"It's powerful," Shizuku says of a 2001 Bordeaux, suddenly overwhelmed with images of a turntable, guitars and Freddie Mercury. "But it also has a meltingly sweet taste, with an acidic aftertaste that catches you by surprise. It's like the voice of Queen's lead vocalist, sweet and husky, enveloped in thick guitar riffs and heavy drums."
From Yuko and Shin Kibayashi's weekly manga series Les Gouttes de Dieu.[1]
According to the New York Times, the hero of the series, Shizuku, is rapidly becoming the Robert Parker of Japan.
p.s. Shown above is our hero's adopted brother and nemesis.
[1] The title is French, even though the manga is Japanese, because (I suspect) it's about wine. The New York Times translates Les Gouttes de Dieu as The drops of the gods -- but although my French is rusty I'm pretty sure it should be singular: The Drops of God.
2 comments:
Yeah, the literal translation would be "of God" because "Dieu" is singular. But translation is a tricky art and The Times must've been going for the politically correct, or maybe the translator is Hindu. :-) Some verse defies translation anyway. I've never been totally satisfied with "And I, infinitesimal being" for Neruda's "Y yo, minimal ser," which in the Spanish sounds more humble and mortal, and well...Neruda.
your french may be rusty but your point is right. The original title being in japanese, though, plural seems more likely, doesn't it?
I suspect the french to be responsible for the bad translation, but I am biased :)
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