Ueda Akinari’s Bewitched is a compelling story of a fox spirit who tries to lure in a young, Japanese scholar named Toyo-o. Toyo-o is sort of shunned by his family because he is not interested in the family business. He is more interested in studying. Throughout the story, beauty seems to deceive. Manago, the evil fox spirit, manipulates Toyo-o and others as the story goes on. Contrasting The Happy Prince by Oscar Wilde, beauty isn’t used to deceive, but to help the towns people and even the Swallow and the Prince. Manago uses her beauty to lure in men and even steal. She has stolen from the sacred shrine and Toyo-o has received all the blame. Manago even took away the man’s youth who jumped out of the waterfall. By the end of the story, many people have suffered and even died, including Toyo-o’s new wife, Tomago. Beauty is a powerful tool and should be used for the good like The Happy Prince used it. Manipulation and lies are a selfish means and only come back to bite you. As the fox spirit dies at the end of the story, there is a sense of relief. There is ugliness in the success of manipulation.