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Everyone is like, “for a shoujo, what did you expect”? But why does a manga have to be wasted potential just because it's a shoujo?

World-building and mythology (6/10)

Reminiscent of Avatar: the last Airbender, but half-assed. It makes readers like me really angry since I know those secrets will only be revealed in another 200 chapters. Cheap. Don't waste your time, at least till this manga ends.

Plot (6/10)

Similar to many Korean historical dramas. While the politics takes a front seat, the way the author executes it, especially chapter 180 and onwards (the castle arc) is quite nonsensical and controversial. More research was ... needed.

The relationship between the childhood friends (Yona, Hak, Soo-Won) and the context behind their tragic fallout was the saving grace. For a while the manga is not bad. Besides the infamously trite hostage situation plotlines, the protagonist/antagonist foil conflict is quite unique and I consider it the crux of the story.

Chapter 180 is the start of the castle arc where the writing declines. The concept of the arc has potential but the execution is lackluster. What was supposed to be a tense political drama that unleashes a bloody family history, becomes dragged out with unnecessary drama, rushed character development, passive characters doing nothing, retcons, plot holes, and abandoned plotlines. (Who on Earth WAS Hyoo-ri guys?)

Also, the timeline doesn't make much sense. We don't know if even a year has passed yet since Yona's 16th birthday. There are still many unanswered mysteries that the author does not care to answer in favor of stupid villains and 4-5 year long meandering subplots that I couldn't care less for besides our main trio. Characters don’t think through properly and throw themselves in danger without clear reasoning.

Yona, for instance, lacks enough reflection about the important questions and mysteries of the manga even after reading some information about it and having a prophetic dream. Her reactions are often delayed until times convenient to the plot which comes off as forced. Many characters are dumbed down and neglected to pull Yona up and put her in a ‘morally righteous’ light. None of the established and actually interesting dynamics get explored (Hak and Soo-Won aren't meeting anytime soon guys)

Characters (5/10)

Yona, Hak, and Soo-Won are overrated and OP.

Despite not vibing with Yona's personality (like no, I'm not idolizing a religious cult leader whose only friends are a harem of men who worship her like slaves, the dragon cycle needs to end. And I don't idolize Hak or Soo-Won either) I still respected her courage and willingness to learn as she sought to fight against her circumstances. She’s still saved by the dragons but despite the awful initial reverse harem subplots that ends early, it can be overlooked by her own efforts.

If there's one thing I can praise her for, she actually has the emotional maturity and level-headedness to do better things with her life than give into the cycle of vengeance that all her older relatives did which ruined their lives. That actually surprised me pleasantly. You'd think with she'd be going through the classic avenging-father plot. But she doesn't. Her decision there also is given actual reason and weight so it is obviously not easy for her, but it is believable watching her come to that conclusion on her own. It makes the reader wonder where her character will go.

But chapter 140 onwards her development stagnates. The author neglects her learning and POV on anything, and by ch 180 she masters basically anything she puts her mind to without much thought. After returning to the castle, despite having no political education, she memorizes 100 laws in 3 days when prior to this Yona had not been portrayed as such in any way. Her development politically and intellectually feels rushed and neglected.

She also lacks a clear, distinct goal besides protecting her friends although it’s heavily implied that she’s NOT supposed to keep up such a mentality, so she’s started to become pulled by the plot rather than actually taking control of it.

Yona isn’t the worst heroine, but she’s just the bare minimum.

Female empowerment (4/10)

First of all, for all of its 'female empowerment' everyone praises it for, like 99% of the cast are male. It's better than most shounen, sure, but that doesn't make it great. There's quite a bit of sexist dialogue here and there, like Jaeha telling Yona "You're just a girl". Historically, society was patriarchal, but that doesn’t mean all the women in the nation have nothing interesting to offer?

Yona is also saved too many times by her dragons/Hak. Chapter 186 and onwards, her strength is "all tell and no show". She was acting like a complete damsel in distress and only Hak and the others had to save her from her castle quarantine, when she could have just set proper boundaries against her enemies who wanted to separate her and them.

The only other female character worth mentioning, Lili, Yona's only female friend, has not appeared in the story in years.

Romance and Objectification of Male Characters (2/10)

Not a fan. Jaeha is fucking 25, he has no business liking a barely 16 year old, so creepy. Thankfully, this plot goes away, but why is it even there? JUST STOP MAKING EVERYONE FALL IN LOVE WITH YONA!

Hak’s character is "fanservice", a Gary Stu perfect love interest who is subordinate to and revolves around the heroine. I hate seeing women revolve around men in shounen anime, and this is the same thing now with genders reversed. He has practically zero personality or aspirations of his own, and they have this unpleasant master-servant power imbalance relation that still exists to this day. There’s no in-depth explanation into how he fell in love with her and not other women in his own tribe, he just is there to give up his life for her.

Later on it’s revealed that he considered Soo-Won to be his best friend and like a brother he deeply admired, and only this made him feel as more than a wish fulfillment object for the female gaze, as an actual person. Honestly I find his devotion towards his ex-friend more compelling than his romance with Yona. Because there was an actual reason and incident where this devotion for Soo-Won began to build.

The romance also takes a backseat in this manga which is fine (not that it was that good anyway), but the pacing is really cringe in the way they’re constantly separated and don’t actually communicate about matters of substance that might move the plot forward. Their 'scenes' were until recently on hold right now because the guy was left in prison and the heroine did not even take time to get him out.

Villains (5/10)

Many of the villains are cookie-cutter cliche ‘evils’ who are there to make Yona look good. Soo-won and Kye-Sook, who used to be intriguing villains, have aged like milk since the castle arc. Kye-Sook, who used to never trust Yona and makes careful decisions, starts acting like a fool who simply wants Hak dead and acts recklessly so Yona can lecture him… because he does? Soo-Won, who used to be a man who controlled the shots, becomes a sick, frail man who is passive to being dragged by the whims of his advisor. Judo has an interesting personality, but never given much spotlight and often made a running gag of being a bachelor for comedy.

I would rate this lower if it weren’t for the earlier arcs.

There are also practically no female villains as of now. This story seems to have some weird idea that if you’re female, you’re automatically good, which… isn’t always the case.