Sonia Leong and her influence in manga art
By Marie Touray

Her sensational work inspires many, from being featured in Doctor Who books to the Netflix show ”Flowers” and countless comics. 

“I felt like I hadn’t experienced as much pushback or opposition as I would have done had I been working in a different field. That said, there are still fewer women than men in the comics industry as a whole, and there are still some outdated views from fans and colleagues over what women are capable of drawing and writing,” says Sonia.

Sonia, born in Malaysia and in Thailand before living in the UK, has an extensive portfolio of artwork which epitomises the powerful cultural intricacies of manga art.

“Culturally, misogyny and racism are back on the rise as a backlash to the more inclusive stories coming out. My response to that is to dismiss such nonsense, continue creating work with diverse characters, making art/stories that make me and my fans happy, and calling out bad behaviour from fans or other creators when I see it.”

I have noticed more diverse body types, eye shapes, skin colours, and hair textures. I think as manga has become more popular around the world, Manga artists have become more skilled at portraying people from different backgrounds, too,” says Sonia.

“Ultimately, I’ve always wanted to design characters that my readers fall in love with. To do that, they can’t just look pretty; they need great stories and interesting settings.

“I like having a bit of artistic license to style them in different ways, which was why I fell in love with Manga in the first place – it’s the perfect mix of gorgeousness with just enough realism to make it work; you can really take your time with the layouts to portray those feelings and emotions,” she says.

Her reach has been widespread as she has spoken globally at the British Museum, numerous festivals, and several comic book conventions.

Her vibrant artwork has also been showcased in numerous museums and venues, such as London County Hall and the Kyoto International Manga Museum.

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