Berusaiyu no bara

Since the first time I laid eyes on the IMDB cover of The Rose of Versailles, I thought I would primarily dislike it for its animation style. I do not like unrealistically big eyes and glossy colors, but the premise of the story really got me intrigued. To my pleasant surprise, the animation ended up being far better than I expected, and the story got me more and more interested the longer I kept on watching.

Truth be told, the first part of the anime is not as memorable to me as the second. I would, however, call it far from boring; as much as the quarrels of the ladies of the court weren't really my thing, I never found myself wanting to quit. The tension around the Revolution built up nicely on the backs of the secondary characters in the first part so that we could focus solely on Oscar in the second.

And that Oscar, man... Some lady she is. My 21st century brain assumed upon seeing the premise that the protagonist would be the bearer of modern day feminist rhetoric. In other words: weak and incompetent men and an almighty female protagonist whose story doesn't really have stakes. I am so happy to have been proven wrong and presented with a female character my inner kid could say: "I want to be like that when I grow up!"

Oscar is a true heroine. Charisma-wise, she reminds me a lot of Lelouch from Code Geass; they also both have a strong sense of justice that guides their actions in the world. She is quite strong and proud (maybe even sometimes too much), but it doesn't come off as rude since it is nicely balanced by the caring and humble side of her. And the courage... One can be nothing but inspired upon witnessing how quick she is to sacrifice herself for the benefit of the many.

I personally found her struggle with womanhood the best part of her character development. She can bloom in whichever color she wants, as Andre would put it, but she will still, unmistakably, be a rose. Whether she succeeds in conquering the problems within as well as she does without, I leave for you to see; I believe you won't be at all disappointed.

This anime is definitely worth watching; if not solely for Oscar, then for all the history of the French Revolution which is described quite poetically. It is also one of the rare anime whose sub I wouldn't trade for dub; the voice acting is simply phenomenal. Do definitely give it a try, for this forty-episode story is as good as historical anime can get.

Rose of Versailles is a historic anime series that follows the life of Oscar François de Joux, a French noblewoman living during the hard times of the French Revolution. The series is noteworthy for its well-written characters, complex story, and for being one of the earliest examples of the shoujo genre, or anime aimed at a female demographic. However, this anime can be very enjoyable for every demographic. The series deals with a variety of themes including class, gender, and sexuality, making it a standout amongst its peers. Additionally, the series features stunning animation (for its time) and an incredible soundtrack, further enhancing the viewer experience. ORose of Versailles is a must-watch for any fan of anime, especially the classics.

In France in 1755 a daughter was born to the famous royal guard family Jarjayes, named Oscar Francois de Jarjayes. Since her father desperately wanted a boy to continue his work as a royal guard to the queen, Oscar was raised as a boy and learned how to fight and fence. Oscar and her friend Andre were soon assigned to Versailles to protect Marie Antoinette. There they discovered a lot of affairs from madam du Barry, Jeanne de Motte and others. But Andre fell in love with Oscar and in 1789 the French revolution started, forcing them to choose if they want to be loyal to the queen or to the people...

-----

"Lady Oscar" is a real treat for all nostalgic anime fans and history lovers. Namely, despite the fact that Oscar is a fictional character, almost 90 % of it's story is actually ( loosely ) accurate. For example, I thought that the whole double crossing affair by Jeanne de Valois de la Motte, who dressed a prostitute as Marie Antoinette to trick cardinal Rohan into thinking that the queen likes him and bought an expensive necklace ( worth 200 million $ by todays standards ) on Antoinette's account, and who was later led to a court where she said that Antoinette was a lesbian, was just a gross exaggeration by the anime makers. But I was surprised to find out that not only did Jeanne really exist, but that this actually did happen!

Still, the real hero(ine) is Oscar, a fascinating woman always dressed as a man, and her tragic romance with Andre, which creates subtle gay themes. The director Osamu Dezaki directs this anime on the limit of fantasy, not caring so much about the structure or the sometimes dry events, as much as creating opulent, excellent characters. Oscar is the highlight of course, a woman trying to find her place in the world and history, choosing if she should be loyal to the rich queen or to the poor people.

Grade: 8/10

The rose of Versailles....lady oscar

(The rose of Versailles one of the best anime ever made for so many reasons. everything was amazing the story line (which it is half real) was perfect! the soundtrack pretty amazing!! the drawing of the characters ♥very beautiful

i hope i can see or find another show who is talking about french revolution :))))))))

Rose of Versailles is a great anime to show young people to spark an interest in European history. For the most part, the events depicted are pretty accurate, and the portrait of the doomed young Queen is pretty much spot on. A lot is made of the lead character, Oscar, being "fictional," but it should be pointed out that her place in the drama of the French Revolution is not fictional -- the role she plays is the role of Lafayette. Lafayette did, of course, fight in the American Revolution, he was appointed to commander of the Garde Nationale when things turned bad, and he was protector of the Queen, and he did try to stop the violence and ultimately switched sides in the Revolution. He was also a glamorous figure who always appeared in uniform and was quite popular with the ladies at court. It works amazingly well to have a woman as Lafayette. A lot of interesting discussion can be generated by weighing the results of re-imagining him as a woman.