Yona of the Dawn

Type: I don’t want to write about this…

Synopsis: Because writing about it means it has to end. And I don’t want it to end! Yona of the Dawn is really good, but it only got 2 seasons! It’s a crime against nature I say! This anime is about a young princess whose father is killed in a coup d’etat by her crush/cousin. On the run, the princess seeks the help of four legendary dragon warriors to take back her home.

Pros: Damn man. I was not expecting this to be this good. The quality of this anime surprise me. When I saw the OP, I thought it was going to be some sort of reverse harem show. But in actuality, its a social-political action drama with good comedy bits and romantic subplots. Where the show shines is in it’s titular character, Yona. At the start of the series, Yona is your stereotypical princess. She is sheltered, naive, a little spoiled, and her biggest worry is whether or not she look nice for her cousin Su-Won. Then Yona witnesses Su-Won kill her father, forcing her to run for her life alongside her bodyguard/childhood friend Huk. Traveling with Huk causes Yona to realize that her kingdom was suffering under her father’s rule, making confront her own responsibilities to her people. Yona’s character growth from a dependent girl to capable young woman was the best element of the story. And the show handles that pacing very well. The anime opens with a confident Yona leading her friends into battle. We as the audience get a taste of who Yona will be, and get to see her become that person. Through a gradual process, we see Yona decide for herself to be more assertive, to train herself, and to expand her viewpoint. The story is basically Yona deciding to embrace her own agency. So many other anime would have just let Yona be protected by Huk, or her other guardians. But the show makes it a point to have Yona argue against that. She loves her friends, but she is determined to stand on her own two feat. Yona wins over her friends not only through her kindness and empathy, but also through her determination and bravery. She doesn’t just earn their loyalty, she earns their respect. Yona is a great character, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be devouring the manga now.

Cons: There are two main weaknesses for this anime. First, I don’t think the mystical aspect of the plot was needed. In the story, Yona is suggested to be the reincarnation of the “Crimson King,” the mythical ruler that founded the kingdom and was guarded by four dragon warriors. When Yona escapes capture, it suggested that she find these four dragon warriors to avenge herself. Most of the show is Yona looking for the four dragon warriors (well, three of them. The yellow dragon shows up in the very last episode). While I understand that this was the narrative tool used to form Yona’s harem, I think it complicates things a little. But that’s just me. On the plus side you have a boy for all tastes: protective, devoted, shy, flirty, or pretty. No, the real problem is that this show only covers the beginning arcs of the manga. So all 24 episodes are about getting the crew together, so they never get to fight as a unit like in the intro. The crew is also very Yona-centric, so you never get to hear their opinions about the kingdom itself (outside of Yoon). This is a shame because what the show does really well is depicting the rationale behind the King’s assassination. Yona’s father was a pacifist, and a good enough man to earn Huk’s respect, but by all accounts he was an inept ruler. His passivity caused his people to suffer and earned him little in terms of mourners. Seeing Yona battle with the fact that her father was a good man but a bad king was very interesting, and I wish the other characters could have commented on that as well. Basically, the worst part about this show is that there isn’t more of it…and that all the male characters fall into troupes after their introduction, the OP is weak and strangely ignores Yoon, we spent 3 episodes on Su-Won instead of on the yellow dragon, and OH MY GOD YONA, Huk has been trying to kiss you for 15 episodes now!

Watch it?: Yona is who I want to be when I grow up (4/5)

MVP: Yona

My queen!

Best Episode: Ep.1-6 The Princess Yona Arc (From Sansa Stark season 1 to Sansa Stark season 8).

Cautious Hero: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious

Type: I gotta be careful about this…

Synopsis: Careful. Careful. Careful. Cause this is a show with a funny premise…but it also has obvious animation issues…yet it’s relatively unique…but still falls into cliche troupes. People probably like it cause it’s new…but people also like Chipotle, which is garbage smeared with sh#t. Hmm, I guess I should start at the beginning. That’s probably a safe bet.

Pros: Cautious Hero is an anime based on a light novel about an overly cautious hero summoned to save a fantasy world. It’s a comedy isekai where the gimmick is that the hero is too careful, much to the consternation of the goddess who summoned him. I actually really liked some of the world building in this show. In this universe, gods and goddesses all live in the same realm and are charged with saving worlds through the help of chosen heroes. So basically, the show has a institutionalized isekai system. Worlds are ranked based on difficulty, and then assigned to specific gods and goddesses based on merit. In this story, Rista, who’s honestly the funniest character and carries most of the show, is assigned her first S-Ranked World. She decides to summon Seiya, a human with high Level 1 stats, who would be perfect if he wasn’t “impossibly cautious” and rather rude. Although other characters join in, the best scenes are between Rista and Seiya. Rista’s lusty/exacerbated reactions to Seiya’s over preparedness and paranoid logic are hilarious. You can tell that the directors and animators thought so too, because it seems that most of the time and money went into Rista. While every other character is stuck in a mid-budget anime, Rista seems to have been given a Konosuba/looney tunes amount of movement. Seriously, without these over the top cuts, the show would be incredibly average.

Cons: I called this show average, by which I mean that this show is average. Most episodes break down like so: Seiya and Rista banter, someone is in trouble, Seiya refuses to help, Rista chides him for his apathy, it turns out Seiya was going to help all along, Seiya has trouble with a fight, it turns out Seiya has a secret way to defeat the enemy the entire time so there was not actual danger, Rista comments on how hot Seiya is, and credits. Sticking with the story, I really didn’t like Seiya’s constant popping in and out of the Divine Realm. Seiya getting help from one god is fine, because Rista is inexperienced. Seiya getting trained by the strongest gods in the pantheon felt like cheating. Most of these gods would either fall in love with Seiya or lose to him in battle, or both, which diminished their roles in my eyes. Plus, anytime Seiya was really having trouble, he would just have Rista open a portal to the Divine Real, where time runs slower. It also took time away from Gaeabranda, ya know, the world Seiya was suppose to save. That being said, the first two and last two episode are actually pretty solid. Apart from an OK, not great story, the animation was very inconsistent. Apart from Riasta, the show cut corners left and right. I mean, did you see that outro!? As I stated earlier, this show has an interesting premise, a strong beginning and end, but a lackluster middle.

Watch it?: Give it the 3 episode test (3/5)

MVP: Ristarte, the Goddess of Healing

She saves this anime!

Best Episode: Ep. 1-2 “This Hero Is Too Cautious” (a very funny intro)