Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 4

I love this series. It really deserves a lot of love and attention. The anime is also amazing. Readers who think this is a typical shojo should think again. This has a truly interesting plot, world and characters. The plot is more than just a setting so two characters can fawn over each other, though there is romance. The hero, Yona, has a backbone and fire in her eyes. It's great. They'd better keep releasing all the volumes because the anime ends before the manga does (though there are hopes of another season). The main character, Yona, starts off as a pampered princess, but after being betrayed on her 16th birthday, has to leave her palace. With the help of her bodyguard Hak she learns to use a bow and later a sword in a very realistic time frame (she's not an expert overnight and you'll often shown how practice effects her, lack of sleep, etc.) Later she goes on a quest to find legendary dragon warriors who are connected to the myth of how her kingdom came to be. Yona's change from a princess to warrior is well done and it's wonderful to watch her grow. Other characters, such as her bodyguard Hak, also change. I adore how Hak goes from your typical "I must protect her" to not only training Yona but getting excited / pumped up as Yona becomes stronger and more determined. While some of the characters have typical traits - the bodyguard, the charming thief, the smart one, the shy one - they are all given enough time to endear themselves to the reader. The art is also good, though I have seen better when it comes to fighting (see Bleach by Tite Kubo). However, I still enjoy it.

(REPOST of previous reviews) I love the series, and I'm all caught up with the recent chapters supporting the scanlations.. I'm enamored with the plot and characters in general. It has everything: fantasy, romance, political strife, and a strong-willed shoujo character that's not a Mary-Sue. Not to mention, the art is beautiful. Having read manga online for so many years (15+ years), I decided to support the actual publication by buying my own copies. Super satisfied. It came in the mail in great condition, and I know I'll treasure it alongside my other manga. Super, super recommended read. Although the shoujo genre has had great female main characters, Akatsuki no Yona is one that manages to grow on you with great character development, avoiding the common tropes of backpedaling on previously established plot details. This will be a great buy for anyone of all ages and groups. Additional: It arrived promptly on Tuesday, 2018JAN30. I'm so happy with the artwork. There aren't any indentations, scratches, etc. on the book, which is great. Very happy.

Loved the show as a kid and want to catch up now that I have my own money 🥲 Love the storyline and characters

Yona is strong and committed, but not overpowered and more so realistic. Gija is dramatic but in a good way and his interactions with Yona are wholesome. His competition with Hak is hilarious and contrast in treatment he's gotten because of his power compared to Shin-ah is interesting. I loved getting to know more of what went through Shin-ah's head when he first saw Yona in the manga. Ao (the squirrel) is adorable as well. I like how the author writes all different scenarios for the dragons, who have different ways of being brought up due to their powers. It's also great to see Yona not treating them as servants even though she's their "master" as told by the legend. They get to be their own people (for the most part lol) and not just simple servant characters with pretty faces just for the main protagonist. There are only a few differences between the anime and manga, those being minor like a few words in the dialogue. The characters are even more loveable than before, there are some cute short comics added, and there are even some helpful brief character summaries at the start.

~4.5/5 (Contains Spoilers.) Now that they've found Gija, the white dragon, they're on the search for the blue dragon. Gija has a sense for where he is, but it's still hard to pinpoint, and it takes them a while to find the village. Gija, after living in luxury, is not used to living on meager means, either. The blue dragon is a clear contrast to the white dragon, and it's obvious from the get-go. The blue dragon is being hidden and shamed and feared, and Yona has to search for him on her own, relatively speaking. It's clear that, even with everything that the blue dragon has gone through, Yona is still having an affect on him, and he's reacting despite his fears. I'm excited to see their interactions in the next volume, since they haven't really spoken yet. Seeing the blue dragon's past is very heartbreaking and just makes me want to hug him. Another emotional moment in the volume, was when Yona and Hak separate, and seeing his fear for her when things get dangerous—god I'm in love with them already. All the little moments where he kind-of hits on her and she has no idea—I love all of it. I'm obsessed with this series already. I can't get enough of it, and even bimonthly is not fast enough for me. A review copy was provided by the publisher, VIZ Media, for an honest review. Thank you so, so much! [More of my reviews are available on my blog, Geeky Reading, to which there's a link on my profile.]

Very good, good story and art, very happy.

I absolutely love this series, I just purchased 1-40 because I could finally do so and it is so worth it! The anime really just gives you a teaser about the grand scheme of whats going on and the volumes just build on it. Its filled with moments that have made me laugh, cry, and want to throw my book across the room haha! The characters are so well done and how they deal with all the complexities in the story is amazing and I cannot wait to purchase the new volumes as they get translated. (I plan on leaving this review on as many volumes as Amazon lets me)

In volume four, we are introduced to the 2nd dragon, the Seiryuu (or Blue Dragon). Seiryuu is easily on of my favorite characters in the entire series, along with his adorable side-kick Ao, and has one of the most memorable back stories in my opinion. I also found this volume to be particularly funny. There are some really great comedic moments here, even if some are subtle. Having already read this volume after it was released in Japan (several times, I'll admit), I was still laughing at jokes I've read a few times before. A side note - the artwork for Seiryuu is STUNNING I must say. I'm a big fan of Kusanagi's work to start, but the attention to detail with Seiryuu's entire look is pretty amazing, I must say.