YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 20
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-4215-9220-6; paperback (October 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Yona of the Dawn is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mizuho Kusanagi. It has been serialized in Hakusensha's shojo manga magazine, Hana to Yume, since August 2009. VIZ Media has been publishing an English-language edition of the manga as a paperback graphic novel series since August 2016 under its “Shojo Beat” imprint.
Yona of the Dawn focuses on the only princess in the Kingdom of Kohka, Yona. She lives an ideal life, and her father, King Il, dotes on her. Her faithful guard, Son Hak of the Wind Tribe, protects her. Yona even cherishes the time spent with the man she loves, her cousin, Lord Su-won of the Sky Tribe. However, everything changes for Princess Yona on her 16th birthday when the king is killed, and Hak is blamed. Soon, Yona is on the run with Hak, but she is determined to reclaim her throne. To do so, she begins a journey to find the Four Dragon Warriors.
As Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 20 (Chapter 112 to 117) opens, Yona and Princess Riri of the Water Tribe have been betrayed! Now, they are prisoners of the nation of Sei, working as slave labor on one of two forts being built along Sei's border with Kohka. Yona and Riri's respective companions split into two groups, with each group heading to one of the forts. Which team will find the two: Team Jaeha with Zeno and Ayura or Team Hak with Yun, Gija, and Sinha find Yona and Riri?
Meanwhile, Riri's father, General Jung-Gi, receives some surprising offers of help to find his daughter. And one of them has ties to Yona!
[This volume includes miscellaneous comics material.]
THE LOWDOWN: The Yona of the Dawn manga is a highly-enjoyable historical shojo romance manga, which is one of my favorite genres of manga. I also like that it uses elements of Chinese history and mythology.
Yona of the Dawn Graphic Novel Volume 20 is a fantastic entry in this series. I can say, without spoilers, that it begins with trouble and ends with trouble. Creator Mizuho Kusanagi always finds a way to keep readers coming back for more. Kusanagi also delves deeper into the complicated relationships that surround Yona and Son Hak. Even with all the action and intrigue, Yona of the Dawn always manages to get to the heart of the matter – the character melodrama.
The work of JN Productions (translation) and of Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane (English adaptation) helps to deliver some strong scenes of personal moments – within characters and between characters. Plus, Lys Blakeslee's lettering sets the mood, as usual, for Vol. 20, which like Vol. 19, is a bit more intimate than other volumes.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of historical romantic adventure will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, Yona of the Dawn.
A
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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