Son Hak

In my writing of this wonderful anime/manga I’ve re-watched and re-read and I found myself loving it just as much as the first time. With strong backstory and characters you really can’t go wrong with watching this anime. Also I found that I indeed have the biggest 2D infatuation on my last entry of this series.

Hak.

I’m actually finding this entry really hard to start! I’ve done a lot of thinking and research (don’t worry it wasn’t just looking for picture of him) and this is the entry I’ve been looking forward to the most yet dreading the most as to what to say about this character.

He is the adopted grandson of the chief of the wind tribe Son Mundok and at a young age rose in rank and at the start of the anime he is a general and the chief of the wind tribe. Although I was always a bit confused on how he could be both since it seems like he spent most of his time at the castle.

At first he isn’t really impressed by King Il and thinks that his ideals are silly at best. However, Hak one day got to see a side of the King that no one else will probably ever know or understand. The king stopped a blade with his bare hand and made no complaint. Just smiled.

From then one the King had Hak’s loyalty and Hak vowed to protect the princess.

At the start of the journey Yona was basically helpless and once Hak was severely injured that was her turning point and the start of her own personal journey to improve and grow stronger.

This was very frustrating for Hak he wanted Yona to use him, “Keep your mouth shut and hang on, Princess. Think of me as a tool. Use me so that you can live! That’s what I’m here for!” This was his understanding of his new job. Just to keep her safe and still in her bubble.

She is a princess and he had a vow to keep.

He doesn’t like the fact that she makes her own vow. To protect him.

He is the first reason. The reason they travel all over the country to gather the dragons. She sees how hard he fights and his willingness to die for her. So she decides to get others to protect him.

He has really unique relationships with all the dragons. I really enjoy him and the white dragons interactions also the green dragon…. (Any ships sailing there there?)

“I don’t swing that way pal”

This is a bit of a source of humor with the dragons. Especially the white dragon. Hak is just as strong as they are, but she wants them to protect him.

But he still follows her.

She asks him for training and he refuses at first because the king never liked weapons and after all he was there to protect her. Finally he agrees to help her learn to shoot and makes an off comment to Yona that his men would start off shooting 200 arrows a day but that she wouldn’t be able to.

So every night she does just that.

He jokes with her about her shooting and then asks her to shoot him.

He is trying to prove a point that she is unable to take a life. He is still fighting to save the old Yona and to protect the King’s wishes.

Then he stops trying to hold her back even though there are some cases where he wants to. He lets her grow.

But he never stops her. Hak always lets her know that she is taking risks when she shouldn’t, but he never holds her back because she is a woman or a princess.

I think that is one of his best attributes. He shows his belief in her and what she can become.

There are many things that I can say about this character. Mischievous, loyal, funny, strong… etc… We can go on all day, but in the end he is always there for her.

One of my favorite parts is this scene. Where he tells her that he doesn’t want to hide her away, but he wants to show the world the princess who cut her hair and who grew so strong. To show the world that she is fierce and loving and loyal.

There friendship is something I think everyone desires. That mutual trust.

Sometimes it can be hard to watch since we all know that Hak has feelings for Yona, but he never admits them to her. We do however get the honey scene… Heh… (let me silent my squeeing for a bit)

The Thunder/Lightning Beast. Loyal friend and shield. He will continue to follow Yona and to see more of their relationship… Well, you may just have to read the manga ;). Meanwhile here is some fan-service….

Even if you are not a fan of romance, that really isn’t what this anime is about. It is/has always been about the characters and how they have grown and changed and it is really amazing to watch.

So I hoped you enjoyed my series!

Happy watching!

 

 

Also I’ve included a picture that I commissioned from one of my students from my favorite moment in the anime. It is the first picture I hung up in my office :).

 

I removed my heart.

I’ve really enjoyed my Friday entries about the anime/manga Yona of the Dawn, and there are just two more that I wish to write and I saved them for the end. Best for last?

Before I get started I read a great blog post by Biblionyan on why you should read Yona of the Dawn. If I haven’t convinced you by now… Well, maybe they can!

So here we have it… Soo-Won

I picked this gif because *cough* uh reasons…

If you haven’t seen or watch it yet this does get a bit spoiler-y and I’m going to be sticking mostly to the anime.

Soo-Won is Yona’s cousin and a good friend of Hak they basically grew up together.

When he finds out the truth about his fathers death he does withdraw from seeing Yona and Hak as often and stays away from the palace for longer periods of time. It is during this time that he is groomed for his revenge. Not only does King Il get the blame for killing Soo-Won’s father, but Soo-Won also is trying to save the kingdom from the misguidance of the King.

So on the night of Yona’s birthday (timing dude…) he kills him.

Yona walks in on this and he seems like he is also about to kill her but in his hesitation she is able to run and get Hak.

If there is any doubt of Soo-Won’s skills it can be shown that he faced down Hak and put up a good fight.

Honestly I don’t think his heart was in it.

So in one night Soo-Won loses his two dearest friends. His desire for revenge and saving the kingdom won.

So what is the deal with him? I have to say that he makes a very interesting antagonist. You really can find yourself liking him often throughout the anime. Then you have to remind yourself that he killed Yona’s father… But then you see him actually doing good in the kingdom… Gosh what a great character.

I don’t think he was after the death of Yona and Hak. When he is told that Yona is dead you can see the look on his face. Even in the manga it gives a powerful image of regret.

It helps Yona and Hak have time to gather the dragons together since they are assumed dead, but it also helps Soo-Won realize that there is no turning back on what he did and he starts making real strides in the kingdom. Winning over the different tribes and not only helping with moral, but sometimes even economically.

I really love how sometimes he plays a fool so others don’t take him seriously at first…

Then he sneaks up behind them with a ball of whoop ass…

He is one of the best strategists in this anime and manga and it is awesome to see his plans come together for the good of the kingdom.

Like I said, it is hard to hate him.

He will make you feel conflicted throughout the whole anime. Then at the end of the anime there is a moment where he sees Yona again.

He hides her from his people.

This is shocking for Yona and she at that moment also is wondering if she should take the chance to kill him with his own sword.

He tells her she can’t kill him… yet… He still has more to do. Which in the end makes me have the theory that he will let her kill him. To give her the chance to avenge her father now.

She is confused by this new Soo-Won that she hasn’t met before. You can see that she still cares for him and I can’t imagine how confusing it would be to have the man you hate save you.

This also isn’t the only time he will save her or Hak. But lets leave that to the manga.

So what do you think of this amazing character? His motivations are real and you can see what he truly cares about.

Was the murder then justified? Or will we find out more truths from the manga about the murder? I honestly think there will be way more to the story of his fathers death.

He makes a great antagonist for this anime and there is never a black or white feeling about him.

I hope you’ve been enjoying these entries as much as I have! Next week will be the last. I’ll leave with a lovely image to brighten your weekend and a bit of a tease for next week haha!

Yes, Hak. We want you. 😛

Happy Watching!

Tasty Food and Sunshine

Now is where I have to stray a bit from the anime. Into OVA and Manga land so if you only watched the anime the Yellow dragon just joins the group. You won’t get any of his background. Some is on the OVA and obviously the rest in in the manga. So this is very spoiler-y if you haven’t seen the OVA or read the manga.

So without further explanation! On to Zeno the hungry dragon/yellow/Ouryuu!

He is a character that will relate to Ao for love of food. Zeno first tells them that he was attracted to their campsite by the scent of the meat. Later we come to find that he as been following Yona since she left the castle. It was his way of watching over/testing her to see if she was worthy.

It is rare to find him without a smile on his face, but some could say that he went through the most. He keeps with him the medallion from the first ruler King Hiryuu it is something that keeps him calm and maybe you could say sane.

I think sometimes we wish to live longer, but I think having to be the one that is always left behind can hurt you the most. Zeno has lived over 2,000 years. All his friends have died, his wife, and he has tried to move on himself. Some power like this could really cause madness. Even his wife told him, “May we meet in Heaven again” but that is something that may never be true from him.

So in part I think what he shows to the others is also a way of protecting his mental state. If he had to constantly look at his past and everything he has lost he couldn’t be the sunshine to Yona.

In being part of the original group he also has more insight to some of the mythology that was lost along the way.

One instance is that the dragons are weaker the farther away they are from the castle. So they all come down with an illness and Zeno is the one who has to treat them. They never knew this bit of lore as they grew up in their various villages.

Also his power of healing is more than just that, whatever part of his body heals scales grow back over the area.

He found that on his feet and hands it gives him similar powers as the White and Green Dragon. Zeno actually ripped out his eyes to see if he could get the Blue Dragons power, but he said it only made his vision stronger no killing effect.

So all in all he is quite the powerhouse for the group.

Also a brother.

And a shield.

Also he is the rest of the families warmth or should I say:  “The Dark Dragon and the Happy Hungary Bunch” which is a pretty interesting title for their gang. (made by Hak and Zeno lol)

The last to join, but the quickest he fits in nicely and slowly reveals things to the group. He is the one who wants to know Yona’s intentions. Will she keep running or will she fight?

In the end, they are all there for her. They all believe in her.

I really recommend that you check out the manga. This was actually one of the very first manga’s that I’ve read since I was dying to find out what happened after Zeno joined. Also you will really miss out on a lot of his character development.

Hope you enjoy my small post about the amazing Yellow Dragon!

If you missed any of my past entries for my Yona of the Dawn series feel free to check them Out!

Happy Watching!

Yona

Blue Dragon

White Dragon

Green Dragon

King Il

Yoon

Ao

 

A bit of cuteness to brighten your day

In my Yona posts I would be remiss if I forgot to mention one of the cutest characters from Yona of the Dawn.

The Blue Dragon’s companion Ao! I’ve already mentioned that she was named after the Blue Dragons “mentor” the true hilarity of that choice is that squirrel Ao is very cute and full of cuddles where as the former blue dragon was well… very prickly.

This is a character who loves to eat…

Anything from Yona’s earrings to meat. Ao warmed up to Yona before the blue dragon and I think it was some of the reason why he trusted her. I mean if an anime likes someone that really does say a lot about their character in my opinion.

You can’t always say that eating is a skill but she rescued Yona and Yoon when they were tied up and helped them with their plan to overthrow the sex trade in one of the final story arcs of the anime.

“Who’s this little creature with swollen cheeks? She’s stuffed too much in there!”

Ao remains one of my favorite animal characters in anime. Do you have any favorites?

Happy watching!

 

“What a pain!”

Now that I’m finally back for a Friday I get to continue my posts on the characters of Yona of the Dawn! There isn’t a better character to get things going again than the self declared pretty boy genius Yoon!

Yoon is actually the first to join Yona’s group on their quest to find the dragons. He is a great addiction due to his cooking and medical abilities. He remembers everything he reads, but doesn’t have access to a lot of information since he lives in the middle of nowhere taking care of the priest Ik-soo. He also hate royalty which gets his and Yona’s relationship off to a rocky start.

Once again the backstory hits it out of the park for this character. Yoon grows up in poverty and starving another victim to how far the kingdom has fallen. His story is intertwined with Ik-soo when they both became each others saviors.

There meeting was a rough one when there were rumors of a man with gold. Yoon’s first meeting with him was him throwing a rock at Ik-soo so he could steal from him to buy food. Ik-soo informs him that he gave everything away already and had nothing. Yoon then hits him again, but something makes him take Ik-soo back to his home and then treats the wounds that he gave him.

Ik-soo then teaches Yoon a trade which is making sandals so instead of robbing and stealing he trades them for food. Ik-soo is in and out of Yoon’s life but it reaches a point to where people will never stop attacking him so he tells Yoon that he is going away and won’t see him again.

The moment where Yoon asks to go with him is very sweet and another moment for tears. Ik-soo is hesitant about letting Yoon live in seclusion with him since he sees the potential in Yoon and knows that Yoon wants to see the world, but in the end he agrees and they head off together.

Yoon is a great influence on Yona since he is the first to join he is another character besides Hak that sees Yona from the start of her naive ways to her ending strength. He points out to her bluntly when she isn’t acting correctly. He doctors them back to health he points out to Yona that she never thanked him or Hak for saving her.

He is the one holding up a mirror to her own shortcomings and lets her know how much he despises royalty.  Yoon also points out the obvious about Hak and Yona’s relationship.

Come on Yona! Get the hint lol!

One thing that is important about Yoon is that he is another character who grows along with Yona. Starting out as a child to be very selfish to one that will give up everything for Ik-soo.

Ik-soo can see that he is holding Yoon back and tells him that he doesn’t need him anymore. Those who are watching can see that he wants more for Yoon, but to Yoon this is a slap in the face after all he’s done for the priest.

There is a beautiful moment of farewell for the two characters who have had each other for awhile. Ik-soo is like a father to Yoon, but Yoon is the one who takes care of him.

He is one who hates to fight and is often mistaken as a woman because of his beauty and does get marriage requests from men since he is a great cook. Yoon becomes the mother of the group of misfits and he fits into that role perfectly.

He grows in leaps and bounds and puts his life on the line for Yona. He later apologizes for his earlier comments to Yona after seeing her true self but to Yona he was the one who showed her that she had a long ways to go in her own growth.

I love the fact that he isn’t another fighter. He isn’t always brave and he likes to tell things as they are. He realizes that he has much more to learn in the medical field and struggles with his own lack of knowledge when people die. He makes it a goal to learn more and help the people in the kingdom.

 

Yoon is part of the odd family that they made and he finally got his dream to travel the world.

I will leave you all off with another lovely quote from Yoon:

I hope you all have a great weekend and Happy watching!