暁のヨナ 8 [Akatsuki no Yona 8]

暁のヨナ [Akatsuki no Yona] #8

by Mizuho Kusanagi, 草凪みずほ

悪徳領主・クムジを討ち、阿波を救ったヨナ！緑龍・ジェハも仲間になり、残す四龍は黄龍のみだが!? 一方、戦がなくなり、自国を守れない現状を歯痒く思う地の部族長・グンテ。そんなグンテに、池心城を訪れたスウォンは模擬戦＆お祭りの開催を提案。スウォンの真意は!?

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Romance, Shojo, Graphic Novels, Young Adult, Adventure

183 pages, Paperback

First published March 19, 2012

About the author

KUSANAGI Mizuho (草凪みずほ) used to work as an assistant for Yoko Matsushita.

Circle(s): JAKE

Loves: drawing and considers herself to have a 'super fetish' for voices. As such, she loves seiyuu (voice actors) but also actors with good voices.

Favorite Food: Ramen. Prefers vegetables to meat.

Favorite Movies: Anything by Miyazaki, whom she loves! Also, The Sound of Music and Lord of the Rings.

Reviews

[Melanie (meltotheany)]

➛ vol. 1 ★★★★
➛ vol. 2 ★★★
➛ vol. 3 ★★★
➛ vol. 4 ★★★★
➛ vol. 5 ★★★
➛ vol. 6 ★★★★★
➛ vol. 7 ★★★★

jjk has been taking over my manga life this year, so i have been slacking with yona! but it was truly so nice to be back in this world with yona and hak! So far, yona has found, and is traveling with, all of the dragons except the yellow dragon - and no one really knows where to look for them! but soon their paths cross, very unexpectedly. (and maybe a little too conveniently for me hehe!)

but we also get to see a lot of suwon in this volume, and what kind of king he is trying to be. and i was actually in love with the part of the story where he was doing a mock battle with some lords from the village he was visiting. we are always going to love a ruler supporting women’s business, too lol!

ahhh, i am very excited to see him and yona’s journeys to become the people they want to become. and i am counting the volumes until their paths meet again (which i am hoping is very soon)! but in the meantime, having hak teaching yona sword fighting is going to be my new roman empire for sure.

trigger + content warnings: hunting (deer), mention of captivity and torture in past, mention of human trafficking, violence, inappropriate + unwanted sexual jokes

blog | instagram | youtube | wishlist | spotify | amazon

[Medha]

This was the most boring one so far. It wasn't as hilarious as the others. Not much happened in this book. I got to see more of the yellow dragon and King Suwon.

[Jane (It'sJaneLindsey)]

This volume was a little underwhelming :/

[DianaRose]

this volume focused mostly on su-won, and i’m not mad about it since we barely know his character and motivations, but it’s evident he’s extremely manipulative.

yona continues to impress me with her dedication in learning how to protect herself!

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany)]

I like how this volume suggests that there are many ways to show strength and leadership.

[Noorj]

Only 3 stars because Su-won was in the majority of the book and I don't really like him he has this manipulative energy around him
Other than that hak and Yona needs to get married Asap i love them omg

[TrippyBooks]

Im rating this 5 star’s special for Chapter 47* haks sweet words made me tear up at was so sweet !

[Mary Emma Sivils]

I wasn't super excited to see Su-Won on the cover of this volume, simply because I don't like him and I don't want the story to try to make me like him. 😒
However, I do think it was important to see more of what's happening with him. And...I'll admit, I'm interested to find out where that storyline goes.
There were a lot of good moments! I was happy to see Ik-Su again. And Zeno—what's going on there, hm? I get the feeling there's more to him than meets the eye.

[Rebecca]

I want so badly to hate Su-won, but his actions in this volume make it impossible to forget that in almost any other story, he'd be the hero and not the villain.

[Laura A. Grace]

VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/iT5HciwzgJw

This was a fantastic volume!

I admit that the fourth dragon joining the crew was extremely anticlimactic given the backstories we've received for all the others, so to say I was disappointed it wasn't something more "grand" is an understatement. However, despite how "chill" he is, I KNOW there is something more to him. The art shows it, his words in a certain conversation show it. He is not all that he seems, though I don't think it will be in a bad way if that makes sense.

Despite that I was not excited about the beginning, SINHAAAAA!!! *heart eyes* I LOVED the "game" he played with the new dragon! AND THEN THE LAST CHAPTER!! YESSSSSS!! He is so precious and thank you so much mangaka for giving me more of him! *sobs*

And not only that! We saw Ik-su!!!!!! :o :o :o :o :o *sobs harder*

I was so sad that we probably would never see him again, but we did!! (Though I was totally frozen when it looked like he might have not been alive LOL) It was so wonderful and love his character so much!!

And while it does NOT top seeing more of Sinha and Ik-su again, we had SO much Su-won and I am 100% here for it! *Excellent* excellent excellent stuff! We see him shine for a change and was totally leaning in when reading because I was wanting to learn more about him and how he thinks. I definitely did NOT (and do not) have him figured out, but it was fascinating to see him in action.

A part of me is struggling with him potentially leaving(?) the throne because that feels wrong in light of Yona, but I deeply loved Yona's choice in her conversation with Ik-su. It feels true to her character and look forward to seeing what she will learn her on her adventures.

But can we take a moment to appreciate Sinha fretting over Yona in that one scene near the end? He's so precious! And ahhh the bonus comic!! I love it!! <3 <3 <3

So while I didn't love the first and last chapter, I did deeply enjoy this volume as a whole. Su-won did not simply become King for avenging his father because his actions showed and proved there is far more to him then we may realize as readers.

[Francesca]

Volume un po' sottotono per i miei gusti, Suwon non mi fa impazzire come personaggio e la parte riguardante la finta battaglia mi ha molto annoiato. Ciononostante non vedo l'ora di sapere cosa accadrà a Yona e company.

[Sarah Ryder]

November 2025 Reread: Nothing much to add here though I will say I enjoyed Su-Won’s part more this time around. Not enough to like him personally though; I’m afraid he’ll just have to deal with my complicated feelings of mostly dislike for him, lol.

*******

July 2021 Review: I knocked off a star for this volume because most of the plot is Su-Won based and, well, I’m not the biggest fan of him no matter how interesting his motives and methods of uniting the kingdom are. 😆 And I can see why the anime bumped this plot line further up as this would have been the last few episodes or so, and who wants to end the season with the bad guy doing stuff?

Chapters 42, 43, and 47 were my favorites as those are the ones focused on the Happy Hungry Bunch! I love how Zeno just popped up out of nowhere because he was hungry. 😂 Such a fun way to introduce him as all the other dragons had some sort of drama surrounding them and Zeno’s just like “hi, I’d love to join you, you have great food!” 🤣🤣 It’s just so Zeno, and I love him. 🥰😂

I LOVED the moment in the rain between Hak and Yona. 😍🥰😍🥰 He’s so proud of her, and it just makes my heart melt and puts a smile on my face of how much he cares about and loves her even when he tries to hide it. And I LOVE Yona’s conviction to help her people, and, boy, does she do just that. She’s going to make a great queen one day. ☺️


‼️Content‼️

Language: heck; bastard; hell; what the; damned; what the hell

Violence: injuries and blood (PG-PG-13); fighting with weapons and hand to hand (PG-PG-13); a man punches another; a flashback to a man being hit with an arrow (PG-13)

Sexual: mild suggestive hints/comments; shirtless guys; uses of “sex appeal” and “sexier”

Other: a prophesy; reincarnations of spiritual dragon warriors and king; magical powers; a guy chained up; a mock battle

[Aleksandra]

That ending was really cute and wholesomeee🥺

Yona if you don‘t make a move soon, I WILL GLADLY DO IT INSTEAD KHM😭




Soo-Won being as scheming as usual🤧






The plot is slowly starting to pick its pace; onto the next volume!

[Dilushani Jayalath]

Sio-Won looks majestic here. Hate him but the pic isn't too bad.

[WeirdoElla]

{3,5/5}

idc when it's chapter on ppl other than yona and her dragons tbh lmao

[Violet ♡]

I'm sorry, but I'm not a fan of Suwon, especially after that night. 😢



But what he did for the tribe is incredible. I suppose it's a wise move to make them allies.🤔

[MJ]

Rereading

I am now remembering why I loved Akatsuki No Yona so much years ago—the characters are just so beautifully built.

[Keiko the manga enthusiast ♒︎]

I see Suwon as a manipulative character, but I don’t know anymore. Anyway, Hak and Yona's chemistry is just—augh!

[Rodger’s Reads]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up, this one felt truly random. We were doing some character building for Su-Won I suppose but man was it random as anything. 🤣

[Dani ❤️ Perspective of a Writer]

Check out more manga and graphic novel reviews @ Perspective of a Writer...

This is a review of volumes 7-8 which I read together back to back. See the plot section for my thoughts on the individual volumes.

Princess Yona is the pampered daughter of her kingdom's king. Isolated and doted on she has two childhood friends, Hak, a general who also protects her and her cousin, Soo-won who helped her mourn her mother's passing and who she is crushing on big time. On her 16th birthday her entire world implodes to to a crippling betrayal... She must decide if she will fall in line or rise up and take back her kingdom.

Yona of the Dawn vol 7 starts reintroducing us to Su-won and so we see that with only 1 more dragon to find we will be returning to the new emperor and his plans for the nation. This is a cusp issue where a story arc is too long to fit in the volume and it ends at the beginning of the next... These are fun volumes since Mizujo Kusanagi explains in an aside that at readers' request she is drawing fun comedy chapters that incorporate all the characters that travel with Yona.

This takes us into Yona of the Dawn vol 8 where sure enough we are back to Su-won's POV. At the start of the volume I rolled my eyes and groaned to myself... but then when I started reading it I became really engrossed in what the mangaka was telling up about Su-won... I really loved meeting the Earth general and his wife! He had the same skepticism I did and like him I was won over... Now who do I vote for?!

The tension is well and truly present with Yona of the Dawn vol 7-8 and that is because Su-won is back for sure! The way he was reintroduced into the story was fascinating and was the start to that tension... Then when we are won over to his side with the dishes mock war game the questions start racing through your mind... Will Yona be able to remain strong in the face of her love? Can she put his betrayal behind her if it means happiness for her people... and herself?

I really think the art is getting better and better... When Yona and Su-won meet again... GAH THE ART IS GORGEOUS!! Like this was the scene that made me well and truly a fan of the mangaka's art and I won't be swayed again. It maybe that as she draws these characters over and over she becomes her confident and can drawn quicker and that shows in the art. For sure I know the screens are better and Yona of the Dawn has become a series I have to purchase!!

The thing about Su-won is that I think he chose the harder path... He knew he had to do something for his father's empire... It was going to seed in the worst way and he could have woed Yona and gotten it back the old-fashioned way... marriage but he wanted to be true to his father's legacy and do it the way HE would have done it if he lived. He really betrayed Yona with the best intentions for his people. And poor Hak! This is a guy he admired... yet he can't agree with his methods...

Yona of the Dawn vol 7-8 gets this story going!! YAY! We are back with the betrayer... Su-won the new emperor... And he can be a really nice guy! He really wasn't selling Yona a song when they were younger... And we get to meet some new characters that are fun to follow around! I'm looking forward to meeting other generals of the kingdom now that I've met the earth one.


**Mild Spoilers of a chapter in Yona of the Dawn vol 7.**

As a writer I don't really agree with how the group meets the yellow dragon. I mean a chapter is a little swift!? We couldn't get a fun volume where there is a comedy of errors?! Or meeting his couldn't be worked into the next story arc and combined? It's just so lazy and unlike this mangaka. So my conclusion as a writer is that she must have plans to explore his back history and nature more in future story arcs. She must have realized we NEEDED to get back to Su-won and get the story started!!

⋆ ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Authenticity
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Tension
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Plot
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Art

______________________
You can find this review and many others on my book blog @ Perspective of a Writer. See my manga and graphic novel reviews in a special feature called Saturday Morning Cartoons...

[Giorgina V]

un po’ sottotono rispetto agli altri volumi, ma l’ultima parte è 😍

[The Book Dragon]

Yona's search for the dragons continues. Now she's looking for the final one, the yellow dragon.
But the real question is...what will she do once she's gathered them all?

And what exactly has Su-won been doing during these past 3 months? Yeah. It's only been 3 months.

..............

And now time for a small outburst from a fangirl

OHMYGOSH! THAT LAST PAGE! MAY THE SHIP SAIL AND LET NO CANON DESTROY IT~

[Lucía Cafeína]

BAAAAAM TOMA OTRAS CINCO ESTRELLAS Y TODAS LAS QUE QUIERAS! ¿QUIERES MÁS? TOOODAS TE DOY.
Mira, el fangirleo ya se está volviendo muy exagerado pero es que esta saga me tiene muy living. En este tomo en concreto se nos enseña parte del arco de Soo-Won, y yo que pensaba que le iba a odiar pero es que ¿no se puede odiar a nadie en estos mangas? : D ¿Por qué son todos los personajes tan complicados y bonitos? Los quiero a todos, no puede ser esto, de verdad que NO PUEDE SER

[Heather]

I don’t care what this dude does for other tribes, I hope Yona stabs him to death with that hairpin. 😌

[MaguiWorld]

Poder ver un poco más sobre la vida del nuevo rey me gustó, aunque no entiendo exactamente qué es lo que quiere hacer. (aunque creo que sí, se) sin embargo estuvo interesante y creo que podemos llegar a conocerlo un poco más. No es un personaje que me encanta pero siento que tiene sus motivos... Nada justifica lo que hizo igual.

A seguir!

[giuliaghoulia]

4.5 rounded up

i'm so happy to be back in this world, and i finally caught up to where the anime ended so i am so excited for new content!!!

also this may or may not be an unpopular opinion but i do not like su-won or scenes with su-won, he can go be a side character

[julia ♥]

4.5/5. 💖

[Amber]

Ok I liked this volume more than I thought I would. The series wasn’t doing much for me and I was debating on whether I should just give up on it, but this volume renewed my interest.

[Elaina]

Took a star off because of some of the suggestive comments :/ It's frustrating because I really like this series other than the few times it does that. Lots more of Suwon in this volume so ehhh there's also that lol Loved the Yona and Hak content at the end though <3 Super hyped about reading new material now :)

[AlenGarou]

E giungiamo in pari con l'anime.
Inutile dire che pretendo una seconda stagione (anche tre o quattro) perchè più avanti ci saranno dei momenti così kawaii che... boh... Seriamente, gente. perchè non l'hanno più rinnovato.
Ad ogni modo finalmente la compagnia ha acquisito l'ultimo membro: zeno :3