Anime vs. Manga: Akatsuki no Yona / Yona of the Dawn

April 6, 2018

*WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS*

     Hi again! (Sigh, I need to make my opening statement less mundane). I've been noticing how when manga is serialized into anime, the anime version often isn't conveyed as well. Not all anime execute this change badly. For example, Kaichou wa Maid-Sama is a good manga and anime.   

     However, today I'm focusing on Akatsuki no Yona, or Yona of the Dawn. The manga was started in 2009 and is ongoing, while the anime aired from 2014 to 2015. Akatsuki no Yona is about the princess Yona, whose father is brutally murdered by none other than her cousin Su-won. Yona also happens to...you know...like...him. Incest much? Anyways, she flees the castle on the night of her 15th birthday with her bodyguard, Hak. After meeting a priest who tells her to find the legendary dragon warriors, Yona embarks with Hak to start her journey. 

     There are already a lot of reasons why it's hard to serialize manga. For one, manga can go on and on. Compared to anime, which cost money for voice acting and animators, manga are considerably easier to handle. Manga are still hard, considering the time you need to put in them. Also, it can be hard to copy over all the information from a manga into an anime, which explains why filler arcs and unnecessary episodes are left out. Sometimes, more major events can be left out, causing gaps in the anime. Manga also allow more time to develop characters.

It's interesting that even though she's a runaway princess living in the wild, her hair is immaculate.

     Through the course of the anime, Yona is first portrayed as a sheltered princess, which makes sense. Yona is a princess who lives a life of luxury and protection. As the anime goes on, she gradually learns to fend for herself, fight, and survive in the wild. The ending of the anime doesn't include Yona going to reclaim the throne, although I wish it did. The manga will probably have Yona fight Su-won in some type of epic smackdown. It's hard to animate over 360 pages into 24 episodes.
     Also, it feels like in the manga Yona is more brave and can stand up for herself more. In the anime she feels a bit helpless.
     In conclusion, I would rather read the manga of Akatsuki no Yona, and then watch the anime.

Thanks for reading!