Yuexia Meiren

As I read this manhua, I felt like something big was missing. Though I thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful and fluid art, I had a nagging thought in my head that said a chunk of the plot had been taken out, making the story... not really a story. Beauty Under the Moon is a little strange. It's extremely short, yet where other manhua rush through the plot, it seems to me that Beauty Under the Moon didn't rush as much as it omitted. What had the chance to be a beautiful story ended up holding little weight or deepness because of the flat execution.

There wasn't enough explanation where there needed to be, but there was an overabundance of it in other places. The plot moved sluggishly at one point and then skipped like a scratched CD. I found that what I predicted or guessed in the back of my mind usually came true, making the little twist disappointing and lacking in depth. At some points, I found myself completely baffled as to what had just happened. I felt like the author needed an editor, or maybe just more time to ponder over her story.

The characters here aren't necessarily special. There were places where more development could've been done, but the characters were still neglected. We got little things - tiny tidbits that didn't really matter - but nothing to really make us love the characters. They were like well-drawn faces with not enough emphasis put on personality. The way that the interacted, and even the dialogue or thoughts, felt unnecessary, with a character stating the obvious more than once.

Don't get me wrong, Beauty Under the Moon doesn't really insult or invoke hatred. It's just bland and in the end, the wasted potential is obvious. The art is beautiful - if only the actual content had been the same way.