Akatsuki no Yona: Why You Should Watch/Read It

I recently recommended Akatsuki no Yona to one of my close anime watching, manga reading friends. She lives in Thailand so I didn't get the chance to tell her until recently. She agreed to watch it and today she told me she didn't make it past the second episode because Yona annoyed her because she was too weak, Soowon made her want to scratch her screen into pieces and the only worthwhile character was Hak. Needless to say, if the anime was only two episodes long I would agree. But there is a reason why Akatsuki no Yona is called one of the strongest shoujos we've had in years. When one watches the Opening or sees a poster or fan art, one might think this is just a historical reverse harem. But that's not true. This is a show meant for those people really looking for a good plot and story line without cliches and stuff. It doesn't revolve around the romance like most shoujo and if the main character wasn't a girl and the show was still rather girly, it could quite as easily become a shounen show. I was surprised to see that a lot of people have actually started watching Akatsuki no Yona and have given up just like my friend. So here is a post on why you should watch/read it.

1) The Characters are Amazing!

Well that's no big surprise, every fan of a show says this. But trust me, if you've only watched the first two episodes or read only the first two chapters, you're in for a surprise. Kusanagi sensei is an amazing author who does some of the best character development I have ever seen. She enjoys taking characters that are weak and slowly letting the viewers watch them mature. Yona started out as really weak but slowly matures to the point she kills a person to save an entire city. She doesn't want to be protected anymore, she wants to fight next to everyone else. Hak at first refuses to trust after Soowon and doesn't believe Yona can become stronger but slowly, he lets down those walls and understands. The dragons all seem to be a part of the reverse harem but there is so much more to them. Kija fights the opression of his anscestors, Shinah learns to overcome the fear of his own powers, Jaeha fights his destiny of being a dragon warrior and Zeno will do anything to protect his loved ones even it means dying a hundred times over. There's also Yun who sticks out like a sore thumb in their group. He's stepping out from his shelter for the first time in years and fighting for what he truly believes in.

If you're looking for complex characters, search no more, Soowon stands in front of you. To those who refuse to actually look into it means they only look at him through Yona and Hak's eyes. Saying anything here spoils everything. But if you like characters in Tokyo Ghoul or other animes and mangas where there are grey characters who are niether good nor bad. You've got Soowon, the perfect King who will do anything for the people, but he killed the previous King and usurped the throne. Trust me, there's more to Soowon than the eyes see.

Kusanagi sensei's 'Akatsuki no Yona' as I mentioned earlier, makes weak characters mature and grow stronger. And most of those characters are characters that are around Yona's age or will take a higher position in society later. One of those characters is An Lili, the daughter of the An Joongi, the leader of the water tribe. She started off as someone who talked big but couldn't do much. But as you watch her mature, she almost dies trying to save Yona. A person who loves the people of the water tribe dearly, she is someone who will become an able leader in the future and also possibly someone who will become Soowon's romantic interest (friggin finally because Soowon doesn't understand romantic love for the life of him).

Kang Tae Jun is one of Kusanagi sensei's weak to mature characters. Wait. Am I talking about the guy who tried to steal Yona from Hak, almost kill Hak and force Yona to cut her hair? Yup, I'm talking about the same guy.

This guy goes from annoying person who you want to push of a cliff to adorable 'what the heck are you doing, you idiot'. He's made to see the harsh reality of his own tribe because of Yona and then changes for the better, making clinics for villages, helping them farm and get food and helping the old with their needs, even washing the clothes of sick patients. Plus, he is now one of the few that know what Yona is up to. Trust me, the old people should step down, Yona's generation is doing a fantastic job at running the country.

There are plenty more fantastic characters, but these are the ones that I personally believe are really important.

2) The Plot is Pure Genius

Once again, this is something people will say about their favorite anime/manga. But trust me, Kusanagi sensei builds this from ground up. It may seem simple at first but when they start incorprating prophecies and reincarnations and you start examining things, it gets complicated. Plus, Kusanagi sensei enjoys hiding things in plain sight. Each time I reread the manga I find something new. It's honestly perfect (in my opinion at least, don't take my opinion for granted!). And unlike most animes with magic, not everything is possible in this, the characters are susceptible to dying (except for one...). In things like Naruto and Fairy Tail they try not to kill people, no such thing in Akatsuki no Yona, Yona even kills people.

3) It's a Genre Heaven!

What genres do you like? Drama, comedy, romance, fantasy, historical, shoujo, gore, mystery, suspense and whatnot? You've got it here. And the best part is, it's all balanced, but if you really want to see the gore and watch the plot really unravel, read the manga. There is so much more in the manga. The anime ending leaves you craving for more, trust me. You want to know what happens next. Dunno, if this stuff isn't on your preffered genre list, oh well.

4) This is perfect for mythology nerds.

Do you like Chinese Dragons, powers and prophecies? You've come to the rightplace, like seriously. This is probably the best place for people who are looking for realistic fantasy, when I mean realistic I mean it follows a set of rules. It doesn't make anything possible, like Noragami, this is a no nonsense show.

5) If You're a Girl You Should Watch/Read It.

Not saying guys shouldn't check it out, one of my closest otaku friends who's a guy adores this show, and he's the kind of kid who will watch any show like Deadman Wonderland. Are you the kind of girl who likes action, strong female characters, shows that let you think up theories, likes it when the romance isn't the main focus, the kind of girl that loves a piece of art like Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood? Seriously check out Akatsuki no Yona. On the other hand-

if you're the kind of girl who like really good looking guys, romance, shipping yaoi couples, flower petals and you know, that stuff, trust me, they're all good looking guys, the romance is real, Jaeha and Kija are there for you to ship into oblivion, Flowers, petals and sparkles are available around Jaeha whenever you want and you want different kind of guys, seriously, theres a whole list of them.

There's a lot more to say, but they're either all spoilers or I forgot to mention them, check out Akatsuki no Yona, you will not regret. Teehee...

"People are mirrors. If you smile, a smile will be reflected." - Zeno the Yellow Dragon (Also my favourite character)