Opening Songs
OP 1 - Yona Of The Dawn (Kunihiko Ryo)
OP 2 - Flower Of The Dawn (Cynthia)
Ending Songs
ED 1 - Yoru (Vistlip)
ED 2 - Akatsuki (Akiko Shikata)
Genre: Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance
Episodes: 24
Being a reverse harem, "Akatsuki No Yona" isn't one of those shows that usually appeals to men. However, being an open minded person, I actually HAVE seen SOME "otome" based shows. Though they were okay, I didn't seem to enjoy them all too much ("Black Butler", "Arcana Famiglia"). "Akatsuki No Yona"...might be one of the first shows that were obviously geared towards women that I genuinely felt was good. Its good a substantial story, its got a likable female protagonist that doesn't feel absolutely f**king useless, its got that whole JRPG feel going on for it, and the characters are actually pretty likable for the most part. Actually, scratch what I said about the protagonist, she's a strong character that carries her own burdens and that's pretty freaking amazing considering her character at the start. "Akatsuki No Yona" is a brilliant adventure that'll appeal to both guys and girls alike, it packs its own share of great moments and doesn't hold back during its strongest points. Just don't expect a complete experience, which is unfortunate.
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| A story of love, pain, betrayal....and beautiful young men. |
I'll just talk about the opening songs here. The first opening song is "Yona Of The Dawn" by Kunihiko Ryo. Its an orchestral song that starts off really slowly and doesn't have much of a kick to it...its nothing compared to the 2nd opening theme, which is "Flower Of The Dawn" by Cynthia. Now this 2nd opening is pleasantly surprising. For a show with such an old school Asian setting, I definitely was not expecting a techno/synth styled opening theme, and damn it was good. It reminds of me Mami Kawada opening themes when she sings for "Index", and that's a good thing.
Rating: 8.0/10
Its not a stretch to say that this was a great title that can be enjoyed by anybody, despite its obvious marketing towards the ladies. The entire journey from start to end felt like it was all necessary to progress through our protagonist, Yona's character development. Instead of a damsel in distress, Yona's one hell of a determined girl that would do anything to get what she wanted. Still, she IS a woman, so she still has some..."girl troubles" here and there. The supporting cast is also pretty good, most of Yona's followers have nice, diverse personalities, each of them also sports a combat style of their own. Fighting isn't the show's main focal point, but its done well enough to not feel lazy. Most of the characters feel nice and fleshed out, except for that one guy who was introduced at the very end, since he only had...one episode of screen time. The show has its nice share of emotional and interesting moments, especially during its second half, in which I think the show shines its brightest. Most important of all, you can relate to Yona and feel her determination throughout...which only makes the show's incomplete conclusion all the more unsatisfying.
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| Uh..yeah, if I were you...I'd let go...right now. |
Yona is the princess of the Kouka empire, a land that's enjoyed its peaceful times for decades because of the King's effort. The king of Kouka, Yona's father, is known for his overly kind personality, and how he would never resort to war no matter what. This has made his kingdom quite the target for other neighboring kingdoms, but because of its current states, its also in friendly relationships with many other powerful kingdoms, meaning that Kouka cannot be recklessly attacked. Yona enjoys her peaceful, palace, princess-y life with her royal guard Hak, and when her childhood crush Su-Won, her cousin, comes to visit, she goes all girl mode awaiting his arrival. Little does she know that young Su-Won is planning a revolution. He kills the king in cold blood, takes over the castle, and attempts to kill off Yona as well. Hak saves Yona and flees the kingdom with her. Yona cries helplessly as she witnesses her father and subjects being killed as they protect her, and can only stare blankly as Su-Won, the man she loved, tried to kill her. After escaping the kingdom with Hak, she strengthens her resolve in the nearby wind tribe, and plans to live on. Her ultimate plan: to unite the 4 dragons of legend and take back that which truly belongs to her.
"Akatsuki no Yona" is a reverse harem done right. With its plethora of bishonen guys with incredibly diverse personalities, its a sweet spot for female viewers to dive deep into, but its great story and overall character development for all of its important cast members make it an intriguing experience throughout. Here's to us having more "Akatsuki No Yona", because the anime's story is very incomplete, and I can't wait to see how Yona attempts to continue living her life.
