The Drops of God (神の雫)

It's time, everyone.

We will now begin the wedding reception

for Mishima Soichiro and Anne Francois Guillemard.

They both look wonderful!

I'm so glad that Anne-san's recovered.

I heard she got her sense of taste back too.

Makabe-san, Sonata-san, Shijima-san...

Even Mishima-san and Anne-san...

They were all brought together by wine, weren't they?

Thank you for making time in your busy schedules to come today.

We've done something a little special with the wine

you'll be enjoying with your meal.

I encourage you to go in without any preconceptions.

The people who brought Soichiro-san

and I together are here today.

We're hoping they, especially, will enjoy today's wine.

We'll start with an appetizer.

This is...

Hey, Shizuku-san, isn't this...

Yeah.

Mishima-san, did you really...?

Now, the second dish and wine.

I knew it.

This next wine is exceptional, and combines spice with nostalgic sweetness.

Incredible.

To think we'd get to have these again!

Now enjoy the pure sweetness of honey,

with a slight aroma of green apples.

It feels like it was a long time ago when we drank this.

It's somehow wistful, like I'm deep in my own memories.

I see.

Mishima-san, you...

Next, though this isn't the usual order for dishes,

we've prepared a white fish.

Yes, this feeling...

And now the final wine.

Did you enjoy that?

When we drank these six wines together,

we felt like we were experiencing a story about human life.

We wanted to share that with you.

I see.

So that's it.

The other meaning hidden in the Twelve Apostles...

I think I've found it.

It's like a dream!

To think I'd get to go to Hawaii with my mother and brother!

After Kyoto and this,

I'm wondering what's gotten into you, Issei.

Nothing.

Mother, would you like to try the next wine?

B-Brother?

Did something occur to you when you were searching for the Sixth Apostle?

You may have lost the battle for the Sixth Apostle,

but you've almost found the answer...

The truth about the Drops of God.

The Twelve Apostles represent the world as it is.

Humanity. Life. The world itself.

Oh, you were both brave enough to come back?

Of course.

What would I be afraid of?

As strong-willed as ever.

Let us begin, then.

The Seventh Apostle...

At the time, I was filled with self-confidence.

Even if I was alone in the wilderness,

even if I had lost sight of my path,

even if I was drifting alone in a small boat on the great ocean...

Nothing scared me.

That's what I thought.

I remember I was bold, like a young lion who's left the pack.

The sky was endless.

The horizon stretched on forever.

And the land was sturdy, refusing to move.

I was forced to learn how small I really was.

You who have lost yourselves...

You who were abandoned by others due to your arrogance...

You who are struggling to live,

who entrust yourself to the surging torrents of time

and simply allow yourselves to drift...

Pray.

Not to God, but to the power of man.

Aim.

Not for the heavens, but for the direction of the voices.

And visit this land.

There is a dream here that has no end.

There is something great and incomplete here.

Antoni Gaudi...

Did you believe...

that people would not give up, but carry on your dream?

This wine is eternally incomplete.

It is the Sagrada Família.

The image is clearer than it's ever been.

But somehow, it doesn't connect to wine...

You've had a fair amount of French and Italian wines, right?

If nothing's coming to you,

it feels like it might not be from those places.

I've been to the Sagrada Família.

It was built over decades by lots of people, some of them volunteers.

It's like a modern pyramid.

My father's trying to use the Sagrada Família to speak to the power of man.

A miracle created by manpower.

An homage to the life hidden inside it.

Then maybe it's a New World wine?

New World?

Yup. Not somewhere like France that's been making wine for centuries.

Somewhere wine was brought and then took root,

the most well-known of which are America and Australia.

You're right.

I haven't had a lot of wine from there.

These days, there are lots of New World wines that sell for premium prices

and even get better ratings than France and Italy!

New vineyards different from the fertile lands of Bordeaux and Burgundy...

Wines grown there cultivated by the hand of man, huh?

Yes, understood.

I'll get you the draft tonight.

Yes.

As for the next talk...

Is he going on another trip?

Loulan!

Yes?

You're coming with me on the next search for the apostle.

O-Okay.

But where are we going?

America. Napa Valley.

Wow, vineyards as far as the eye can see!

This is Napa Valley.

But are you sure the Seventh Apostle is an American wine?

To tell the truth, even I don't know.

But...

I'm confident it's not an Old World wine of Europe.

When the text spoke of "the power of man,"

it reminded me of modern wines grown all over the world, outside Europe,

and fostered by human wisdom and effort.

Here in California especially,

the power of man far exceeds that of heaven and earth.

That's how they were able to make some of the greatest wines in the world.

You're different than usual, Issei.

What does that mean, Loulan?

Before now, you've started with an image of the wine in your head

and traveled to match your image to that of the Apostle.

You've also quickly identified the makers, haven't you?

Right.

You've never gone somewhere without a clear image in mind.

Impressive as ever, Loulan.

That's right.

Right now, I am lost.

New World wines have yet to fully establish the characteristics

that define their soil and environments.

Even I won't be able to identify this apostle until I taste something like it.

If it's not here, then...

We'll simply go somewhere else.

I'll find it.

I cannot lose this battle.

And so...

I've asked everyone to help gather up New World wines!

Wow!

We'll have you drink them blind, Kanzaki-kun,

to go in without preconceptions.

Then you can identify the country with the characteristics of the apostle.

Right!

But we've deliberately avoided any wines from America,

the most famous New World region.

Huh? Why?

There are too many varieties there.

If none of what we've brought here today fits the bill,

I thought you could go to Napa Valley, the heart of American wine.

I see.

Okay, let's start with the Chilean wine Kido-kun brought.

Sure thing!

This is a pretty good one.

It gets good scores online,

and critics love it!

Klimt's The Kiss.

It felt like it was holding me in its arms...

You're right!

This wine is so erotic!

But it's not the Sagrada Família.

There's nothing seductive about the Seventh Apostle.

I know that.

But I love this wine.

I brought it because it's like an apostle to me!

The first premium Chilean wine,

Don Melchor Cabernet Sauvignon.

You're right.

It's no apostle, but it's a wonderful wine.

Okay, my turn next.

I found a wine from South Africa that'll surprise you!

A song...

An a capella song!

An elegant harmony of voices!

Miyabi-chan, what is this wine?

Is this really from South Africa?