The Rose of Versailles

[This review is spoiler free] The first thing that you naturally notice when you start watching Rose Of Versailles, are the marvellous character designs done by Shingo Araki, the man did a lot of character designs on the seventies for some famous titles but here he was in his best shape and developed his trademark style, which he later also used on Saint Seiya for instance. Not only the character designs but the style and the peculiar 70s filled directing approach are very appealing and are added with a consistent and clever animation for ’79, and dare I say that some scenes are so well animated withthe character movements that they even defy the commodity of modern animation from these days. Some examples being shown when there is a dance scene and in some crowd scenes where most of the individuals (if not all) of the crowd make independent moves of their own. Unfortunately Nagahama Tadao died early on in the making of the series and with him died some of the “acid” aesthetics the series had in the first few episodes, because the acclaimed 70’s director Osamu Dezaki which came as substitute didn’t pick those more “acid” scenes but that is not to say that the series lacked quality from there on from there, au contraire, Dezaki, one of the men who define quality anime in the 70’s also fulfilled his duty with excellence and ended the decade in the highest note. I especially love how the shots of the camera are taken from various angles throughout the series. And a very special Dezaki watermark, the dramatic stills at the end of a scene. O If you’re a History Buff the story couldn’t have been better, for it’s almost entirely consisted of actual historical facts and intrigues that actually happened just before and which led to the French Revolution of 1989 covering a span of 20 years. The story starts using the shoujo formula of “newcomer female arrives and gets picked by older already established female at the place”, but it soon drops those shoujo anime standards, not only because of the historical facts from which the story cleverly was based from but also by the clever excellent use of real character mixed with just the introduction of two fictional characters to drive us through the developments, the director does a brilliant job there. The script had a good use on the critic of the society of the 17th century, especially the aristocracy corruption problem. If you have watched Legend of Galactic Heroes before, you’ll definitely recognise a familiar critic Perhaps dare I say, that LOGH, author or director got direct inspiration from ROV. The music is perfect for the anime, it was very competent as it was usual of high quality anime of the era, or just overall soundtracks of the 70’s, which are just some of the best music you’ll find in my opinion. I’m hearing the OST as I write and it does have very powerful songs, jus check Magical Rose on the tube, you’ll get hooked! I am still impressed at the quality of this anime, [EDIT]years after[/ EDIT], and the only thought around in my head these days is to rewatch it again. “Classic” can fit several works, with “cult” the range is shortened but “Masterpiece” only fit a very few works and Rose Of Versailles is exactly that. No wonder it is still big back in Nippon, there are things that are just immortal. 10/10

After putting this off for eons, I've finally decided to review Rose of Versailles. This is an anime that almost everyone has heard of, but fewer people have actually seen. In terms of popularity, Rose of Versailles isn't ranked in the top 1,800. I've yet to convince any of my offline buddies to check this one out because when you recommend this anime to people you're usually met with stuff like "It's so OLD though!" Or sometimes you might hear "Isn't that one of those elitist series? Doesn't that mean it's going to be super boring and pretentious?" These attitudes are unfortunate because I thinkalmost everyone would get something out of this series! Rose of Versailles was made for young girls, but I'm a 32 year old man and I loved it! Do you like historical fiction with tons of action? Rose of Versailles has you covered. Do you like well written romance that actually goes somewhere and is really fulfilling and wholesome? Rose of Versailles is there for you. Do you like intensely psychological character studies? Watch this anime! Pros of Versailles: 1. The direction is really good throughout. Almost every episode has a flow that keeps you hooked and then ends with a cliff hanger, begging you to watch just one more. It's very dramatic like most other 70s anime, but it's done in a way so that all the big moments hit their mark. The sweet moments are absolutely heart warming while the tragic moments are devastating! All the previous reviews of this series have credited Osamu Dezaki for its masterful direction, but it turns out he only directed the 2nd half. The first half of the series was actually directed by the somewhat lesser known Tadao Nagahama. For those of you who don't spend time on 4chan's mecha board, Nagahama was an extremely influential director of giant robot anime during the 1970s. He directed a trilogy that included Brave Robot Raideen, Combattler, and Voltes V. Rose of Versailles was one of the final anime he directed before his tragic and premature death due to hepatitis at the age of 48. I'm mentioning all of this because Nagahama deserves credit for Versailles and to this point he really hasn't gotten his due. 2. Almost all the characters are well developed and outstanding. The star of the show is of course Oscar François de Jarjeyes, the Rose of Versailles herself! Oscar is the only member of the nobility in this series who actually deserves the title of "noble". She is caring, courageous, selfless, and a beautifully idealistic patriot. She is everything that young girls could ever aspire to be, but she's also a deeply conflicted character. Oscar was born to an extremely zealous French general who was obsessed with having a son to carry on the family line. He is portrayed like a samurai in that serving his lord and master the king is the only purpose of his existence. He wishes for his family to serve the king for all eternity. Even if the king is bad and even if the common people are starving, this man would never even consider the option of disobeying a single order of the royalty. Oscar was born a girl, but was raised as a male. She devoted herself entirely to becoming the best fencer and marksman in all of France. In the first part of the series, Oscar desperately tries to repress her sexuality and tries to be the person her father wishes her to be. It is only gradually over the course of 40 episodes that Oscar begins to question society, her place in life, her sexual identity, and who she really wants to be. This brings her into direct conflict with her father, her friend Marie Antoinette, and creates a beautiful and fulfilling character arc. 3. The romance is spectacular! For most of the series, Oscar is sought after by her childhood friend and servant Andre, who comes from the lower class. Even though Oscar is a kind and considerate person, she is blind to his love in part because such a forbidden romance across social classes would be unthinkable. The fact that France's 1700s caste system forbids Andre from being with his love adds to the theme of class struggle that's central to this series. Oscar also thinks she has feelings for a dashing Swedish count, but he only has eyes for the Queen of France. Oscar works hard to deny herself any romance, because her sexuality runs contrary to the gender identity she was forced to adopt. Oscar is heterosexual and likes men, but she was raised by her father to identify as male and truly sees herself as male for most of the series. In her mind, she can't be with a man because it's illegal and shameful for men to sleep with men. It's not that Oscar is judgmental and homophobic. If Oscar encountered a man who slept with other men, she wouldn't care. It's just that she's a knight who chooses to live by an extremely strict code of chivalry and holds herself to unreasonable standards. Oh and BTW, this was the first anime to ever have a romantic sex scene and air on Japanese television! This was aimed at 12 year old girls in 1979 and it has a sex scene! The Simpsons was super controversial for portraying a cartoon couple having sex in the early 90s and that series was for adults! If an American cartoon aimed at children did that in 1979, the director and animators would be lynched in the streets! 4. The historical fiction. The mangaka read several books on the French revolution when writing this and it shows. Many of the events leading up to the revolution including the affair of the diamond necklace, the tennis court oath, the death of the crown prince, are all portrayed fairly accurately. This series actually gets it right that Marie Antoinette never said "Let them eat cake". That was actually just propaganda by the Jacobin rebels. The original quote was attributed by Rousseau to a Spanish princess over 100 years earlier. Another thing this series gets right was portraying the dire economic conditions that led to the revolution. France was absolutely obsessed with being the dominant power in Europe. At the same time, France never had the political reforms and compromises that many of its rivals did. England limited the power of its king with the Magna Carta way back in the year 1215. In fact, England has been a constitutional monarchy since 1688 with the king serving as a mere figurehead since that time. In the 1790s, France along with Russia was one of the remaining absolute monarchies embodied by Louis the 14th's quote "I AM THE STATE". The French people were expected to suffer grinding poverty, unpopular wars, and having no freedoms because the king was chosen by God. Despite the fact that nearly all of France's most popular and widely read scholars had been saying the divine right of kings was bullshit for the previous century. So by the late 1700s, nobody in France actually still believed that the king was chosen by God and had the divine right to do whatever he wanted, besides some of the nobles. France spend an ungodly amount of money on the military, accumulated a massive debt, and tried to pay it off by taxing the shit out of the peasants. The rich had gold, but the French farmers had money that wasn't worth anything due to inflation. The stores were ironically filled with food, but the French people couldn't afford it and over 30 percent of France was starving to death. All while the richest 3 percent lived in palaces, wore powdered wigs worth more than a farmer's house, and kept up a level of decadence that reached absurd levels. Rose of Versailles captures this brutal time and class struggle with a keen eye. While the mangaka is quite left leaning (she's a member of the Japanese Communist Party), the anime also remembers to criticize the other side as well. The Jacobins including Robespierre and Saint Just are portrayed extremely negatively and the series is very clear in condemning the Reign of Terror. With her empathetic heart, Oscar is devastated by plight of the French people while most of the nobles and royalty around her don't give a shit. Her own father laughs at her concerns that their local servants in the next village over can't afford a doctor and just told their son he has to die for the sake of the family. Oscar's dad just says, "If they weren't meant to be poor they wouldn't have been born peasants!" 5. The revolution! This series may have been aimed at a young audience, but they really didn't hold back. It tackles dark and uncomfortable themes that you would only expect to see in adult media. It portrays murder, rape, pedophilia, starvation, and some pretty damn dark stuff for a kid's show! It also challenges traditional gender roles and had clear lesbian undertones with a character named Rosalie who had a massive crush on Oscar. This was all in 1979 and in a country that in many ways is even more culturally conservative than the United States. Did Japanese TV censors even watch this shit?! I think they may have just taken a nap and assumed "It's a little girl show, we don't need to watch it!" Rose of Versailles would be too controversial to come out in America in 2021 aimed at a 10-12 audience. The fact this came out in the 1970s just blows my fucking mind! So every single review of this anime is either a 9 or a 10. The contrarians must be starving for some stupid asshole to try make fun of one of the best anime of all time. Don't worry people! That's why I'm here! Cons: 1. The first arc of the anime is kind of weak. The primary antagonist during the first 10 episodes is the Duke of Orleans, who is this Saturday morning cartoon villain who tries some bullshit scheme to assassinate the king and queen in every episode, only to be miraculously foiled by Oscar. This dude is Dick Dastardly's French cousin. The only thing he needs is a little dog sidekick that snickers at his failures in every episode! 2. This series is so French that even its flaws are French! The mangaka loves the French novelist Victor Hugo and I was immediately able to tell that because this series takes his trademark style of melodrama and deus ex machina bullshit. At one point Oscar encounters an evil French count who murders a homeless child for trying to pickpocket him for a couple coins. He then laughs like a Disney villain before getting into his carriage and driving away. Oscar challenges him to a duel, but he and his friend the previously mentioned Count Dastardly, concoct this bullshit plan where the duel will take place at an incredibly specific time and location that will ensure his victory. When Oscar turns around at precisely 8 AM, the sun will reflect off a window and go directly into her eyes. Oscar defeats their plan by deflecting his bullet out of midair using the grip of her pistol, then shooting him through the hand. She did all of this while blinded. Another time, Oscar survives an assassination plot where 4 assholes pull her carriage over and challenge her to a 4 on 1 duel, which she accepts. One of them manages to stab her through the lower back and is about to finish her off, but at that VERY instant the Swedish count just happened to drive by and the villains run off without finishing off Oscar for no reason. Oh and BTW, the Swedish count had been banished 2 years ago and had just snuck back into the country, just to make it even less believable. 3. Saint Just. This fucking dude. Remember when I said most of the characters were well developed and most of the historical figures were realistic? Well none of that applies to this man! In real life, Robespierre's most famous henchmen was a scrawny lawyer's apprentice who never personally killed anyone. In this anime, he caught up to a speeding carriage on foot, leapt on to the roof, and impaled a noble through the head by plunging his sword through the carriage. This dude is basically French Sephiroth for no reason! Almost every scene he's in is fucking ridiculous and detrimental to the overall series. At one point, he leads an elite death squad of aristocrat hunters equipped with crossbows that fire explosive bolts! Just one of these bolts is able to absolutely vaporize a carriage on impact with the maybe 50 grams of explosive packed into the arrow head. I gave this series the benefit of the doubt and looked up if any explosive arrow weapon was used during this time period. The answer is a resounding no. Then I looked up if any chemical compound known to Mankind could virtually atomize a carriage with just 50 grams of the stuff. You as the viewer are left with 3 choices. 1. The scene didn't happen and was all a fever dream by Oscar. 2. Saint Just was using bolts packed with Pentaerythritol tetranitrate, which means he's a time traveler. 3. Saint Just really is French Sephiroth and can use dark magic. In this esteemed and elite anime, we're left with a scene SO stupid that the only real option is to pretend it didn't happen and say "NOPE!" Overall, this is an absolutely incredible series that everyone should watch! Yes, I just spent a few minutes making fun of a couple scenes, but I actually can't recommend this anime highly enough. No matter your age or gender, you owe it to yourself to check out Rose of Versailles! Yes it looks kind of old, but you get used to it and it actually looks quite nice for a 1970s anime. It's certainly not boring or pretentious like my friends worried about. It's a true classic!

Wow, what a story. I can't believe I haven't watched this anime until now. No, I can't believe what I just watched. I'd always thought that the forbidden love romance between Romeo and Juliet was tragic... I'd always thought that Shingeki no Kyojin was epic. I'd always thought that stories like Clannad and AnoHana were masterpieces. But wow, Rose of Versailles puts all of these shows to shame. Who knew that an anime, which some people (idiots) call "cartoons", could portray such a realistic, romantic, tragic, and captivating historical story about the events leading up to the french revolution - 1700s. Rose of Versaillesis truly a hidden gem that deserves more recognition. My favorite anime of all time. The setting is in France, before and during the French Revolution. The story is about Oscar François de Jarjeyes (Lady Oscar) who is the youngest daughter of the Royal Guards Commander, General Jarjayes, is raised as a boy because General Jarjayes had desperately wanted a son that could take after him as the Royal Guards Commander. Growing up inside the lavish palace, Lady Oscar had no knowledge of the travesties and poverty of the outside world. The greed of the nobles, the evil of the soldiers, the corruption of the government, the patriarchy in society, the social hierarchy, and the hatred in the hearts of the people. All of these were factors that were developed and masterfully portrayed in the anime that eventually led to the French Revolution. The story not only focuses on the French Revolution though. Lady Oscar's decisions between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country versus her own heart and desires are all aspects of the anime that portray the harshness of reality during the 18th century. The story honestly starts off cheesy and seemingly childish at first. But put up with maybe the first 2 - 3 episodes, and after the magical plot and character development kicks in, the story soars into the realm of perfection. The plot is lively and happy during one moment, and then turns into darkness and sorrow the next. The plot is highly enjoyable but can definitely mentally destroy you if you develop feelings/attachment to the characters (which the anime will force you to do). This anime had my favorite characters ever in Lady Oscar and Andre Grandier. Lady Oscar is a strong and smart women, you don't see that often in literature, especially classic ones. Andre Grandier is the pure definition of an archetypal character whom fights to protect his ideals and those that he cherishes (the people of France and Lady Oscar). Their love story is more tragic than Romeo and Juliet. The hardships they have to go through together is tougher and more touching than anything I've ever seen. The concept of forbidden love, and Male Vs Female patriarchy is constantly brought up. Marie Antoinette, the Princess soon-to-be Queen of Versailles is in love with Lady Oscar's best friend, Hans Axel von Fersen but a princess marrying a nobody is forbidden. Can they break through the rules of reality or will they end up as yet another pair of tragic lovers that cannot overcome the social hierarchy and harshness of reality? Will the brewing French Revolution devastate all relationships between Hans, Marie, Andre, and Lady Oscar? Absolutely stunning how perfectly the anime handled the character development and attachment. I'll spoil this for you now, the end will DESTROY like it did for me. Did I even watch the 1979 Rose of Versailles, or was it a more modern remake that I watched...? How can an anime from 1979 have so much color and be so realistically beautiful. Was colored television even invented in 1979...? The poor with their torn cloth/nakedness - skinny. The rich nobles being the fat-stuffed monsters that they mostly were back in the 18th century. The nobles and royal families with their lavish and beautiful medieval clothing. The guards and their uniforms, muskets, and drums. Holy moly, the art was so perfect that... I don't even know! The sound, ah yes the music. Well, what can I say... It was dazzling. The beating of the drums, the heart-warming/breaking classical pieces, the french music; amazing. The character's voices, loved them. Lady Oscar and Andre, I love you guys. Although, I will admit that I wasn't a big fan of the opening, BUT the German "Lady Oscar" opening remake (2009) was a perfect fit the anime and is one of the most beautiful songs ever (yes, it's in German). Rose of Versailles is unparalleled in terms of how beautiful, realistic and touching the story was. How much did I enjoy it? Well, what do you think? The anime scores perfect for me all across the board. A rare masterpiece that actually has moralistic themes about reality that people can perceive in their own beliefs. I hear that Rose of Versailles is currently 14th on the list of all-time best-selling shōjo manga, having sold a grand total of 15 million volumes worldwide. So, I guess it's not "underrated" but definitely needs even more recognition.

It’s the eve of the 18th century and France is flailing between hubris and chaos. The air is stale in Paris; an odious despair engulfs the streets as the common man struggles to eat. The color of the Seine slowly begins to fade. Yet, the scarlet-stained roses of Versailles continue to bloom with such fervor, such elegance, and such nobility. Surrounded by decadence in its purest form, these roses thrive; unaffected and ignorant of the tumultuous tempest that brews, seeping insidiously into the soils of the earth. One rose, the noblest of them all, with a chivalrous conviction breaks off - known better in theevocative masterpiece by Dezaki as Oscar Francois, or the real “Rose of Versailles”. With sun-kissed golden tresses, a pellucid conviction, and a regal dominance, Oscar from the get-go is an enigmatically alluring character. Growing up as a noble, with a disillusioned father who fills her childhood with all the mannerisms of a noble boy, including her name, Oscar becomes the ideal French quixotic noble’man’. Rose of Versailles charts the life of Oscar as she moves along the history of France as a woman, as a noble, and as a French military leader right before and during the French Revolution. This series is not aiming to be a completely historically accurate re-telling of the events, so any expectations and qualms related to that are unjustified. Rose of Versailles falls under the genre of historical fiction and the latter should clearly indicate what that entails. That being said, it still does well keeping the fabrics of history intact and seamlessly weaving it into a beautiful tapestry featuring everything one can expect from a great story with all the right elements. Beneath the scintillating layer of the laid-out premise, the heart of Rose of Versailles offers something rare: complete enrapture. As one would imagine (and wouldn’t be wrong) to perhaps think of this as a story about the grand events of that time, the grandeur of it all, but it isn’t. Yes, all of these pieces are present, as nuances, or akin to the backdrop of a play, but the forefront is exclusively dominated by the characters and their affairs. The mercurial nature of each and every character beneath their facades is deeply explored, especially the duo of Oscar and her non-aristocratic childhood friend and worker, Andre Grandier. The social and personal evolution of the main cast is a feat in itself; especially when looked at in retrospect or holistically, due to their volatility and the debacles surrounding them throughout the show. As a result, we a get a cast of characters that are utterly human, hopelessly flawed, and undisputedly real who evoke and transpire an inexplicable sort of invested interest and feeling within. Essentially this story can be summed up as a mosaic of struggles; with each piece outlining a certain element and how Oscar in relation with those around her, tries to overcome the societal dualisms and the shortcomings of herself, her regime, and her time while battling a gradually building inferno. As aforementioned, the series is primarily focused on the characters, while using history as a conduit to do so, yet the manner in which the setting is actualized is commendable. The series does an exceptional job highlighting the mood of the time. The macro problems from various perspectives are shown, which sets the stage on a silver platter. The haughty aristocracy, the indulgent royalty, and the crestfallen public along with their unstable dynamics are shown slowly, carefully, and realistically making the denouement of the series all the more effective. Since the show does fall under historical fiction, the manner in which the events are reinvented is integral to how the other, more prevalent elements come together. One other aspect that Rose of Versailles effortlessly creates is the romance. The reason I explicitly bring this is up is because how understated ‘good’ romance is and by good, I mean believable, real, grounded, personal, evocative, and empathetic to the point that one can vicariously feel as if they too, are riding on the constantly-swinging pendulum of pathos. I don’t hesitate to call it the idyllic romance. The reason being that, one, it isn’t riddled with contrived or cheesy infestations just to evoke ‘something’ and, two, it’s complete in the sense that we get to trace the character’s developments as individuals first and then as complementary forces for one another, which does wonders for a good romance. It’s the transition between the first and the second that really accentuates the individual and then the individual-in-love. It is the former, when developed properly that the latter becomes significantly easier to birth. The infusion of romance almost feels magical because how subdued and subtle it is but when it hits, it hits with a spontaneous force that will leave its imprint in the minds and hearts of all those who experience it. As full of praise the aforesaid words are, the series has its set of flaws, as small as they may be. The production values are nothing to glamorize and given that it’s from the 70’s, nothing to hold against it either. A major caveat that may burden the enjoyment of some people are the glimpses of extreme shoujoesque moments that surface such as the excessive over-dramatization both from a situational and technical stance. This over-dramatization plays out like a double-edged sword and ends up having the reverse effect. There is also an inconsistency in quality and pacing. The show takes some significant dips and it singes off little parts of enjoyment, but this often goes hand-in-hand with the extreme dramatization. For example, the first half of the show exclusively deals with seemingly petty drama surrounding the aristocracy and royalty which can seem overbearing at times, especially the recycled ignorance and stupidity of certain characters, but none of it is in vain. Each and every character and their actions, effectively in the first part of the show, has purpose when conjoined with the entirety of the series. Regardless, all of this can be easily be dismissed because of what the show does offer. It’s not hard to see why Rose of Versailles is hailed as definer of its genre(s) and setting the bar not just in its niche, but within the medium. Naturally, this isn’t a series to gloss over or underestimate. This is a product of meticulous crafting. Dezaki invites you to sit in his reverent time-machine and travel back a few centuries ago where: The Seine is coming to a standstill, shaded with ripples of red. The streets are ready to be lit with the fires of a Revolution while France swings betwixt the twilight of former glory and present ruin. And between the cracks of impending destruction rises a scarlet rose, embellished in decadence, but rooted in humanity. Rose of Versailles is the model for how to tell a grand story simply; a grand story about people who may seem estranged to us, but in the end, are all too similar and the struggles they go through in some ways are universal, timeless, and ingrained within the ebb and flow of life; regardless of how grandiose the stage its set on may be…