AKATSUKI NO YONA

DESCRIPTION

CAST

MANGA ActionAkatsuki no Yona
OVA ActionAkatsuki no Yona OVA

REVIEWS

• 

  Juliko25

  94/100
  Want a harem that doesn't suck? Here's one that you'll definitely love!

  Cartoons with strong female characters (and strong as in well-written, not emotionless fighters who do nothing but kill people and look cool) were a rarity back in the old days. But now, more and more of them are popping up, all of them being well received. When I was young and discovering the true nature of anime, I was amazed by anime's boldness in wanting to show things that most American cartoons wouldn't dare touch. Even the kids shows were mature and sophisticated, and that really appealed to me. As I expanded my anime repertoire, I began to learn more and more about Japan's standards on cartoons, and I eventually came to a realization why I love anime so much: the Japanese do so much more with animation rather than just limit it to kids shows or gross-out adult comedies, from horror and love stories to questioning humanity and the progress humanity has made over the years. I even took some classes on Japan and how circumstances such as World War II and the various earthquakes it had influenced many anime we know and love, from the old ones to the contemporary anime of today. However, the growing cynic in me is aware of the anime industry's gravitation toward bad harem moe wish fulfillment anime and catering to otaku rather than telling ambitious, passionate stories full of heart that everyone can love. But not all hope is lost, as there are still quality anime that pop out in modern times. One of those anime is Yona of the Dawn. Seriously, where has this been all my life?! It makes me feel like I'm 12 years old again, discovering the true nature of anime for the very first time, TEN years after the fact!

  Yona is a lovely princess who lives a wonderful, pampered life in the Hiryuu Castle, nestled deep in the Empire of Kouka, with her father, King Il, her childhood friend whom she bickers with, Hak, and her cousin, Su-Won, whom she has a crush on. Her life is perfect and she doesn't have a care in the world, and wishes to marry Su-Won, but her father is against it. However, on a dark, stormy night, she is horrified as Su-Won, her beloved cousin, kills her father in cold blood and drives her and Hak out of the castle. With the help of some friends, she and Hak manage to escape death and Yona learns that in order to survive in this world, she have a lot to learn and a lot of growing up to do, and she can't afford to sit around and cry and cling to Hak all the time. A priest and his apprentice tell her and Hak about the Four Dragons who can help her take back her kingdom. With courage in her heart, Yona and friends set off to find the reincarnations of the four dragons with intent to save the Kouka Empire and reclaim her beloved home.

  With a premise like this, it's no wonder a lot of people would be intrigued. Princesses have gained a bit of a bad reputation in the Western world, as they're usually portrayed as useless, shallow damsels in distress who love tea parties and dressing up, giggling over nothing, gush over marrying their prince charmings, and pretty much do nothing of importance to anyone or anything. When bad things happen, they're usually shown to just submit to it and wait for someone to rescue them, such examples being Sleeping Beauty and Snow White. But the death of Yona's father isn't the cue for someone to come and save her, even though it does. It's the start of her journey to become strong and more worldly. Simply put, in this story, Yona refuses to be the victim. She strives to become, and eventually does become, a hero. It shows us that the problems with most shows about princesses nowadays aren't princesses themselves, but rather what we, as a society, have done to them and reduced them to. Society sees princesses as damsels in distress who cannot be put on the same level as others. But Akatsuki no Yona takes that notion and smashes it into smithereens, though not without a few jabs at the concept every now and again, especially with how some of the characters treat her, especially Kija and Yun.

  Now for the technical stuff: first, the animation. It's bright, colorful, sharp, sleek, and looks quite good. The battle choreography is pretty good for the most part, the movements are reasonably fluid, the colors change depending on the atmosphere, befitting certain moments, and everything looks great. Usually, when the show wants to do comedy, they turn the characters into chibi-fied versions of themselves, probably for purposes of cuteness and hilarity, and it works pretty well here. I've heard some people say that they go a bit too far with this in that they insert these random moments in dead serious scenes as well, but I honestly had no problem with it. I think they're thrown in there so viewers can properly digest the dark and serious moments as well so it makes the scenes come off as less depressing or serious. I mean, obviously we have to show the characters in fun, happy situations before they're thrown into conflict and see what they're really like so we can have the chance to care about their struggles, right?

  The music is another thing that really makes the show stand out. Since the show takes a lot of cues from ancient China and Korea, the music has a very distinct Eastern sound to it, from erhu sounds to other Eastern instruments I don't have names for. But every piece of music in the show works: whether it's a fun happy piece during a comedic moment or a roaring, bombastic violin during an epic battle scene, or soft erhus during the sad moments, every piece of music fits their intended scene, and it knows when to be subtle and when to pull out the stops. The music almost sounds a lot like Avatar: The Last Airbender, and they share a lot of commonalities, both in their music, premise, settings, and adventure-esque stories. You can tell the composer for this series is a very ambitious one, intent on bringing the show to life with his music, and if you ask me, he gets an A+. Both the opening and ending themes are very good as well, fitting the show's themes and atmosphere. I hear some say the second opening is a bit too J-poppy for such an Eastern-looking show, but while the music may not fit, the lyrics fit the show as it centers on Yona growing as a person and learning to survive in a harsh world.

  The characters are easily what make the show. They may seem like typical reverse harem stereotypes, but in this show, they are actually given depth and turn out to be so much more! But the show really excels in Yona's development. All throughout the show, she evolves from a spoiled, helpless, selfish, shallow princess to a strong, worldly, mature, and more open-minded young woman who is just trying to survive in the world, while still remaining vulnerable. Her friends and the Four Dragons get just as much personality and development within these 25 episodes. Shin-Ah is the silent, quiet type who is troubled by his tragic past, but is kind, sweet, and caring and helps his friends no matter what, and isn't a typical angsty lone wolf who hates everyone. Kija is a pompous rich kid who tries to do what he's been raised to do his whole life but doesn't always succeed, and often tries to push his ideas on others, but its called out, treated as a genuine character flaw, and it never comes off as mean-spirited, and he genuinely does care for his friends despite having lived a sheltered, pampered life. Yun is basically the glue that holds the group together, doing all the cooking, sewing, and anything that doesn't involve fighting, but even he isn't a damsel in distress. Every character, sans one who appears at the end, contributes something to the show and they're all very three-dimensional, showing lots of sides to them that most reverse harems don't even try to do these days. I love them all, even the villain and the skirt-chasing womanizer! Even side characters get some personality and focus!

  However, as much as I praise this show and love it and want more people to see it, it does have a very very big flaw. The anime is an adaptation of a long running manga that's still ongoing as we speak, and the show stops as soon as it introduces one character who NEVER APPEARS UNTIL THAT FINAL EPISODE. Basically, the anime really isn't much more than a commercial for the manga. But hot dang, is it a GREAT commercial for a manga! Seriously, if FUNimation ever dubs the rest of it, they should have Toonami air this, as this would probably become really popular here in the US if treated right, as shows like this need to be made!

  A wonderful, compelling show with great characters and a riveting story to tell, even in spite of its constraints. I highly recommend it!

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• 

  FightingGakusei

  95/100
  An underrated anime that deserves more attention! (Are there any more seasons coming up? -Discussion)

  For those that have watched this and now read the manga: do you know if more episodes will follow? I mean they can gladly make 2 more seasons of 24 episodes each so why aren't they doing it? They could make at least an extra OVA for us. ?

  For those that haven't watched this: if you want to watch a harem different from all the rest, then give it a shot. The animation is very good and the story amazing. The music matches perfectly the background. You may hate Yona at first but her character changes dramatically after a few episodes. There is a strong female lead just in case you are interested in this. No, it's not your classic romantic story where the prince in shining armor is a dude with an attitude. I know some people that didn't like her at first dropped the anime because of it. DON'T DO IT! Also, there is a lot of action with fights and blood (hell yeah). The characters are pretty funny, especially Hak. ? It has an OVA which is just as good. (The OVA has a plot. It's not just fan-made. It shows some stories from the Dragons.) The balance between comedy and drama is awesome. There are serious moments, funny moments and sad moments all of which will get through you. If you want to know what happens afterwards then continue reading the manga from chapter 42. The story becomes better and better and in my opinion they should have released more episodes of this. Even though it's underrated, it's definitely one of my favorites! ?

  Tip: Make sure you watch the anime first and then read the manga.If you do opposites you will get bored because the first 2-3 episodes may seem like a copy from the manga. After that it settles.

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• 

  Alicemagic18

  97/100
  A journey of a spoiled brat princess was turned into a ferocious warrior as she embarks on a cruel and brutal world.

  We all know that the shoujo demographic is known for its lighthearted and cute romcoms and SOL. It's more like a candy magazine and full of pinkish color. There were lighthearted romcoms like Maid-sama, Special, A, etc. that will make you laugh. There were also complex doramance or drama romances like Nana, Fruits Basket, Natsume Book of Friends, etc. And there was a thrilling action like Banana Fish, which I couldn't believe. But it's to have like that kind of stories in shoujo magazine, and Akatsuki no Yona is one of them.

  Akatsuki no Yona is an action-adventure, fantasy, historical romance show, produced by Pierrot, known for its famous titles like Tokyo Ghoul, Naruto, Black Clover, etc. and it was based on the manga of the same name. This is different from other shoujo that I mentioned earlier because it is more complex and character-driven. And of course, it's mainstream. I don't know why I got sold by this show and I considered it as one of the biggest pillars of shoujo magazine.

  The story was set in a fictional kingdom of Kouka, which was created by the former King Hiryuu. The kingdom is governed by five different tribes; earth, wind, fire, water, and sky. Each tribe's Chief and General are respected by the people and hold royal authority. Yona, the princess of the Kouka Kingdom, is a spoiled brat. Her kind father gave her much expensive stuff like necklaces, golds, dresses, and many more. On her 16th birthday, her beloved cousin, Su-won gave her a precious hairpin, and she was into a spiral of happiness. Yona has feelings for her cousin and Su-won sees her a bit like a woman. That's the day of her birthday. But that night, she drowned in deep despair when she saw her beloved cousin, killed his father in front of her. He murdered her father to avenge the alleged murder of his father. He had a motive to restore the powerful kingdom of Kouka that it used to be during the reign of his grandfather. Yona's personal bodyguard/childhood friend, Hak escaped with her, and Su-won declared himself the new ruler of the kingdom, while the two of his childhood friends were pursued by enemies.

  I gotta admit it, the story was beautiful. Because the story will focus on Yona herself and her relationship with Hak. The premise kept me hooked and it was so interesting. It got more interesting when the story introduced the history of Kouka that Yona is a reincarnation of King Hiryuu, and their mission to find the 4 dragons. The interactions of the characters were pretty amazing also and relatable. They were acting like real humans in different worlds and situations. The formula of action, fantasy, and romance elements was just the right amount and perfectly balanced. Although the fight scenes were kind of basic, that's the beauty of the show. There were no magical powers like in Naruto, DBZ, or in any other mainstreams. Just strength, combat prowess, and wits. The story was initially developed for the development of Yona's character and I loved her development, from a princess into a warrior. She was a soft-hearted clingy princess when she was back in that kingdom, but the cruel world slaps her with the brutality of survival and the outside world, which made her a strong woman. Not all things in her perspective are always candy, happiness, and love. That's the beauty of her development, as she knows what are the consequences of being in the outside world and how to survive it. She reminds me of Mulan from Disney and I like strong heroines. Yes, there's Asuna from SAO, Sakura from Naruto, and many more, but having a weak-willed and powerless heroine like Yona is so unique. I like the symbolism of her arrow shot at the enemy pirate, as she's now a grown woman and a warrior. The weak-willed princess Yona was gone now, and she was capable to fight for herself and her friends. That was her first kill by the way. And the symbolism of letting the precious hairpin that Su-won gave her is great, as an act of letting her feelings go from that man. The other characters were developed as well. I liked the character of Hak and Su-won because of their motives regarding Yona. The 4 dragons were great too and their backstories were satisfying and relatable. I mean, having great power from the dragons is great but it can cast you out from ordinary yet important things like family. I haven't read the manga but I planned to because the content in the anime was unsatisfying. Overall, the first season was merely a prologue to the main story and I can't wait to read the manga.

  The animation was well-done. The adaptation of the manga was great because it's different from other shoujo animes. The style and designs made the show more intense, thrilling, and yet beautiful.

  The sound was perfect. I like the music and it suited well to every scene. It gave me beautiful historical vibes like the KDrama Princess' Hours, Empress Ki, and Moon Embracing the Sun. I like how they made variations of Akatsuki no Yona's theme like the beautiful Morning dew ver., the quirky Promenade ver., the heart-wrenching Melancholy ver., and the exciting main theme of the series. It made me tear up a bit every scene.

  Overall, this anime is a rollercoaster ride of emotions and thrilling adventure. It's a beautiful show that deserves more recognition from both anime and shoujo fans. It's different from mainstream shounen, but it's easily one of the best action-adventure animes that is character-driven also. It had ups and downs, but I'll be happy if the studio will make a second season or a remake with a different studio. Give it a watch and I'm sure you'll never regret it.

  Story: 9.6/10
  Characters: 9.9/10
  Animation: 9.1/10
  Sound: 9.7/10
  Entertainment Factor (Action: 5/5, Romance: 5/5): 10/10
  Enjoyment: 9.9/10

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