English Dub Review: The Drops of God “Prayers to a Fragrant Land”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
Shizuku begins his search for the meaning of the vision he saw.

Our Take:
What a way to kick off the wine competition: by accidentally breaking one of the rarest bottles by Henri Jayer.  Got to make the concept about wine more interesting somehow, besides the surprisingly good art styles for the wine visions.  Fortunately, Shizuku was able to find a spare, thanks to wine expert Robert Doi, rather than take one from his father’s collection.  Afterward, the episode takes a moment to explore Mishima’s history with the Cros-Parantoux, which was the wine he drank while dating Guillemard years ago.  This segment further highlights not just the accuracy of a wine’s history, but also the impact it leaves on the people who have it, let alone those who have drunk it.
The same should be said for Shizuku, who finally figured out his vision during the first round of the contest.  The wine he tasted painted a clear picture of the time he last saw his mother before her death.  While it isn’t enough for Shizuku to win the first part of the competition, it at least brought some closure to his personal quest.  Does this mean he’ll be able to focus more on the rest of the contest?  Given his sense of smell, it’s very likely, despite Tomine’s expertise putting him at a disadvantage.  As I said, the anime seems to work best when it takes advantage of its presentation, notably the art styles that shape some of the wine visions, with “Prayers to a Fragrant Land” being another example.  Combined with its attempt to make its wine facts interesting, including the Les-Beaumonts by Rouget, Jayer’s nephew, the anime managed to grab my attention sooner than I had anticipated, and I’m no expert on it.