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R2 DVD Reviews
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Written by maehara
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Sunday, 01 April 2007 17:00 |
 Stylish animation, a Yuki Kajiura soundtrack, and a story of love and vengeance – what's not to like about Le Portrait de Petite Cossette? A surreal streak running throughout may not be to everyone's taste, but this is one story that is thoroughly engrossing. Who is it who loves Cossette so much that he would forsake his own dear life? Is it you..?
Episode 1
Art student Eiri Kurahashi's been working part-time in his uncle's antique store. In amongst all the other antiques, he's come across an old Venetian glass - and in the glass, he and he alone can see the life of young girl Cossette, and talk to her about her experiences. Since first "meeting" Cossette - 7 days ago, now - Eiri's become obsessed with her, to the point where he's aware that his behaviour is beginning to change. For all that Cossette appears to be an apparition in a glass, she's very real - the victim of a brutal murder 250 years ago, her spirit has been waiting for someone who can see her. Eiri's the first, and now Cossette wants to use him to set her spirit free. As Eiri's obsession with Cossette continues to grow, he begins to doubt his own sanity. He tries to put Cossette out of his mind, but when a painting of her is found stored away in the store, he finds his curiosity only growing stronger...
Episode 2
Now that Eiri's agreed to help Cossette, their "relationship" seems to have become more normal - she spends her time telling Eiri of her homne, her family, how she spent her days before she was killed, while he spends his time drawing the scenes she describes and hoping to learn as much about her as possible. His friend Mataki's noticed the change in his behaviour and in his drawing styles - he's begun to take on the style of Cossette's killer - but she's not sure yet if that's something she needs to be worried about. Other people are convinced there is reason to worry - including the local fortune teller, who can see only death in Eiri's future...
Episode 3
Cossette appears in front of Eiri - one last time, to say goodbye. No reason, just a parting kiss. With the love of his life apparently gone, Eiri goes berserk and begins smashing up the store in a effort to find somthing, somewhere that will let him see her vision again. She's decided that while Eiri may have inherited Marcelo's sould, he's a different person - and she can't bring herself to kill him to complete her revenge. Eiri's not about to give her up without a fight, though, and begins his search for a way to see her again, while his friends can no longer ignore his worsening mental state...
My first thought about Petite Cossette: damn strange, in a thoroughly appealing way. This series relies heavily on its imagery for a lot of its impact, and it gets decidedly surreal in places – you really do need to pay attention to what's going on on-screen if you're to have any hope of following the story, and it's very easy to become distracted by some little detail or another and lose track of the bigger picture, so do yourself a favour and don't watch this when you're not in the mood to work on it.
Put the effort in, though, and you'll be rewarded. Cossette's story is one of betrayed love, heartbreak, and vengeance – she was brutally killed by her fiancé, Marcelo, and as time passes Eiri takes on more and more aspects of Marcelo's personality. As he interacts with Cossette, there's initially the question hanging over what her intentions for Eiri really are: yes, he agrees to go through a series of trials with the aim of freeing Cossette's soul, but is her aim to forgive her killer and have the life they should have had together, or to wreak her vengeance for her death and the deaths of her family? Both aspects get dealt with, sometimes quite graphically, as the story unfolds, and it makes for engrossing viewing throughout as Eiri becomes the route through which Cossette purges the unhappy memories of her past and becomes something new.
I don't normally go in for stories like Petite Cossette – I freely admit that in general, I prefer my entertainment to be on a shinier, happier and fluffier level. Petite Cossette is none of those things, but it really does grab the attention and draws you in so well that, almost before you know it, the three episodes are past and the story is told. Even in its ending, the series avoids inflicting too much happiness on anyone and goes for the darker possibilities
Petite Cossette is unusual in many ways – a love story that’s almost devoid of happiness, with a style and presentation that makes it engrossing, and yet not exactly easy to watch. Dark, stylish and graphic, it does a very good job of conveying Cossette’s tragic past and what Eiri’s prepared to go through for her – add in the atmosphere that just drips from the show and you have a package that’s well worth watching. Easily recommended.
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