Every once in a while, when I’m browsing Kickstarter, I see a project that just stands out from all the others around it. Xinillus’s Seven Tails: Kingdom of Mermaids is one of those projects. It’s a 136-page manga in full color and is shockingly the first solo project of Xinillus. The art is an obvious standout, blending Eastern and Western styles to create art that feels like a blend of Peach Momoko and Anand RK. Beyond that, though, it’s an anthology series with mermaids, all of them featuring unique designs based on different aquatic creatures (with Mecha Mermaid being a notable exception).
It’s the kind of project you want to sing the praises of, and to that end I reached out to Xinillus, who was kind enough to get on a video call with me to talk about everything surrounding their debut project: the history of how it was made, its breakout success on Kickstarter, and what this project means to them.
The History
Though 2019 was the real start of this project, to understand the “why” of Seven Tails, we actually need to go back further. Born in Wuhan, China, Xinillus struggled throughout their childhood. Between bullying and a big move to Shanghai when they were six, Xinillus was in desperate need of an oasis, a place they could feel comfortable when everything else was uneasy.
“I felt like I was being saved by manga and anime. Back then it was Digimon that inspired me,” they said, “It’s the whole spirit of hope and love and just like friendship and don’t give up.”
It’s a philosophy that never really left Xinillus, even if it struggled to hold up in the modern times. “Shonen manga has a lot about just fighting, getting better, becoming number one in the world,” Xinillus said, “But then these days we’re facing so much conflict […] It’s not black and white.”
Though so much of their inspiration came from anime and manga, the bulk of Xinillus’s work is as an illustrator, creating prints and doing commissions. Xinillus would do the convention circuit, make friends with other artists, and build up a solid following through social media and Twitch streams which is where Seven Tails first really got going.
Doing a challenge called “mermay,” Xinillus made the first illustrations that would later become their protagonists. At the time, however, they were surprised to see the degree to which people enjoyed the pieces.
“I printed them for conventions because I’m like, maybe people will like it,” they said, “And I realized — actually people fall for that more than for my fan art.” This support continued to grow from both fans and fellow artists, but one question kept coming up: “Do you have a story behind those characters?”
Writing the Story
Writing Seven Tails was slow going. Though the first story would be written by 2021, there were always other projects getting in the way. Xinillus was already an artist on a webtoon called Kinfire (written by frequent collaborator Brandon Chen) which took up a good chunk of the day, and then later on they would join VIZ media to do art for an unreleased manga. It was hard to make room for a passion project that didn’t have a publisher behind it.
“I think I worked from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, five days a week,” they said, “And that was for almost a year.”
Nonetheless, Xinillus persisted, and as they worked the project evolved beyond the cool mermaid designs. “I was treating this as an experiment project because I was like […] I want freedom,” they said, “I want to, you know, try to make this project happen. But I know I don’t have much time. I want to make it small. So I decided to just write it kind of like five, three to five pages at a time.”
It’s through these increments of three to five pages that the 136 page anthology was built. Then came the hard part: funding and distribution. Though Xinillus already had an existing relationship with a publisher by this point, it was important for them to follow through with this independently.
“I need to see if it’s going to work out with Kickstarter,” they said, “To prove that I can make it, and right now it’s a good trend.”
Xinillus is being modest here. The project had a goal of $7,950, with the total budget of the book being $16k. Xinillus was willing and prepared to cover almost 60% of that budget, but at the time of writing, the Kickstarter has brought in just over 16k – just enough to fully fund the project.
What is Seven Tails: Kingdom of Mermaids?
I know, I know. This is pretty late to be bringing up the actual premise of the story, but after talking with Xinillus, I couldn’t help but feel like it was necessary. Xinillus is this story. Their history and their philosophy make up the core tenets of the story.
The book itself is an anthology, telling multiple stories each following different mermaids based on different sea creatures ranging from eels to lionfish, but the story the whole book is trying to tell is bigger than any one of its individual parts. Seven Tails is not just a singular narrative, but a fully realized world filled with conflict and inequality.
However, the story doesn’t revel in despair. Though the modern world is more complicated than the manga that inspired Xinillus as a kid, the philosophy that inspired them shines through. “I just want to show a reflection of the current world and through some stories, maybe we can see humanity’s weakness, some hope, see some friendship.”
What’s Next?
For now, Xinillus seems finished with the Kingdom of Mermaids, though they do encourage others to run with the world (provided you give them credit for the original story, of course). “I wish everybody to use their imagination and maybe piece together some puzzle,” they said, “And I don’t know if they want to draw more mermaids or continue the story themselves.”
Outside of the deep sea, Xinillus already has more projects in mind. “The next one is going to be about pagan spirituality and also about peace and love too,” they excitedly tell me, “It’s going to be like 60 page-ish, black and white. I do have a super big long one that I’ve been writing for years.”
Most importantly, if you’re reading this before May 28th, the project is still up! It’s more than worth the price, complete with a hardcover and even a zine. By now I’m sure you know that Xinillus is a creator worth supporting. With this project looking as great as it is with more on the horizon, I advise getting in on the ground floor as soon as you can, and be sure to follow Xinillus on their socials to see when they drop more.
