TV-Series
Description
Yutaka Kanzaki was a world-renowned critic of both wine and French food, a man whose name became legendary in oenological history due to his extraordinary descriptive imagination. He is presented as an older man with short hair, a beard, and a mustache. As a father, his approach to parenting was deeply unconventional and ultimately problematic. He dedicated himself to training his biological son, Shizuku Kanzaki, from a very young age in the foundational skills of wine tasting. This education involved exposing the child to a vast variety of tastes, such as different knives and grape juices, yet he never allowed Shizuku to actually drink wine or even discuss the subject directly. This strict and paradoxical method backfired spectacularly, as Shizuku grew to resent his father’s obsession and developed a deep hatred for wine, choosing a career with a beer company instead.
The motivations behind Yutaka’s most significant actions are revealed only after his death from pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis he kept hidden from his son. A week before he died, he legally adopted Issei Tomine, a successful young wine critic who was, in fact, his biological son from an affair with another wine expert. His final and most impactful act was the creation of a complex will that dictated the future of his two sons. Instead of a simple inheritance, Yutaka set up an elaborate competition. His heirs, Shizuku and Issei, were given one year to identify the twelve wines he called his "Twelve Apostles," culminating in the single greatest wine in his collection, known as the "Drops of God." The victor would inherit his wine collection, valued at two billion yen. This posthumous game served a deeper purpose than merely testing their palates; it was a final, convoluted attempt to forge a relationship with his children from beyond the grave. The descriptions of the wines were tied to significant moments in his own life, effectively forcing his sons to get to know the man he was, the experiences he cherished, and the philosophy he lived by.
Yutaka Kanzaki’s role in the story is that of the absent, towering genius whose legacy is both a gift and a burden. Though deceased before the narrative begins, his presence permeates every aspect of the plot. He serves as the ultimate benchmark and the central mystery. His relationship with Shizuku was marked by emotional distance and resentment, as Shizuku felt he and his mother always came second to wine. In contrast, his relationship with Issei was one of acknowledged paternity, yet tinged with the guilt of not having raised him, leading to the late adoption that legitimized Issei’s claim to the inheritance. The character development of Yutaka is an indirect one, revealed through the memories of his sons and the clues he left behind. As Shizuku and Issei progress through the competition, the portrait of Yutaka shifts from that of a cold, obsessive critic to a more complex figure. He appears to have been a man who recognized his failings as a parent, understanding that he had not raised Shizuku correctly and that he had wronged Issei by his absence. The competition can thus be interpreted as his final apology and his way of using his life's work to bring his fractured family together.
Yutaka’s notable abilities were the foundation of his fame. He possessed an almost supernatural talent for articulating the sensations of a wine in vivid, imaginative, and poetic language. His descriptions were not mere technical notes but evocative journeys that transported the drinker to specific places, memories, and works of art. This unique skill is what makes his final challenge so compelling and difficult; his sons must learn to interpret the world as he did. Furthermore, he was a master pedagogue in his own flawed way, as the bizarre sensory training he inflicted upon Shizuku ultimately bestowed upon his estranged son a natural, prodigious gift for tasting and describing wine, even without formal experience. In death, Yutaka Kanzaki remains the story’s true architect, a demanding and distant father who uses his only language—the language of wine—to speak to his children one last time.
The motivations behind Yutaka’s most significant actions are revealed only after his death from pancreatic cancer, a diagnosis he kept hidden from his son. A week before he died, he legally adopted Issei Tomine, a successful young wine critic who was, in fact, his biological son from an affair with another wine expert. His final and most impactful act was the creation of a complex will that dictated the future of his two sons. Instead of a simple inheritance, Yutaka set up an elaborate competition. His heirs, Shizuku and Issei, were given one year to identify the twelve wines he called his "Twelve Apostles," culminating in the single greatest wine in his collection, known as the "Drops of God." The victor would inherit his wine collection, valued at two billion yen. This posthumous game served a deeper purpose than merely testing their palates; it was a final, convoluted attempt to forge a relationship with his children from beyond the grave. The descriptions of the wines were tied to significant moments in his own life, effectively forcing his sons to get to know the man he was, the experiences he cherished, and the philosophy he lived by.
Yutaka Kanzaki’s role in the story is that of the absent, towering genius whose legacy is both a gift and a burden. Though deceased before the narrative begins, his presence permeates every aspect of the plot. He serves as the ultimate benchmark and the central mystery. His relationship with Shizuku was marked by emotional distance and resentment, as Shizuku felt he and his mother always came second to wine. In contrast, his relationship with Issei was one of acknowledged paternity, yet tinged with the guilt of not having raised him, leading to the late adoption that legitimized Issei’s claim to the inheritance. The character development of Yutaka is an indirect one, revealed through the memories of his sons and the clues he left behind. As Shizuku and Issei progress through the competition, the portrait of Yutaka shifts from that of a cold, obsessive critic to a more complex figure. He appears to have been a man who recognized his failings as a parent, understanding that he had not raised Shizuku correctly and that he had wronged Issei by his absence. The competition can thus be interpreted as his final apology and his way of using his life's work to bring his fractured family together.
Yutaka’s notable abilities were the foundation of his fame. He possessed an almost supernatural talent for articulating the sensations of a wine in vivid, imaginative, and poetic language. His descriptions were not mere technical notes but evocative journeys that transported the drinker to specific places, memories, and works of art. This unique skill is what makes his final challenge so compelling and difficult; his sons must learn to interpret the world as he did. Furthermore, he was a master pedagogue in his own flawed way, as the bizarre sensory training he inflicted upon Shizuku ultimately bestowed upon his estranged son a natural, prodigious gift for tasting and describing wine, even without formal experience. In death, Yutaka Kanzaki remains the story’s true architect, a demanding and distant father who uses his only language—the language of wine—to speak to his children one last time.