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4.22 AVERAGE
4.22 AVERAGE
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
This one is a total reverse-harem fest, but I am in love with it!
Can also read the review here →
Only differences are gifs and bold areas for easier skimming =)
Yona is the spoiled princess of Kouka Kingdom, only concerned with her unruly red hair and her unrequited childhood crush -- her cousin Su-Won. When Su-Won kills Yona's father and usurps the throne, Yona flees with her bodyguard and best friend Hak -- the infamous Lightning Beast. No longer living the life of a princess, she is set on a path to find the legendary dragon warriors to help protect her. The dragon warriors are thought to be a children's fantasy tale by much of the kingdom; they served Yona's ancestor, King Hiryuu, and then disappeared after his death. When Yona meets a high priest who relays messages from the gods, she's instructed to find the dragons because she's key to a prophecy that will reunite them. When Yona meets a dragon, each dragon can hear his ancestor order him to serve Yona because she is the reincarnation of King Hiryuu.
Yona's development through the series is phenomenal! I started on the anime, and was so annoyed with her during the first episode that I almost didn't continue. She was so spoiled and ditsy. But I'm so happy I kept going! Yona's father, King Il, was such a pacifist that Yona didn't learn how to do fend for herself. Even though Hak is there to protect her, as she strikes out on her own, she doesn't want to be that spoiled princess anymore. She grows stronger, and as they travel throughout her kingdom and neighboring kingdoms, she becomes an advocate and philanthropist for not only her people but everyone. Her goal isn't to get her throne back. She legitimately just wants to be useful. Yona travels throughout Kouka and beyond, fixing problems one at a time and earning a reputation that can't be ignored along the way.
Su-Won is controlling the kingdom now, but he has the support of almost everyone. They don't know that he assassinated the prior king, but most of Kouka's people weren't happy with King Il's reign. Most felt that King Il was too passive, and that the poverty and high level of crime were because of him. This was one of Su-Won's motivating factors, as he felt he could do a better job. And he does. Su-Won is a gray character, and his story is compelling.
Ultimately though, for Yona, Hak is the only true love ending -- ULTIMATE HUSBANDO. Hak, voiced in the localized anime by Chris Sabat (hoot!), is just as OP as the dragons and has his own unrequited love for Yona, simply because Yona is oblivious and has been preoccupied with her Su-Won crush for so long. Hak is flirtatious but denies his feelings for most of the manga, which is fine because Yona is working on becoming a badass. He's also cocky and goofy and provides a lot of comic relief. I love the scenes when they're younger. It's totally clear that this has been a long-term affection on Hak's end.
The dragons each have their own quirks, and the other characters have their own special contributions to the story that make this such a compelling read. There are two seasons of the anime out right now (don't know if they're even working on a third -- it's been awhile), but the manga is currently on its 11th volume and it keeps going with usually one to two new chapters out per month. There's great plot progression and clear arcs, with some minor frustration caused by the lack of instant gratification with the romance (don't get me wrong, there's still progress in that area too, but don't expect fulfillment yet). There are serious moments, but it's also a funny read -- I've laughed so many times reading this manga.
This is a DEFINITE read! You can start off with the anime if you like and then transition. That's what I did. You really can' go wrong with either medium, but you'd have more luck placing your trust in the manga; you'll be waiting a heluvah long time for the anime to catch up.
Can also read the review here →
Only differences are gifs and bold areas for easier skimming =)
Yona is the spoiled princess of Kouka Kingdom, only concerned with her unruly red hair and her unrequited childhood crush -- her cousin Su-Won. When Su-Won kills Yona's father and usurps the throne, Yona flees with her bodyguard and best friend Hak -- the infamous Lightning Beast. No longer living the life of a princess, she is set on a path to find the legendary dragon warriors to help protect her. The dragon warriors are thought to be a children's fantasy tale by much of the kingdom; they served Yona's ancestor, King Hiryuu, and then disappeared after his death. When Yona meets a high priest who relays messages from the gods, she's instructed to find the dragons because she's key to a prophecy that will reunite them. When Yona meets a dragon, each dragon can hear his ancestor order him to serve Yona because she is the reincarnation of King Hiryuu.
Yona's development through the series is phenomenal! I started on the anime, and was so annoyed with her during the first episode that I almost didn't continue. She was so spoiled and ditsy. But I'm so happy I kept going! Yona's father, King Il, was such a pacifist that Yona didn't learn how to do fend for herself. Even though Hak is there to protect her, as she strikes out on her own, she doesn't want to be that spoiled princess anymore. She grows stronger, and as they travel throughout her kingdom and neighboring kingdoms, she becomes an advocate and philanthropist for not only her people but everyone. Her goal isn't to get her throne back. She legitimately just wants to be useful. Yona travels throughout Kouka and beyond, fixing problems one at a time and earning a reputation that can't be ignored along the way.
Su-Won is controlling the kingdom now, but he has the support of almost everyone. They don't know that he assassinated the prior king, but most of Kouka's people weren't happy with King Il's reign. Most felt that King Il was too passive, and that the poverty and high level of crime were because of him. This was one of Su-Won's motivating factors, as he felt he could do a better job. And he does. Su-Won is a gray character, and his story is compelling.
Ultimately though, for Yona, Hak is the only true love ending -- ULTIMATE HUSBANDO. Hak, voiced in the localized anime by Chris Sabat (hoot!), is just as OP as the dragons and has his own unrequited love for Yona, simply because Yona is oblivious and has been preoccupied with her Su-Won crush for so long. Hak is flirtatious but denies his feelings for most of the manga, which is fine because Yona is working on becoming a badass. He's also cocky and goofy and provides a lot of comic relief. I love the scenes when they're younger. It's totally clear that this has been a long-term affection on Hak's end.
The dragons each have their own quirks, and the other characters have their own special contributions to the story that make this such a compelling read. There are two seasons of the anime out right now (don't know if they're even working on a third -- it's been awhile), but the manga is currently on its 11th volume and it keeps going with usually one to two new chapters out per month. There's great plot progression and clear arcs, with some minor frustration caused by the lack of instant gratification with the romance (don't get me wrong, there's still progress in that area too, but don't expect fulfillment yet). There are serious moments, but it's also a funny read -- I've laughed so many times reading this manga.
This is a DEFINITE read! You can start off with the anime if you like and then transition. That's what I did. You really can' go wrong with either medium, but you'd have more luck placing your trust in the manga; you'll be waiting a heluvah long time for the anime to catch up.
dark
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
~3.5-4/5
(Contains light spoilers.)
I have read a few of Kusanagi's previous books, so I was looking forward to this being released. I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed.
Yona, a princess, is in love with her distant cousin. She has been for years, and her bodyguard knows it, but her father will never let anything happen between them. Yona is ready to fight for this, when she's betrayed and her world is thrown out of order in one night, and suddenly she's thrown out, on the run, with only her bodyguard there she can trust.
I wasn't really sure what all this hinting was leading up to, and I can say that I was surprised by the sudden turn of events. It seemed like certain characters were ready to give up their own wants for another person's, and then suddenly everything changed.
I love Hak from the beginning. He's funny, teasing Yona all the time, and yet it's obvious he really does want to protect her. I do hope that Yona gets stronger soon; I like her for the most part, but I want to see her buck up and start fighting back and getting smarter, though it's believable how she's kind of shriveled up given what happened.
The comedy was nicely mixed with the serious moments, and I'm happy about that. Kusanagi has had troubles with that in previous series, and here it's more thoughtfully done. There's teasing to lighten some scenes, and then when it gets serious it does it purposely and well. And when Yona is feeling numb and hurt, it's clear and isn't bothered by humor.
This was a really good starting volume, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
(Contains light spoilers.)
I have read a few of Kusanagi's previous books, so I was looking forward to this being released. I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed.
Yona, a princess, is in love with her distant cousin. She has been for years, and her bodyguard knows it, but her father will never let anything happen between them. Yona is ready to fight for this, when she's betrayed and her world is thrown out of order in one night, and suddenly she's thrown out, on the run, with only her bodyguard there she can trust.
I wasn't really sure what all this hinting was leading up to, and I can say that I was surprised by the sudden turn of events. It seemed like certain characters were ready to give up their own wants for another person's, and then suddenly everything changed.
I love Hak from the beginning. He's funny, teasing Yona all the time, and yet it's obvious he really does want to protect her. I do hope that Yona gets stronger soon; I like her for the most part, but I want to see her buck up and start fighting back and getting smarter, though it's believable how she's kind of shriveled up given what happened.
The comedy was nicely mixed with the serious moments, and I'm happy about that. Kusanagi has had troubles with that in previous series, and here it's more thoughtfully done. There's teasing to lighten some scenes, and then when it gets serious it does it purposely and well. And when Yona is feeling numb and hurt, it's clear and isn't bothered by humor.
This was a really good starting volume, and I'm really looking forward to seeing what happens next.
[Read more at my blog, Geeky Reading!]
adventurous
dark
sad
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
3.60✨ this is my first manga read and it was a cute story. I watched the show and wanted to check out the book. It took me longer than it needed to read it. I think something else to add is that the story telling really isn’t something I typically like. It felt really young to me and the characters didn’t feel really dynamic. Again this may have to do with it not being the typical genre I read. So all in all it’s hard for me to rate this book. It wasn’t bad it just wasn’t really engaging
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes