Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 1

Like many other reviewers, I found this series through the anime (which is beautiful and well worth watching). Yona is a spoiled sweet sheltered princess who... ends up going impoverished and adventuring for reasons. It is seriously hard to get to far into the plot without major spoilers. It's a historical/romance/adventure with fantasy elements balanced by comedy. And it *works*. Seriously - I started watching the anime when I was sick and my husband ended up making me back the whole thing up and start from the beginning because it was just that good. Now, I don't like angst. It's fine when there's a reason - zodiac animals in Furuba, I'm looking at you - but on the whole, I don't like wallowing around in emotional turmoil. And while Yona (and many of the characters) are given tragic circumstances or backstory, it really feels like it's more just how this character became who they are and largely ends on a positive, "Yeah, that sucked. Moving on..." note. I really like the strong female feel to the series - Yona remains a small, petite woman physically dwarfed by the men around her, but (after the major turmoil that gets the story going) doesn't feel any less worthy or powerful. She does not become an instant magical badass going toe to toe with giants, but continues to work hard to become as strong and smart of a fighter as she's physically capable of being. Since she ends up surrounded by supernaturally strong fighters, she's never going to match them and that's okay. Think of Star Wars - Leia's never going to physically match Chewie, Han, Luke or Lando for strength, but her will and passion drive the group. Strong doesn't have to be physical, and Yona's willingness to just keep going for the sake of her friends and her kingdom becomes epic. While there are magical elements in Yona, they're mostly limited to the prophecy and the dragons. It's a bit like The Force in the original Star Wars trilogy where, sure, people had heard of it, but it's not like anyone had ever really seen it in action. Most of the action and adventure arcs are grounded in more realistic "this kingdom is falling apart" type action: poverty, bandits, human trafficking. Those become the things Yona is trying to fix from the shadows and are the backdrop for the adventure, humor, romance and relationships that fill this story. I love the balance in this story and pretty much everyone I've loaned the series to loves it as well. For younger kids, the violence can be realistic if not explicit. Kids die. Innocent people are killed. And Yona becomes willing (and able) to kill people in order to stop it. My 14 year old loves the series, but you'd have to think about what age you're willing to let kids read about humans killing other humans. If you liked Inuyasha, give it a try - it's way less shonen, no monsters, and less slapstick, but plenty of adventure and epically badass characters. If you liked Kamisama Kiss, you'll probably like the humor, historical fantasy, meta-story about how it all fits together, and gung-ho heroine, but there's no school girl hi-jinks and the heroine isn't aware there's a romance element for a long time. If you liked Kenshin, there's even more political intrigue/country in turmoil, strong women, and amazing fight scenes, but way fewer villains of the week.

I haven't purchased any shoujo since reading Inuyasha (Which I loved) over a decade ago, so I looked around the internet and found that Yona of The Dawn was one of the top recommended stories of this genre. I have to say that despite the story being a bit on the generic side, at least for the first volume, I still enjoyed my time with it. The art is very pretty, and the last chapter is a nice showcase on how trauma can affect narrative storytelling through illustration. I'm going to pick up the next couple of volumes.

I watched the anime a couple of weeks ago, fell absolutely in love with it, and have rewatched it three or four more times. I got a friend hooked on it as well. IT IS THAT GOOD. So of course I was going to buy the first volume of the manga! I preordered it, it arrived on the release day, and read the whole thing that night. For those who have watched the anime, this volume covers episodes 1-3, and I'm happy to say the anime follows pretty closely. For those who have not seen the anime and do not know much about Akatsuki no Yona (or Yona of the Dawn), it follows the story of Yona, a pampered 16 year old princess who witnesses the murder of a loved one and is now on the run for her life. Accompanying her is her childhood friend/bodyguard Hak, who has vowed to protect her at all costs. In order to survive, Yona must not only pick up a sword and a bow, but also track down the Four Dragons of the old legends; only then will she discover her true destiny. A warning to those just picking up the manga and who do not know where this story goes: Yona is pretty annoying in the beginning. She's a princess who has never known pain or weariness, and is only concerned with winning the heart of the man she loves (not Hak...that would be far too simple!) and how horrible she thinks her red hair is. In the anime, you discover at the end of the second episode where her character development leads to (by far my favorite scene in the whole series--seriously, just watch it, people), and that gives you an incentive to keep watching because that girl is NOT the same spoiled princess you've spent some time with. Volume 1 of the manga centers around Yona's pampered life and childhood memories, before any character development takes place, and she is definitely your classic helpless princess in distress. Do yourself a favor and don't give up just yet!! Her story gives room for fantastic character development, and it definitely doesn't disappoint. If you don't have the patience to sit around waiting for the English translation of the manga to be released every few months to be hooked, watch the anime and get a feel for Yona's journey. You'll be glad you did. Yona of the Dawn has something for everyone. Action, humor, a bit of romance, lovable characters, a controversial and complex villain that you love to hate, a strong fantasy-like appeal (it's pretty clean stuff--no nudity, witchcraft, hardcore magic and spells, etc. that often comes with the fantasy genre; I personally like fantasy that way, but I know others that see it as a sort of watered down coffee), and an overall engaging story. I HIGHLY recommend it, though don't judge the whole story and Yona's character on this one section.

Very good, good story and art, very happy.

*Yona of the Dawn* occurs in an area similar to Japan or China, where the young princess known as Yona is a bit bratty, but still very good-hearted and enjoys her life with her childhood freind and crush, Su-Won and her childhood friend and bodyguard, General Hak. All of this changes, however, when her life is destroyed by a sudden betrayal. Su-Won murders her father the king, and usurps the throne. Now, Yona and her friend and bodyguard, General Hak are on the run to survive while they try to make sense of what is happening. And it is hard to say the least. Yona is mentally crushed and Hak is striving to give her hope and keep her alive. That is all I can say about this book as that is the general sketch of what happens. Of course, more does happen, but it is mainly filling in the gaps to establish the story. Of course, since the story is just starting, there is not much yet to judge the product based on, other than to say that the beginning is promising. The story is told in the present with a few flashbacks to help us understand the dynamic between these three friends. This not just helps us understand better where the characters are coming from, but to empathize with Yona's predicament and pain. We also see that Hak is a good man who does truly care for Yona. The art is what you would expect from a Shojo title with bishie sparkles galore, but not entirely. This is subverted to show just how dire things are and when things are bad and painful, it is *shown* to be such. My only complaint is that so little happened in this volume as it really is just the set-up. Yes, major events did happen, but just the beginning of the story. On the other hand, this does help us to get inside the characters' heads better, which is nice. The art was gorgeous and detailed depending on if it was a shot to be pretty or to be painful for the protagonists. The premise and set-up are interesting and I look forward to seeing what will happen in future volumes.

I love this series. It really deserves a lot of love and attention. The anime is also amazing. Readers who think this is a typical shojo should think again. This has a truly interesting plot, world and characters. The plot is more than just a setting so two characters can fawn over each other, though there is romance. The hero, Yona, has a backbone and fire in her eyes. It's great. They'd better keep releasing all the volumes because the anime ends before the manga does (though there are hopes of another season). The main character, Yona, starts off as a pampered princess, but after being betrayed on her 16th birthday, has to leave her palace. With the help of her bodyguard Hak she learns to use a bow and later a sword in a very realistic time frame (she's not an expert overnight and you'll often shown how practice effects her, lack of sleep, etc.) Later she goes on a quest to find legendary dragon warriors who are connected to the myth of how her kingdom came to be. Yona's change from a princess to warrior is well done and it's wonderful to watch her grow. Other characters, such as her bodyguard Hak, also change. I adore how Hak goes from your typical "I must protect her" to not only training Yona but getting excited / pumped up as Yona becomes stronger and more determined. While some of the characters have typical traits - the bodyguard, the charming thief, the smart one, the shy one - they are all given enough time to endear themselves to the reader. The art is also good, though I have seen better when it comes to fighting (see Bleach by Tite Kubo). However, I still enjoy it.

I've only just recently finished the anime (covers 8 volumes of the whole series) and was upset to find it was unlikely for there to be a continuation, only to find out there was a manga with tons of more content which improved my mood significantly. I'm so happy I can find out what happens next after the end of the anime and volume 8. The first episode and volume may not seem out-of-this-world but the more you read/watch, the more the characters develop along with the story and interesting and complex things get. This is the first manga I've ever purchased and I'm happy I bought the first 4 volumes because it was so hard to stop reading it the further I got into the series, just like when I was watching the anime. I bought the next 4 volumes a week after my first purchase. It was also easier than I thought to get adjusted to reading a manga, especially with the author providing helpful instructions on the last page (which is the typical front page for western? books). In addition to all these things, the cover and title art is beautiful- all of the art in the manga is amazing from the characters and their clothing to the backgrounds. The author writes occasional side notes on some pages that are interesting and add a little more personality to the writing. I'm so grateful I found both the animated and written series.

I am going to start this review by blatantly stating that Akatsuki no Yona is one of the best manga serials that I have read in a long time, quite possibly ever. Fear not, the spiel as to why my love for this story is so profound will follow with bits of fangirling theatrics, but I felt that it needed to be said upfront. I absolutely adore Akatsuki no Yona by Mizuho Kusanagi, who is also known for NG Life. The facets that make Yona of the Dawn such a satisfying pleasure are vast. You have a delightful array of characters that have much more depth than you can imagine. The rich historical lore and feudal countries with a backdrop of political warfare provide the story with a foundation that is fresh and alluring. The action sequences are suspenseful and can leave you at the edge of your seat. Did I mention the characters? The charming and delicious looking cast of crazies that you cannot help but love, even if they aren’t necessarily the “good guys?” Lastly, the art is breathtakingly gorgeous! I know that Yona of the Dawn is not a finished product, nonetheless my rating for the entire series is five out of five and a platinum platter presentation to my favourites bin. Anything less would be an insult to it in more ways than one.

Standardqualität ohne jegliche Makel

The problem with manga is that the books get over too soon . 😩😩😩😩 nice plot and the author just starts with a twist and halts 😅😭😭 Badly need the second book

Mycket lyckligt barnbarn, tack

Llegó empacado en una bolsa y el manga está en buen estado, estoy muy feliz de empezar a comprar mi historia favorita en físico <33

Got this for my friend’s bday! She really loves this series and was really happy to finally get it in physical form. Spoilers for this volume: I read the volume and i’ll admit i liked how the story was going. The part with the supposed reveal of the cousin wasnt anything crazy as i felt like it was a bit obvious, but i have yet to continue reading the series. I think the artstyle is quite charming and the plot interesting, however i dont know how to feel about the main character’s age when it comes to it. Maybe its because she looks so much like a child that it puts me off the somewhat ‘romance’ part of the story but yeah. Overall though, great story.