Akatsuki No Yona is a fantasy shoujo manga following the life of Princess Yona after her father is murdered and she is hunted down. With the help of four guys who are blessed with dragon blood, she goes on a path to find out more about the the outside world and the state her father left the country.
Despite it being in the shoujo genre there isn’t that much emphasis on romance once the story gets going. Yona is starts out as a spoilt princess who has been keep ignorant about life outside the palace by her mild mannered father, the king. By accident she witnesses his murder by her crush, and then goes on the run with her body guard Son Hak.
Yona is the direct descendent of a legendary dragon king, who was able to unite the country before using the power of four other dragons in the body of humans. On her journey Yona is united with the decedents of those dragons and together they vow to protect her. Yona however sees for the first time the country outside of the palace, and rather than using the dragon’s powers to take back the crown, she decides she first wants to learn more about the country and the plight of the people.
It’s for this reason that I love the manga so much. The main character has curiosity and empathy, she acknowledges her own ignorance to the affairs of her people and wants to understand exactly how the country has gotten into the state it has. By dressing up as bandits that actually help villages, she and the dragons go from village to village trying to help those in need.
The characters all have great camaraderie and the story progresses at a good pace. The lack of an outright villain also makes for a more interesting plot. The dragons also have intricate and sometimes heart breaking backstories. The story is finished yet but it has so many levels of interest, and lots of potential.
So an action packed story of betrayal, compassion and people with cool dragon super powers, I highly recommend giving Akatsuki No Yona a go. I love the banter and the way the main character tease each other. The drawing style is very traditional shoujo with some cute facial expressions that make me giggle.