"This is for the good of the kingdom."

Here I was, thinking that this was going to be some fluffy shojo manga like the rest I've read.

I was pleasantly surprised when this took a darker turn from the fluffiness to broody adventurousness. I was not a fan of the story until it took this turn. It got real good.

The story seems typical. A girl - who hates her frizzy red hair - is the princess of a country (don't know which, sorry). Whomever she marries will be the ruler of the country. She turns 16, the age when she searches for a husband. But everything goes downhill when someone gets stabby. (TW: gore, semi-graphic murder, PSTD trauma, incest)

The cast of characters:
• Princess Yona, MC. I'm not a huge fan of her, but I do like her when she has her epic moments.
• General Son Hak, Yona's bodyguard. He is my favorite! Not a huge fan of his haircut, but it works.
• Su-Won, Yona's cousin. He's annoying and I pretty much hate him. Why lie to everyone for your entire life??
• Emperor, Yona's dad. Funny and underrated.
• everyone else is meh.

Yona's reaction to the tragic event is actually realistic, which I commend. I don't often this in 2010 manga or earlier and it is rarely executed so accurately. Her caretaker takes a healthy stance on this and I'm so proud!

There is also a scene where her caretaker has to rescue Yona from leeches. The author handled this perfectly because it wasn't graphic and the caretaker made short work of it. (Complete opposite of InuYasha. Thankfully and gratefully.)

The art style is accurate to the time when it was drawn in. Sharp angles of the jaw, big eyes, etc. I'm not a huge fan of it. It looks nice and its drawn right so I'm happy. The author does the profile so well! I think it's my favorite style.

There is an incest-y aspect between Yona and her cousin. But since the story changed, I'm not too worried about that. I just imagine them as just childhood friends instead of being related.

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 1 - Likewise Book Reviews

4 Reviews