"I don’t want to remain ignorant!" ~ Yona
Akatsuki no Yona (2014)
Studio: Pierrot
Licensed (NA): Funimation
Director: Kazuhiro Yoneda
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Main Characters:
Based on the manga series of the same name by Mizuho Kusanagi
Yona is turning 16 as the series opens, having lived as the only princess of Hiryuu Castle in the Kingdom of Kouka she’s very sheltered, privileged, and pampered. On what should be a most joyous day, disaster strikes as her father, pacifist King Il, is brutally murdered by a trusted ally. Now, forced to flee for her life with her trusted bodyguard Son Hak, her whole life is turned upside down. The pair escape to Hak’s home village, where Yona must decide where her life will go next. Her decision leads her to embark on a quest to find four companions with mysterious powers that are connected to the legend of King Hiryuu, find out what she herself is made of, and determine if she will indeed fight to get her home and throne back.
The story flows flawlessly and there isn't a lot of pointless fluff. There’s a little bit of everything within the writing and storytelling. There’s battle, romance, human growth, disappointment, conflict, intrigue, and so very much more. There’s a clear reason for everything and all is explained, even if not within the same episode. There is a clear lineage to the course of the story line. The only reason this isn't scored as a 10 is because of the cliffhanger ending that should segue into the supposed season 2!
Yona: The main protagonist of the story. From the onset she’s very naïve and almost helpless. As the story progresses she grows, matures, and becomes stronger based on decisions she makes while traveling through her kingdom and learning more about the common peoples that populate it.
Son Hak: Yona’s main bodyguard and childhood friend. He’s renowned as a fighter and General of the Wind tribe since the age of 13. Yona seems completely oblivious to his personal feelings towards her, which are also a factor in him continuing to travel with her as a bodyguard.
Soo-won: Yona’s cousin and protector, promised to be by Yona’s side in place of her mother after she was lost. He’s highly intelligent and proves so by continually acting as a klutz when in public, but it all serves his own purposes. He becomes the new King after King Il is killed and Yona has fled for her life.
Yun: Orphaned at a young age, he comes to live with the exiled monk, Ik-Soo. Hating everyone and everything to do with royals and nobility he initially hates Yona, however after traveling with her and seeing her change as a person he comes to respect and even care for her. On their travels he serves as the companions’ herbalist healer and chef.
Ki-Ja: The first of four companions Yona is sent on the quest to find, he lived an isolated and pampered life in his hidden village. He was seen as a sort of God in his village because of his special powers. He very quickly becomes the most loyal of Yona’s new friends and swiftly becomes enamored of her, which leads to plenty of tension between him and Hak.
Shin-Ah: Feared by his village because of his powers he lives a very solitary life. His powers are contained in his eyes so he’s always wearing a mask to prevent harm to anyone. He is unnamed until after he joins Yona, who names him after the moon and for his beauty.
Jae-Ha: His village originally chained him down because of his powers, creating his desire to stay free and unrestrained by a master. After he breaks free he joins a pirate crew to maintain his freedom. Until he is intrigued by Yona’s spirit he declines to travel with them.
Zeno: The final comrade with mysterious powers that Yona must find. He’s a wanderer by nature of his powers, fairly weak, and more of a support character than anything. He is seen as very cheerful and upbeat, creating an animated and lively atmosphere within the group.
I think the characters are very well developed and all of them grow in their own ways during the story. It’s made so much better by the fact that none of the characters stay static. Due to their development and growth the characters felt very real to me. In addition they are all unique, making them so humanly relatable that I feel it’s hard to feel any other way about them. I especially loved the rivalry between Hak and Ki-Ja. It reminds me a lot of the rivalry between Tamahome and Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi, another anime I love.
While I absolutely love these characters, I marked the value down simply because my only complaint is we don’t get enough time with some of them. Let’s hope this is corrected in season 2!
The artwork is dramatic in the best ways! They look like complete people and the presentation of their hands is some of the best work I’ve seen. The openings and endings had the same exquisite artwork showcased throughout the series. Nothing seemed to be rushed or lacking and there was never a moment where things seemed incomplete or outside of the artistic style shown.
I can’t get over how visually glorious I feel this series is. The two openings showcased speak volumes to the quality of the series. The endings are a perfect tribute to complete the array of beauty that I feel this anime has. There was never a moment where I thought something didn't belong in this masterpiece. Even the blood was beautiful, there wasn't much but what was is simply picturesque in its quality.
There never seemed to be a moment when anything clashed and everything completely complimented each other. Like all other aspects of this series, every component served a purpose to bring together a better anime. All of the timing, speaking, and even silences were perfect.
I loved everything that the audio has to offer. The openings and endings are majestic and I love how they even pay homage to the Chinese and Korean influence in the series. The music definitely adds the extra layer of fantasy to this already incredible series. It speaks to the soul, heart, and spirit just like the music in the lovely Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso.
I very highly recommend this series to anyone whom may even be slightly interested by the synopsis. Overall, I adore this series! Everything works to be one cohesive unit. There’s nothing that doesn't serve a purpose or is superfluous. There really is something for everyone to enjoy in this series.
The Final Word
This is an awesomely breathtaking series in all aspects. The artwork is beyond stunning, the story is lovely, and the audio just harmonizes everything. While the series seems to be aimed more for a female audience, everyone could enjoy this series very much. I’m hoping that the rumors of a season 2 prove true!
Akatsuki no Yona (2014)
Studio: Pierrot
Licensed (NA): Funimation
Director: Kazuhiro Yoneda
Genres: Action, Fantasy, Romance, Adventure
Main Characters:
 |
| Yona - voiced by Chiwa Saito (JP) and Monica Rial (NA) |
 |
| Son-Hak - voiced by Tomaki Maeno (JP) and Christopher Sabat (NA) |
 |
| Soo-Won - voiced by Yusuke Kobayashi (JP) and Micah Solusod (NA) |
 |
| Ki-Ja - voiced by Masakazu Morita (JP) and Clifford Chapin (NA) |
 |
| Shin-Ah - voiced by Nobuhiko Okamoto (JP) and Eric Vale (NA) |
 |
| Yun - voiced by Junko Minagawa (JP) and Ian Sinclair (NA) |
 |
| Jae-Ha - voiced by Junichi Sawabe (JP) |
 |
| Zeno - voiced by Hiro Shimono (JP) |
Based on the manga series of the same name by Mizuho Kusanagi
Yona is turning 16 as the series opens, having lived as the only princess of Hiryuu Castle in the Kingdom of Kouka she’s very sheltered, privileged, and pampered. On what should be a most joyous day, disaster strikes as her father, pacifist King Il, is brutally murdered by a trusted ally. Now, forced to flee for her life with her trusted bodyguard Son Hak, her whole life is turned upside down. The pair escape to Hak’s home village, where Yona must decide where her life will go next. Her decision leads her to embark on a quest to find four companions with mysterious powers that are connected to the legend of King Hiryuu, find out what she herself is made of, and determine if she will indeed fight to get her home and throne back.
The story flows flawlessly and there isn't a lot of pointless fluff. There’s a little bit of everything within the writing and storytelling. There’s battle, romance, human growth, disappointment, conflict, intrigue, and so very much more. There’s a clear reason for everything and all is explained, even if not within the same episode. There is a clear lineage to the course of the story line. The only reason this isn't scored as a 10 is because of the cliffhanger ending that should segue into the supposed season 2!
Yona: The main protagonist of the story. From the onset she’s very naïve and almost helpless. As the story progresses she grows, matures, and becomes stronger based on decisions she makes while traveling through her kingdom and learning more about the common peoples that populate it.
Son Hak: Yona’s main bodyguard and childhood friend. He’s renowned as a fighter and General of the Wind tribe since the age of 13. Yona seems completely oblivious to his personal feelings towards her, which are also a factor in him continuing to travel with her as a bodyguard.
Soo-won: Yona’s cousin and protector, promised to be by Yona’s side in place of her mother after she was lost. He’s highly intelligent and proves so by continually acting as a klutz when in public, but it all serves his own purposes. He becomes the new King after King Il is killed and Yona has fled for her life.
Yun: Orphaned at a young age, he comes to live with the exiled monk, Ik-Soo. Hating everyone and everything to do with royals and nobility he initially hates Yona, however after traveling with her and seeing her change as a person he comes to respect and even care for her. On their travels he serves as the companions’ herbalist healer and chef.
Ki-Ja: The first of four companions Yona is sent on the quest to find, he lived an isolated and pampered life in his hidden village. He was seen as a sort of God in his village because of his special powers. He very quickly becomes the most loyal of Yona’s new friends and swiftly becomes enamored of her, which leads to plenty of tension between him and Hak.
Shin-Ah: Feared by his village because of his powers he lives a very solitary life. His powers are contained in his eyes so he’s always wearing a mask to prevent harm to anyone. He is unnamed until after he joins Yona, who names him after the moon and for his beauty.
Jae-Ha: His village originally chained him down because of his powers, creating his desire to stay free and unrestrained by a master. After he breaks free he joins a pirate crew to maintain his freedom. Until he is intrigued by Yona’s spirit he declines to travel with them.
Zeno: The final comrade with mysterious powers that Yona must find. He’s a wanderer by nature of his powers, fairly weak, and more of a support character than anything. He is seen as very cheerful and upbeat, creating an animated and lively atmosphere within the group.
I think the characters are very well developed and all of them grow in their own ways during the story. It’s made so much better by the fact that none of the characters stay static. Due to their development and growth the characters felt very real to me. In addition they are all unique, making them so humanly relatable that I feel it’s hard to feel any other way about them. I especially loved the rivalry between Hak and Ki-Ja. It reminds me a lot of the rivalry between Tamahome and Tasuki from Fushigi Yuugi, another anime I love.
While I absolutely love these characters, I marked the value down simply because my only complaint is we don’t get enough time with some of them. Let’s hope this is corrected in season 2!
The artwork is dramatic in the best ways! They look like complete people and the presentation of their hands is some of the best work I’ve seen. The openings and endings had the same exquisite artwork showcased throughout the series. Nothing seemed to be rushed or lacking and there was never a moment where things seemed incomplete or outside of the artistic style shown.
I can’t get over how visually glorious I feel this series is. The two openings showcased speak volumes to the quality of the series. The endings are a perfect tribute to complete the array of beauty that I feel this anime has. There was never a moment where I thought something didn't belong in this masterpiece. Even the blood was beautiful, there wasn't much but what was is simply picturesque in its quality.
There never seemed to be a moment when anything clashed and everything completely complimented each other. Like all other aspects of this series, every component served a purpose to bring together a better anime. All of the timing, speaking, and even silences were perfect.
I loved everything that the audio has to offer. The openings and endings are majestic and I love how they even pay homage to the Chinese and Korean influence in the series. The music definitely adds the extra layer of fantasy to this already incredible series. It speaks to the soul, heart, and spirit just like the music in the lovely Shigatsu Wa Kimi No Uso.
I very highly recommend this series to anyone whom may even be slightly interested by the synopsis. Overall, I adore this series! Everything works to be one cohesive unit. There’s nothing that doesn't serve a purpose or is superfluous. There really is something for everyone to enjoy in this series.
The Final Word
This is an awesomely breathtaking series in all aspects. The artwork is beyond stunning, the story is lovely, and the audio just harmonizes everything. While the series seems to be aimed more for a female audience, everyone could enjoy this series very much. I’m hoping that the rumors of a season 2 prove true!
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