In the last few years, online comic platforms have made an incredible impact on the Yuri fandom, Comics from Japan, Korea, Thailand, China and the Philippines have all made huge impressions on fans worldwide through Webtoons, Lezhin, Pixiv and other platforms. Among these popular Yuri comics is Mage & Demon Queen by Color-LES (Kuru).

Mage & Demon Queen is action-comedy-romance story in RPG fashion. Young, but powerful, mage Mallori keeps attacking the Demon Queen’s tower, because only by defeating the Demon Queen can she become the Queen’s lover.  MDQ has been among the top comics on the Webtoons platform in the Fantasy category and overall and today

Today, I am thrilled to bring you an interview with Mage & Demon Queen creator Color_LES (Kuru)! Please give her a warm Okazu welcome. ^_^

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O: You’ve been drawing Yuri manga style comics for some years now. I remember coming across World Canvas back in 2015. Can you tell us about how you got into drawing Yuri? What was your “first”? ^_^
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CL: It was a high school classmate who introduced me to Yuri. We were casually talking about anime, and when I asked her if she knows what Yaoi is, she said, “Yuri is better!”

I had no idea what Yuri was, so she told me that I should look it up online.

…And so, I did. What turned up in the search results stunned me! Girls liking girls? That hits close to home. I was so perturbed by my discovery that I had dreamt of Yuri that night. When I woke up, I knew I was already hooked. LOL

My first Yuri was Kannazuki no Miko. I relied on what’s available in Youtube for my Yuri fix. Strawberry Panic was also there, but I preferred KnM for its action and fantasy elements. I grew up watching Shounen anime with my brothers, so it’s what had appealed to me.

At that time, I had never imagined that I’d end up drawing Yuri for a living. I’ve always aspired to be a manga artist, but I didn’t give much thought as to what genre I’d focus on. I just wanted to create something “cool” that’d be a huge hit, like Naruto and other Shonen Jump titles. When my fascination for Yuri grew however, I did want to draw Yuri— but I was held back by my fear of being outed as a lesbian.

In 2013, Black Ink Comics, a local publisher, wanted some manga-style romance. I saw this as the opportunity to be the first to publish a Boys’ Love manga in my country (it had less of a risk of me being outed than Girls’ Love), but when I asked if they accept same-sex romance stories, they said they weren’t ready for those. The year after that, Black Ink released their first BL comic, which was a shock, to say the least. While I was upset that the chance to publish BL had slipped past me, it also dawned on me that they’d probably accept GL stories as well. I was still scared of being outed, but I went through with it anyway and that’s how World Canvas, my first Yuri comic, came to be.

I came out a few months after my book did, and the support I’ve gotten is absolutely heartwarming. I’m able to create what I love now and looking back at what I did, I’m happy.

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O: We’re happy, too. For you and for us! Let’s talk about Mage and Demon Queen. It’s been a big hit since it launched on LINE Webtoons officially in 2018. I know *I’m* a big fan because it’s such a fun spin on an RPG. ^_^ What were some of the things the story has done that you didn’t expect?
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CL:This sounds grim, but I didn’t expect it to make me physically ill. I knew doing a weekly series would be stressful, but I didn’t think that it would reach the point of making me sick. It was sure a learning experience, but I’m taking care of myself now and I’ve learned delegate some of the work to others. I want to be able to continue making comics for a long time, after all.

Besides that, the comic brought me many good and unexpected things, too! I was happy that it got an official Webtoon translation in French and Spanish. And It helped me catch the attention of people I admire and respect. Doing this interview is also something I’ve never would’ve expected, haha.  

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O: That’s definitely part of the journey, knowing what to let go of. What’s your process? How long does it take you to drawn an issue?
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CL: It takes me 5-6 days to finish an episode. I start with a storyboard, then I have my proofreader/editor check the dialogue. When they’re done checking, I update the story with the corrections and start sketching. I pass the panels for my assistants to line, color and add the backgrounds. The comic is then put together, and I edit and add the finishing touches.

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O: What’s different about working on a LINE Webtoon than drawing for a book, like WORLD Canvas?
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Unlike finishing a one-shot book wherein you can rest for months to come, In Webtoon, the battle goes on even after finishing an episode because the story has to continually update every week till it reaches the end. Doing a webtoon is more challenging, but I also find it more fun. I worked solo on books, but I have people to work with in Webtoon. Working with them and seeing our readers’ reactions on the episodes we put out are what I enjoy most.

( Every interview, I ask folks to put the question they want to be asked here. ^_^ This one was unexpected!)

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Q: Thank you for your hard work. Should we pamper you?

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CL: Yes.

Okay, we’ll try! ^_^

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O: What has changed for you, personally, with the popularity of Mage and Demon Queen?
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CL: I’ve gained more confidence in creating Yuri stories. I’ve always thought that Yuri was too niche to be the focus of my career, but the success of Mage & Demon Queen helped me achieve financial stability. It also gave me a chance to help other artists by employing them. I am truly thankful to Webtoon for giving me the opportunity to work with them, and to my readers who have been extremely supportive.

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O: What creative work has inspired you, personally and artistically? Are there any games, VNs, comics, animation that has informed your work on MDQ?
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CL: I was inspired by many things! Here are some of them:

Anime/Comics: Hayate x Blade, Tamen de Gushi, Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid, Many Isekai series

Games: Tales of (series by Konami), Fate/GO, Disgaea, Ragnarok

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O: What does the future hold for COLOR_LES?
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CL: There are many possibilities. I could create another Yuri comic in Webtoon after I’ve finished Mage & Demon Queen, or I could take a chance on a different webcomic platform. If anyone asked me to create a Yuri game with them, I may take it if the offer is good. Whatever it is, I’m sure it will still be Yuri.

Thank you very much for your time today! You can follow Color_Les (Kuru) on Patreon, Facebook, Twitter and of course, Webtoons, where we both hope you’ll read Mage & Demon Queen!

If you enjoyed this interview and would like to see more, please support Okazu on Patreon!