Customer Reviews

Petite Cossette

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Le Portrait de Petite Cossette (The Picture of Little Cossette) has two very positive qualities for anime. First, the animation is the most exquisite I have ever seen in anime and almost each frame is beautifully and artistically composed. Secondly, the soundtrack is sublime and fortunately available as a CD as of this writing. However, excellent animation and beautiful music does not make an anime a guaranteed best seller in the west, but first, a synopsis:

Eiri is a talented Japanese art student who works part-time in his uncle's Tokyo antique shop. Eiri finds an antique Venetian glass from 18th century France and when he looks inside it, he sees played out for him the life of a very young French girl who is ultimately murdered by her fiancee, an up-and-coming artist in Renaissance France.

The objects in the room that witness her murder determine to seek revenge on the soul of Cossette's murderer that has been reincarnated in Eiri. As Eiri falls in love with Cossette, he submits to brutal tortures brought upon him by the objects so the soul of Cossette can eventually find peace.

However, there are complications as Eiri will most likely die from his fanatic devotion to the 250-year-old ghost girl forcing his friends to intervene on his behalf.

There are several reasons westerners struggle with the story line. First, Cossette is a Japanese interpretation of 18th century France which goes against what westerners know of how people lived and behaved during that time period. There is a lot of artistic license to accept here.

Secondly, the advertising gives the impression Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is primarily a love story and it is not. It is primarily a horror story with enough gore to make most cinematic bloodbaths tame in comparison. There is a lot of blood in this picture and both Eiri and Cossette bleed fountains of it. This DVD is not necessarily meal time viewing.

Also, western sensibilities toward gothic lolicon, a Japanese cultural fad centering on the artistic glorification of young girls, would make most westerners uneasy. Eiri is a young man romantically involved with a prepubescent girl even though ghost she may be. By the bye, the nudity warning on the film is inconsequential as it is in outline and washed out.

Finally, the world view of the film is one of Shintoism, the national folk religion of Japan, so the tropes are different from the Judeo-Christian world view the west is familiar with which explains the story line's view on reincarnation and why the objects that witnessed Cossette's murder have individual spirits themselves.

If you are willing to take the story on its own terms, Le Portrait de Petite Cossette has its rewards for the anime fan in the arenas of art and music, and people interested in Japanese culture will find much to consider.

My mind is still whirling from this one. La Portrait de Petite Cossette in the most general terms is a gothic ghost story with an anime twist. But that hardly describes what the viewers are getting themselves into. For anyone who thinks anime encompasses animation quality like the drek seen on TV in Pokemon, I'd love to show them something like this, where the animation is nothing less than a work of art. A bloody, twisted and sometimes dizzying work of art, but amazing nonetheless.

The story focuses on the protagonist, a young man named Eiri, who works in his uncle's antique shop. When he encounters a luminescent glass goblet, he begins to see the life of a girl from another time and place. These visions continue to haunt him, pulling him deeper and deeper into the world of Cossette, and away from the everyday world. For 250 years, Cossette has been trapped in the crystal goblet, now Eiri will do whatever it takes to help her. Over the three episodes of this storyline, the truth takes shape and the drama plays out to its powerful and bittersweet conclusion. Now, I'm a fan of the Japanese culture and the twisting, often puzzling jumps of storyline that are the subject of so many anime movies, but I have to admit this one was a little more difficult to grasp than most. Revelations and explanations come piecemeal and don't always seem obvious. The gothic themes tied in with Japanese shintoism and yet employing Christian symbols as well make the underlying messages a bit hard to determine. But I was prepared for that. What didn't work for me were the group of female characters that interact and attempt to help Eiri. There wasn't enough time spent developing them or explaining their involvement for me to identify and understand what their significance to the story was most of the time. It would have helped to have more clarification and more time spent on them within the series.

As to the animation itself, I don't think I can offer enough praise. Brilliantly and lovingly done, with amazing details and artistic care. The colors are rich, the character of Cossette is so vividly drawn and crafted by the animation that we get a real sense of Eiri's growing awareness of her. The theme of glass and glassworks dominates the settings-hinting at what will happen from the very first images. The anime is done artistically rather than comfortably-those who hate images changing quickly, or the rapid interposition of several images, may find this disorienting. As this is gothic anime, expect blood-a lot of it. This is no kind of children's anime, and may not be for those who don't like gore. Still, I didn't find the blood or gore gratuitous and the actual nudity in the anime is blurred and hazy-nothing is actually visual. The sensuality in the story really doesn't go further than kissing, which is just as well, since Eiri is clearly an adult while Cossette, ghost or not, is a child. On the strength of the animation alone, I would recommend taking a look at this if you are fan of this genre, but the music is also exceptional. I will admit to being a fan of Yuki Kajiura's music already, and I immediately recognized her style at the outset of this anime. Yuki manages to capture the ethereal and fragile nature of Cossette and the glassworks exceedingly well, and the result is a breathtaking blend of animation and music.

I will repeat, this is not an anime for children. It's not for anyone who gets nightmares easily or hates the sight of blood. Fans who enjoyed this may also like Kakurenbo, and, if you're into classic anime, Vampire Hunter D.

Happy Viewing! ^_^ Shanshad

When I first picked up Le Portrait De Petite Cossete I was a half afraid that I had picked up a French translation of the movie. Fortunately that is not the case. How to describe the OAV, well combine Samurai X, Soul Taker and Perfect Blue and I think you would get something like Le Portrait De Petite Corssete. Le Portrait De Petite Cossete is a very dark and serious series, there are no jokes, no funny business and no fan fair. In other words if you want a happy happy laugh laugh show keeping going `cause you'll hate this one. This is a deeply philosophical that explores obsession the nature of beauty, eternal love, reincarnation and each object having a spirit and soul. Very heavy stuff.
The story is about a boy named Airwe whose family runs antique shop where he stumbles upon a possessed goblet. The goblet is possessed by the spirit of a beautiful young girl how was murdered two hundred years ago. Soon he begins to have delusions or so he thinks they are of course about the young girl. At first he tries to stop himself, telling himself it's all in his head. Soon however he gives in and loses himself in the madness of the spiritual. The story goes from there as he seeks to learn more about the girl and how to free her.
This series is not for the light hearted nor for the inattentive. If you don't pay attention you'll find yourself completely lost in a few minutes. If you're the type that has to know exactly what's going on all the time, you'll be highly irritated by this one as like Soul Taker it has an abstract way of presenting scenery that doesn't always make sense, at first. More then once you'll find yourself confused but if you stay with it everything makes complete sense by the end of the series. Like Perfect Blue in the beginning you'll be asking yourself what is real and what isn't allot and I mean allot. And like Samurai X this is a bitter sweet love story between two people that just can never be fully realized.
The story is one of the best I've come across in the past few years and keeps you interested as it reveals its secrets. The ending is somewhat lacking however. The art work is what you would expect from Geneon perfect. Though by anime standards the characters are ugly. The music is enchanting though could have been improved. Unfortunately this OAV falls into the old trap of only developing the characters enough to pass. The voice acting also could have used some though with the script I'm not really sure how they could have. It's probably because I don't like the main amle voice acter. If you are interested in a dark moody story pick this one up. If you want an interesting story pick this one up. If you want a love story with teeth then buy this one. If you want lots of ditzy well endowed girls, a fluffy romance story or a lough out loud time then forget this one even exists.

This is easily one of the more unique anime titles to come out this year. A gothic title about a young man who becomes obssessed over the spirit of a young girl that's trapped inside an antique glass after being murdered by the man she loved 250 years ago. This can definetely be a difficult story to follow the first time around and is definetely the type that doesn't really start to come together until the very end so it's likely the type you should expect to watch twice.

Visually the anime is quite stunning and the character designs are very well done, especially Cossette who's design reflects the sadness and tragedy one would expect from a trapped spirit. The anime also uses a good deal of "camera" styles and filters to add to the atmosphere of the show although at times the 3D effects look a little out of place but that's a minor issue. Some of the secondary characters are a little too secondary and a few even seem pointless altogether which only makes things seem a little more confusing the first time around than it could have been.

All the audio tracks are quite good, the english script stays pretty much true to the japanese script and the VA's all do a pretty good job. The soundtrack is quite impressive and only adds to the overall atmosphere that much more.

There isn't a whole lot of action or much of anything fast paced in this anime, it is more or less a supernatural love story of sorts, at least that's the best I can explain it. If you're an action fan or just want to see some battles then this probably isn't the best anime for you. Also, you have to go into it knowing that you're not really going to understand it all until the end. This is a great anime though for any that don't mind what I listed above and I certainly recommend it.

Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is not your standard anime. It's mostly for this reason that you hear so many mixed reviews. First, this particular type of movie is an acquired taste; it's not for everyone. Second, much of the imagery you see is symbolic in some way or another. It can mean different things to different people.

For me, the movie deals with concepts like obsession with beauty, love of art, and misguided vengeance...the other reviews do a decent job explaining the type of things that happen, so I won't repeat them here. It is however, worth repeating that this particular movie has some of the most beautifully rendered animation I've ever seen. Strange camera angles, heavy shadows and contrasts, otherworldly backgrounds, and a large quantity of blood are all present here, lovingly constructed in such a way that fans of expressionist and artistic films should love it.

Five stars by my rating for exquisite animation, symbolic and complex plot elements that require multiple viewings, and because yes, I enjoy gothic and dark movies like this. It's not straightforward horror-goth, I repeat, it's an acquired taste like most other artistic films. I hope this review helps to alleviate any doubts the other reviews may have given you.

I watched Le Potrait De Petite Cossette while with a group of friends for a Halloween party. It's based off a manga that was slightly successful. I was almost immediately sucked in by the quality of the animation, which is top notch. The character design is meh at best, the most original/different looking person being Cossette herself. Everyone else seems to look the same. The environments and backdrops are amazing, almost making you forget about the blandness of the characters residing in them. There is one part where a woman is showering in front of a stained glass window that is rendered rather nicely. The three episode series can be a real pleasure to watch, though a little macabre for some. My main issue with the animation is that there are some hardly necessary, and in my opinion almost ugly, cgi (computer/3-d graphics aided animation) moments put in.

The main character, Eiri, is an art student at Tokyo who works in an antique shop. One day he comes across a glass (goblet) and starts seeing visions of a young girl from the past. He eventually finds out that this girl is Cossette, a girl murdered by a painter who Eiri is the reincarnation of. In order to free her they have to calm the spirits of the objects that witnessed her murder; which left her in that realm due to their rage. The build up and handling of the first object is done rather well even though you're asking yourself what is going on. The second one is also nice. A few of Eiri's friends notice something has been happening to him and "casually" (except for the girl with a crush on him, or the priest woman) try helping him out.

Eventually the objects are finally calmed and it is time for Eeri to make his final decision concerning wether or not he wants to spend eternity with Cossette. This segment takes a while to make sense. However, the anime finishes up nicely and leaves no plot holes. The actual calming of the spirits (and the events around them) are, I would say, the highlight of any episode due to their art style. They take a Dali style and give it what Poe's words would be like in vision.

The problem is that the anime doesn't reveal a whole lot and we may pay attention but get confused anyway. They don't explain a whole lot about where any of these people are coming from, and why their motives are the way they are. We have no good rationalization from Eiri about why he wants to save Cossette and be soul mates with her; except he thinks she's in need of help and beautiful. While in the meantime she's really just using him for atonement, but eventually shows affection for him. All of which is creepy since Eiri is well around his twenties, and Cossette doesn't even pass for thirteen (they never give how old she was) and she's also wearing nothing but a cloak during some scenes.

Cossette's main fashion style is the popular Gothic Lolita inspired by the Victorian Era of late 1800s Europe. A few of her outfits are pretty nice, but historically inaccurate. She says in the anime she's been waiting for about 250 years (since about the 1700s) for someone to save her; and the anime is wrong with all of Cossette's outfits. Sorry, I'm a stickler for historical accuracy.

The one other thing besides the art and animation quality that saves this from 3-stars is the music. Composed by Yuki Kajiura (.Hack and other highly regarded titles in games and anime); it is probably one of the few soundtracks I have ever considered getting immediately after hearing just the opening theme. It is fittingly dark, and sometimes has a very modern hint to it along with the use of exotic or synthetic beats and chords.

All in all, I would watch this anime for the quality, environmental beauty, and the music. The story itself suffers from having a lot of potential that just isn't used, though finishes with no need for any more episodes or sequels. The characters, needless to say, are weak, but their emotional reactions to things are realistic enough to still make them human, though a bit cliched. It can also leave some confused. If you like Nightmare Before Christmas, you may like some of the artistic aspects and the darkness of it. Otherwise it's okay if you're very, very bored, or need some eye popping.

It earns points for the gothic lolita motiff and the storyline was very exciting. However, some parts of it where very boring and repetitive. It did not go in depth on the central story enough. I would loved to have seen more about cossesttes's relationship with the Orlando.

"Petite Cossette" is a Japanese ghost story. It's about a young woman, the Petite Cossette of the title, who was murdered some 250 years ago by her evil fiance. Right now, she dwells in a beautiful wine glass, waiting... The young artist Eiri falls in love with her, but she has an agenda, and so do a number of quite unpleasant other ghosts. Revenge.

Not too many Americans are familiar with Japanese female ghost revenge stories. They are horrifying in their murderous gore and blood. We're used to our own Eurocentric traditions where murdered maidens weep and bemoan their fate on the ramparts of castles, but do not take matters into their own hands. Cossette assuredly does, since Eiri is her murderer/fiance reincarnated. So she in part still wants his love and in part wants him dead, the other ghosts want blood, and Eiri is in for a very bad time of it.

Why did the original murderer kill her? SPOILER ALERT. He too was an artist but was entranced by her as a model and a girl only when she was immature. He kills her because she has grown up and has become a mature young woman. So, whereas *he* was a pedophile, the reincarnated Eiri is not -- which is the only reason he can finally realize that is *not* her long-dead murderer.

It's a very complex plot and requires watching with considerable attention. You won't like it if you want everything spelled out for you, but you'll love it if you like gorgeous animation, a morally subtle plot that offers no solace to pedophiles, and if you appreciate Japanese female ghost stories. But be warned: the genre is NOT Western and is based on Shinto, Buddhism, and a *very* different tradition of what female ghosts do when they wait for and then hunt down their killers. For that glimpse into a different culture, "Petite Cossette" is well worth the money -- and it's a chillingly good story.

Cossette is a kind, gentle little show: captivated by the spirit of a murdered girl within a wine glass, artist Eiri secludes himself from society and allows this Gothic beauty to torture his body for crimes he didn't commit. And yes, the show IS as weird as my description makes it sound. But I like weird, and I can see (through an unfortunate haze of memories from having watched the actual show) how this might appeal to some. However, the characterization in Cossette is crap--rather than having a realistic, winding descent into love with a wine glass (which could happen, I suppose), Eiri is almost immediately hooked by its vitreous charms. He then allows the little vixen inside to more or less torture him bloody with chains and black magic--all to the refrain of "I love you, Cossette. Don't leave me."

But it's not just Eiri that's written idiotically. Cossette swings from manipulative hatred in one episode to love in the next--and all during the interlude between episodes! That's a cheap narrative tactic, and implies that the writers couldn't imagine a series of small events leading up to this change of heart--or simply that they lacked the imagination and talent to realize that what they had done was a crime against storytelling. What they provide is a "while you were gone, I began to love Eiri" monologue which elicited an appropriate amount of eye-rolling and a few off-hand, disparaging comments from the audience with whom I watched.

I probably should have abandoned Cossette after the first episode, but I had this odd desire to at least know the ending. I checked Wikipedia and found no summary, and couldn't locate one online. Forced to continue my own personal torture, I finished Cossette and can safely say I would never recommend it to a single person. I think its largest audience will be teenage boys and girls whose palates are not complex enough to notice poor characterization and stilted dialogue when they see/hear it, and who are mostly interested in cosplaying as Cossette (results will vary). What they will notice are the visuals, which are nice, and the fountains of blood, which are unnecessary, but probably conducive to maintaining a ninth grade mentality.

As I mentioned in my title and hinted at thus far, the visuals are pretty good. The third episode's geography has an eldritch quality that is believable but at the same time utterly fantastic; one can imagine all sorts of alternate, GOOD narratives unfurling from such plenty. I don't hate Cossette or anything--I just didn't particularly like it, and felt that the creators failed to realize their artistic vision. Two stars for visuals and originality.

First of all, I'm not really a big fan of Anime. Nonetheless, I heard a couple of cuts from the soundtrack to Le Portrait and decided to rent it from Netflix. I thoroughly enjoyed it, from the Dali-esque images to the lovely naturalistic art work to the strange but very Japanese storyline. The soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura is up to her usual fine standards.

I feel that by far it's greatest strength is the art work, which seems to me superior to most Anime.