This episode was very enlightening for us non-manga readers. Not only do we get some background story and character motivation, but also some kick-ass action from Hak and Soo-won. Damn, does it get me pumped up for more badassery. Okay, so onward to the meat of the episode.
We are taken to a little before the end of last week's episode, with what happened before Yona was set to execution. Yona asks Soo-won why he'd kill her father, a kind and cowardly man, and Soo-won instantly shoots those words down. That "kind and cowardly man" apparently killed his father by stabbing him to death, only to release the official statement that he was in an accident. Soo-won explains his father, the older brother of King Il, was a courageous general who won countless victories. However, their father chose Il as the king of the kingdom, confusing many people. Despite this, Soo-won's father smiled happily to the end, saying he doesn't mind not taking over the throne and he'll stand alongside his brother.
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| Damn, the background animation. |
Now this brings the question of: Is that really the truth? Can we really believe a gentle king like Il would murder his brother brutally? Maybe, but I personally believe if that were the case there was a reason for it. Perhaps Il's brother wasn't as noble as he seemed. Perhaps he was actually a corrupt man who was planning to usurp his younger brother. We will see.
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| What a sweetheart. It's impossible to believe this guy is a murderer. . . . But maybe that's the point. |
I have a feeling that Soo-won's advisor (whose name I cannot recall) is the one pulling the strings. I truly believe he is manipulating Soo-won and was the one who fed him those possible lies. Again, we shall see.
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| Don't listen to him, Soo-won, he's obviously a manipulating cheat! |
So the guards take Yona to the courtyard to execute her when Hak comes in to save the day. He kicks everyone's ass and prepares to face off Soo-won. As they fight, Hak asks Soo-won if he was only an illusion, pretending to be a kind man when really he was just a murderer plotting revenge against the king. Soo-won says he's exactly that as he killed the king. This enrages Hak and he manages to cut Soo-won's shoulder. Soo-won wobbles back at this injury and it is then that Hak realizes a guard is holding a sword to Yona's neck. As Hak drops his weapon in surrender, a stray arrow distracts everyone, enabling Hak to pick up his weapon again and kill all the guards.
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| Ha-ha, as if holding a sword to his neck is going to stop Hak. Ha-ha, gimme a break. |
He takes advantage of this distraction and grabs Yona as he runs. They meet up with a servant, Min-soo, who was the one to fire the arrow. They plan to escape the castle when Min-soo offers to be a distraction, pretending to be Yona and cause the guards to chase him while the two make their escape. Hak agrees to this plan, and Min-soo tells Yona he has faith in her as a princess before running off in one of Yona's cloths. As expected, the guards chase him down while Hak and Yona make their escape. When the two successfully escape to the mountains, Min-soo is shot down. Despite not knowing this character for too long, I really felt a jolt of sadness at his death. I found it rather sweet he was loyal to the princess until the very end, going so far as to sacrifice his life for hers.
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| :( |
Soo-won and his advisor notice the open gates and they know they've successfully escaped, so they send out a search party. Over in the mountains, Hak and Yona are slowly ascending the mountain when Yona, who is not accustomed to walking so far and hard, is exhausted, so Hak suggests they rest for the time being. As they do so, Yona wonders if she and Hak are going to die, and she begins to cry as she realizes she never said a word of thanks to her father for her birthday. But then, Hak hugs her and tells her she can make it up to him by living.
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| YES, GIMME MORE SHOUJO FLUFF!!! |
We cut back to the present where Yona has shorter hair and ambushes a large army with her mini one, and holy shit are all these guys badasses. Ugghhhhhh, I want mooorrrrreeeee.
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| The badassery keeps getting better. (And let me tell you: it's quite a feat to still be a badass with a chipmunk as a companion.) |
You would think it'd stop there, but noooo. Yona pulls out an arrow, saying she'll claim back her kingdom, and shoots before the episode ends.
WHAT. THE HELL? You can't end it there! I want to see how she became such a badass. ;__; But God, if this episode didn't make you pumped up for more, I don't know what will. I am so excited to see Yona's transformation from incapable, innocent princess to a badass warrior. I AM SO EXCITED, I CAN'T EVEN. If this episode was enough to make me love this series already, I can't imagine what future episodes have in store for me. And with that, take care, otakus!
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