Ryoko Kui

Ryoko Kui (九井諒子) is a Japanese manga artist. She is best known for her manga series Delicious in Dungeon (2014–2023), serialized in Enterbrain's seinen manga magazine Harta, as well as her work Terrarium in Drawer, winning the Excellence Award in the Manga Division at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival.

Biography
Kui posted her early works on Pixiv and COMITIA before making her official debut as a manga artist in March 2011 with her short story collection Ryuu no Gakkou wa Yama no Ue Kui Ryouko Works (竜の学校は山の上 九井諒子作品集). Prior to this, she published a webcomic on her personal blog named UORIR: Amble (UORIR: アンブル編 (UORIR: Anburu-hen)) which ran from 2008–2012.

In 2013, Kui won the Excellence Award in the Manga Division at the 17th Japan Media Arts Festival for her work Terrarium in Drawer. Her 2014 work, Delicious in Dungeon was published in the magazine Harta and received the 2015 Comic Natalie award, the 2016 Kono Manga ga Sugoi!, the 2016 Kono Manga wo Yome!, and the 2016 Zenkoku-sho ten'in ga eranda osusume komikku. Delicious in Dungeon received an anime adaptation in 2024, with Kui noted as being "very involved" with its production.

Style
Kui's style is noted for its portrayal of reality and fantasy with her unique point of view. Megumi Sakamoto writing for Comic Natalie described her characteristic style as embodying "unnaturalness" (違和感). Kui was noted in an interview with Comic Natalie to have an affinity with dragons, and has had dragons featured in several of her works.

Prior to Delicious in Dungeon, Kui read The Neverending Story and The Lord of the Rings, as well as researching the rulebooks of Dungeons & Dragons after having seen it arise several times for her research prior to the manga's serialization. Kui is a noted fan of computer role-playing games, having previously drawn fan art for Baldur's Gate, Baldur's Gate II: Shadows of Amn, Baldur's Gate 3, Pathfinder: Kingmaker, Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, and Planescape: Torment. As a child, she observed her father play Wizardry on the Famicom, as well as Dragon Quest, Ultima, and Fire Emblem. Kui cited Wizardry VI: Bane of the Cosmic Forge as one of the primary inspirations for Delicious in Dungeon.

Manga

 * Ryuu no Gakkou wa Yama no Ue Kui Ryouko Works (竜の学校は山の上 九井諒子作品集) ISBN 978-4-78-160545-6
 * Seven Little Sons of the Dragon: A Collection of Seven Stories (九井諒子作品集 竜のかわいい七つの子) ISBN 978-4-04-728408-1
 * Terrarium in Drawer (ひきだしにテラリウム) ISBN 978-4-78-160948-5
 * Delicious in Dungeon (ダンジョン飯)

Art books

 * Daydream Hour, in Harta Vol. 37, August 12, 2016, ISBN 9784047341241
 * Daydream Hour 2, in Harta Vol. 41, August 15, 2017, ISBN 9784047341289
 * Daydream Hour 3, in Harta Vol. 74, May 15, 2020, ISBN 9784047361218
 * Daydream Hour 4, in Harta Vol. 81, February 15, 2021, ISBN 9784047361287
 * Daydream Hour 5, in Harta Vol. 96, August 12, 2022, ISBN 9784047370562
 * Ryoko Kui Rakugaki Hon Daydream Hour, ISBN 9784047376465