Sofie’s Reviews > Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 4 > Status Update

sinha and ao break my fucking heart dude they both deserved so much better but all they got was suffering and loneliness and the burden of protecting a village that shuns them for their very existence. i can’t wait to see sinha open up more in the group and eventually realize what it feels like to be loved and appreciated and protected

so since the villagers immediately put the mask on the blue dragons, they’re effectively stunting their normal vision so that when their power eventually fades away, they go blind. that’s so fucked up and unnecessary, as if they don’t suffer enough just by EXISTING

okay so is ao somehow related to sinha but it’s just never mentioned??? cause i assume that at least some amount of original dragon blood must be present in a person in order for them to inherit the power. maybe it’s a distant relation that they’re not even aware of but i’m also wondering if maybe proximity could be enough to awaken the power…..that could be part of the yona mystery

see someone with a less refined sense for these things would assume that gija is straight and hopelessly enamored with yona but no no this man is still as gay as they come
he literally just has a MASSIVE praise kink and has spent his entire life yearning to be useful and to fulfill his destined duty

that panel of gija at the end of this page is a great example of the small bits of artistry that make this manga so good. his face isn’t even in the panel but the context of hak and yun bonding about their knowledge in the previous panels and the shadow on gija’s figure all point to pure despondency. he’s feeling utterly useless and that one panel portrays that so subtly but perfectly

two seconds in and i’m already beaming at the found family coming together
hak and gija are SO brothers and i am endlessly charmed by how this mangaka writes banter and the chibi to go along with these funny moments

i love that yona is determined to become more independent and that she realizes that hak deserves more than just being a weapon his entire life, but i also can’t wait for the day that yona finally feels strong enough to “release” him and he’s like uh. no! he’ll stay by her side not because he feels he HAS to or because he’s serving anyone, but because he WANTS to, and she wants him right back

ever cry so hard for a fictional character you have no choice but to laugh
yeah that’s where i’m at rn

i cried when i watched this episode in the anime so i’m preparing myself for utter devastation the second time around. it’s really brilliant to go from the village of the white dragon and gija’s exalted upbringing to the complete opposite in the village of the blue dragon. from immense pressure and existentialism to stark loneliness and isolation

giggling and kicking my feet at gija and hak’s rivalry but also reluctant respect for each other. they should spar it out and maybe also kiss