Akatsuki no Yona - First Impression This first episode was pretty much PERFECT. There was comedy, romance, and that moment of horror at the end. I think this episode laid on the romance a bit too thick, but on the other hand, that helped contribute to the shock factor at the end of the episode! :D Yona is a spoiled princess with wild red hair, who has always gotten what she wanted, no matter how expensive or tedious. Her mother has passed away, so she lives in the palace with her father. Also in the palace lives Hak, one of the generals who guards the palace, and also Yonas childhood friend. The episode starts with Yona primping herself to meet her childhood friend, cousin, and also the man she loves, Soo Won. Soo Won is a Lord, and acts like the perfect prince. Yona has loved him for a long time but hes never reciprocated. (Typical shoujo plot line, I know. But keep reading, trust me--this manga isnt my favorite for no reason!) Yona, Hak and Soo Won are happy to be reunited. Yona and Soo Won kind of dance around each other since theyre awkward, and Hak plays the role of the cynical comedian! (Seriously, Hak = BEST GUY. Hak is my favorite character. xD ) Anyway, Yona brazenly tells her father that she wants to marry Soo Won. But her father vehemently refuses, saying he will give Yona anything, except for 1) a weapon and 2) Soo Won. Since I already know what happens, I wonder if the king has a reason for his refusal, since he seemed so against it! ;_; Yona kinda-sorta confesses to Soo Won, and he kinda-sorta hints at reciprocating. Eh. Whatever. I cant believe he has the audacity to do that, especially considering what happens next. Correction--I CAN believe he has the audacity. What I cant believe is that I havent jumped into the manga myself to kill him!! (you may notice in the future that I absolutely HATE Soo Won) The day of Yonas birthday, Hak feels like something isnt right around the palace. He mentions it to Soo Won, and Soo Won suggests that they monitor who is entering and leaving the palace during Yonas birthday celebration. Soo Won also gives Yona a beautiful hair clip, and tells her he really loves her unruly red hair. (Suddenly Yona loves her hair...) That night, Yona decides that she still wants to be with Soo Won, and that shes going to try discussing it with her father once more. As she runs to his room, she notices there arent any guards posted and her fathers door is already open. When she opens the door, what she finds.... is a man running his sword through the kings chest. The king falls to the floor, his blood pooling around him. Yona screams and tries to shake him awake. Then she hears a familiar voice above her: Oh, so you were still awake. She looks up and sees Soo Won, his clothes and face splattered with blood. At first she cant comprehend what has just happened, and she dazedly tells Soo Won to get a doctor for her father. King Il will not wake again, he says. Thats when Yona notices the sword resting at his side, dripping with her fathers blood. I killed him. Hak has idly noticed that its too quiet, but another servant named Min-Soo comes by and the two enjoy a drink. Meanwhile, soldiers have thrown Yona to the ground and are preparing to kill her, with Soo Won watching. Yona is still having a hard time believing whats going on. As the sword swings downward, she screams Soo Wons name. And at the last second, Haks lance saves her. The episode ends with Hak protecting Yona and facing Soo Won. Like I said at the beginning of this review, this episode was SO GOOD. The pacing was great (especially since I spent most of the episode dreading what I knew would happen), the art good, and voice acting awesome! This episode reinforced my love for Hak and my hatred of Soo Won. And the music, oh the music! The background music and opening theme were absolutely beautiful, and they fit the anime perfectly!! Akatsuki no Yona is my favorite manga. I am absolutely looking forward to how the anime turns out! I recommend this first episode, as well as the manga (obviously), to anyone! Dont get turned off by the shoujo label, because this manga/anime is NOTHING like a typical Kimi-ni-Todoke type of shoujo. :)
Posted on: Wed, 08 Oct 2014 01:25:29 +0000
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