Akatsuki no Yona is a show about a young, innocent, spoiled princess named Yona who is suddenly betrayed by the man Soo-won who she loved when he starts a coup de'etat and murders her father in front of her eyes. She is then thrust out of her castle as a fugitive and is forced into a world unknown to her with only her childhood friend Hak to protect her. She sets off on a journey to find the four dragons and take back her kingdom.
What sets the story apart from others is the depth in which they go into the issues surrounding the kingdom. Each
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story arc is centered around an individual issue that is occurring in separate areas such as human trafficking, isolation and fear, and starvation. Issues that occur throughout the world into today that normally people aren't willing to discuss.
Each arc is extremely fleshed out and detailed, causing a slow pacing to the anime which may be a turn off for some. The arcs are made to be long so that each dragon can be developed and understood as a person which is a rare gem in shows these days. They are all given a story, a reason to join with Yona, and a chance to shine as a new character.
Yona -the main character- is a particularly interesting and phenomenal character. She is known throughout the kingdom as a small frail looking girl with eyes and hair that flame with the strength and passion of the sun. During the day she seeks to help her people from the shadows, traveling through the kingdom and helping the sick and poor in the villages along the way. Restlessly she spends the nights practicing sword fighting and shooting her bow so that she can be of use to those who wish to protect her.
She is a young girl who is weak and helpless, and she admits that she is. Throughout the story she seeks to become stronger in her own way so that she can protect her kingdom and those who she loves. She stands guard in front of the weak to defend them from harm even if she knows she is no match for the aggressor. She even goes as far as to cut her treasured hair in order to free herself from burdening Hak which in my opinion was one of the most startling and beautiful moments in the show.
Probably the most notable thing about her is that she allows herself to be disillusioned throughout her travels. She realizes that the kingdom is in a state of decay and that her kind and gentle father may not have been the best ruler after all. She does not try to defend her father or herself, but seeks to venture further and help fix the damage that has been done during her father's reign.
The state of the kingdom also brings an interesting twist to Soo-won's character. Even though you hate him at first you slowly begin to realize that there may have been something more behind his traitorous actions, and when he starts to repair the broken kingdom that suspicion grows. Even though you sympathize with Yona and Hak, you understand just as they do that something went wrong and Soo-won is trying to fix it.
Not only are the characters and story beautifully fleshed out, the art and the music leaves nothing to be desired.
The art of the show is actually drawn closer to a manwha style rather than the typical Japanese manga art style which is not something we will commonly see. The characters are extremely detailed in design and emphasize the moments when a character truly grows and shows their power. You can feel and see the fire in Yona's eyes and hair and feel the strength through the animation alone.
The musical is also very orchestral and true to the feeling of the show. The instrumentation of the opening in particular has a very culturally Asian feel and tells a story as it goes along. There is no need for voices or explanations because the music explains everything it on its own. The song appears in the anime whenever something major happens to Yona's character and really helps to set the mood for the events unfolding.
Overall I believe this is a show that most people can enjoy and appreciate. There is humor, action, fantasy, and serious issues all rolled into one wonderful show. If you overlooked the show once, I would highly recommend going back and looking into it again.
The review can also be found here https://eowinthcosplay.wordpress.com/2015/06/06/akatsuki-no-yona-the-hidden-gem-of-this-years-anime-season/
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Jun 5, 2015
Akatsuki no Yona
(Anime)
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Akatsuki no Yona is a show about a young, innocent, spoiled princess named Yona who is suddenly betrayed by the man Soo-won who she loved when he starts a coup de'etat and murders her father in front of her eyes. She is then thrust out of her castle as a fugitive and is forced into a world unknown to her with only her childhood friend Hak to protect her. She sets off on a journey to find the four dragons and take back her kingdom.
What sets the story apart from others is the depth in which they go into the issues surrounding the kingdom. Each ... 
Dec 11, 2013
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