Delicious in Dungeon is far and away one of the most refreshing pieces of fantasy media to ever grace anime. While much of its mass appeal is owed to Studio Trigger’s sumptuous adaptation, a core ingredient of its success is creator Ryoko Kui, who all but channels shower thoughts one might have while playing a role-playing game into a wacky, eldritch, dungeon-crawling gourmet manga rich with diverse character designs and world-building.
But what happens to all the thoughts from her brilliant brain that don’t make it to the page? Allow me to introduce you to Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour, an art book that doubles as a bible for your future Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
Mangaka explaining how the proverbial sausage is made isn’t new. In fact, JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure‘s own Hirohiko Araki has penned two books on manga theory and practice, written expressly to craft compelling stories and characters. While his “textbooks” are geared toward readers’ logical left brains, Kui’s art book reads like a visual feast—an omakase for the creative right-brained folks among us to marvel at and be enlightened by.
As its name suggests, Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour isn’t a high-concept essay—it’s a compilation of illustrations she drew in her free time while writing the manga. It’s something to keep on a coffee table, as I have in my own home. It’s also something I return to whenever I’m in dire need of a moment of zen that can only be found by losing track of time, gawking at Kui’s collection of full-color illustrations of her diverse ensemble getting up to shenanigans not depicted in either the manga or the anime.
Of course, nestled in the book are oodles of slice-of-life pages dedicated to best (cat) girl Izutsumi, whom Kui reveals she designed far before she ever planned writing the manga, knowing full well she’d fold her mischief and the adventurer’s madcap dynamic. As such, Kui regales readers with pages depicting Izutsumi as the human embodiment of a cat, ranking which of her fellow adventurers are the best cuddlers, her fickle threshold for pets, how she’d wear a face mask, and how she is not immune to a fishing rod toy.
Another of my favorite hallmarks of Kui’s book of doodles is her meticulous attention to detail in crafting subtle distinctions among the series’ assortment of fantasy races, ranging from tall-men, half-foots, dwarfs, elves, gnomes, orcs, ogres, and kobolds. She even expanded on the idea of the changeling episode, reimagining what her cast would look like if they were from different races (with or without a cunty bob) in a neat little grid.
Whenever I flip through the pages of Daydream Hour, I can’t help but feel giddy reading Kui’s accompanying blurbs because I can practically feel her excitement of handily explaining her creative process and how she herself gets lost in the sauce, fantasizing about how her characters get on when they aren’t main quest-lining their adventure. Like, girly, you don’t have to feel embarrassed like you’re sharing fanfiction. They’re your characters! I’m sat, regardless.
And that’s the real magic of Daydream Hour: it’s a sketch book that feels like a sleepover conversation with your bestie after asking, “Are you awake?” before spending countless hours yapping about your hyperfixations. What’s more, and arguably my favorite part of the book, is its wealth of depictions of diverse body types and dark-skinned characters (Hello, Ms. Cithis). Seeing drawings of characters’ morning routines, from Cithis putting on makeup and Thistle styling his hair to Laios’ propensity for hugs and shaving so as not to look like his father, is mesmerizing to witness.
Whether you’re in dire need of an alternative to rereading or rewatching Delicious in Dungeon for the umpteenth time ahead of its second season (currently in production), some D&D character inspo, or just enjoy skimming cool fantasy illustrations, you can cop Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour at Yen Press.
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