Akatsuki no Yona - Vol. 34 Ch. 196 - The Pain That Was Inflicted, on Those Who Inflicted It
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@Tensaitkuroneko
Yes! Soo-Won is so much a complicated character, it makes you want to learn more about him.
@SylverDrawer
Agree with you Il was a terrible king, and that while Yu-Hon hated the priests vehemently, he killed only because he wanted to protect Yon-Hi's lineage as secret, both as promise to her mother, and also to protect Yon-Hi from harm and attack. Yon-Hi and Kashi have met several times, and Yu-Hon probably knew of that. Yu-Hon lied about knowing she was a priestess which Il realised, but he didn't really admit to killing her.
But why would you say that Yu-Hon has been painted as Kashi's killer since the time the story began? We didn't even know of Yu-Hon and Kashi till much later. Kashi's death was never connected to Yu-Hon before this. It was always portrayed as a bandit attack. Please don't exaggerate that much.
@Oylesine
How is Soo-Won driving the country to meaningless wars? What story have you been reading? It was all because of Il's lack of any reign that Kouka was in jeopardy. Soo-Won and Yona both have been fixing Kouka since the get-go. Sei attacked them first and was slaving Kouka's people. The war at Xing was prevented by placing an agreement. Sen backstabbed the earlier agreement and attacked Kouka. Kai is planning on conquering them. If Il were still king, one of these foreign rulers would have plundered Kouka fully and easily taken Il's head in another year. Soo-Won foresaw all this and decided a coup d'état was better than an invasion after observing Il's failure to take responsibility of his kingdom in the name of God. He gathered information and actioned a fix, rather than sitting back and watching his country rot and die. Probably also because he knew he'd be dead soon too. He may even have asked Il to step down first, which Il would have refused. Things would have gone different surely, if Yona had also not been fixing Kouka from outside in. For Soo-Won, killing seems to be a last resort. Else he would have injured Zeno just for curiosity's sake, or if he was so power hungry.
Soo-Won has shown emotions. It's not like he doesn't regret losing Yona and Hak in the process. It pains him every time he sees them. In Awa, he protected Yona from being discovered because he didn't want to lose her again. In Sensui, Suiko's port town, Soo-Won froze in front of Hak's wrath and anguish. When he was unwell in the castle, he wondered whether he deserved dreaming of Yona and being comforted by her. It's not like he doesn't feel anything. Because he considers he has a greater responsibility towards the kingdom, towards the majority, he cuts off his emotions and doesn't let it bind him. Is that apathy? Can you really call it that?
@Ari23
Rather, Hak's beginning to realise now about the burden Soo-Won's been carrying and his real intent ever since he learned about Il possibly killing Yu-Hon. He's also been observing how Yona is dealing with her feelings of betrayal with Soo-Won ever since she decided to take up a weapon, and she had way more at stake than Hak: friendship, love, family.
@HikariGo
Yeah, dunno what they all reading. Soo-Won's far from feeling impulsive revenge. He rather separates himself from it by choosing to observe how Il treats his kingdom.
It does feel likely to end that way.
@CRay
Yup yup. Soo-Won only put protective measures in place with the neighbouring countries. I don't believe he was conquering them.
@Rubbiccino + @nekokyuuu
Is it really revenge? He was angered, yes. He despised Il's actions, and he was treated badly by Il too. He was aware of his father's ways, but also learned a lot from him in logical/rational thinking. Rather than blinded by revenge, he chose to give Il a chance for redemption. Perhaps he also wanted to observe whether Il killing Yu-Hon served a purpose or was justified in Il's way of running the nation. But I wouldn't put revenge as the cause for killing Il. Rather, it was his assessment of Il's lack of worth as being a ruler and neglecting his population. Yes, both brothers are shit rulers though. Together, perhaps there would have been a chance, which Yon-Hi always hoped for, but their distrust in each other's beliefs would not have let them anyway.
@sukaley
agree with you on Soo-Won.
@Lux
Interesting Sword-Shield prophecy interpretation.
@Ellollie
Yeah, the story is about more than heroes and antagonists. Why must Soo-Won be coloured as wrong? Just because he did something to upset our main characters whom we've grown to love?
If Yon-Hi spoke up to Yu-Hon I wonder if she would have felt she was denying Yu-Hon's existence and thr fact that he loved her and she loved him. She knowingly married him, but ignored his wrongs because he kept her away from that. She was also brought up as a peasant who shouldn't stand out. While she observes, I wonder if she thought if she had the right to speak against him. She didn't know the ways of what's appropriate in running a kingdom. Though I do think she would have been smart enough to learn.
Yes! Soo-Won is so much a complicated character, it makes you want to learn more about him.
@SylverDrawer
Agree with you Il was a terrible king, and that while Yu-Hon hated the priests vehemently, he killed only because he wanted to protect Yon-Hi's lineage as secret, both as promise to her mother, and also to protect Yon-Hi from harm and attack. Yon-Hi and Kashi have met several times, and Yu-Hon probably knew of that. Yu-Hon lied about knowing she was a priestess which Il realised, but he didn't really admit to killing her.
But why would you say that Yu-Hon has been painted as Kashi's killer since the time the story began? We didn't even know of Yu-Hon and Kashi till much later. Kashi's death was never connected to Yu-Hon before this. It was always portrayed as a bandit attack. Please don't exaggerate that much.
@Oylesine
How is Soo-Won driving the country to meaningless wars? What story have you been reading? It was all because of Il's lack of any reign that Kouka was in jeopardy. Soo-Won and Yona both have been fixing Kouka since the get-go. Sei attacked them first and was slaving Kouka's people. The war at Xing was prevented by placing an agreement. Sen backstabbed the earlier agreement and attacked Kouka. Kai is planning on conquering them. If Il were still king, one of these foreign rulers would have plundered Kouka fully and easily taken Il's head in another year. Soo-Won foresaw all this and decided a coup d'état was better than an invasion after observing Il's failure to take responsibility of his kingdom in the name of God. He gathered information and actioned a fix, rather than sitting back and watching his country rot and die. Probably also because he knew he'd be dead soon too. He may even have asked Il to step down first, which Il would have refused. Things would have gone different surely, if Yona had also not been fixing Kouka from outside in. For Soo-Won, killing seems to be a last resort. Else he would have injured Zeno just for curiosity's sake, or if he was so power hungry.
Soo-Won has shown emotions. It's not like he doesn't regret losing Yona and Hak in the process. It pains him every time he sees them. In Awa, he protected Yona from being discovered because he didn't want to lose her again. In Sensui, Suiko's port town, Soo-Won froze in front of Hak's wrath and anguish. When he was unwell in the castle, he wondered whether he deserved dreaming of Yona and being comforted by her. It's not like he doesn't feel anything. Because he considers he has a greater responsibility towards the kingdom, towards the majority, he cuts off his emotions and doesn't let it bind him. Is that apathy? Can you really call it that?
@Ari23
Rather, Hak's beginning to realise now about the burden Soo-Won's been carrying and his real intent ever since he learned about Il possibly killing Yu-Hon. He's also been observing how Yona is dealing with her feelings of betrayal with Soo-Won ever since she decided to take up a weapon, and she had way more at stake than Hak: friendship, love, family.
@HikariGo
Yeah, dunno what they all reading. Soo-Won's far from feeling impulsive revenge. He rather separates himself from it by choosing to observe how Il treats his kingdom.
It does feel likely to end that way.
@CRay
Yup yup. Soo-Won only put protective measures in place with the neighbouring countries. I don't believe he was conquering them.
@Rubbiccino + @nekokyuuu
Is it really revenge? He was angered, yes. He despised Il's actions, and he was treated badly by Il too. He was aware of his father's ways, but also learned a lot from him in logical/rational thinking. Rather than blinded by revenge, he chose to give Il a chance for redemption. Perhaps he also wanted to observe whether Il killing Yu-Hon served a purpose or was justified in Il's way of running the nation. But I wouldn't put revenge as the cause for killing Il. Rather, it was his assessment of Il's lack of worth as being a ruler and neglecting his population. Yes, both brothers are shit rulers though. Together, perhaps there would have been a chance, which Yon-Hi always hoped for, but their distrust in each other's beliefs would not have let them anyway.
@sukaley
agree with you on Soo-Won.
@Lux
Interesting Sword-Shield prophecy interpretation.
@Ellollie
Yeah, the story is about more than heroes and antagonists. Why must Soo-Won be coloured as wrong? Just because he did something to upset our main characters whom we've grown to love?
If Yon-Hi spoke up to Yu-Hon I wonder if she would have felt she was denying Yu-Hon's existence and thr fact that he loved her and she loved him. She knowingly married him, but ignored his wrongs because he kept her away from that. She was also brought up as a peasant who shouldn't stand out. While she observes, I wonder if she thought if she had the right to speak against him. She didn't know the ways of what's appropriate in running a kingdom. Though I do think she would have been smart enough to learn.
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@nekokyuuu I don't like it either, nor i believe it will turn out to be true in the end. But as things are now, given this new alliance, that's where it seems the plot is heading. I hope it's just a red herring from the author and Yona will be revelead as the rightful ruler of the prophecy.
Speaking of which, i'm kinda curious whether the japanese use a male word for "king" in the prophecy or is it just a neutral word?
Speaking of which, i'm kinda curious whether the japanese use a male word for "king" in the prophecy or is it just a neutral word?
They were both in the right and in the wrong. King Il had the right to feel the way he did about YuHon, but of course YuHon was right in the sense that he was not proper to be a king if he based all his ruling in just the hope that Yona was going to be the crimson king. YuHon did bad at killing a bunch of innocent people, but it is not like Il was a saint either.
Now back in the present, I wonder what will happen. SooWon has done a proper job as a king but probably won’t live long, while Yona recognizes that it is true that her father wasn’t the king she thought it was and the country wasn’t prosperous under him. Will she find herself able to forgive him? I don’t know if I would be able to, even tho SooWon had his reasons... I love that this manga doesn’t have a Totally good or bad or right and wrong.
Now back in the present, I wonder what will happen. SooWon has done a proper job as a king but probably won’t live long, while Yona recognizes that it is true that her father wasn’t the king she thought it was and the country wasn’t prosperous under him. Will she find herself able to forgive him? I don’t know if I would be able to, even tho SooWon had his reasons... I love that this manga doesn’t have a Totally good or bad or right and wrong.
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Can't wait for Soo-won to die
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@AstralRealms I do feel there is a semblance of revenge in there even if there was also a lot of logical thinking involved. I did mention that he allowed Il to try & prove himself, it's why he waited so long before executing his plan, he wanted Il to prove himself as a worthy ruler. But, the anger in his eyes also showed that he held a lot of resentment & anger towards Il which I don't think he had really let go off. Soowon might seem emotionless, but he does care. Even when we were first given an explanation as to why Soo won killed the king, it was told to us that he killed the king because Il killed his father. It was not conveyed to us as he killed the king because he was incompetent, tho I guess that would make for bad story telling xD At least from anyone else's POV, like Yona's POV for eg, he killed for revenge. Regardless, I agree with you for the most part that his intent wasn't completely revenge fueled, but at the end of the day, he went about it the same way as his father which results in a lot of vengeance. Yu Hon also never killed someone out of vengeance, he only ever did when he assessed it was necessary & it's the same with Soo won. These decisions are so rash & merciless that it causes more people to seek revenge. The cycle will never end. Soowon is logical & truly wants the best for the country. He can easily bring out the strength in his people by saying the right words & can assess a situation perfectly to carry out a proper solution in advance, but he doesn't have enough empathy & heart to reach the people. He will only leave behind hatred with his methods. He is exactly like his father in his actions & decisions, except he is a lot more rational & level headed about it.
It's like; King Il isn't a worthy ruler? Kill him. Yona saw me kill him? Kill her. Other people like Hak & the wind tribe will be angered & want revenge? who cares, whatever happens happens.
It's like; King Il isn't a worthy ruler? Kill him. Yona saw me kill him? Kill her. Other people like Hak & the wind tribe will be angered & want revenge? who cares, whatever happens happens.
@AstralRealms I do agree with the majority of your views.
Regarding Hak, exactly Yona has more stake than him but he is the one acting like a traumatized drama king. Let´s say he is finally starting to use his brain, I dont really know what he has been up to for 196 chapters other than being Yona servitor and being physically strong.
Like as much as Suwon´s character is triggering for good or bad, Hak is a plain shipping relief and the majority of readers like him out of pity. He has nothing to offer other than nurturing readers fantasy about a romantic love interest (😍) Sorry but I am starting to wonder what is even his role in the plot.
Regarding Hak, exactly Yona has more stake than him but he is the one acting like a traumatized drama king. Let´s say he is finally starting to use his brain, I dont really know what he has been up to for 196 chapters other than being Yona servitor and being physically strong.
Like as much as Suwon´s character is triggering for good or bad, Hak is a plain shipping relief and the majority of readers like him out of pity. He has nothing to offer other than nurturing readers fantasy about a romantic love interest (😍) Sorry but I am starting to wonder what is even his role in the plot.
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@Rubbiccino
True that Yu-Hon found reason in killing, rather than for the sake of killing. Merciless as it was. I do hate how he went about it though, it was torturous to burn the priests alive. He used torture as a means of deterrent. Very extreme though, but highlights supremacy.
While Soo-Won also kills in that logical way, he was more straightforward. And I do believe that he uses killing as a last resort. He did intend Il's killing to be quiet. Yona happened by chance, and so now we have this manga.
Like.. I'm trying to think of "why revenge" when he was smart for it. From his inference of Kye-Sook's account, it'll be like:
My father whom I loved and admired, apparently killed Kashi. Knowing him, there must have been a reason. [Calm]
Il killed my father to avenge her. But it seems he also saw my father as a blocker to ruling Kouka his way, effectively. [Calm]
However, Il faked my father's death as an accident. He disgraced my father, by not even accepting he killed him. Moreover, he stabbed him from the back. [Anger]
Fine. If that's the way Il thinks he can rule Kouka effectively, then let him show it. Let me see just how good a ruler you are for the actions you've committed. [Calm]
10 years later
So what did my father die for? You who said your brother did not let you rule effectively, have abandoned your populace to face and die by famine, plague, drugs, bandits, pirates, traffickers, slavery, corruption, distrust and dwindling economy. Your strongest warriors are lazing around, and the tribes are making alliances with enemy nations to overthrow you. Yet you sit on that throne, defy securing your country, and pray to God. For what? That God should take over the responsibility for you? [Disbelief, Anger]
How about I do it then? [Calm]
Is this revenge? 🤔
Also, same here, I don't consider Soo-Won as emotionless. He was actually shown to have fun with Hak and Yona. He was fascinated by and admired Hak. He went to take care of Yona when her mother died. He sat with his own mother and tried to cheer her up. He felt sad and hurt when Il said he got a bad feeling off of him. He was excited when he learned from books Min-Soo gave. He was angry on learning his father was murdered. That's a whole range of emotions we actually get to see from him. He was still social, and even if he may be acting for the most part, he can display warmth to people and make them feel comfortable or secure. Heck, also throw in the pet eagle that he loves. He cares for the people of Kouka, so took action, because noone else was doing the job. What's the harm in self-appointment, too, then, especially when he's in a position with resources to make it possible. It's unfortunate that circumstances arose which made him need to suppress his emotions.
@Ari23
Hahahaha. Wellllp, when you put it that way... It does make you wonder how much Hak has grown vs simply calming down and trusting/depending more.
He was f*ked by his bro. His love who was in love with his bro was also f*ked by his bro. Bro-man f*ked up baaad. Lightning flash, distrust trigger: since the first chapter, he's been like "Yooooouuuu f*ker!!! Raaaawwwwrrr!!!!"
Aw man, I made fun of my boi Hak. I gon think of him like a meme now 😅 I feel like I'm gonna see a note pop up beside him, like Chizuru from Kimi ni Todoke had plastered over her: "For Duty, Humanity, and Justice!". 😅 Aww mann...
True that Yu-Hon found reason in killing, rather than for the sake of killing. Merciless as it was. I do hate how he went about it though, it was torturous to burn the priests alive. He used torture as a means of deterrent. Very extreme though, but highlights supremacy.
While Soo-Won also kills in that logical way, he was more straightforward. And I do believe that he uses killing as a last resort. He did intend Il's killing to be quiet. Yona happened by chance, and so now we have this manga.
Like.. I'm trying to think of "why revenge" when he was smart for it. From his inference of Kye-Sook's account, it'll be like:
My father whom I loved and admired, apparently killed Kashi. Knowing him, there must have been a reason. [Calm]
Il killed my father to avenge her. But it seems he also saw my father as a blocker to ruling Kouka his way, effectively. [Calm]
However, Il faked my father's death as an accident. He disgraced my father, by not even accepting he killed him. Moreover, he stabbed him from the back. [Anger]
Fine. If that's the way Il thinks he can rule Kouka effectively, then let him show it. Let me see just how good a ruler you are for the actions you've committed. [Calm]
10 years later
So what did my father die for? You who said your brother did not let you rule effectively, have abandoned your populace to face and die by famine, plague, drugs, bandits, pirates, traffickers, slavery, corruption, distrust and dwindling economy. Your strongest warriors are lazing around, and the tribes are making alliances with enemy nations to overthrow you. Yet you sit on that throne, defy securing your country, and pray to God. For what? That God should take over the responsibility for you? [Disbelief, Anger]
How about I do it then? [Calm]
Is this revenge? 🤔
Also, same here, I don't consider Soo-Won as emotionless. He was actually shown to have fun with Hak and Yona. He was fascinated by and admired Hak. He went to take care of Yona when her mother died. He sat with his own mother and tried to cheer her up. He felt sad and hurt when Il said he got a bad feeling off of him. He was excited when he learned from books Min-Soo gave. He was angry on learning his father was murdered. That's a whole range of emotions we actually get to see from him. He was still social, and even if he may be acting for the most part, he can display warmth to people and make them feel comfortable or secure. Heck, also throw in the pet eagle that he loves. He cares for the people of Kouka, so took action, because noone else was doing the job. What's the harm in self-appointment, too, then, especially when he's in a position with resources to make it possible. It's unfortunate that circumstances arose which made him need to suppress his emotions.
@Ari23
Hahahaha. Wellllp, when you put it that way... It does make you wonder how much Hak has grown vs simply calming down and trusting/depending more.
He was f*ked by his bro. His love who was in love with his bro was also f*ked by his bro. Bro-man f*ked up baaad. Lightning flash, distrust trigger: since the first chapter, he's been like "Yooooouuuu f*ker!!! Raaaawwwwrrr!!!!"
Aw man, I made fun of my boi Hak. I gon think of him like a meme now 😅 I feel like I'm gonna see a note pop up beside him, like Chizuru from Kimi ni Todoke had plastered over her: "For Duty, Humanity, and Justice!". 😅 Aww mann...
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wow. everyone's writing essays and I can't keep up! ;--;
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Freaky child
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@Ari23 Hak envisioned a future of him serving under Soo Won and Yona. Swallowing his unrequited love since they were kids. Then Soo Won betrayed that dream and didn't explain anything even when he had multiple instances to do so. It's just as irrational as Yona's love of Soo Won, she had the chance to kill him after that pirate arc but didn't do so.
And the talk about stake is subjective. That's how you/we feel as a reader. People puts different value to things so it might be good to see it in their character. Hak as an orphan might place more value on forged bond rather than one born with them, although that's still my view on it as a reader.
And the talk about stake is subjective. That's how you/we feel as a reader. People puts different value to things so it might be good to see it in their character. Hak as an orphan might place more value on forged bond rather than one born with them, although that's still my view on it as a reader.
@Keinritt Ok understandable. However, enough with the pitiful portrayal of Hak once again 😩 I can pretty much say the same about Suwon. He was betrayed and got orphaned by his asshole uncle at a young age and still didn´t act on his emotions. He did use his brain and gave him a chance for the greater good. What´s Hak excuse? is he a fool? stupid? and why explain to someone like him who saw, with his own eyes, people dying under starvation and poverty and still told others that he trusted this fart of king? what does that make of him ?
Oh and everyone in the story is traumatized, everyone is suffering, everyone is orphan, not only him. Yet everyone is trying to move on and evolve but him. I hate a weak lead, whose development is as small as side characters... sigh🙄
Oh and everyone in the story is traumatized, everyone is suffering, everyone is orphan, not only him. Yet everyone is trying to move on and evolve but him. I hate a weak lead, whose development is as small as side characters... sigh🙄
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@Ari23 Ch 26 states one of the reason why Hak follows Il, they shared the same ideals or something like that. And I don't think Hak actually knew the scale of poverty on Kouka. Yes, he joined war fronts, but he did not journey through the land like they were doing before. I feel like you're hating a character just for the sake of it.
You want to talk about Soo Won? He had an inkling that Il killed his father because his father planned for Yona and her mother's death. Even his mother was convinced of it, he only had the work of that black haired guy that his father denied the accusation when Il confronted him. Il didn't move against their life after it. If he really is smart, he could've just married Yona and become the king through a proper process. But no, he had to have his revenge and settle things by himself.
You want to talk about Soo Won? He had an inkling that Il killed his father because his father planned for Yona and her mother's death. Even his mother was convinced of it, he only had the work of that black haired guy that his father denied the accusation when Il confronted him. Il didn't move against their life after it. If he really is smart, he could've just married Yona and become the king through a proper process. But no, he had to have his revenge and settle things by himself.
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The question of whether Hak followed Il even in knowledge of how Kouka was faring under his rule is an interesting one. I think we can consider a few points:
Perhaps he didn't, because the Wind Tribe seems to have been administered wisely by Mundok.
We get a picture of squalor and dereliction of Il's Kouka because the first arcs of the series are centered on three dysfunctional tribes: Fire (poverty because all male personnel and resources were diverted to prepare for a coup d'état), Water (drug-ridden due to inaction on the part of their General) and Earth (in decline because the General can't be assed to administer it properly in times of peace, being a warmongering lunatic).
Do you get my gist? Why are the Wind and Sky tribes never depicted as problematic? Can it be because Il didn't do a bad job of running his direct fief, and neither did Mundok, and that's why Hak felt that other than uppity aristocrats plotting behind Il's back, the side of Kouka he saw wasn't doing badly?
Every single of the issues Yona solved (with some help, or at least no interference, from Soo-won) so far are squarely to blame on Lee Geun-tae, Kan Soo-jin and An Joon-gi and their stupid ambition, hesitancy and lack of proper oversight. It's great that Soo-won got Geun-tae to actually do some governing, but why should he, or Il, have to? What are the generals for, then?
So the reason for Kouka's "decline" seems to have been that the king was a pacifist who didn't think much of military Keynesianism or wars of conquest. Can't blame him for that: war Keynesianism is great, unless you're in the receiving end of the war.
Do any people shilling for Soo-won pause to ask themselves the enormity of suffering that the rampaging defeated army of Kai could have caused to the citizens of Kin province hadn't Yona and the others stopped them? Or the outcome of the Xing War that Soo-won was so bent on pursuing? So far, the Kwelbo invasion was the only one where waging war was justified. And let's not forget that Hak won that one, not Kei-shuk, Joo-doh, Kyo-ga or any of the other idiots.
And now, for heaven's sake, Soo-won's going to invade the goddamn Kai Empire just 'cause his father wanted it.
I'm not saying Il was a great ruler. I can understand ordinary people of Kouka badmouthing him. They're the same people who loved the prosperity of Joo-nam's reign, prosperity apparently pillaged from the neighbouring countries. That's just how the voice of the streets is. Chapter 92 of Break Blade is great for explaining how that works. But readers should know better. One of the problems of monarchies and presidencies is that the unitary executive always figures high in the imagination of the people. They blame all ills on the holders of these offices, and equally praise them for every merit. That's great for excusing incompetent subaltern rulers like Joon-gi and Geun-tae, and scapegoating leaders to the collective ills of an entire system. It's a great opportunity for snake oil peddlers like Soo-won.
Perhaps he didn't, because the Wind Tribe seems to have been administered wisely by Mundok.
We get a picture of squalor and dereliction of Il's Kouka because the first arcs of the series are centered on three dysfunctional tribes: Fire (poverty because all male personnel and resources were diverted to prepare for a coup d'état), Water (drug-ridden due to inaction on the part of their General) and Earth (in decline because the General can't be assed to administer it properly in times of peace, being a warmongering lunatic).
Do you get my gist? Why are the Wind and Sky tribes never depicted as problematic? Can it be because Il didn't do a bad job of running his direct fief, and neither did Mundok, and that's why Hak felt that other than uppity aristocrats plotting behind Il's back, the side of Kouka he saw wasn't doing badly?
Every single of the issues Yona solved (with some help, or at least no interference, from Soo-won) so far are squarely to blame on Lee Geun-tae, Kan Soo-jin and An Joon-gi and their stupid ambition, hesitancy and lack of proper oversight. It's great that Soo-won got Geun-tae to actually do some governing, but why should he, or Il, have to? What are the generals for, then?
So the reason for Kouka's "decline" seems to have been that the king was a pacifist who didn't think much of military Keynesianism or wars of conquest. Can't blame him for that: war Keynesianism is great, unless you're in the receiving end of the war.
Do any people shilling for Soo-won pause to ask themselves the enormity of suffering that the rampaging defeated army of Kai could have caused to the citizens of Kin province hadn't Yona and the others stopped them? Or the outcome of the Xing War that Soo-won was so bent on pursuing? So far, the Kwelbo invasion was the only one where waging war was justified. And let's not forget that Hak won that one, not Kei-shuk, Joo-doh, Kyo-ga or any of the other idiots.
And now, for heaven's sake, Soo-won's going to invade the goddamn Kai Empire just 'cause his father wanted it.
I'm not saying Il was a great ruler. I can understand ordinary people of Kouka badmouthing him. They're the same people who loved the prosperity of Joo-nam's reign, prosperity apparently pillaged from the neighbouring countries. That's just how the voice of the streets is. Chapter 92 of Break Blade is great for explaining how that works. But readers should know better. One of the problems of monarchies and presidencies is that the unitary executive always figures high in the imagination of the people. They blame all ills on the holders of these offices, and equally praise them for every merit. That's great for excusing incompetent subaltern rulers like Joon-gi and Geun-tae, and scapegoating leaders to the collective ills of an entire system. It's a great opportunity for snake oil peddlers like Soo-won.
@Keinritt Well thank you for mentioning the chapter. In this very same chapter, he saw a man dying from poverty and illness and he refused to admit the sour reality. He even refused to think of the king as a coward without a concrete proof. I get that he respected him but he is literally being blind to the reality around him and he is not batting an eye about anyone´s suffering beside Yona.
I never cared about him actually, but I do dislike how his character is turning to be. The writer tried to make him as perfect and safe as possible, that he came out as a shallow, passif romance relief. This is how I see it.
Regarding Soowon, of course he is not perfect either, but he is surely smarter and more interesting. Nothing confirms that his father was after Yona and either he killed Kachi or not, SW priority has always been the kingdom. The proof is, he doesn´t necessarily think that a successor should be from the royal lineage. Why didn´t he marry Yona? The coward was against it. And even if it was possible, he would be dead by then.
Different visions, different interpretations...
I never cared about him actually, but I do dislike how his character is turning to be. The writer tried to make him as perfect and safe as possible, that he came out as a shallow, passif romance relief. This is how I see it.
Regarding Soowon, of course he is not perfect either, but he is surely smarter and more interesting. Nothing confirms that his father was after Yona and either he killed Kachi or not, SW priority has always been the kingdom. The proof is, he doesn´t necessarily think that a successor should be from the royal lineage. Why didn´t he marry Yona? The coward was against it. And even if it was possible, he would be dead by then.
Different visions, different interpretations...
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We all know what the entire message of it means. Hatred bears fruit to hatred. Regardless of who is the most pitiful. All are a victim and perpetrator to each other's circumstances. And all forms of genuine belief, though they come from a humble or earnest thought can easily be tainted by the shadows that reside within themselves.
But it isn't as simple as "Why can't we be friends" route. For all wrongdoings, regardless of its shape or motive, will have to be answered. What is justice if those who execute them are motivated by revenge? Who can say the ignorant are burden-less towards the circumstances around them?
Yona bears the sword that is suppose to bring the dawn. I think the dawn that was foretold in the prophecy wasn't to rid of the enemies of Kouka, nor was it to dethrone Soo-won. It is about holding one hand as a shield to her people to protect them from pain and loss. The other hand holds the sword that cuts down the root of the cycle of hatred.
It's no longer about enacting vengeance. It doesn't matter anymore who was right, wrong, perpetrator or victim. It's about procuring the poison of the past and turn it into medicine for the future.
This arc was... questionable at best. Flashback arcs have never really been my favourite part of any manga, but the circumstances speak for themselves. It's clunky, it's messy, it's got its holes. It's kinda funny though that the author decided to reuse the same plot-element from NG life.
But it isn't as simple as "Why can't we be friends" route. For all wrongdoings, regardless of its shape or motive, will have to be answered. What is justice if those who execute them are motivated by revenge? Who can say the ignorant are burden-less towards the circumstances around them?
Yona bears the sword that is suppose to bring the dawn. I think the dawn that was foretold in the prophecy wasn't to rid of the enemies of Kouka, nor was it to dethrone Soo-won. It is about holding one hand as a shield to her people to protect them from pain and loss. The other hand holds the sword that cuts down the root of the cycle of hatred.
It's no longer about enacting vengeance. It doesn't matter anymore who was right, wrong, perpetrator or victim. It's about procuring the poison of the past and turn it into medicine for the future.
This arc was... questionable at best. Flashback arcs have never really been my favourite part of any manga, but the circumstances speak for themselves. It's clunky, it's messy, it's got its holes. It's kinda funny though that the author decided to reuse the same plot-element from NG life.
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