Yona of the Dawn

Episode 5

You know what they say - “Red sky at night, sailor's delight. Red sky at dawning, sailors take warning.” Well, Yona's finally woken up, and the dawning of her determination is definitely a warning for Su-won and his compatriots. This princess is not going to be a pawn anymore.

Episode five is where Yona of the Dawn really takes off, becoming the show it promised. When we last saw Yona and Hak, Hak was busy telling people that he was removing himself from the Wind Tribe and heading out on his own so as not to endanger anyone else while he fought Su-won's forces. The rest of the family is so busy keeping this from Yona that they don't notice that she's coming to some realizations of her own. When she sees the injured merchants who were attacked simply for bringing food and water to those who sheltered her, Yona truly becomes aware that she hasn't been standing on her own two feet. Totally separate from Hak, she decides to do exactly what he's planning – to leave Capital Fuuga and fight this battle by herself. The only difference is that she's decided that Hak should go with her, because just because she's not going to play damsel in distress anymore doesn't mean that she has inflated ideas of her own competence. It's a great step in her character development and feels much more realistic than if she'd just gone haring off to Do Things Herself like so many damsels-turned-heroine do in fiction: Yona knows she's got a long way to go before she's fully capable, and leaving safety is just the first step. To that end, she does have to rely on others, but Hak is a much smarter choice than putting an entire city at risk. It really marks the first time Yona's made a choice for herself, and as the episode progresses, we see her thinking about her actions, Hak's decisions, and the consequences of everything. Thus her decision at the end of the episode is based on both logic and her desire not to be a passive princess rather than an impulse of the moment. Yona's got a ways to go, but she is very firmly and deliberately taking those first steps.

We're also treated to some pretty terrific fight scenes and choreography as Hak takes on an entire battalion of archers ranged on cliffs above him with just his halberd, which he also manages to use to pole vault he and Yona to safety. There are some shortcuts taken as he uses the pole arm like a helicopter blade to shred arrows, but it's exciting enough that it's hard to care. There's also some humor thrown in that works quite well, not feeling out of place amidst the more serious tone that the episode has overall. (Poor Heang-dea – he's not dead yet!) Hak is definitely thrown by Yona's new persona, and watching him get all nervous when she tells him she wants him (not that way, buddy, sorry) is pretty great. He's also quite possibly the world's worst flirter, and the fact that Yona doesn't seem to know that that's what he's doing makes it clear that the poor guy needs some practice.

It looks like Yona will start gathering her merry (and pretty) men next episode, moving the story along more swiftly than it has been, although if you really think about it, each episode has covered important plot points without feeling rushed. That it took Yona to episode five to make her move may seem slow, but it also gave us (and her) a chance to get to know the players and the situation so that her choice is informed rather than heated. I'm still not sold on “Su-won” instead of “Soo-won” and the background music can overwhelm the dialogue in places, but Yona of the Dawn is taking off in a big way with this episode and I can't wait for next week.

Those soldiers are about to learn what sailors have known for years – a red dawn is nothing to shrug off.

Rating: A

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

Rebecca Silverman writes ANN's manga review column RTO and teaches writing and literature.