#the works of ryoko kui seven little sons of the dragon

[peerless-cucumber]

if you need more ryoko kui fantasy I highly recommend her one shot collections!!! In order: Terrarium in Drawer, The Dragon's School is on Top of the Mountain, Seven Little Sons of the Dragon

[tisorridalamor]

Recently I’ve been reading Kui Ryoko’s fantasy short stories, and they’re all fantastic! Highly recommend that all Dungeon Meshi fans (and fantasy fans in general) check out her other works:

Terrarium in a Drawer

The Dragon’s School is on Top of the Mountain

The Works of Ryoko Kui: Seven Little Sons of the Dragon

[saccharinescorpion]

since people are reblogging that Ryoko Kui short story a lot i'd like to draw attention to Seven Little Sons of The Dragon, another short story anthology by Kui that DOES have an offficial English translation

[dunmeshistash]

Idk if I say this right did the manga style changed over time from first chapter were tiny details on it, to the end it is more detailed? Bc it got me gasping of the improvement of author's art style

Yep, Dungeon Meshi was published over 9 years and Kui's style got more detailed as it went on. If you look at her older manga before dunmeshi you can see she had a very "inky" and minimal style. Here's some pages from Seven Little Sons of the Dragon from 2011~2012 (Taking the chance to do kui propaganda)

I'd say that's impressive work even back then and I think it's cool how expressive it gets and how much she puts across with just clean linework

Here's Dungeon Meshi from 2014 when it began (2~3 years after this)

It's still BEAUTIFUL art but her simplistic character drawings are still there from her older work, I think she's going for more detail and less minimalism when she starts dungeon meshi tho, I guess she still had to find her footing in the new style?

I think chapter 1 Senshi is the biggest offender in that transition from very simplistic characters to very detailed characters (think of a furry transitioning to drawing more humans, her monsters and animals were always very detailed but her humans were mostly that face Laios makes)

Them in the first cover

Them in chapter 35

You can tell she really found the consistency on how to draw them and upped the detail on her character work, I do think she improved! (you'd hope so after 9 years) but I like to give credit to her earlier work too, she was working upon a solid base to get where she is.

I also wanted to say simple doesn't mean worse, it all depends on what you're trying to achieve, I think Kui had a vision for dunmeshi that demanded more detail so she got out of her comfort zone? That's all assumptions tho, either way she's an amazing artist and has been for a long time.

Anyway this is the Ryoko Kui art analysis nobody asked for by an artist that draws like once a year.

Edit: sorry fixed the date it was supposed to be 2014 not 2013

[rabbityshen]

i know it's been brought up how ryoko kui likely knows what autism is based on a past short story in terranium in a drawer, but i also think it's worth pointing out in general that her work shows a good grasp on being disabled.

there's a short story titled "wolves don't lie" in another anthology of hers (seven little sons of the dragon) that's an allegorical but also very literal take on what it means to be disabled with a chronic illness.

(these are pages from a scanalation because I only have the paperback on me, but if there's the official localized version is available, i highly recommend supporting it if you can.)

it's about a young adult named keita who has werewolf syndrome. his mom had become a spokesperson/activist in spreading awareness and info about the condition and the experiences of raising a child with it. meanwhile keita struggles with living an everyday normal life as well as feeling alienated from his mom.

(that page 150 is odd as the official translation i have has him think "she does know me pretty well, doesn't she?" referring to his mom, so im unsure as to which translation is correct)

as a fantasy allegory and short story, it still has its limits, but it's interesting to see how she explores how society tends to let down and stigmatize disabled people, even as they are supported as "respectable" examples that feels very true to real life. having said that though, it's not purely about disability so much as a slight coming of age story about very common parent/child conflict that's through the lens of fantasy and disability.

(and in some ways you can see parallels with izutsumi's blended soul situation.)

as a whole again, i recommend the collection as you can read kui visiting a lot of the same themes that are in delicious in dungeon, even without the core of food and cooking.

[bakedspoonie]

I know everyone is enjoying Ryoko Kui’s delicious in dungeon (rightfully so it’s an excellent work) but I seriously need yall to check out Seven Little Sons of the Dragon a collection of seven stories. It’s so good I’ve cried during several of the stories they’ve hit home with me. Shes really talented and is really good at writing the internal anxieties of everyday life even in a fantastical world. I hope she writes some more short stories they are my favourite story form as they are extremely difficult to do well. Keeping things brief while still building out your world is an impressive skill that doesn’t get as much praise as longer works often get.

[neixins]

mid-year reading wrap-up

most of what i’ve read so far this year’s been…aggressively fine, which is just not that fun or interesting to talk about tbh. however, there have been some delightfully high highs and atrociously low lows that i do wanna talk about!

but first, some stats for any mathematically-minded curious imps in the audience

average rating: 3.15 (i know i'm stingy with my ratings but yikes!)

number of books read: 27 -> 11 novellas, 10 novels, 5 short stories, and 1 nonfiction

i’ve also picked up 26 different manga series and oneshots. some i’ve read start to finish, some i’ve only read a few volumes of (and i plan to continue most).

highlights

mammoths at the gates by nghi vo: it’s no secret that i adore the singing hills cycle and this installment was a poignant tale of grief and memory and change, and it was just as brilliant as the rest of the series.

from far away, vol. 1-14 by hikawa kyoko: a wonderful, gentle story about the power of love, compassion, and community, featuring well-written protagonists who are full of love for each other and the world around them.

on the fox roads by nghi vo: this novelette is free to read on reactor mag (aka tor) so i’m not gonna say anything else except that nghi vo never, ever misses. go read it now!!

seven little sons of the dragon by kui ryoko: i don’t need to tell any of u how talented of a writer and artist kui is but this collection was truly one hit after another

two rogues make a right by cat sebastian: i’ve read only two cat sebastian books so far but she’s quickly become my go-to romance author. she just Delivers romances that will make u giggle and kick your feet! this one is about a guy who whisks his best friend away to the countryside after his chronic illness gets worse and they slowly realize that they’re in love <3

a little light mischief by cat sebastian: an absolutely delightful little novella about a lady’s companion who’s been disowned by her family and the pretty ex-thief maid who’s being very distracting!!

i decided not to include any manga series i’m still reading on the list but frequent visitors to neixins dot tumblr dot edu know how much i adore yona of the dawn, even when it’s trying its hardest to murder me. but u’ve probably heard me ramble about it enough already (and if u haven’t: my tag). and since i’m doing honorable mentions, i’d be remiss not to mention dungeon meshi (read vol 1-5 so far) and natsume’s book of friends (read vol 2).

and another honorable mention goes to the empress of salt and fortune by nghi vo which i’ve reread multiple times in the past few years and it never fails to dazzle me. this time around i listened to the audiobook (narrated by cindy kay, one of my favorite narrators).

boo tomato tomato

nothing but blackened teeth by cassandra khaw: this was more of a disappointment than a book i hated so i feel bad lumping it in with the rest of these but i did buy a physical copy at full price so it gets a mention. this novella’s biggest flaw was that it kept saying that the characters were part of a toxic codependent friend group but they just felt like strangers who didn’t like each other, which made it seem like they were staying in the creepy haunted house just because the plot needed them to, rather than for the reasons they claimed. khaw’s prose is quite unique though so i’m excited to check out the salt grows heavy despite not liking this one.

the woods all black by lee mandelo: i wanted to love this so badly because the themes were so up my alley and i love slowburn horror with an explosive final act. but unfortunately, it was so so bad

love on the other side by nagabe: literally half of this collection included relationships between adults and children (which definitely weren’t platonic/familial like the blurb led me to believe….) and the vileness of those stories was enough to drown out anything good in the rest of the collection. i actually also read two other nagabe works (before this one; if i’d read this first i wouldn’t have bothered). monotone blue would’ve been fine if there hadn’t been an assault scene that got brushed off way too quickly…and the wize wize beasts of the wizarding wizdoms was a mixed bag; some of the stories were just as terrible as love on the other side but “marley & collette” was very sweet, not gonna lie…..

i’ve also had many, many dnf’s which i don’t log, but i simply must give a shoutout (derogatory) to romancing the duke by tessa dare which i had high hopes for and which instead made me read this godawful sequence of words with my own two gay eyes (during pride month no less!): "He was just so near. And so tall. And so commanding. So male. Everything female in her was rallying to the challenge." thanks i hate it……

in conclusion, my hopes for the second half of the year can be boiled down to: save me nghi vo and cat sebastian save meee

[jariten]

All this thinking about one-shot collections last month me made me consider which collections I want to see licensed one day, so I put together a mini wishlist! And remember unlicensed does not always mean untranslated, wink wink. 

I generally think its criminal that none of Fumiko Takano’s works have been licensed but i think Bou ga Ippon would be a good starting point! A bit meatier than her equally acclaimed Kiiroi Hon its a fantastic introduction to Takano’s works and perspective (no, literally, she utilizes some amazing and complicated angles) I just want an english speaking audience to be able to experience it too. Similarly I want to see the super rookie Waka Hirako’s works to continue to make it to english speakers, like her one-shot collection. Tenrai-sama to Ningen no Heso. While it shouldn’t be a surprise that most of the stories are rather dark there’s also the emotional rawness that still seeps through the nihilism, one of my favorite stories was the one she had made in High School. 

And I will continue the Ryoko Kui propaganda. I just want to see her other one-shot collections licensed soooo bad she’s so good at what she does and i think Ryuu no Gakkou wa Yama no Ue would be a good follow up to Seven Little Sons of the Dragon. It compiles a lot of her early works including some that were independently published as doujinshi. I just love her take on fantasy RPG staples and conventions, and the extremely literal take on magical realism. And I just want to see more Moto Hagio! This particular Ruru to Mimi bunko is a special compilation of her early works including her debut piece and other stories done with Nakayoshi. This mesh of her early playful era paired with works that would be representative of her trademark style is a very impeccable curated selection to make you familiar with her early career. 

This is just what I hope to see one distant day, but I also wanna hear what everyone else hopes to see announced one day!

[yenpress]

NEW YORK, NY (5/3/2019) – Yen Press, LLC announced its latest acquisitions today, the first releases of which are all slated for release in November 2019. The new properties include subsequent installments of the yuri anthology ÉCLAIR: A GIRLS’ LOVE ANTHOLOGY THAT RESONATES IN YOUR HEART, a new manga spinoff of BUNGO STRAY DOGS, the manga adaptation of RASCAL DOES NOT DREAM OF BUNNY GIRL SENPAI, a short story manga collection entitled SEVEN LITTLE SONS OF THE DRAGON: A COLLECTION OF SEVEN STORIES, and two new light novel debuts: YOU CALL THAT SERVICE? and THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW.

ÉCLAIR: A GIRLS’ LOVE ANTHOLOGY THAT RESONATES IN YOUR HEART – BLEUE, BLANCHE, and ROUGE by ASCII Media Works. Following the breathtaking anthology ÉCLAIR: A GIRLS’ LOVE ANTHOLOGY THAT RESONATES IN YOUR HEART come three new sets of girls’ love stories: BLEUE, BLANCHE, & ROUGE! Featuring artists like Reine Hibiki, Miman, and more, these girls’ pure feelings will resound in your chest. BLEUE comes to stores everywhere November 2019, BLANCHE in January 2020, and ROUGE during April 2020.

BUNGO STRAY DOGS: ANOTHER STORY, VOL. 1: YUKITO AYATSUJI VS. NATSUHIKO KYOGOKU story by Kafka Asagiri, art by Oyoyo and Sango Harukawa. When a request flies in from the government enlisting the help of Yukito Ayatsuji, a top-ranked skill user and detective notorious for his deadly skill, and Mizuki Tsujimura, a devoted newbie agent from the Special Ability Agency, the unusual duo find themselves with more than just an open-and-shut case on their hands… A must-read spin-off for all fans of the popular BUNGO STRAY DOGS series!

SEVEN LITTLE SONS OF THE DRAGON: A COLLECTION OF SEVEN STORIES by Ryoko Kui. Ryoko Kui, the master storyteller behind the beloved manga series DELICIOUS IN DUNGEON, pens seven brand-new tales that will delight fantasy fans and manga devotees equally. Covering a broad range of themes and time periods, no two stories in this collection are alike!

RASCAL DOES NOT DREAM OF BUNNY GIRL SENPAI,story by Hajime Kamoshida, art by Tsugumi Nanamiya, design by Keeji Mizoguchi. Bunny girls do not live in libraries. This is simply common sense. And yet, that’s exactly where Sakuta runs into one in the wild. More bewildering is who the bunny girl is: Mai Sakurajima, an upperclassman and well-known actress currently taking a break from industry work. Wanting to find out more about the mystery surrounding Mai (and maybe get a little closer to her in the process), Sakuta launches an investigation to figure out what’s making this bunny girl invisible to everyone around them.

YOU CALL THAT SERVICE?, VOL. 1, story by Kisetsu Morita, art by Hiroki Ozaki. When a vampire kingdom suddenly appears within the borders of Japan, a beautiful boy-meets-vampire romantic comedy blooms from the mind of the creator of I’VE BEEN KILLING SLIMES FOR 300 YEARS AND MAXED OUT MY LEVEL! One fateful day, Ryouta wanders into a town that’s been declared sovereign territory by the rulers of the night, and before he can blink, an adorable vampire pounces him. Now his only duty in life is to serve her hand and foot as her minion in the hilarious, romance-filled days to come!

THE EMINENCE IN SHADOW, VOL. 1, story by Daisuke Aizawa, art by Touzai. Shadowbrokers are those who go unnoticed, posing as unremarkable people, when in truth, they control everything from behind the scenes. Sid wants to be someone just like that more than anything, and something as insignificant as boring reality isn’t going to get in his way! He trains in secret every single night, preparing for his eventual rise to power—only to denied his destiny by a run-of-the-mill (yet deadly) traffic accident. But when he wakes up in a another world and suddenly finds himself at the head of an actual secret organization doing battle with evil in the shadows, he’ll finally get a chance to act out all of his delusional fantasies! Coming to stores everywhere digitally and in hardcover November 2019.

[recentanimenews]

Bookshelf Briefs 12/5/19

Anonymous Noise, Vol. 17 | By Ryoko Fukuyama | Viz Media – I had thought this would be a race to the finish, but honestly it’s feeling more like a leisurely victory lap. The single is doing well, Nino is singing duets, Yuzu is finally getting through to his mother after literally taking her on a world tour, and the last of the beta couples finally get together. Oh yes, and Momo has written a new song, one that he really, really wants Nino to sing. The main pairing is still, I suspect, going to be Yuzu and Nino, but this is a nice final threat—after all, this is how the two of them bonded in childhood, as we see in a flashback. The next book is the final one, so however it goes, we’re near the end of the journey. I enjoyed this, though it was never as lights-out as some other shoujo titles. – Sean Gaffney

Blue Morning, Vol. 8 | By Shoko Hidaka | SuBLime – Blue Morning manages to be unique and complicated until the end. Hidaka-sensei does a good job of giving happy endings to side characters, like Akihito’s friend Soichiro, that feel earned rather than sappy, and which initially suggest that Katsuragi really will take Akihito’s offer to accompany him to England for two years of study. In the end, though, Katsuragi has too much that he wants to accomplish in Japan and stays behind. I love that, as much as these guys love each other, they each have aspirations (both personal and on a societal scale) that they cannot abandon. All of this independet effort leads up to an absolutely marvelous final page wherein, without any bits of clunky narration signposting the moment, Akihito and Katsuragi are finally walking side by side as equals. I have really enjoyed this series and see myself rereading it some day. – Michelle Smith

Farewell, My Dear Cramer, Vol. 4 | By Naoshi Arakawa | Kodansha Comics (digital only) – Warabi Seinan’s girls’ soccer team has been working hard and has successfully made it to the finals of the Inter-High preliminaries for their prefecture. They’re up against the reigning champs, who had insufficient intel on just how good Warabi is these days. It’s an intense match, full of girls who passionately love soccer and their appreciation for “friends who really get each other.” This series really has improved a lot since its initial volume. It’s still a little strange that we were introduced to Suo and Soshizaki first, yet the majority of the story continues to focus on their teammate Onda, and it the action is still sometimes a bit hard to follow (it would probably be good if I could conclusively tell which team scored the cliffhanger goal), but it’s hooked me sufficiently enough now that I can heartily recommend it. – Michelle Smith

Hatsu*Haru, Vol. 9 | By Shizuki Fujisawa | Yen Press – Kagura and Tarou finally get their arc. Sadly, it’s easily the dullest part of this volume, and you sense that the author has written four pairs but really only cares about two and a half of them. (Sorry, Miki and Kiyo, you’re the half.) That said, the pairings that do get attention are well-crafted. Ayumi, desperate for a story now that the love lives have cooled down, runs a “hottest guy” poll. The prize is a hot springs trip. Kai, who has been struggling to be more affectionate (read: hugs) with an aloof Riko, decides that he’s going to go all out. But of course Takaya is hot too. And there’s upperclassmen as well, right? Who’s the winner? I won’t spoil, but it’s a very amusing choice, and works well for the plot. Good despite Kagura being boring. – Sean Gaffney

Kino’s Journey: The Beautiful World, Vol. 4 | By Iruka Shiomiya, based on the novels by Keiishi Sigsawa | Vertical Comics – Even when telling a story that has a happy, uplifting climax, the writers of Kino’s Journey just can’t help but do a last-minute twist of the knife. The story of a young women who is resolved to show her airplane can fly is such a story, making you punch the air in happiness until we get the crowd’s reaction to the whole thing, which is… not bad. Sort of the opposite, but unsettling. Also unsettling is a short story about a couple grooming their child for a war he doesn’t want to fight in, and a city that revels in the anti-war paintings of a man who lives outside the city… till they hear why he really paints them, and their reaction destroys him. Kino’s Journey wants you to hate war. It succeeds. – Sean Gaffney

Pandora in the Crimson Shell: Ghost Urn, Vol. 12 | By Shirow Masamune and Rikudou Koushi | Seven Seas – So we still don’t have Vlind’s full name—it seems to be VlindXX XXXX, but we do get a little more about her camera crew, who, like Vlind, are also very reminiscent of another series the artist used to draw back in the day. If they’re meant to be Hyatt and Elgala, then Elgala has shrunk quite a bit, though she still has her snark. Meanwhile, Hyatt has not only gained a lot of height but is also now married to Watanabe, if her last name is any indication. It also talks about her health having been bad and throwing up blood, so it’s not exactly being subtle. As for the rest of the manga, well, when I spend the entire review talking about the cameos on the first page, I think you can guess. – Sean Gaffney

Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories | By Ryoko Kui | Yen Press – I enjoy Kui’s manga series Delicious in Dungeon immensely, so I was looking forward to reading more of the creator’s work a great deal. After finishing Seven Little Sons of the Dragon, I am convinced that I will sincerely love just about anything created by Kui. Collected in this volume are seven stories that, while unrelated, are all fantastic in nature. A couple explicitly feature dragons (as one would perhaps expect from the title) while the remaining feature mermaids, werewolves, local gods, living paintings, and a family with supernatural abilities. The stories range in tone as well, from the comedic to the dramatic (or some combination of the two), but I would describe them all as touching in their own way. Seven Little Sons of the Dragon is a delightful and highly satisfying collection of short manga showcasing some of Kui’s versatility as both an artist and a storyteller. – Ash Brown

Skip Beat!, Vol. 43 | By Yoshiki Nakamura | Viz Media – As suspected, Momo does NOT get the role opposite Kyoko. Fortunately, it’s because the director wants to use her in a different project. Kyoko is devastated, but has other things to worry about, like an attempt on her life. It happens so fast that I had to go back and reread to see how to got to the roof, but the whole scene is terrific. Meanwhile, the main issue with Kyoko and Ren is they’re simply not communicating well—they think that the other person knows what they mean, but it’s always at cross purposes. As a result, Ren’s in the doghouse again. But given that Skip Beat! looks like it might be trying to rival the length of Glass Mask, that’s not really a surprise. If you haven’t read the previous 42 volumes… well, don’t jump on now. But otherwise, absolutely get this. – Sean Gaffney

A Tropical Fish Yearns for Snow, Vol. 1 | By Makoto Hagino | VIZ Media – Konatsu Amano has just moved from Tokyo to a small seaside town and is on her way to her aunt’s house when she’s drawn to an open house at the high school she’ll be attending. The aquarium club has opened to the public, and while looking around, Konatsu meets kind Koyuki Honami, who happens to be the club’s only member. Pretty and with a reputation for being perfect, Koyuki is actually lonely, and Konatsu is able to relate to her (drawing parallels to a story from literature class along the way) and encourage her not to always pretend things are fine when they aren’t. This is a really low-key story so far, but I do really appreciate that each girl has her strengths and weaknesses and that they seem well suited to support each other. I look forward to seeing how things develop! – Michelle Smith

By: Ash Brown

[peerless-cucumber]

The Works of Ryoko Kui: Seven Little Sons of the Dragon

[jariten]

There’s an untranslated series I’m reading that I want to finish before i make a post so I wanted to spotlight some one-shot collections! One-shot collections is maybe what i read the most of in Japanese or at least it feels like it. Unfortunately there’s not a whole lot of them available in english, but let’s look for the ones that are! I’ve always fond one-shot collections to be a great way to familiarize yourself with an author whose work you just met or have known for a long time. You can witness everything from their artistic growth, creativity, and ability to weave an endless amount of new narratives. And I love finding just that one short story that sticks with me. 

Drawn & Quartely have a sizeable collection of works from alternative manga artists from the 60′s-70′s and today I especially want to highlight Red Snow by Susumu Katsumata and The Swamp by Yoshiharu Tsuge. Katsumata’s work in this selection mostly take place in rural and historical settings. Following common people in their daily life but occasionally the mundane is blended with the supernatural as kappa, tanuki, and spirits make their occasional nonchalant appearance. Yoshiharu Tsuge is often placed as one of the key figures in alternative manga and this collection is an interesting mix of historical and contemporary stories of blue collar working class people and broke swordsmen many are mundane or light hearted, and some unexpectedly a little dark.

I’ve said before how I like Naoki Urasawa the best when he leans into the silliness of his work and I got that with Sneeze! Collecting several stories for this recent era of his career that he did for various projects or magazines. Kaiju tourism, mice on the hunt for cake, ESP assassins for hire, diary comics and more is featured. Speaking of diverse themes and stories I will never stop promoting Seven Little Sons of the Dragon by Ryoko Kui until they license the rest of her one-shot collections like when I say I think she’s one of the smartest people working now i really mean it