Eiri, the art student-hero of the Gothic OVA Le Portrait de Petite Cossette ("The Portrait of Little Cossette," 2004), falls in love with the mysterious image of a girl he sees within a Venetian glass goblet. As his fascination grows, he learns that Cossette was murdered 250 years ago by her artist-fiancé Marcelo. The spirits of the objects that witnessed her murder have been seeking revenge, and they torture Eiri, who may be the reincarnation of Marcelo. While this mayhem is taking place in an alternate reality, a modern girl who loves Eiri attempts to rescue him. Director Akiyuki Shinbo fills the gaps in Mayori Sekijima's muddled screenplay with collages of images that suggest bargain-basement Salvador Dali: butterflies, ruins, dolls, clocks, crescent moons, gears, and crucifixes, all awash in a sea of blood.
