosted European wine sales along the way.


Written by a brother-and-sister duo of wine enthusiasts, the manga comic combines a mystery plot with a playful introduction to European wines. Think "The Da Vinci Code" set in a Tokyo bar.

"The minute it was translated into Korean, we had calls from three importers," said Basaline Granger Despagne, whose family has grown wine near France's Dordogne river for 250 years. Their Chateau Mont Perat 2001 Bordeaux appears early on in the manga.

"When it was translated into Chinese, people called us from Taiwan saying, 'I bought some Mont Perat and sold 50 cases in two days because of the manga'," she said in a phone interview.

In Korea, businessmen drop names from the serialised book into chats with reporters and shops display "Drops of God" signs.

Wine industry experts believe part of the manga's appeal is that it teaches readers enough about wine to understand the drink and impress their friends, but does so in an entertaining way.

Source : http://www.reuters.com/article/consumerproducts-SP-A/idUST29578320070606

http://www.hanbooks.com/gowa7se.html

Alternative title:
Les Gouttes de Dieu (French)
The Drops of God
神の雫 (Japanese)
Genres: drama

TWSSG TEAM : Report