Cossette no Shouzou

Eiri Kurahashi is a Japanese art student who works in an antique shop. His friends begin to notice a dramatic, and rather concerning, change in Eiri, as he becomes more absent-minded and his behavior completely changes. They quickly decide to blame their friend's troubles on a girl.

They may be right, however, as Eiri has begun seeing a beautiful, doll-like girl trapped within an antique Venetian glass that his uncle bought in France. She seems to be living in a strange other world, contained entirely inside this glass, but her image refuses to leave Eiri's mind. His sketchbook becomes filled with her likeness, and he realizes he has become completely infatuated with this strange little girl. When he recognizes her in a portrait by the mysterious Italian artist, Marchello Orlando, he learns her name is Cossette d’Auvergne, and that she was tragically murdered along with the rest of her family.

One night, as he closes up the shop, he hears a voice asking him not to leave. Finally making contact with the object of his obsession, he makes a deal that he doesn't fully understand.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

d'Auvergne, Cossette Main

Inoue, Marina Japanese

Kurahashi, Eiri Main

Saiga, Mitsuki Japanese

Mataki, Shouko Main

Toyoguchi, Megumi Japanese

Orlando, Marcello Supporting

Ebara, Masashi Japanese

Saiga, Yuu Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Nishimoto, Kaori Supporting

Tamura, Yukari Japanese

Enokido, Yutaka Supporting

Morita, Junpei Japanese

Zenshinni of Shakado Supporting

Igarashi, Rei Japanese

Mataki, Hatsumi Supporting

Hyo-sei Japanese

Yajiri, Michiru Supporting

Hayama, Ikumi Japanese

Abe, Ai Producer

Shinbou, Akiyuki Director, Episode Director, Storyboard

Kameyama, Toshiki Sound Director

Kajiura, Yuki Theme Song Lyrics, Theme Song Composition, Theme Song Arrangement, Music

Reviews

Aug 27, 2024

rooster_

Recommended

A lurid, Gothic drama told with decadent flair and style over three episodes. The story is actually quite straightforward, though there is a supporting cast that feels largely disconnected from it, and seems to be off on their own sub-plot which more closely resembles a supernatural battle anime, and is far less interesting. The OVA's conclusion, though visually incredible, is a tonally off with the rest of the show, given its triumphant mood. However I was really taken by Cossette aesthetically; I just wish the premise had been carried to a more natural conclusion, instead of something that slightly smells of shounen. This anime is ... sometimes billed as horror; don't expect any "scary" horror here, only the aesthetic trappings of Gothic fiction (and Lolita fashion).

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Mar 25, 2024

Naz1994

Mixed Feelings

Another anime I rewatched after many years. Its one who's content I had forgotten about but it always remained in the back of my head. So I decided to rewatch it ..

This anime is a feast for the senses. The visuals are stunning, the accompanying music is magical and almost haunting. I could say with confidence that the opening is one of my fav in anime. The enigma of Cosette herself is captivating. It really felt like watching a painting come to life at times.

Now I would say that the anime isn't amazing, plus I think there were too many side characters that felt ... unnecessary for such a short anime. Like, the story could have been told with just the main 2 people plus maybe 1 other person to witness the downfall of the main character slowly deteriorating

Personally I wouldn't recommend this anime for the sole reason of not disappointing people who mag be looking for a more straightforward story. But I would mention it in passing conversation and let the person discover it themselves if they so feel.

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Sep 16, 2024

SgtSalamander

Not Recommended

Le Portrait de Petite Cossette is an ambitious attempt at high-minded horror which falls flat on its face. It is a bland, overwrought mess, and even at 3 episodes is a genuine waste of time. Beginning with the story, there is little to say in its favor, as it's broadly bad. Though, at the very least the concept upon which it is built is interesting. There's nothing wrong with the idea of haunted antiques attached to an 18th century murder, but the real problems come with how the show chooses to execute that idea. The 'twists', if you can call ... them that, can be seen from a mile away, and the main story upon which the plot relies is so barren and anemic that all the various fever dream sequences that this show subjects you to serve no other purpose than to pad for time. This lazy approach to storytelling is a major factor in what makes Le Portrait de Petite Cossette disorienting, pretentious drivel.

The other major accomplice in this regard is the art. Beginning with the good, the backgrounds are detailed and colorful, same with the wild 'fight' sequences, though it would be more apt to describe them as torture sequences. Moving on to the bad, there are a multitude of sins to cover. A great deal of shots, including the aforementioned torture sequences, are frequently and shamelessly reused. Every character, with little exception, is ugly as sin, especially the 'protagonist', if he even deserves that title. Also, they all suffer from the 'dreaded mask', where emotion is not properly displayed or animated on character faces when it absolutely should be, resulting in a jarring, mask-like emotionlessness. Disorienting animation choices are also ubiquitous, with flashing colors, static, and often nauseating shot composition coming together in the hopes of distracting the viewer from how mediocre this show is.

The sound is, oddly enough, this show's strongest point by a mile. The voice acting and sounds of life are perfectly serviceable, but it is the music that truly stands out as a lone credit in this garbage heap. It manages to range from mysterious and foreboding to sweet and saccharine and even all the way to epic and soaring choral compositions in a way that seems effortless and, while not the best score in anime, is regardless a commendable effort. Though, this is not nearly enough to save Le Portrait de Petite Cossette.

Ultimately, all the effort the music goes through to save this show is buried by the characters which feature in it. Every one of them feel like strange marionettes, strung along by necessity from one scene to the next, making decisions which make no sense and coming to conclusions nobody would ever come to. Overall, Le portrait de Petite Cossette is not worth your time, and while it's definitely not the worst anime out there, it's still pretty bad. Do not watch, even for the OST,  as it would be a better use of your time to listen to it on YouTube instead of subjecting yourself to the garbage anime it is attached to.

Reviewer’s Rating: 3

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