Yona of the Dawn Review

Yona of the Dawn is a tale of growth, redemption, friendship, love, adventure, and betrayal, all taking place in an ancient land and a princess, who needs to find 4 dragon allies to take her place back on the throne after her father gets killed.  

The story sounds familiar *cough* * "Lion King"* *cough*. However, it very much a coming of age story without the aging of the main character over a couple of years. I'm guessing this takes place within a few months or so. Yona, who is the distress princess of the story, has to adapt to her circumstances very, very, quickly and she has alot going against her. For one, she's 16. Well, just turned 16 when these horrible events occur. Two, she's been sheltered, not only within the walls, but also sheltered from the responsibilities and issues that she has to carry as next in line of the throne. Thirdly, as many teenagers are, she's in love....with her cousin. This may sound strange however if we are going with time periods (like say 15th century civilizations), then this is normal. You'll see why this is a major issue for Yona during the first couple of episodes. 

 The characters in general are reminiscent of tropes of royalty with being sheltered and the naive princess. However, the allies she manages to round up, have their unique characteristics and help Yona to grow as a princess and allow her to become strong. Hak, Yona's best friend and top guard, is very close to Yona and isn't too afraid of showing his emotions (until he battles then watch out!). Then we have the four dragons that have helped the Red Dragon in reigning the four nations and their reincarnations are indeed characters themselves. I won't go every character in this review. Just know that the characters are great fun. 

  Voice Acting: (PS: mainly for the two main characters) The voice acting is pretty good. Monica Rial is a great fit for Yona since she does have little girl tendincies like complaining (in the first episodes), and also Yona's naiveté as well. Christopher R Sabat as many know as Vegeta in DBZ, Armstrong in Full Metal Alchemist, and many more, plays Hak. Sabat's voice in general is very low, strong, and powerful. He brings a certain softness to his voice when it's needed and powerful when it's needed. In fact, Kurogne from Tsubasa Chronicals, another voice Sabat voiced, reminds me much of Hak (without all the yelling). He does a great job. Everyone did an amazing job within this series. 

Music/Animation/Background : I like the music of the series. It's very traditional a b d I like that the opening song has no words. The animation is beautiful and the background images are fantastic.    

Overall Score:   4/5 The story is solid, the voice acting is great and everything aesthetically is beautiful. I just wish it didn't leavery us with a clifdanger. I left the series wanting more and I hope that they make a second season of the show. 

I hope you enjoy the review. Until next time Anime Rules!!!