Her character designs are comic or cute as needed, but they don’t have much to distinguish them. Regarding illustrations, Kui-sensei is sparing with screentones, so there’s a lot of black/white contrast.
While the conclusion of Byakuroku’s story is best described as bittersweet, the remaining six stories have hopeful or funny endings. As for Byakuroku, he is forced to reevaluate assumptions he’s made in life. Characters in “My God,” “Wolves Don’t Lie,” and “The Inutanis” struggle with identity and their place in the world. In “The Dragon Turret,” “The Mermaid Refuge,” and “‘My Child is Precious,’ Cries the Dragon,” people at odds find common ground. The volume wraps up on a light note with “The Inutanis,” a murder mystery parody featuring a family with supernatural powers.Īlthough the settings and tone vary within the collection, each story is thought-provoking in its own way. Then the mood darkens with “‘My Child is Precious,’ Cries the Dragon,” a tale of revenge set in ancient China. The fifth story, “Byakuroku the Penniless,” is a comedy set in feudal Japan about an elderly artist’s misadventures with paintings that spring to life. Next is “Wolves Don’t Lie,” about a young man struggling with a genetic syndrome that causes him to transform into a wolf every month. That’s followed by “My God,” a somewhat amusing tale about a displaced fish deity and an elementary school girl stressed out about entrance exams. The second, “The Mermaid Refuge,” is also about prejudices, but the groups involved are mermaids and modern Japanese folk. The first story, “The Dragon Turret,” does contain dragons (four in fact), but it’s less about the dragons and more about the prejudices of two medieval groups warring nearby.
I’m not sure why she titled it Seven Little Sons of the Dragon, but the only thing they hold in common is they all contain an element of fantasy. The seven stories are completely unrelated, and only half feature dragons. The title might lead you to believe that these stories are somehow connected or share a dragon theme. Judging from this collection though, she’s capable of covering a wide range of themes and time periods. As such, I cannot make comparisons to her other works. This is my first time reading Ryoko Kui’s work. Covering a broad range of themes and time periods, no two stories in this collection are alike! The Review 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.
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