(L+CR) Akatsuki no Yona

[AntonKutovoi]

Nice shot Yona.
That cliffhanger ending, though.

[White Manju Bun]

I kinda wanted Yona to have that same look in eyes when she killed Kumji but ah well. Great epi, but I really wonder how theyre going to wrap all this up with so few epis left.

[HandofFate]

damn.
I don't think I will ever get tired of the portrayal of 'bloodlust' or killing intent in anime, its just so great everytime.

Hak's face when he realized Yona has grown to the point where she is willing to take a life now.

damn.. at the end

[Flower]

Ep 22

That ... now THAT was a stupendous adaptation of the climax of the battle - so well done! Even though I knew the narrative and what was going to happen, etc., etc. it was ... still ... plain ... awesome.

And as others have said the cliffhanger at the end of the episode was also jaw-droppingly excellent.

Brilliant ... just ... brilliantly done.

[PreSage]

Dang, this episode was good! I absolutely love the BGM that really enhanced each major scene...especially that last scene with Su-woon. I really hate to admit it but that image of them together was quite fitting...maybe...maybe moreso than with Hak *and Sage breaks down crying*.

...and Yona has finally made her first kill! This is definitely a turning point in her character. It was also a good contrast with those flashbacks to King Il superimposed on the moment Yona killed Kumji.

And Gigan!! Dang, that captain is awesome! And Yun belittles himself too much! Yona definitely wouldn't have gotten the chance to fire off the firework if it weren't for his selfless acts.

Originally Posted by Stark700

Bonus:
Squirrel picture for PreSage

Haha, you bet I was like "HAH! Another new Ao icon!" when I saw that scene. (Doh, I hate it when they use zoom...so hard to make the avy. - use it as my profile pic. )

Poor Ao...didn't get any sake...

I will miss Ao after this series ends...where will I get my Ao and Ao-making icon fix after this...? (I really hope for another season...especially with Zeno!!!!)

Originally Posted by thundrakkon

Overall, the episode was really good. Yona is becoming a bit more mystical. Her aura can terrify people from far away distances.

Ao must be starving! She didn't eat anything since they were caught, so I can totally understand why she was chomping on everything, including poor Shin-ha.

2 episodes to go, and no Yellow Dragon in sight. I guess he could make a cameo appearance in the last episode. It'll be funny if Yona meets him, and he just agrees to come along no questions ask.

Kumji said that he felt a strong "bloodlust" directed at him. Definitely that has to be from Hiryuu's dragon blood. Hak once said that Kija also fought with great bloodlust, despite his sweet and naive demeanor. So despite how they are as humans, they are definitely part dragon with all their hidden ferocity.

Ao chomping on Sinha was hilarious and adorable!

Well, it looks like the mangaka likes diversity. We already have (1) Happily goes with her out of total devotion (Kija), (2) Goes with her out of hope (Sinha), (3) Reluctantly goes with her, which we know he will (Jaeha)...Hak would be "goes with her out of love and duty". Yun was "goes with her because he was told to"...that only leaves one last option (4) Goes with her for no real reason or without a care (possibly Zeno).

Originally Posted by ~Yami~

whoa... Yona just killed someone!! and no one actually cares?
I thought Hak would be like "Il-king.. I have betrayed you.. I have given weapons to Yona and now she already killed a man"

Well, if anyone were to be shocked, it would only be Hak, since I'm pretty sure he is the only one who knows about the "no-kill" policy of King Il. Hak was surprised but I don't think he would apologize for betraying Il, since he had apologized a while back when he allowed Yona to hold a weapon (i.e. the bow and arrow). He is probably more surprised at how much resolve and strength Yona has developed.

[Master_Yoma]

Hak and Ki-ja really going all out sinking all those boats and Yona with such a nice shot

[BPD Renegade]

I've been looking forward to this episode for weeks. Another excellent adaptation! One of the things I really liked about Yona taking down Kumji was the fact that there was no hesitation or moral dilemma present. Even after the fact, there isn't any guilt or doubt within Yona, just a calm determination and confidence within herself. If anything, this kill made her even stronger. It was a unique execution (no pun intended) in that finally, finally, we have a lead who understands that sometimes, hands have to be dirtied and some people can't be saved. Rather than stewing in guilt, Yona sees the happiness that results from her action. This deserves recognition as even popular shounen manga are prone to keeping their leads clean (to date, neither Naruto nor Luffy have killed yet, IIRC).

Originally Posted by MurkyMuse

I'm really happy with how the anime handled Yona taking down Kumji. Yona saved Jae-ha's life there. They cut the majority of the after party though. I wasn't expecting that much of it to be cut.

I was also surprised by how much of the party was cut. The abrupt shift from the party to Yona out alone threw me off, but with only two episodes left, it's excusable, and they've been doing a great job so far. From next episode's PV, it looks like some content might have been shifted around, so the festivities might still be seen. It's been a while since I read it though, so don't take my word for it.

Also, I was quite disappointed that I didn't get to see a drunk Ao.

[Benigmatica]

Episode 22:
Damn, Yona sure pulled that killing shot onto Yang Kum-ji's heart! Well, glad that it's over but it's sad that the last dragon warrior won't have his formal appearance!

[erdii]

https://vine.co/v/OQFlA67lljWI think I found Ao in real life

[MgMaster]

Originally Posted by HandofFate

damn.
I don't think I will ever get tired of the portrayal of 'bloodlust' or killing intent in anime, its just so great everytime.

Hak's face when he realized Yona has grown to the point where she is willing to take a life now.

damn.. at the end

Yep, I get ya and I admit that I would've been slightly disappointed if like, no one died in such a large scale battle. GG Yona, stayed true to that scene in the OP.

[Irisiel]

Well, with the end coming up soon (pleasecondseasonplease) we're dropping plot bombs and cliffhangers left and right, it seems. I couldn't be more happy with Yona's first human kill being unquestionably good, because if it wasn't, with her pacifist upbringing it was bound to be a big angst point for the rest of the series, but it wasn't, so I'm good with it. The other part that I found great is that I think it's almost confirmed that Yona's dragon power is Hiryuu's heart/soul. Her bloodlust awakened at the thought of stopping the man who harmed the people of Kouka, and her first kill was made to protect the green dragon without hesitation.

But that ending. Dat cliffhanger. From the preview it seems like Soo-won is protecting/hiding Yona, so I wonder if this might eventually evolve into Soo-won becoming a sort-of ally? (Obviously not in the time we have left of the anime, Yona in the preview seems ready to go for her second kill, in shock if nothing else.)

Yona has, after all, never expressed a desire to go back to Hiryuu Castle, or even when she was the spoiled princess; to rule. If she wants neither of those things and Soo-won continues to improve Kouka, all they really have between them is Il's death (which seems more and more like a blessing for the kingdom) and the betrayal of Yona and Hak's friendship, which might be mitigated if it turns out that Il really was a shady person of questionable deeds before he became a pacifist (I still can't forget him stopping that blade without a flinch or twitch of his smile, no one does that without some history behind it, and it seems more likely at this point that even if Soo-won might have been misled as to his father's death, it might not have been such a big stretch of the truth, that is, if Soo-won lied/was misled, since we've seen nothing to contradict it).

[GDiddy]

Just when I think this show doesn't get any better, it FREAKING DOES!

Excellent episode all around. Truly epic.


As for that ending....

Spoiler:

In both OPS, it did hint at Soowon and Yona reuniting. Hopefully, he won't pull anything on her though...though understandably, she looks ready to kill him as well. Since the manga's going on though, I'm assuming that he does leave her alone for the most part?

You know in all seriousness, there's GOTTA be another season coming...especially since Yellow's probably going to wind up making a cameo at this point!

[PreSage]

Originally Posted by GDiddy

You know in all seriousness, there's GOTTA be another season coming...especially since Yellow's probably going to wind up making a cameo at this point!

I'm also in the strong belief that they're setting up for a second season, especially with the flashforward we see of Yona and the gang encountering the foreign invasion.

For those manga readers who are up-to-date on the latest chapter, is there currently enough manga material for a second season?

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by PreSage

I'm also in the strong belief that they're setting up for a second season, especially with the flashforward we see of Yona and the gang encountering the foreign invasion.

For those manga readers who are up-to-date on the latest chapter, is there currently enough manga material for a second season?

I'm not a manga reader, but I know there's at least enough material for 3 more cours and probably 4.

[Flower]

Originally Posted by PreSage

I'm also in the strong belief that they're setting up for a second season, especially with the flashforward we see of Yona and the gang encountering the foreign invasion.

For those manga readers who are up-to-date on the latest chapter, is there currently enough manga material for a second season?

I personally think there is. The manga chapters are already in the triple digits and this season will likely end in the 40's chapter wise...with scanlation up to the 70's or so.

[ChainLegacy]

If Kingdom got as many episodes as it did with the same studio, I can't imagine why Yona wouldn't get another 26, at least. I mean, I personally love Kingdom, but Yona is just as entertaining without the terrible CGI.

[Guardian Enzo]

Originally Posted by ChainLegacy

If Kingdom got as many episodes as it did with the same studio, I can't imagine why Yona wouldn't get another 26, at least. I mean, I personally love Kingdom, but Yona is just as entertaining without the terrible CGI.

Kingdom is also one of the top dozen or so selling manga in Japan.

[Irenesharda]

*inhales deeply, only to let the air out slowly once again*

Now THAT was the best episode in the entire series so far. I can't believe how exciting it was, on top of all of Yona's character development.

Yona's the khaleesi of Kouma, you don't mess with her dragons!

It was all action this week as the battle waged on. I love what they did with Yona and Yun's character once again. Despite all he has done, Yun still doesn't feel as though he measures up to the other dragons. But Yona tells him the truth and how awesome he is, for he does have the strongest heart of all.

The dragons make light work of all the mercenaries as they take out wave upon wave of them. However, Kumiji tries to be the fox that slips away to fight another day. But Jeaha and Sinha ain't havin' it! ( by the way, I knew that those were actually eye holes in Sinha's mask!) But Jeaha get's outdone and he's injured and in the water where his legs cannot help him.

But fear not! Yona, the Red Dragon, will protect her bodyguards and brethren, even one who has seemingly rejected her. The light and music within that scene, Kumiji's revelation that she is indeed Princess Yona, and the shading on the animation when she takes that finale shot. All of it is so grandiose and beautiful that it can take your breath away.

The fight is over and the dawn has risen. The pirates all drink and party despite Yun's arguments and their wounds. (though, during that whole scene, my doctor/scientist mind was just thinking about the fact that alcohol thins the blood, which can be an issue later considering the wounds. ) Yona goes off to think by herself and about the new step that she's taken after this night and whether she has grown. I have to say that, really she is the best heroine I've ever seen in a show like this. I love how Yona is strong of spirit, but realistically, she's not that strong of body. Her heart is great and she has a sense of justice. She's not an all of a sudden expert fighter, I like that she sat most of the battle out, but that she fought back when it mattered. And I like that she remembers her lessons from before and doesn't wander too far in case her men get worried. I love her character so much and how realistic her development really is. Which comes to the last scene in the episode.

This scene, was the second most beautiful scene in the episode. It was only seconds long, but it was very mesmerizing and lovely all at once. Yona literally bumps into the last person that she or we ever expected to meet here: Soo-won.

The colors they have here, the very way they touch, the realization as they look into each other's eyes, if I hadn't know what had already happened between them, I would say that they look as if they are two longlost lovers who have just happen to find each other again after years of searching. There was such a reaction in that one scene, that while I love Hak and want him to be with Yona, and I know it would never happen, but I would honestly what Soo-won and Yona to actually be together. That was how powerful that scene was.

Next week, it looks like a reunion of sorts and I think I see where Yona gets that sword she has in the OP. I actually don't think Soo-won will be surprised at all at how much Yona has grown. Basically telling her something like, "I knew it was in you all along." or something like that.

I really, really hope this gets a second season. We only have two episodes left, and the Yellow Dragon once again doesn't look like he'll be there next week either, which leaves the final episode. All other dragons get arcs, and he gets a single episode. Poor Yellow Dragon.

I am loving this series and can't wait till next time.

[Naoshi]

Originally Posted by erdii

https://vine.co/v/OQFlA67lljWI think I found Ao in real life

Aww.. You are right! It looks fluffy and cute like Ao!

Originally Posted by PreSage

For those manga readers who are up-to-date on the latest chapter, is there currently enough manga material for a second season?

There is plenty for second season.

[Irenesharda]

Originally Posted by ~Yami~

whoa... Yona just killed someone!! and no one actually cares?
I thought Hak would be like "Il-king.. I have betrayed you.. I have given weapons to Yona and now she already killed a man"

Honestly, I thought practically the entire main cast cared. And especially Hak since they took the time to zoom in on his shocked face. He didn't say anything, but that scene conveyed the shock he felt--that everyone felt--without any words at all. The very way that time seemed to stand still, the looks in their eyes, that alone was more powerful than anything he, or anyone could have said.

Originally Posted by PreSage

Dang, this episode was good! I absolutely love the BGM that really enhanced each major scene...especially that last scene with Su-woon. I really hate to admit it but that image of them together was quite fitting...maybe...maybe moreso than with Hak *and Sage breaks down crying*.

Totally agree, it was the way the music soared and the lighting of the scene, and the way they looked at each other. Such chemistry...