Alternative TitlesEnglish: Rose of Versailles Synonyms: Versailles no Bara, Berusaiyu no Bara Japanese: ベルサイユのばら
Information
Type: TV
Episodes: 40
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Oct 10, 1979 to Sep 3, 1980
Duration:
23 min. per episode Rating:
PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
L represents licensing company
StatisticsScore: 8.311 (scored by 1672 users)
Ranked: #1472
Popularity: #1033
Members: 3,582
Favorites: 181 1 indicates a weighted score
My Info
Popular Tags
drama historical romance shoujo |
SynopsisRaised from birth as a man, the Lady Oscar commands the palace guards at Versailles in the years before the French Revolution. Her beauty and noble spirit make her a shining figure in the eyes of both men and women but she is torn between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country and her own heart and desires. She lives as a noble amidst the opulence of Versailles but her keen senses and compassion are not blinded to the poverty of the French people.
Source: ANN |
Related AnimeAdaptation: Rose of Versailles
Summary: La Rose de Versailles
Characters & Voice Actors
Staff
Reviews
|
|
saintcross
14 of 17 people found this review helpful
|
40 of 40 episodes seen
|
| Overall |
9 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
8 |
| Sound |
9 |
| Character |
8 |
| Enjoyment |
10 |
Story
It’s based on the French Revolution, though that doesn’t mean the story is completely unoriginal, the author added few original characters like Oscar Francois de Jarjayes, who happens to be the main character. A bulk of the first half of story focuses on Marie Antoinette and certain nobles trying to take advantage of her or trying to oppose her due to her being young and impressionable. While the second half focused on planting the seeds of the historic Revolution with the Royal family sort of fading in the background in favour of Oscar, Andre and other characters that where somehow involved in the upcoming revolution.
The story is nicely paced; there was mostly no wasteful episode, so each event had an effect on the overall story.
Animation
It’s unfair to say that the animation is Rose of Versailles’ weak point, because it really isn't, sure it’s going to look dated because of the lack of tools present at the time of it’s production but for an 80’s anime it looks pretty decent and once you’ve been grasped by the engaging plot you’ll pretty much forget about how dated the show looks. The backgrounds are very detailed and the while some of the characters seems to share the same facial features, though they do vary in character design, although Oscar does look significantly different from the rest of the cast, her face is ambiguous which helps solidify her ambiguous personality.
Sound
It had a solid OP and ED, they fit the mood of the show fairly well since both had had a sort of bittersweet feel to it. The rest of the OST was great as well; background music represented what type of music you would hear in the 17th Century well, although there were a few instances of the clichéd "dramatic" piano playing but it’s hard to hold it against them because it was so COOL at the time.
Character
Oscar is a great character, she was cool and strong willed; being raised as a man, it was somewhat humorous that members of both sexes where attracted to her and even as the women find out that she is in fact a woman as well they still retain their admiration for her.
At first Marie Antoinette was likeable but through out the story she started becoming more selfish and immature which I guess lessened my sympathy for her when she faced her eventual demise. (not really a spoiler it's part of history after all)
The rest of the cast weren't as interesting but they did manage to stand out on a few occasions through out the show.
Overall
Rose of Versailles is definitely a classic. it’s one of the pioneers of shoujo manga/anime. It’s probably hard to watch for some since it’s quite old and not only that, there's little action and a lot of political drama as the story tend to focus more on the build up to the revolution rather than the revolution itself. Another thing is that it’s not a happy show; there are a lot of tragedies that befall the cast of characters so if you’re looking for a feel good show, this is not it. If you’re a fan of the oldies or very open minded with different genres of anime then it’s quite recommendable.
read more
|
|
mistress_reebi
47 of 61 people found this review helpful
|
40 of 40 episodes seen
|
| Overall |
10 |
| Story |
10 |
| Animation |
7 |
| Sound |
7 |
| Character |
10 |
| Enjoyment |
9 |
Since when did history become interesting? Lady Oscar (The Rose of Versailles) may seem like it came from the French Revolution judging by the animation style, but the storyline is extremely well written. There is an excellent cast of characters each with their own personality. Lady Oscar is a classic and should be viewed by every anime fan, especially those who are into shojo.It's similar to the Hollywood movie, "Marie-Antoinette," however, it shows the events going on inside and outside of Versailles with a plot that is more enjoyable. (It isn't an anime showing the day and the life of Marie-Antoinette partying. Also, her personality is kinder in Lady Oscar.)
The characterisation is perfect with a strong female lead. Though Marie-Antoinette's character is childish, she isn't a cookie-cutter cliché. Each personality is different and doesn't fall into the anime stereotypes. With experiences, characters grow and develop; it isn't hard to grasp the cast's characters. Lady Oscar is a strong female raised a man, but she has femininity in her: she's a balance in character.
The sound and animation is from the 1970s so those who aren't into the retro look may not like the series. However, the storyline is main aspect for the show. The costumes with their many frills are pleasant to the eye, while the character design is between realistic and exaggerated. (But, more on the realistic side. In other words: shojo.) Cosplaying as a Lady Oscar characters isn't something one should be surprise since the clothing is from the 18th century. The sound quality isn't great because of the time period, but the sound effects aren't terrible. The background music uses strings, but there isn't a lot.
The storyline describes the French Revolution far more interesting than a history teacher. It's accurate in events, but has some original characters to add to the plot. It's almost as if one is living the events at the start of the French Revolution, pre The Reign of Terror. There are suspenseful episodes with a plot that keeps the viewer on their toes. The story procresses with time adding detail, and though it is a drama, the pacing is perfect. There is some added romance with many possible couples, but in the end the romantic troubles are fixed. (Most viewers will be pleased)
Those who are into classic shojo would love this anime. Some younger viewers may find this anime a little boring, but for those who are in love with historical fiction must watch this anime. It was released in most languages besides English, which is why it's obscure. Must be on every anime fans 'to watch' or 'to buy' list.
read more
Recommendations
|
|
Both feature young women blurring the gender line with sword fights.
Rose of Versailles seems an obvious inspiration for Revolutionary Girl Utena. Set in Revolutionary France the main character is a woman raised as a man fulfilling a man's role. Much of the setting from Versailles seems to be the inspiration for the style of Utena.
Rose of Versailles and Revolutionary Girl Utena bring to the front the issues of gender identity. The titular heroines in these series choose to take on traditionally male roles which create a tension in these characters as they struggle to conciliate feelings with duty. In both series there is a recurring theme of roses and sword fighting; they both deal with Revolutions albeit of a very different nature and are concerned with moral nobility. Rose of Versailles has a more social and linear approach while Utena spins into a heavy psychological study that renders narrative almost obsolete. Breaking through illusions, be them class based or emotional hang-ups, is at the heart of these two anime.
Both have strong female leads. Both of which meet their fragility and strive to over come it, while dealing with battles, schemes and traces of love.
If you liked Utena this is another anime/manga I believe you should enjoy. Utena drew inspiration from this both in setting and characters. While Rose of Versailles takes place in the country of France and isn't confined to a school setting, the focus on fighting with swords plays a big part in both anime. The decadent European lifestyle that is acted out in Utena is very much the same as is acted out in Oscar's France (balls, food, elaborate dressing, even many high culture interests).
The main character in Rose of Versailles is Oscar, a woman who got a mans name because her father was stricken with grief that his wife bore a girl,and who was then raised as a male. You can see that Utena's 'Prince' complex (her desire to become a prince) is very much comparable, such as dressing like a boy acting like one but maintaining a certain unbreakable feminine beauty and fragility in both looks and personality (as Oscar is unable to overcome her feminine qualities even dressing more like a guy plus cutting her hair). Both characters are also tested by male characters who try to get them to lose this strength they have by treating them as women but not equals. The main difference between the two characters is Utena has chosen to become what she likes to call a 'prince' while Oscar was raised like a boy.
|
|
|
Versailles and crossdressing, anyone?
So lets see. The only reason why I finde this 2 series verry similar is the main charachter and the historic theme of bouth animes.In Le Chevalier D'eon as well as in Rose of Versailles we have the main charachter who is stucked betwen 2 faces. The face of a woman or the face of a man. In Rose of versailles Oscar was raised as a man, but she is going to love as a woman. Determinated, courageous and proude as a man, but fragile like a woman. In Le Chevalier D'eon our main charachter, a male is possesed by his twin sisters soul who want's revenge. Traped between the 2 personalites he is confused and at a point doesn't even know who is the real him.In bouth series the confusion because of the 2 faces life apear at some point and finishes when the charachter is finaly accepting the person that he is. In Le chevalier D'on this crisis is a bit more stronger because he is actualy controled by his sisters spirit.If you watched one of this movie for his historical tipe you will surely like the other for the same reason. In bouth the action is situated in France.Corruption, kings failing and the thirst for power. You can finde them all in this animes.Conclusio: if you liked one of them you'll surely like the other.
Both BeruBara and Chevalier feature crossdressing and genderbending main characters in a revolution-era French setting that's as accurate as possible, sans the liberties that, of course, had to be taken to create the story.
Both stories take places in history at the same time and both contains same historical characters, but Le Chevalier D'Eon is much darker and includes supernatural accidents.
|
Opening Theme"Bara wa Utsukushiku Chiru" by Hiroko Suzuki
Ending Theme"Ai no Hikari to Kage" by Hiroko Suzuki
| No posts for this board were found |
Fansubbing Groups
Which fansubbers do you like the best? Click + to approve of their subs for this show. Click - if you don't think they did such a great job.
Related ClubsHistorical Anime , Old School Anime, Anime Association of Northern Illinois University MyAnimeList club, Tomboy/ Feminist Anime Girls Club, TEH MEWNZ FANCLUB OF HAWTNEZZ!, Moe and loli haters , Shoujo Anonymous, Anime Girls + Roses , Pittsburgh Japanese Animation Club, The Rose of Versailles (Lady Oscar,Berusaiyu no Bara), Shoujo Wonderland-少女アニメと漫画大好き, ☆»♥«☆ Romantic-Historical Genre Fanclub ☆»♥«☆, Fans of Gender Bending/Gender Swapping, Characters, who plays a piano FC, Ryoko Ikeda Fans, Anime Blue, Les Champs Animes, Asutoraea no Oka(yuri rp), Beautiful Romance, Year 24 GroupGender Bender 4 ever, The Romantic Manga, Anime and Drama Club, Yuri is the Ultimate <3, Critics and Connoisseurs, Anime History Association, The Noble Heroines see all
Recently Watched By|
4 hours ago |
6 hours ago |
7 hours ago |
12 hours ago |
Yesterday, 5:12 PM | |
Yesterday, 10:21 AM |
Yesterday, 8:36 AM |
Yesterday, 5:50 AM |
11-06-09, 10:55 PM |
11-06-09, 10:25 PM |
|
|
