Akatsuki no Yona

You have seen 55 episodes of Akatsuki no Yona
Your Review:
Akatsuki no Yona is one of my all time favorite mangas so far even though when I first picked it up my immediate thought was “this is sooo shoujo.” At first sight it basically looks like the typical manga full of lovey dovey scenes, bishounens and pretty and spoiled princesses who need constant protection from the bad guys, but I am SO pleased I was wrong.

Story 9/10

The idea is not that new to be honest, when I picked this up I had already read similar stories from Watase Yuu- sensei (Fuushigi Yuugi and Fuushigi Yuugi: Genbu Kaiden) where there was the same atmosphere feel: political intrigues involving royalty, the heroines must travel around the country looking for her destined warriors.. but I never get bored of these kind of stories because there’s so much going on: politics, war, friendship, love, loyalty, drama, adventure.. This story has all my favorite ingredients and is very well told so far, with a good pace that allows proper character development and interesting subplots. It has also very funny moments, so it’s all good.

Art 10/10

It’s brilliant, clean, and the mangaka seems to be able to draw just about anything and I’m really really picky when it comes to art.

Characters 10/10

As I said at the start of this review, when I first picked Akatsuki no Yona I thought it was crawling with clichéd characters which I would end up getting fed up with, but it was a delightful surprise to find out that every single main character is consistenly growing and changing as the events of the story develop (and I must say I love the direction they’re taking.)

It’s not your usual heroine or your usual love triangle and that’s a breath of fresh air and it effectively grabs your attention.

Enjoyment 10/10

I’ve been following this manga for about 2 years now and I must say that it’s been one of the most enjoyable mangas for me to read. When I started to read it I simply couldn’t put it down until I read every single published page and I’m really glad that the anime is just as fun.

Overall 10/10

I highly recommend it! You can be shoujo fan or not, in which ever case I think you’ll enjoy it (especially after chapter 2 haha)

Thanks for reading my review and I hope you enjoy this manga as much as I do!

Is there seriously no review for this manga yet? Really? Oh well, this'll be the first one then

Story 8/10
Ok, in my honest opinion, I wasn't expecting very much from the plot. It is about a young princess, Yona, who has the a near-perfect, care-free life like any old princess would have. She has a loving emperor father, a hot cousin crush and everything she could ever ask for. But when incidents occur (basically Soo won, her cousin crush murdering her father to gain access to her throne) she is forced to leave her easy life to start a new one on the run, with only the company of her annoying bodyguard (though others join later on). It isn't the most original plot, but hey, I liked it more and more when I read on, and I can say with no hesitation now that I love the story. I also liked the slow romance and the touches of comedy within a rather serious storyline. It just made me happier for some reason.
Art 9/10
The art is beautiful and very shoujo-esque. It is detailed, but not too over-the-top, and expressions are done well. What can I say? There isn't much to criticise with the art.
Character 8/10
From the storyline, I was half-expecting a weak, pathetic female lead that always had to be rescued, and would make me drop the manga within a few chapters. I am so thankful that this worry was almost non-existant in the manga. Yona started off a bit weak, but I grew to admire and love her personality which really developed the further the story went. Her desire to grow stronger, and her recognition towards her responsibilities as a princess was truly admirable, so I found. The male lead, Hak, was also very strong and loyal to Yona, no matter how much he annoys her and she annoys him. There were some characters I found irritating, but hopefully later chapters will reduce the feelings I have towards them.
Enjoyment 8/10
Yep, I enjoyed it. Interesting plot, appealing art, likeable characters, I loved it all. And hopefully it will get better later on.
Overall 8/10
I give it an 8 overall because the series is still ongoing, so I think that it would be too early to give it a 10. It has great potential though, and I hope it will continue to exceed my expectations. Recommended for fantasy/historical/slow-romance readers. For those who enjoys realistic stories about high-school etc, maybe this isn't for you, but give it a try, and see if you like it. I most certainly did.

For people who like a good story with a strong female protagonist, who doesn't start crying every time something bad happens, is this a perfect manga. It's a historical and romantic manga with comedy, action and fantasy... the ideal story!

Yona is a cute, young princess, who wants to take revenge on her nephew for killing her father and taking the throne. So she runs away with her bodyguard to look for help, no need to look far for the romance ^_^

The manga is still on-going and the reason why I open my eyes each morning is to check if there is a new chapter, it realy got me hooked.

The story is really worth reading!

I really love this story!!!

Actually, due to watching and reading romantic anime, at some point, I became fed-up with easy and fast developments among the characters, this is when I found this.

Honestly, at first, when someone recommended it to me, I was not interested since I thought that it might be just about historical things because of their appearances. However, when I tried to watch it (because it also had an anime adaptation), what I said was wrong. Yes, it may be too hurtful at the beginning but as you progress, there's a lot to see especially if you were to read this manga.

What's great in this story, it made me experience different emotions, I laughed, cried, became angered and many other more. Until now, I look forward to it. I want to know how those conflicts be resolved and what will happen to their relationship as friends, as master to 4 dragons and as lovers.

I'm surprised every review here is praising the manga. It was pretty bad and the only reason why I was able to read it all was because of any slivers of romance between Hak and Yona. Anyways I'm gonna start ranting now. (spoiler alert)

Akatsuki no Yona is one of those mangas that have to crank out fillers in order to stay alive. 132 translated chapters so far and we still don't know why Soo Wun killed King II! Do not be deceived, I thought this historical manga had the potential to explore the character development of a maturing princess, battle strategies, and intriguing plot twists. BUT NO. Each arc becomes worse and worse. It took them 48 chapters to gather the dragons, no revenge or progress towards doing something for the Kindom of Kouka. I literally skipped 10 chapters one time and I didn't miss a thing. You know those lay chips with 40% chips and 60% air? yeah basically that’s what this is.

The comedy is so cringy, and is used to relieve the atmosphere even when there is a battle going on around them...seriously? And everyone gets hurt but miraculously survives every fight.

The plot armor is so strong, how does Yona keep meeting Soo-wun on the damn streets? And we never understand why she forgave him? It's so unrealistic. Hak at the very least tried to kill him.

The characters are also pretty bad. Yona has been kidnapped at least 10 times because her hot bodyguards leave her at exactly the right moment and come back in flashy entrances to save her. AND EVERYONE IS IN LOVE WITH HER. She never learns from her mistakes and ignores her safety because she doesn't want to use her bodyguards as shields. And somehow her "death glare" is scary enough to make soldiers back away. The hell? Thats her special power?

She learns about the state of the country through her travels and then becomes more benevolent and caring. Heck she drags some other nobles to the outside world and it's enough to shed light on their ignorant existence? If it was that easy we should just throw the nobility out onto the streets. That's the only development we've seen so far. She is more caring and savage...through the power of traveling.

The arcs explaining the backgrounds of each dragon are also extremely shallow. The magic of the legendary powers isn't explored very well either. They just serve Yona...because the dragons wanted to? Are they the only magical beings in this world? Why did the original dragons choose the first generation in particular? How come there is a priest that can talk to the gods? What Gods are there even. The author used them just so that Yona would get some protection, and they can't even save her properly.

Then there is Yun or Yoon? He was included just to solve the problem of food, shelter, healing, etc.

And there are so. many. side characters that are never relevant later.

The art was fine.

In conclusion. It was bad. Please just read something else. There are tons of better shoujos out there. Unless you are here to get some of that action between Yona and Hak. Which only happens about every 5 chapters. God damn it. She does fall in love with him though. At the very least the author hasn't pushed the romance out of the way completely and left us hanging.

Teen heart-throb. Mediocre love triangle. Princess chased away. Childhood friend betrayal. Does it sound like typical yet? Because it can get like that. This manga is almost borderline shoujo and shonen. The most you'll see that would be shocking is a little bit of blood and killing, and some playful intimacy between the main characters. In addition, there's few shoujo moments you see. However, I personally really like Akatsuki no Yona, and here's why.

Story 8/10: So far there's really no surprise in the story line. It's all kind of expected, and when you read through it, your expression would be "I knew it!". -2 for that because it's a biggie for me. For those who are looking for extreme challenge or surprises, move along. The story does focus on the main character's objectives with some hilarious dialogues here and there. Flashbacks were given at some point that plays with the current situation. The story doesn't really revolve around the "love-love" moments of the characters; if it does, it's barely, which is also nice, because we pretty much know who she'll end up with, just needs a little push. The story basically follows through the characters' purpose and objectives, with little delay or obstacles.

Art 10/10: Lovely art. Pretty much every little thing she draws are in detailed. It's beautiful, especially for its manga theme -- "ancient".

Character 9/10: You really can't hate any of the characters. The mangaka made it so that they're all loveable, and you just can't help but sympathize in their situation. Yona is a spoiled brat, but as the story progresses she gets a character development, as well as a hit of reality. She doesn't stay a spoiled brat, but she stays oblivious to her surroundings unless stated to her, like every innocent girl. All the dragon men are gorgeous looking, and have a past that makes up for who they are and their actions. We have her childhood friends, Hak, who is a general and her guardian, and Soo-Won who is her first crush and later her enemy. They all develop maturely. -1 though because it's too "all expected".

Enjoyment 9/10: I already expected this manga not to have any overly surprising element or mind-blowing moments. You know those moments, "I know it's gonna happen, but I'm hoping it won't,"? Yeah, you get a lot of those, and it just exactly what you thought. I enjoyed hoping there might be a plot twist, but so far, none of that yet. But that's okay, because I expected it. Because I did all of that, I really liked this manga. Very innocent, and goes on in one direction.

Overall: It's a 9/10. This manga is quite impressive, everything about it! I love all of Mizuho Kasanagi's manga. This one is not a let-down at all. It's wonderful, and gives off a younger innocent feel. There's just something that pulls you into this manga. It's the vibe that the mangaka makes that you can't help but read throughout. So give this one a try.

RECOMMENDED FOR SHOUJO READERS.

Ended up dropping this manga so it will only be a short review.

Usually I'm able to endure a few cliche character tropes but these characters were such caricatures of every sappy profile in the book I honestly couldn't.
Main lead girl is interesting enough - very emotional - would not necessarily call her 'independent' or 'strong'. It's the old case of a mangaka saying:
"Hey look: my character is so strong. You know this because I am TELLING you she's strong, not SHOWING you her strength". This just doesn't work for me; especially when I have to endure a character getting injured every few pages to be gimmickly stiched up/saved by their love interest.

Main love interest - complete tsundere to the point it's frustrating. This also completely opposes how servile he was in the first few chapters. I mean I get it's a part of the story that he's her 'bodyguard' etc. but it just seems like a mismatch of traits and leaves me confused/frustrated. On one hand his personality is that of a tsundere, on the other his role in the story is completely servile and doting and it doesn't make sense and seems completely manufactured/one-dimensional.

Art: I mean its good and proportional, but it's a bit cheap. Best summed up by Hayao Miyazaki when he said: "They make their characters overly expressive for cheap laughs at the expense of beautiful art".

Story: Started off good. The twist at the beginning was pretty shocking. Fell off completely. No real direction afterwards and I was confused as to what the chars were trying to achieve/where they were going.

This is my first review, and I gotta say first of all, this manga is absolutely OUTSTANDING. It's one of my all time favorites, and for good reasons. This review may contain some small spoilers.

Story 9/10:
At first glance, this manga may seem like your typical shoujo manga, where the female heroine is just a spoiled princess who has all these hot guys protecting her. However, this is definitely not the case. This story is about Yona, a sheltered princess who had everything she wanted - a loving father, food, expensive jewelry - until she gets chased out of the castle with her bodyguard, Hak. She then goes out on an adventure, and along the way, she meets new people and grows as a character. The story starts out a little slow, but it definitely picks up later in story progress. It is an action-packed, comedic, historical, adventurous manga.

Art 10/10:
The art is absolutely stunning. The characters and backgrounds are drawn beautifully in full detail, and I especially love the way the expressions are drawn. There is absolutely nothing, nothing at all, that I could criticize about the art.

Characters 10/10:
All of the characters in this manga are extremely lovable. I was most surprised about my love for Yona. At first, I was expecting her to be one of those annoying female characters who just screams while the people around her protect her. Boy, was I wrong. Yona has the most beautiful character development I have ever seen. You would be absolutely amazed as you watch her change from a spoiled, weak princess who knew nothing of the outside world to a strong, admirable, respectable princess warrior. Because this could be considered a reverse harem, I was also expecting for there to be clingy, annoying guys who try to do all they can to grab Yona's attention. I was totally wrong in this aspect as well. All of the characters have a very appealing, and distinct, personality. I promise you, every single character in this manga, would grow on you.

Enjoyment 10/10:
I enjoyed this manga through and through. The first few chapters were a little slow for me, but now every chapter has me on the edge of my seat.

Overall 10/10:
This manga is a solid 10/10 for me. If you love mangas with comedy (who doesn't?), action, a bit of romance, fantasy, and adventure, this manga is for you. This manga is shoujo and reverse harem, but don't let that turn you away from reading it. This is NOT your typical shoujo manga with a female protagonist with a weak personality. It is most definitely worth the read!