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Yona of the Dawn
Episode 23

by Rebecca Silverman,

This episode pulls off something impressive – a transition between storylines that only really feels like one upon reflection. The battle against Yan Kumji has ended, Yona and the pirates have saved the day, and now, plot-wise, it is time to move on and find that last pesky dragon. But where Yona of the Dawn could have simply ploughed ahead, it instead uses this week to remind us where Yona herself came from and to renew the resolve of three of the key players.

The major event is, of course, her surprise meeting with Su-won. I don't think there were many of us who weren't making some sort of involuntary noise last week when that happened, and while their interaction proves short, it is still one of the most important moments of the latter half of the show. Su-won's visible (and audible) shock that Yona is still alive seems to indicate some relief, but there's a definite sadness there as well. He can't believe that she would ever forgive him, and that's something that's at the crux of Yona's tormented feelings for him. He killed her father and destroyed her world...but he's also one of the two people she truly depended upon and loved for most of her life. Even his act of regicide can't fully erase who he once was to her, and while it would be easier if she'd killed him when she had the chance, or at least tossed his hair pin into the sea, I can also understand why she hesitated. Emotions with deep roots don't change easily – as the late Terry Pratchett said, the town you just drove through is still there in the rearview mirror. Sometimes it's hard to keep from glancing back.

It seems clear that Su-won and Hak are having a similar problem, although Hak in a slightly different way. When he finds Yona bawling after her encounter with Su-won, he immediately knows what happened and he's ready to fight...but there's a sadness to the knowledge that he has to be on guard against his former friend as well, something Jeaha points out. As for Su-won, kudos to Yūsuke Kobayashi for giving just the right inflections as he speaks to Yona, showing us the yearning behind his words and actions.

But the world goes on. After a shaken evening, we see Yona pick herself back up and get ready to move forward again, although her meeting with Jeaha would seem to have made her more aware that everyone may not want to go with her. (We can all guess how that ends.) Her encounter with Su-won appears to have also renewed her reliance on Hak, possibly in an emotional sense, as it's obvious that she's feeling very fragile. It makes more sense than her vanishing sprained ankle that she'd have a breakdown after what she's been through in the last three episodes. It also helps to remind us that no matter how much she's learned and done, Yona's still human, and no one can be brave all the time. This helps to give her a symbolic clean slate to start up her journey again as well: she's done battle, she's survived revisiting her initial emotional trauma, and now she's ready to move on.

Fans of Gija, Sinha, and Yun may be disappointed in this episode, since none of the three play a large role – although watching Sinha chow down on a daikon is pretty great – but it doesn't feel like their absence affects the episode unduly. There are a few off-model moments for faces, particularly during Jeaha's meeting with Gigan, but otherwise the attention to the fact that everyone would still be battered and bruised is paid, which is a good bit of visual detail.

The series is sadly coming to a close very soon, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for a surprise announcement of another season. At least we still have one more episode to look forward to.

Rating: A-

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

Rebecca Silverman is ANN's senior manga critic.


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