Donghua Fan

Qin's Moon

Manhua

Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao

At a glance13 volumes · completed

Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao

Riding on the success of the donghua's first seasons, Qin's Moon moved into comics in 2008. The manhua was written by Sun Jiayu (孙家裕) and mainly drawn by Xu Zuchao (徐祖超). Published in Taiwan by Tong Li, it runs to 13 volumes and 72 chapters and is now complete.

Origins and publication

Its magazine run went through three stages. The manhua began in October 2008 in Long Shao Nian ("Dragon Youth") in Taiwan, until June 2009. It then moved to the mainland magazine Zhiyin Manke from November 2009 to February 2011, and finished its run in China Animation Weekly from September 2012 to March 2014. The first collected volume came out from Tong Li on 25 May 2009.

In mainland China the story was reissued in different splits: 12 volumes from Zhejiang Juvenile and Children's Publishing for the Bai Bu Fei Jian and Ye Jin Tian Ming arcs, then 6 volumes from Shanghai People's Fine Arts for the Zhu Zi Bai Jia arc.

Volume covers

The first 12 volumes of the print edition, out of 13 released.

  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 1Vol. 1
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 2Vol. 2
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 3Vol. 3
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 4Vol. 4
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 5Vol. 5
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 6Vol. 6
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 7Vol. 7
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 8Vol. 8
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 9Vol. 9
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 10Vol. 10
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 11Vol. 11
  • Qin's Moon — the manhua by Sun Jiayu and Xu Zuchao — cover of volume 12Vol. 12

How it differs from the donghua

Unlike the other manhua on this site, this one adapts the donghua rather than the novel: the characters use the designs of Sparkly Key's 3D models and the plot follows the series' first three seasons. Line art allows for more dynamic fights than the animation of the time, which was still technically limited. On the other hand, the manhua condenses a lot of dialogue, and the donghua's more recent arcs were never adapted.

Reception and success

The manhua mostly served to keep the franchise alive between seasons, at a time when the donghua was released slowly. It was appreciated for Xu Zuchao's art, closer to Hong Kong manhua than to Japanese anime. Its chaotic path through three successive magazines held back its profile, though.

Trivia

  • The manhua was only published in colour during its Zhiyin Manke run. In the other two magazines it appeared in black and white.
  • The manhua covers the donghua's first three arcs: Bai Bu Fei Jian, Ye Jin Tian Ming and Zhu Zi Bai Jia.
  • Long Shao Nian stopped serializing it in 2009 to go straight to collected volumes.
  • There is also a four-panel comedy spin-off, Qin Shi Ming Yue Xiao Yuan Si Ge, released in 2010.

My take

It is a solid adaptation with punchy art that recalls the golden years of kung fu manhua. I mostly recommend it to long-time fans: it covers the arcs many consider the series' best. But it brings little new compared to the donghua, and it stops well before the end of the story.

Who is it for?Fans nostalgic for the donghua's early seasons and lovers of classic-style kung fu manhua.

— Spidermas, for Donghua Fan

Wen ShirenThe authorWen Shiren 温世仁The industrialist novelist
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