Yuno. Volume 5 Cover Art Cropped, Lullaby of the Dawn, Tokyopop.
Lullaby of the Dawn – Information
Author of Story: Ichika Yuno
Chapter Count: 6 volumes, 24+ digital chapters
Status: Ongoing
Content Warnings
These content warnings do not reflect the contents of the review below; only the literary work itself.
- Mature / adult content / nudity
- Trauma, sexual trauma, religious trauma
- Abuse, graphic depictions of SA
- Violence, murder
- Hate speech towards LGBTQ+
- Topics of war and conflict
- Disturbing imagery
Spoiler Disclaimer
This recommendation post may contain small plot spoilers for review purposes. Any major spoilers are hidden by default and are able to be revealed via click or tap.
Lullaby of the Dawn – Plot Summary
This story follows a village boy by the name of Altonour (Alto for short). On the island where he was born, there are a handful of children known as the kannagi, who are tasked with protecting the island people from the dangerous black sea.
Each night, the kannagi go out and perform their job—while also being shunned by the village people for their looks. Kannagi, at some point in their lives, have their hair suddenly turn stark white and a symbol appears on their forehead.
They have stained hands and feet, that spreads further as they age… symbolizing their impending death, as most kannagi pass on quite early.
The kannagi that protects Alto’s village is named Elva. Once Alto meets him and learns of his job, he immediately becomes entranced. He visits Elva every day, becoming his closest companion. For some reason, their proximity seems to lessen and even reverse the growth of Elva’s stained skin—something never seen before!
Lullaby of the Dawn follows the mystery of this phenomenon, as well as the blooming relationship between these two boys as they grow into young men.
Yuno. Volume 1 Cover Art, Lullaby of the Dawn, Tokyopop.
Why You Should Read Lullaby of the Dawn
Plot:
These series contains way more plot than it lets on at first glance. The story opens with the meeting of Alto and Elva at a young age, and explores the technicalities of Elva’s condition. Readers quickly see the long-term relationship between Alto and Elva as they grow close over the years, and a romance is suggested very early in the series.
Although the plot starts out seemingly romance-focused with a bit of added interest due to Elva’s nature, the story slowly reveals more and more mystery. There are many deep plot points, conflicts, and massive twists that I was surprised to see in this manga.
The mystery revolving around the kannagi, the black sea, and other pieces of the plot’s puzzle help keep the story interesting and unique. It also helps solidify and strengthen the main couple’s relationship. Readers looking for a manga with a balanced, well-developed, and interesting plot will definitely enjoy this series, as Lullaby of the Dawn has a lot to offer.
However, no need to worry at all, as there is still plenty of romance to enjoy in this series! Not only does it occasionally take on a more mature setting once the two characters become adults, but the romance often focuses on the emotional aspects of the relationship as both characters struggle with Elva’s condition, past, and trauma.
It’s good to see the romance take these aspects into account seriously, and portray how these types of struggles don’t necessarily make romance easy.
This manga even addresses topics of love and sexuality without hesitation, showcasing the main characters’ struggles with being accepted for their relationship or accepting who they are.
I always find it admirable for a manga to address these topics, especially while portraying more difficult aspects of trauma and other struggles for the characters. While this sort of thing is becoming more common in mangas, there are still many stories where these topics are rarely brought up, used as a gimmick, or portrayed very poorly.
It’s so refreshing to read more and more manga that are not just LGBTQ+ friendly, but also representative of the struggles that individuals of the community face.
Outside of the lovely romance and unembellished representation, this manga brings a very engaging and suspenseful mystery that not only explores Elva’s origin, but also puts the lives of all the characters into question. It is a series full of creativity and unique world-building, making it a very enjoyable fantasy series.
Characters:
The main characters in Lullaby of the Dawn are so lovable. While there are many side characters introduced as the manga progresses, Alto and Elva stay in the spotlight for the most part. They make a very cute pair, with Alto being the loving golden retriever type, and Elva being more wary and reserved—but surprisingly needy.
Alto is a kind, cheery sort of person who tries to keep things positive. Despite his cute, clingy, and goofy attitude, he is very capable in multiple aspects. He’s by no means a dumb character, and is more like a jack of all trades. However, when it comes to uncovering the secrets of the sea and Elva’s past, he struggles much more.
Elva, on the other hand, is a much more reserved individual. Not only did he spend a lot of time alone during the start of his kannagi career, but he seems to have experienced some things in his past (and present) that prevents him from opening himself up to others. His character growth is such a delight to experience!
Art:
The art of this manga is wonderful. I really like the character designs, as they feel very different from most mangas I’ve read. The level of detail put into the hair, clothing, and environments is very beautiful. It isn’t intricately detailed at all times, but still has plenty of interest throughout the panels to keep your attention.
Additionally, when there is action or romance, the art style shines through more; often featuring close-ups of these unique and beautiful characters.
Yuno. Volume 4 Cover Art, Lullaby of the Dawn, Tokyopop.
Any Cons?
Please read the content warnings I’ve listed for the manga before you start the series. It surprisingly has some very dark topics that may be mentally disturbing for readers.
Outside of the darker plot points that I wanted to briefly warn about—this manga also has an age gap. In this story, Elva is eight years older than Alto. Luckily, the romance doesn’t start until they become adults. At that point, Alto is 18 and Elva is 26. I wanted to warn about this, as many readers don’t like age gaps.
Due to Elva’s condition, he doesn’t actually look his real age. Instead, he appears to look 17 or 18. I can’t seem to decide if this helps or hurts the age gap situation more, haha.
Read the story and decide for yourself. Personally, this age gap didn’t bother me much, as they are both adults, don’t look drastically different in age, and the story doesn’t make the age gap a gimmick.
More In-Depth Review (Warning: Spoilers!)
I never could have predicted how Lullaby of the Dawn would play out after reading just the first chapter. It starts out so cute and wholesome, portraying a cute friendship between Alto and Elva. They quickly become adults; which honestly was a quick time skip that I really appreciated.
Everything seems totally normal, and Alto begins to pursue a romance with Elva—a passionate romance that takes time to build properly.
I absolutely love Alto’s patience and caring personality, and how he approaches romance with Elva. Additionally, seeing Elva overcome his fears caused by trauma and learning to make his desires a priority is so fulfilling! Not only does he work hard to accept that he can live his life normally, he also slowly opens up to Alto in a romantic sense.
Although this romance is going well, and is totally cute and exciting… the story suddenly takes such a crazy turn! The plot quickly switches to unraveling the mystery of Elva’s condition and the dark sea.
Readers see early on that Elva’s stained skin is reversing and being maintained for some reason—I’ll admit, I thought it was the power of love! However, as suggested in the more recent volumes, it definitely seems to be due to Alto’s secret identity that even he didn’t realize he had!
I’m intrigued by the weird fantasy elements yet to be explained about the dark sea and Alto’s relation to it. We saw that the sea gives the kannagi visions, and that the rest of the world wanted to take advantage of that—and unfortunately, the kannagi, too.
We have yet to discover how that will play into the rest of the story, as well as the other strange characters who claim to be from the sea. This story left off on a pretty big cliffhanger, and I can’t wait to see how this crazy plot will continue.
Personally, I hope the couple will find a way to leave the island and enjoy their romance in a place where they’re less likely to be ostracized! ( ´ ▽ ).｡ｏ♡
Final Thoughts
Lullaby of the Dawn is a very unique BL fantasy series. It features a well-rounded plot, and portrays a dramatic, passionate romance—but also includes many plot twists involving very dark topics of trauma and deception.
If you’re looking for a story that will leave you in awe, make you excited, or that reveals jaw-dropping twists…this manga could be the one! Check it out, and let me know what you think below!
Disclaimer: Any images used for this blog are for illustrative purposes only, are not owned by me, and are under ownership of the artist or publisher.
Images Credit: Yuno, Ichika. Lullaby of the Dawn, Tokyopop LoveLove, 2023.
