Doodles by Ryoko Kui: Daydream Hour

by Ryoko Kui, Taylor Engel (translator)

From Ryoko Kui, author of Delicious in Dungeon, comes a lush compilation of artwork drawn over the course of the hit series’ creation! Featuring hundreds of pages of comics, sketches, and full color illustrations, this gorgeous collection will help you discover new sides to your favorite characters as they’re depicted in situations you’ve never seen before! 

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Art, Comics, Fiction

232 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 15, 2024

About the author

九井諒子

Reviews

[Sol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kui's work is so refreshing. It's so awesome to see a variety of body types and face shapes in manga like this. I love the sheer amount of study that goes into her pieces. It really made me want to pick up a pen and do some studies, too!

My two favorite characters from DunMeshi were Kuro and Shuro (I did not intend for my favs to have rhyming names, trust), so I was really happy they got a few cute cameos here and there! I really wanted more of them in the main story! I also thought the different Inutades were adorable, and gained an appreciation for Lycion's design while reading this, too. The Canaries actually weren't characters that stood out to me in particular while I was reading the manga, so seeing all the thought that went into their particular designs and personalities really made me gain a new interest in them!

When I review art books I really like to talk about their value, since I know some people are hesitant to buy (or rather, invest in) what is basically a coffee table book, so here's that part of the review.

I bought this book in person at B&N, and since I'm a premium member, spent about 22$ on it. I expected it to be bigger and flatter like most art books are, but it's surprisingly small and dense (maybe a bit bigger than the standard manga size), with glossy pages and a dust jacket.
Personally, I don't like dust jackets and don't particularly like this book's cover design, but it has some metallic touches that I think are very cute and tasteful! I ended up taking the dust jacket off right away while reading because I didn't like the feel of it. I do wish that this book's dimensions were a bit bigger so I could enjoy the illustrations in a bigger, clearer format, but the colors were very vivid and popped, and the pages' designs were clean and sleek. In particular, I really liked how each page had brief captions rather than full-on paragraphs like some art books do -- it kept the focus on the art, which I really liked. With an art book, I'd like to be able to lay the book flat and look at each picture closely, but I don't think I'd be able to do that with this book -- the spine is a bit tight.

I do think that this book is a tiny bit pricey for what it is, especially with its smallish size. I bought the Witch Hat Atelier art book, which is hardcover and quite a lot bigger in size, for 19$ at the same B&N (though that book's regular price is at 29.99, which is still not much more than this one despite, in my opinion, being the better art book). I think if you're interested in the art of Ryoko Kui and can buy this book for 18$ or less, it's worth it, but 22$ or more is pushing it a little. I liked it, but I wish the format of the book itself gave a bit more justice to Kui's breathtaking works.

[A C · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kui is thoughtful and even her doodles are worth a comb over. This book is fun and enchanting, with an insane range of offerings - from DunMeshi side stories to comics about everyday life, from vibrant beach doodles to thoughtful art studies. Each page is a delight.

[Ruth · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Japanese is no where near fluent but I found some translations online. The absolute joy in this project warms my heart, and this makes me love the project even harder. This is lovely.

[Kelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a genuinely FUN collection of doodles and concept drawings from the author of the much renown “Dungeon Meshi”.

I really enjoyed the variety here and getting to spend more time with not only these characters but with this author’s thoughts on character design. There are some really thoughtful insights throughout this collection on how Ryoko Kui thinks about her craft.

Honestly, I’ll take whatever scraps I can get from this author.

I love her work and think that her art is some of the most distinct and unique in the manga sphere today~

[mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

se me había olvidado que había dejado esto a medias!!! me ha parecido chulisimo porque a parte de tener distintos dibujines variados (incluso hay dibus que hacía antes de dm), hay tela de comiquines contando un montón de situaciones cotidianas que te amplían el desarrollo de personaje. es una lectura tope comfy y divertida, si te gusta dungeon meshi yo creo que es un indispensable para quedarte con el corazón calentito <3

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing

[thi · Rating 5 out of 5]

joy on paper

[isaa✩ · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 estrellas
Me encantó el anime de Dungeon Meshi (Tragones y Mazmorras) y tenía que pillarme este libro, y el veredicto final es que no ha decepcionado, incluso diría que es uno de los artbooks más completos que he visto.

Si os gusta el concept art, este libro os va a fascinar: explora a fondo los diseños de los personajes, desde bocetos iniciales hasta versiones alternativas, con anotaciones que revelan el proceso creativo. Además, incluye trivia y pequeñas historias que dan más profundidad al elenco.

Para fans del anime o del manga, lo recomiendo mucho: no solo es una delicia visual, sino también una ventana al mundo de Ryoko Rui.

[Swissy Cheesey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I LOVE DAYDREAM HOUR!! Ryoko Kui is actually so good at sketching and literally everything like ong

[Ghislaine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and interesting. I really loved seeing a glimpse of things that could have been, and I just adored spending some more time with these characters after reading the manga.

[Maia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This sketchbook contains selections from 13 years of doodles and short comics drawn by Ryoko Kui while working on her delightful comic series Delicious in Dungeons. I love looking through artist's sketchbooks and this was no exception. I loved seeing her characters in various costumes, switched to different fantasy races, given different haircuts, and in different AU settings. It made me hope I can one day create a cast of characters I love so much and find joy in drawing over and over. These drawings feel fresh and exploratory, drawings made for the joy of them or to solve a problem or question. It took me three sittings to look through the whole book and I think I will definitely return to it over time. One particular delight was a secret Santa gift exchange in which the author picked what kind of gift each character would give, then did a random draw to see who would receive each gift and drew their response to receiving it. Such a fun idea!

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

So cool to get in the mind of Ryoko Kui, master manga artist! She did so much world building and exploration with her characters, envisioning them in various environments, different outfits, unique interactions. Really impressed with the concepts. I wish it went more in depth on the inspiration of the story, how she designed the characters originally, her relationship with cooking and food, etc. Fun read!

[Ani Martinez · Rating 5 out of 5]

A compilation of Delicious in Dungeon artwork ft. hundreds of pages of comics, sketches, and full color illustrations.

I absolutely loved seein her experimentation of drawing her characters & I like how there's a few blobs of information so you can understand some of the doodle concepts.

Overall, this was such an interesting compilation and it definitely made me curious enough to start reading/watching & appreciate Delicious in Dungeon.

[Sam Rabideau · Rating 5 out of 5]

ryoko kui is the gold standard for how much you should care about your fantasy settings, as she dares to ask the questions of: what is this background character's makeup routine? what would they buy for a white elephant gift exchange?

also, this book helped me find love.
if you're a delicious in dungeon fan, get this.

[John Maglis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a lovely addition to my Delicious in Dungeon collection, offering a look into Ryoko Kui’s mind when making this amazing series, loved seeing all the different sketches and drawings she did ranging from the cast dressed in Santa costumes or for Halloween to what could have been a darker ending for the manga’s protagonist. It’s a worthy addition to the series.

[Laura AP · Rating 4 out of 5]

uma graça, amei ver o compilado dela explorando os formatos diferentes dos personagens pra não ficar igual todos os shonen com todo mundo no mesmo formato kkkk pisa nesses homens do ramo!!!

só não é 5 estrelas pq faltou o desenho dos elfos de RPG que ela fez falando mal horrores do astarion mas com um solas gigante no meio da página

[Clara Limón · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviamente fan service de manual, é un recopilatorio de debuxos extra da autora, pero é que escribe con tanta ledicia esta muller. Unha pena que a traducción sexa un pouco cutre, supoño porque é moi difícil traducir pequenas anotacións en xaponés e que sonen ben en castelán. Anyways i need to track down her whole bibliography

[Cait · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not only a parting glimpse into the imaginative world of Delicious in Dungeon, but a peek into Ryoko Kui's process, and a snapshot of her creative mind roaming free. This sketch collection is an absolute love letter to drawing and world-building and the inspiration just radiates from the pages. I can see myself returning to this one often just to soak up the positive artistic energy.

[Rose Burr · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an artist myself, Kui's doodles and commentary in Daydream hour is inspiring. Of course, her art is amazing as it normally is and her quick blurbs provide just enough insight into who she is as an artist!

[OTTER. · Rating 5 out of 5]

¡ADORO ESTE LIBRO! No he parado de leerlo una y otra vez desde que lo compre, amo cada una de las páginas. Ver este libro hasta me quitó el art block en su momento de lo bellas que eran las ilustraciones, a cualquiera le apetecería volver a dibujar viendo esto <3

[Ryofire · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's so wonderful we finally get this in English, and it's so fun to see all of Kui-sensei's thoughts, and all the extra art and comics. This is wonderful.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun comics and doodles! I really enjoyed this one even if I haven't read/seen the series further than the very early bits.

[Ethan]

Page 90, illustration 102. I’m sorry Laios, I wasn’t familiar with your game

[Loz · Rating 5 out of 5]

love a look into the literal random drawings of such a skilled and thoughtful artist!

[Soren · Rating 4 out of 5]

cute art

[rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

un montonazo de informacion y procesos!!! magiquisimo me encantó <3

[Willa Black · Rating 5 out of 5]

Genuinely such a wonderful insight into Ryoko Kui’s creative process and the characters of Dungeon Meshi

[Nick :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

A really lovely glimpse behind the curtain at Dungeon Meshi but also an excuse for Ryoko Kui to write autobiographically - which she should do more often!

[Therese A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

God I love her art style

[Stef · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanta cuando los artistas simplemente hacen silly little bocetos y se divierten con sus personajes 😭🫶