Akatsuki no Yona
Yona of the Dawn

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first review :) *minor spoilers but isn't that important*

Story:
- Though the introduction & plot of the story seems kind of boring and almost generic, as you read further into the manga you won't even consider it boring. It starts out with a weak princess, Yona, and while others won't even bother touching a manga with this type of female protagonist, surrounded by many other men of her own harem, Yona actually puts up a name for herself. Yona gets stronger overtime because of her own determination and will to, which I really give respects to her for. As the story progresses, the story introduces ... more characters that will accompany Yona and her bodyguard Hak, as they roam the lands of Kouka together. 9.5/10

Art:
- Mizuho Kusanagi certainly doesn't disappoint when it comes to the art style with Akatsuki no Yona. She makes it so that the historical part of the series also ties into the art work with its abstract, marvelous designs with building structures, statues, clothing, etc. The art is interesting, and I really love how Mizuho will put in amazing designs in certain parts of the story that isn't necessary to the story at all. Mizuho is perfect for drawing details, no page in Akatsuki no Yona isn't beautifully done. 10/10

Characters:
- My favorite part about Akatsuki no Yona. The unique and different amount of characters there are in the manga! Each of the main characters have their backgrounds, and where they all came from. Everyone has different personalities, but they all have personalities to where you will just like them all. The character development for Yona is outstanding. Her journey from being a spoiled princess who always got anything she wanted to a more stronger person who works to get what they want and help the people in need around her is amazing. My favorite dragon is Hakuryuu, Kija, because I really love the comedy he brings into the group as well as his loving loyalty to Yona. Romance between Yona & Hak is very sweet too, why can't they just get married already ? Everyone has their own humor that I personally enjoy; the characters never bore me. 10/10

Enjoyment:
- It takes a lot for me to go ahead and read a manga, I would rather see things in color and sometimes reading and seeing black and white over and over again starts irritating my eyes. Even then, I highly enjoy Akatsuki no Yona. This is my favorite manga. This manga has never made me uninterested, I always loved how it can be very serious, the dialogue being very story heavy to a more light-hearted atmosphere in the next page. The transitions from serious to comedy is driven out very well, the jumps don't really feel so sudden, it felt like it was natural for it to be there. I love each and every one of the character's for a lot of different reasons, and a lot of different reasons because they have so much behind them. I liked, loved this manga for the art work, characters, meaning, how the characters interacted with each other, how the arcs were presented, just pretty much everything! I hope Akatsuki no Yona won't stop publishing for a few more years, and I also hope that the anime for Akatsuki no Yona will finish off excellently and someday receive a season two (by the time the anime ends, there will be a lot more stuff that didn't get animated, so pray for season two!) 10/10

Overall:
- Overall, this manga is a 10/10 for me; if you are a person who is interested in the historical fantasy aspect in stories as well as romance, comedy, and action then this manga is practically calling out to you! Keep in mind though that this is a shoujo and a reverse harem, but don't let those two change your mind on possibly reading this. Every male in the reverse harem will make you like this series, and Yona herself, of course.

This manga was promising at the beginning, and actually has quite an interesting plot. But to someone like me who is a big fan of romance, it wasn't my type.

I needed more romance and cute moments so I kept persevering through the chapters but by around chapter 25-30 and onwards I ended up skimming through the pages so quickly, some points I didn't even read the chapter just scrolled all the way through it to the next chapter.

The story is good. Nothing bad to say about it, although I did end up getting a little confused as to where it was going after they ... reached their goal of banding together all four dragons.

The art style is also not suited to my tastes. It JUST passes my "okay" tastes, and if the story were more my type than it would've been fine.

Characters were alright, no big issues.

Overall, I rated it a 5 because truly there wasn't anything bad about story, it just honestly (as I keep repeating) wasn't suited to my tastes. If you're someone who enjoys the "KYAAAA<3" moments, this isn't for you. If you enjoy the more fantasy, historical aspects with minimal romantic moments, then perhaps this may be something you enjoy.

Akatsuki no Yona is beautiful, diligent and even realistic but it is shallow and very generic. 24 long long chapter filled with insipid feeling, identical males and zero progress - that was my limit. You may tell me, “It’s a shoujo, what did you expect?”. Well, I don’t know, I guess I expected some pleasant surprise. Shoujo authors tend to write genuine, down-to-earth pieces but here it evolves into nothing but the Nadeko level story about poor little girl surrounded by noble handsome boys. What even worse is that backbone of the narration is not the thrill of adventure in form of elaborate substories but ... a cliche theme of friendship where main heroine plays oh so typical role of selfless idol of goodness disguised by tons of phony self-reproach. Mizuho Kusanagi at least could have inserted these templets into some form of action, or anything else that grabs attention, but no, Yona’s recruitment of males are the most boring friend acquisition I have ever seen.

I would be glad to pick up Akatsuki no Yona again… just tell me where the story actually starts.