VEIL

MANGA

STATUS
RELEASING
VOLUMES
Not Available
RELEASE
May 14, 2018
CHAPTERS
Not Available

DESCRIPTION

A chance encounter. A handsome soldier. A beautiful woman. A tentative love affair smolders on the snowy cobblestone streets, out of sight of those that might keep them apart.

Veil is a beautifully illustrated full-color romance manga, told in stylish short vignettes, beautiful illustrations, and secret moments.

(Source: Udon Entertainment, edited)

CAST

Emma
Aleksander

CHAPTERS

REVIEWS

divine
97/100
Capturing Fleeting Moments of Soft Intimacy
Veil and Capturing Intimacy

Veil exists as a breath of fresh air in an oversaturated market of romance manga. For as enjoyable as a classic high-school romance manga can be, the depictions of love and intimacy contained within rarely extend beyond NSFW hand-holding, elaborate confessions and occasionally - if we're lucky - a fleeting kiss.

Don't get me wrong, I thoroughly enjoy a standard, well-executed romance manga or anime (the romance elements in Kono Oto Tomare, for example); but I feel the medium sorely lacks depictions of what I would call "daily intimacy" - the soft, tender moments we share with loved ones that are but momentary interactions of mere minutes. Such interactions are not long enough to warrant entire chapters. They're not dramatic enough to keep readers glued to the page and purchasing physicals. As such, they're an essential part of real romance that is often left out of manga and anime both for the sake of brevity and for the sake of focus. Mangaka need to keep their readers coming back, they need to maintain their serialization, and they need to constantly build towards that next "climax" or "arc."

Veil successfully escapes from this mould by way of Ikumi Fukuda's strict focus and immense talent for depicting the otherwise undepictable. From the first chapter, Fukuda sets a clear tone of short-form chapters involving minimal dialogue, with a focus on capturing "moments" rather than telling an overarching story. The short-form nature limits Fukuda's ability to introduce and build side-characters, which simultaneously works in Veil's favour by ensuring the subject-matter of each chapter is hyper-focused on Emma and Aleksander. There is no need for mind-numbing love triangles, comedic-relief goofballs, or childhood best friends as there is no need to build drama or incite shipping wars. If you read the first few chapters of Veil, you know what the manga is about - Him, Her and Their relationship.

This is not to say that the manga is stagnant. Their relationship evolves at a slow, natural pace as they grow more comfortable with each other through the passage of time. We are not shown every stage of this evolution; rather, we are offered glimpses into moments of intimacy. No chapter stands out as "that chapter" and no moment is "that moment," though there are some callbacks to previous chapters which help each chapter feel connected amidst the episodic structure. Fukuda also recalls, in one of their afterwords, that the amount of dialogue and text in the manga is slowly increasing. As a result, later chapters feature more of Emma and Aleksander's witty banter and playful teasing, which assists in developing them and their relationship. Nevertheless, the primary focus of the artistic direction remains on the moments of intimacy - the point of contact between their bodies, their wandering gazes, and their emotive expressions. Dialogue is used to amplify these interactions and carry us through the moment, rather than deliver exposition. Perspective shots are often used, to great effect, to help us fill the shoes of either character during one of these moments. The use of a black screen for Emma's perspective reinforces the readers' appreciation for how these moments play out for her - through spoken word, touch, and smell.

These interactions are complemented by the Monologue pages, which offer an in-depth view of the character's (or object's) perspective on a special moment. This is an important element that supplants Veil's need for "think-bubble" exposition in a way that is both artistically and contextually superior. The Monologues work in a manner akin to a traditional romance novel, relying on flowery language and emotive language conventions to enable readers to envision and appreciate all aspects of the moment. Despite my experience being through a translation of the original Japanese wording, I felt these Monologues retained their poetic literary beauty and succeeded in metaphorically breaking down the moments of intimacy to each sensation, touch and thought.

Veil's art style is a striking departure from the norm, owed to its initial conception as a twitter project. The linework is sketchy, yet controlled and deliberate. A highlight of Fukuda's style and their use of colour is the shading; focal points of panels are often coloured with rich, dark tones which contrasts beautifully with the otherwise muted shades of beige that fill the rest of the scene. It is well-suited for the nature of the manga and - in my opinion - more effective in this context than traditional black and white would have been. Colour is most often used for the characters and their outfits, which helps them stand out amongst the environment and serves to show how their relationship metaphorically "colours" their worlds.

Veil's chapters feature many extra pages dedicated to rough sketches, extra one-page scenes and beautiful spreads drawn in various different art styles. Fukuda uses these as a chance to flex their artistic prowess and also express their love for the story and their artwork as a whole. I found that these pages heightened my appreciation and love for the manga as a piece of art and made the characters feel more alive.

With regard to the characters themselves, neither Aleksander nor Emma have a complex backstory, overarching goal or meaningful motivation. They exist as two complementary individuals entwined in a love affair that unfolds away from the prying eyes of the public. Where other romance manga build main characters as central figures in their respective worlds, by virtue of their relationships and connections with the supporting cast, Veil mostly separates the characters from their role in society and their other relationships. Instead, we are shown the characters as they are to each other. This adds an element of 'secrecy' to the moments, like the intimacy is an inside joke shared only between the two of them. This is reinforced not only by the lack of side characters, but by the lack of "background" characters as well. This 'secrecy' is a core part of real-life intimacy - the mannerisms, jokes and ultimately love that may be surface-level visible to spectators but ultimately cannot truly be known by any other than the participants. Consequently, if the focus of a story is this intimacy, a spectator may as well not exist.

Personalty-wise, Aleksander and Emma fill a common relationship dynamic of the stoic, gruff man and the feminine beauty. I found the banter and interactions that originate from this pairing to be humorous and heart-warming, as they usually are. The incorporation of Emma's condition adds an extra layer to this trope, introducing the need for Aleksander to be extra considerate. Aleksander's attempts to learn and understand her 'world' and accommodate her are beautifully sincere and the pinnacle of intimacy - attempting to understand one another. These efforts are furthered by the masterfully written dialogue that flows completely naturally; at no times does it feel forced, stiff, or as if trying to say to the reader: "hey, they're in love, get it?" Instead, the dialogue represents the characters' flustered and shy approach towards defining their relationship, often dancing around outright expressions of love without ever truly landing on them. This does nothing to detract from the sincere love and romance conveyed through their interactions, however, but instead adds a cute and endearing element to the relationship.

All in all, I'm very excited to continue reading Veil and look forward to seeing what soft, tender moments of intimacy Fukuda choses to depict next. I understand that this style of manga may not be for everybody, but I highly recommend anyone with an interest in romance give it a try!
Continue on AniList
Oyasumieren
90/100
She likes to run and he keeps her from falling.
Veil is a story about a blind girl and a policeman. In this story you won't be seeing anyone else, it focuses primarily on these two characters. This is a story of love between Alexander and Emma but this isn't your typical romance. You wont see any drama between the two leads and you wont see an exaggerated form of comedy within the series. What you will witness is a wholesome relationship between the two with realistic progression. The story is filled with the POVs of both characters as they spend time together. The writing is absolutely adorable and simultaneously impressive.

Both the leads interact with each other often teasing the other (in a good manner) and have a very healthy relationship. They try to understand each other to the best of their abilities. The story shows parts and moments of their life together. As everything progresses they understand each other and begin to open up. The art is absolutely phenomenal and everything is colored. The intimacy between them is conveyed with actions rather than just words. They care for each other even if the other person does not realize it, kind of like an old couple.

She is blind and she wants to run free so he stays by her side to make sure she does not fall. The beauty of veil is only explainable to a certain degree. The way how Alexander carefully describes the surrounding they're in so that Emma is able to understand is very sweet. The way she always comforts him and is affectionate. The way they both tease each other with intimacy. The way he holds her hand so that she can walk comfortably. Her love for pretty dresses and him being in awe of her.

If I had to explain to someone what type of a relationship I would want to have, I'd tell them to read this. The latest volume (6), made me realize many important things. The words of the last chapter are stuck in my mind. As I write this review I eagerly wait for the next volume. An official English physical release has also been confirmed by Udon entertainment and so I patiently wait for the day when this piece of art will rest on my bookshelves. I have massive respect for the author who shows us a relationship unlike any in its own genre.

I would like to point out that you might have slight difficulty in reading the translation but everything else is top notch. If you take your time understanding everything, You'll understand everything. SO take your time and gradually read this series because once its over, you'll crave for more.

Veil is a beautiful manga. If you're a simple man like me who enjoys a peaceful relationship filled with love and unspoken intimacy. This is the manga you should read.
Continue on AniList
inukag
100/100
A veil is raised between the two, so fine that they can't see it, but it tickles them
I always say how much I love Kotteri drawing gestures esp the sequences of their hand movements– hands with so much tenderness & warmth reaching out til their fingertips touch & fall down into the skin of another.

In the first few volumes, we see so much of a couple epitomising the many subtle ways of showing intimacy. As the volume progresses, we can also see the clarity of the veil that is within Emma and Aleksander's relationship- that is, the love that is continually blossoming yet still somehow confined by this veil. There’s sooo much love embedded in Emma & Aleksander’s subtlest, tiniest gestures that scream “I love the nearnesss of you.”

Volume 4 looks to me like an emphasis on Aleksander’s gaze to Emma; how Emma’s grasps allow him to surrender to her touch, leaving him to stare at her ‘to his heart’s content’. His eyes emanating with admiration over her beauty, wandering around as he starts to unravel her habits. Frustration of wanting to touch her & this ‘veil’ comes in between. Kotteri said there are scenes we feel the veil tremble slightly & I think scene 39 highlights that the most. Veil that is used to describe their relationship, intimacy & closeness & familiarity & sometimes the restraints.

One of my favourite parts in Volume 5 is Aleksander & Emma verbosely addressing their relationship that is still fringed by a thin veil yet both, so outwardly, holding onto the same fondness for each other that keeps growing. I really think that is the allure of their special connection. Aleksander talking about Emma, grasping the glass as he thinks of how she sees & familiarises by her touch. How Emma relishes at the mere presence of Aleksander & his ornate ways of describing her. They are just so so magnetically intimate with each other I’m so in love with them.

In Volume 6, we see what is, indeed, the first compendious dive on Emma’s inner introspection about not being able to see. We have always known that Emma sees best through the touch that comes from her gentle hands, & this volume has reiterated that more than ever. What I love the most is reverting to this very fact; Emma was starting to see her world with dull colours, then we see Aleksander extending his hands & painting Emma with warmth, the way she has always viewed the world. Really stunning how essentially the colours were used here.

We see so much of their shared vulnerabilities to their own worries, & each time they see through another & show their admiration in their own language: which I think are all a testament to their blossoming relationship. Aleksander and Emma's mutual awareness that is constantly heard, felt, seen… such beautiful subtleties of their intimate bond. I like that their relationship isn't labelled and is being represented by a 'veil'.
Continue on AniList