once again, we have yet another hakyona-centered chapter; only this time, it’s a true testament of their love. i have been waiting for a hakyona reunion for SO LONG, and i am feeling so bittersweet now that it happened.
yona is faced with the decision to go to the heavens or have hak die. this is the last trick the gods have for her, and it was the best decision they could make. yona's love for the dragons is powerful, but her love for hak is immeasurable.
hak was the one to save her from soowon, was the one who protected her throughout their many obstacles, loved her so much yet was fine never telling her for her own sake. time and time again, hak has proven to cherish and deeply love yona. all these memories from the manga come to light in this moment to emphasize the strong connection between the lovers.
“i could never let you die.” despite yona’s perseverance in the chalice, this is the one time she has given up. her connection to hak is more profound than anything. the dragons may all be connected to one another, but hak is the one person she has stuck beside since childhood. in the face of danger, how could she possibly allow hak to get hurt? the one person whom she has vowed to protect? she picked up weapons IN ORDER to protect him, so how could she give up the love of her life? the answer is she can’t. not by a long shot!
another important component in this chapter is hak relying on soowon. from the moment soowon betrayed hak and yona, hak has not been one to let it go. unlike the others, he can’t easily move on from such painful memories. although it seemed he was calm and collected, everytime he faced soowon a part of him was slowly breaking. hak’s love for Yona is undeniable, but he has also come to love the dragons & yoon. his desire to protect the ones he loves knows no bounds. he’ll put himself on the line to save yona repeatedly. however, now since he can call soowon his ally, he’s more than willing to rely on him.
after all this time watching hakyona and soowon become more estranged, we have FINALLY reached the point where all three of them can work together. although so much pain and suffering has happened, the love for one another has never changed. soowon is the best possible chance of saving everyone, and i’m so glad hak can see that again.
this chapter ends with a bittersweet ending of hak proposing to yona. despite the circumstances, he has managed to somehow stay alive in the chalice and even SPEAK to yona. although yona was more than willing to return to the heavens for him, we all know hak isn’t one to back down when it comes to yona.
i believe hak has no intention of giving up on saving yona and the dragons. he has shown many times that he isn’t one to back down when it comes to his loved ones. all he can do in this instance is keep yona pushing forward with her goal to save the dragons. the only one who has stuck beside her since the beginning has been hak. he has seen her at her weakest and has seen her at her strongest. he knows yona has what it takes to stand up again. so, all hak can do is give her some encouragement, show her he loves her, and believe that yona can save them all.
this chapter was beautiful, and although i was waiting for a hakyona reunion, i wish it was under better circumstances. but i’m so happy to see their love stay strong even through this painful arc.
this chapter was not only stressful but also very beautiful. it really highlights how terrible the situation is for the characters while also showing us how much they care for one another.
zeno’s face in this panel absolutely broke me. although he plans to end his life, he never wants to hurt yona or the dragons in order to get his wish. yet at this moment, he’s been told that yona is somewhere out of reach. calling her “miss” after turning his back on her shows that his feelings for his new family were never a lie.
zeno has had this one goal taken away from him. everything he had hoped, now out of reach. his brothers get the chance to be human, which is the one thing zeno has always wanted yet can never have. i can not imagine the pain he is feeling. although he says it’s okay as long as yona is returned to earth, as readers, we know how important it was for zeno to be human. after all that pain and suffering, the gods won’t grant zeno’s wish. it makes me so mad. this makes me think that zeno will be one of the few that won't ever get his happy ending.
how beautiful is it that the intense feelings that kija, shinah, and jaeha have for one another be the reason they wake up. seeing how zeno was being treated made them fight. they would do anything to protect their family, and i find it so beautiful that even when zeno turned his back on them, his dragon brothers stayed by his side.
things looked like they would change, but the dragon gods showed no mercy. causing shinah to go blind and ripping off kija’s arm hurt my soul. the dragon gods we thought were these amazing spiritual beings have no issue inflicting pain on their descendants. it’s disgusting to me. the dragons we all grew to love and know don’t matter in the grand scheme. they are simply reincarnations of the dragon gods.
but what i find so amazing about the dragons is how they would stop at nothing to protect their own. whether it’s an entire country out to destroy them or dragon gods, the four dragons will do anything to save yona. it’s so beautiful and moving to see them all together again despite the horrible circumstances. they love one another so deeply. watching zeno tear up while he watches their backs makes me so emotional. zeno has suffered more than any other character, both physically and mentally, and even caused his loved ones to suffer, too. but that doesn’t matter. zeno was and will always be loved.
poutyama i am so fond of you…i forget at times how childish he can be but then i remember that he’s literally the baby of his team AND family. he’s just so cutie 😭
the parallels between kageyama tobio and oikawa tooru are insane. oikawa beating kageyama after all the years he felt inadequate just for him to lose against tobio the next season. they both lack in what the other can do so well, oikawa lacking in skill while tobio can't command a team (at the time) like oikawa can. they are both such incredible players, and their rivalry emphasizes their talent. furudate was a genius for creating these characters and having them parallel each other; it's truly peak literature.
these two will always be so special to me!!! love katsuki and izuku so much!! <3
431 is a mixed bag but i love that Bakugo is in tune with his emotions, he realized that Deku is a special person to him and can live with that, regardless of where they stand, whether Izuku reciprocates that committment. that's such a nice testament of Bakugo's growth :)
i can’t even imagine how amazing it would have felt to hear this from someone you admire and love so much. after living like a puppet for others, never being honest with his desires, and always doing what people want, shima is told by his favorite person that no matter what, she will like him. mitsumi is such an honest and genuine spirit, although breaking up with shima was a hard decision to make, she did it so gently. this scene is such a testament to their relationship. they have so much respect and adoration for one another. even though it’s been a short time, you can easily tell they see each other as lifelong partners whether it’s romantic or platonic. although their first shot at an relationship didn’t work out, this moment opens up so much opportunity for growth. i just love this scene so very much!!!!
i miss greed island arc so much. it was so much fun watching it the first time. there was so many sweet moments between killua & gon. it just felt like a great adventure!! with bisky being there helping the boys get stronger, they learned so much about their techniques. it’s not as “drama” filled or intense as the other arcs, but i loved watched killugon get closer and learn! just a very comforting arc overall!
to discover new stories and fall in love with them is a gift. to consume media in such a deep way is my favorite. new perspectives, new feelings, just a unique way to explore the world. i love characters. i love stories. i love friendships, romance, found family. i love it all.
i started reading witch hat atelier and i’m so happy i did! not only is it absolutely beautiful but the story is so interesting!! currently on volume 3 and i’m more invested every chapter! i love coco & the girls so much along with qifrey! although the overall story is very whimsical and sweet, i love the dark undertones as well. very excited to see what comes next!