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Yona of the Dawn
Episode 12

by Rebecca Silverman,

Okay, they have got to stop changing spellings in this show willy-nilly. Yes, two separate companies are streaming Yona of the Dawn, and yes, it would be nice to have the names consistent between the two, but as of this episode, Ki-ja has become Gija, and that marks the second time this has happened. It is inconsistent, relatively unprofessional, and frankly annoying. Please – decide before the characters come in and make this nonsense stop.

That said, this is another strong episode, albeit not quite as good as the last few. Yona and her merry men arrive at a mountain stronghold, a bit like a lesser Petra, where Gija is certain they will find the Blue Dragon. The villagers, however, are less than welcoming. Half of them are masked, all of them are suspicious if not outright creepy, and the reactions of the youngest children indicate that these are not people who get frequent visitors. Only by playing up Hak's injury does Yona secure lodging for a time. It is, of course, a very inhospitable cave that they are warned not to leave, but a little thing like that is hardly going to stop handsome genius Yun from coming up with a plan. By the end of the episode, they have met the Blue Dragon, but unlike Gija, he is not eagerly awaiting the arrival of someone with red hair.

The contrast between the way the two were treated by their respective villages is really striking. Where Gija was coddled and adored, the Blue Dragon (and I have to wonder if he was ever given a real name) was ostracized and treated like a monster. His power is paralytic and resides in his eyes, which also have the ability to see for miles farther than any human can. He is required to wear a mask at all times and must be raised by the previous Blue Dragon, whose own powers fade as the present one's grow. It really says it all when, after seeing her baby's eyes, the present Blue Dragon's mother killed herself rather than live knowing she had birthed a dragon. In some ways the Blue Dragon has lived a much more isolated life than Yun did as the sole member of his village – because the Blue Dragon knew that he didn't have to be living in solitude. There were children his own age right there; he just couldn't get near them. Needless to say, it is going to be very difficult to convince this particular party member to join up, that they actually want him around. He does have a furry squirrel friend and a desire to be with people – he's already feeling the attraction to Yona – but overcoming twenty-odd years of conditioning is not going to be easy. I trust this show not to overlook that detail.

As with the last several episodes, this one uses humor to good effect, proclaiming Hak's opening of his shirt fanservice and using some old RPG imagery and sound, to say nothing of sprites. It was just like playing an old “King's Quest” game for a few seconds there, and the comparison between quests in games and the journey Yona's on isn't a bad one...Unfortunately, we will have to wait an extra week to see how her particular quest continues, since Crunchyroll will not be showing episode 13 until January 6th. (Funimation is a little behind, so this won't affect you if that's where you're watching.) It'll be a long two weeks, but to see the Blue Dragon come out of his shell and feel valued, it should be worth the wait.

Rating: B+

Yona of the Dawn is currently streaming on Crunchyroll and Funimation.com.

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga reviewer.


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