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LE PORTRAIT DE PETITE COSSETTE (VOL. 1) |
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Thursday, 18 January 2007 |
 | | ▪ | PUBLISHED BY: | | TOKYOPOP | | | ▪ | ART/AUTHOR: | | ASUKA KATSURA / COSSETTE HOUSE & ANIPLEX | | | | ▪ | FORMAT/COLOR: | | JAPANESE FORMAT / BW | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 168 | | | ▪ | RATED: | | 16+ OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 06/30/2006 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 01/19/2007 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | CHRISTOHPER SEAMAN |
Her face brings to life a beautiful portrait in an antiques store. Her life itself, however, is one in limbo, unable to rest in peace since she was brutally murdered centuries ago. The horror of her death makes possessing anything belonging to her today a living hell for those who buy what’s left of her legacy. And it is straight to hell that Eiri, an employee at the antiques shop where her portrait and belongings remain, will go in this beautifully illustrated manga of Gothic romance published by Tokyopop.
LE PORTRAIT DE PETITE COSSETTE is short as series manga goes- being only two volumes- but seems perfectly long enough to explore the themes it does. Readers wanting to read this tale would be best advised to purchase the whole work and read it, if possible, in one sitting to get the full effect of the plot and the hauntingly beautiful images that illustrate it. And, oh yes…wait until dark. It is worth it, for there are aspects of this story that will sit with you long after you put the second volume down.
The plot is actually rather simple to explain. In Volume One, Cossette- the girl with a tragic past, whose belongings have been put on sale in an antiques store- bewitches Eiri, the aforementioned employee, and sweeps him up in her netherworld of twisted love, tragic loss, and bloody revenge. Everyone who purchases objects associated with Cossette meets horrible ends, and it becomes Eiri’s quest to retrieve these items in order to set this beautiful girl’s spirit to rest. In the process, he forfeits his friends, his life and his identity in the name of Cossette, and is rewarded with nightmarish scenes of horror and death in grand Gothic style for his trouble. Ultimately, he may have to choose between this phantom and his own life, or at least what’s left of it, if he is to survive at all, as Cossette leads him further into the abyss of her afterlife, tormenting him as much as she ‘loves’ him as a kind of penance for the terrifying fate she had in life. Why he must endure this, goodness only knows...
The plot twists with the scenery and Cossette, sweet looking as she is, becomes more a mechanism to drive what is essentially an abusive relationship. Innocence is only skin deep, for looking into her eyes is to look into a vision of hell itself. LE PORTRAIT DE PETITE COSSETTE is a bit of a strange bird as a result. The plot in the manga is far superior to that in the anime, but still trips lightly on the details where Cossette’s strange behavior towards Eiri is concerned. He helps her. She torments him. He helps her more…and so on. His association with her is clearly dangerous, but he keeps going back for more. Why, why, why? Fans of this story will probably have a field day going over that issue. Others may end up dismissing the manga, however, as being a little flat- which it isn’t. Strangely frustrating, yes. But not flat.
Why not? The answer, like the plot, is simple. COSSETTE is the most hauntingly beautiful manga this reviewer has looked at in a very long time. Asuka Katsura’s artwork has captured the phenomenal imagery of the anime, without copying it directly, and has improved it with a delicate use of line and texture that will leave fans admiring the images long after they have finished reading the story. Costumes, especially the Gothic chic that Cossette sports, are elaborate, flowing and utterly gorgeous to behold. The settings are rendered with such attention to detail that some scenes are wonders to behold. Finally, the ‘drawings’ by Eiri of Cossette, incorporated as plot elements into the story, are lovely stand alone works in their own right. (An art book of these would make a very nice offering- hint, hint.)
One may think of William Blake, who once referred to ‘a terrible beauty’ in his writings when reflecting on COSSETTE, for it is a phrase that sums up the essence of this manga perfectly. It is a flawed diamond that still glitters in the light against the darkness of the world it portrays, enchanting readers and easily earning their forgiveness for any imperfections that lie within its form simply because it is so painfully beautiful.
IN SUMMARY:
Fans of Gothic chic will fly like moths to the flame to behold the wonders and horrors that compose the world of LE PORTRAIT DE PETITE COSSETTE. Stunning art and design will haunt the memory of readers long after the last pages have been turned. This manga is a lavish feast for the eyes, and a tale of lost love for the heart. |
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