YONA OF THE DAWN, VOL. 22
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia
MANGAKA: Mizuho Kusanagi
TRANSLATION: JN Productions
ENGLISH ADAPTATION: Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane
LETTERS: Lys Blakeslee
EDITOR: Amy Yu
ISBN: 978-1-9747-1108-6; paperback (February 2020); Rated “T” for “Teen”
192pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 UK
Yona of the Dawn is a Japanese shojo 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. 22 (Chapter 124 to 129) opens, the battle against the Nation of Sei and its treacherous nobles, Lord Hotsuma and Lord Kishibi, has ended in defeat for Sei. Yona and Princess Riri of the Water Tribe have been rescued, and now, is the time for reunions and revelations. For instance, Riri has a crush on a military leader … who is also a married man! Meanwhile, is Yona ready to admit her feelings for Hak?
Later, Yona, Hak, the Four Dragon Warriors (Gija, Jaeha, Sinha, and Zeno), and Jun travel to the Nation of Xing, where trouble brews. It seems that Princess Kouren, leader of Xing, is preparing to start a war against Kohka. Her younger sister, the exiled Princess Tao, would prefer that Xing become a vassal state of Kohka. Tao hopes that Yona and the Dragon Warriors, whom she believes to be beautiful and fierce monsters, can make that happen. So what will Yona do, and can a decision come in time with all their lives in danger?
THE LOWDOWN: It has been exactly a half-year since I last read the Yona of the Dawn manga. I find historical shojo romance manga to be a highly enjoyable read, The series belongs to one of my favorite shojo sub-genres, the manga that use elements of Chinese history and myth.
Yona of the Dawn Graphic Novel Volume 22 says goodbye, for the time being, to Princess Riri and the Water Tribe. Creator Mizuho Kusanagi briefly delves into the relationship between Yona and Hak, while delivering readers a surprising development in the life of Yona. Then, Kusanagi does what she does best – insert Yona into another conflict in which she must help a troubled young noble woman. Of course, Yona is this series' most troubled young novel woman. This manga may seem repetitive, at times, but it tells an absorbing story with lovable characters.
Yet, JN Productions (translation) and Ysabet Reinhardt MacFarlane (English adaptation) never make it boring. Their work makes us want to follow Yona once more into the breach and the lovely lettering by Lys Blakeslee creates the sense of a magical romantic adventure. Once again, dear readers, I highly recommend that you also follow Yona.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of historical romantic adventure will want to try the “Shojo Beat” title, Yona of the Dawn.
A
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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