The Rose of Versailles

Versailles no Bara is a masterclass in how to write historical fiction. The story stays mostly true to what we know of history, but the author takes a few liberties in the way she introduces certain characters and how they interact. She also decides what rumors she'll make fact or fiction (in her story), which is the right thing to do in my opinion: if you had to leave every doubt unanswered, the series would quickly become pointless and unsatisfying. Ikeda also introduces a couple of completely new characters to spice things up, Oscar and André, both of which fit perfectly in Versailles' world of romanceand intrigue. The characters are Versailles no Bara's shining star. Every last one of them is complex, interesting, and even lovable (to different extents, of course). The women and girls are especially brilliant; I'll never forget poor Charlotte. The drawings are truly beautiful, although the seventies influence is strong and sometimes distracting (particularly the bell-bottom pants and flowy, luscious hair on just about anyone who isn't meant to be seen as old or ugly). The composition of each page is gorgeous and the emotions are always sumptuously depicted. Sometimes, the drama does turn into melodrama, but the reader's investment in the story and characters helps keeps it tolerable. I would recommend Versaille no Bara to everyone who cares about manga; this œuvre forever changed the medium (especially shojo manga) and is a must-read. CW: there is one rape scene (not directly shown).

Now this is a true romantic tragedy. Marie Antoinette's end is widely known, and yet as you read through this historic drama you'll often forget the looming dark clouds over her and Fersen. The addition of another main character, Lady Oscar (good luck not being charmed by her) with her own love story ends up working as a parallel to the queen's life. Another person who can't follow the desires of the heart, but unlike the queen she has more freedom, having grown up as a man, and ultimately following the revolution through another lens. I used to watch the anime with my mum when Iwas really young, it was one of those late evening series. Yes, the drama can get repetitive but for me it was truly moving to finally read Rose of Versailles and experience such an emotional tale.

After many years reading mostly shônen, I decided to dive in the world of shôjo. What could be a better start than "Versailles no Bara" (or "Lady Oscar" as we smartly translated) ? This 70's manga is known to have brought a whole new dimension to shôjo and I think any reader can see why, even today, even not knowing much about shôjo. First of all, it's not reduced to a bunch of love stories in Versailles with nobles in beautifull clothes. It has a strong historic context (french revolution) with all ingredients that come with it : battles, conspiracies, bloody deaths, politic, social and economic portraitof France at that time. The author adds a bit fantasy but his basis are very solid. What I chiefly liked was that none of the main characters were depicted as all black or all white : they behave like they do for reasons, which you can agree with or not. There is no empty jug. The character of Oscar is outstanding as she is educated to act and dress like a man, while her being a woman is no mystery for the whole cast. She is admired, sometimes discriminated, but she remains true to herself and her values. I liked that and I think it played a huge part in what made this manga a sucess and a renewal. For the cons, I'd say that although characters, clothes and jewels are well drawn, it is not the case for decors. Or rather, that the author knew she was a bit weak in decors' drawing and she consequently drew as few as possible. I remember stairs, windows and doors in close ups but not much. I sometimes felt like the pages were oddly empty. Also, there are sparkles, lots of sparkles, and some scenes are too syrupy-sweet for me, but honestly you just have to look at the cover to know what you're engaging into. In brief : yes, I'm glad I read it and yes, I'll recommand it. Versailles no Bara helps to understand the evolution of the shôjo genre. It is refreshing to see something else than a romantic comedy in high school (I know I'm being caricatural here) and as a bonus, you can increase your knowledges of french history. Win-win !

Today’s review is for Riyoko Ikeda’s Rose of Versailles (also known as Lady Oscar in Europe), one of the most influential and revolutionary works of the 70s. Among the first major manga written and drawn by a woman, and part of a series of projects that promoted shōjo manga as a significant genre, it owes its success to its unique setting, iconic heroine Oscar and its radical (for its time) ideas. Note: parts of section [1.b] could be considered as spoilers, but someone knowledgeable in French history may already have an idea. Proceed with caution. [1. Let’s start with the story and characters...] Set in 18th century France, beforeand during the French Revolution (until the Reign of Terror), it covers the entire life of Marie Antoinette, the eponymous “Rose”. It is by no means a biography, due to artistic license; the cast is composed of both historical figures and fictional characters, and Ikeda has taken artistic liberties in order to tie them together. (a.) If I were to summarize the work, I’d say it’s the entire lives and fates of two intertwined characters, in a style similar to a bildungsroman. Lady Oscar François de Jarjayes is the uncrowned queen of this manga. Entirely fictional, she is born the same year as Antoinette (at Christmas) as the youngest daughter of the Commander of the Royal Guards. Then, she is assigned with a male gender role by her desperate father, who has no sons in order to pass the inheritance of the de Jarjayes family. ----- Fun fact: the practice of destining a girl for a male gender role was not unheard of around the world, and not exclusively for inheritance reasons. I recommend browsing for “burrnesha”. ----- Either way, as soon as Oscar completes her basic military training, she is tasked into protecting Marie Antoinette, back then the Dauphine. She was conceived as a supporting character, but due to reader feedback Ikeda turned her into a prominent character for a substantial part, and in fact even rewrote the story to accomodate changes. Many themes are largely tied to her personal and interpersonal conflicts. She gets torn between loyalty to the royal family, and an increasing realization of the hardships of commoners in comparison to the lavish lives of privileged classes. She also gets torn between fulfilling her duties as an “honorary male” officer, and her emotional and carnal desires as a woman. Connected to her conflicts are her close relationships, such as Marie Antoinette and Oscar’s best friend, André Grandier. Oscar can be considered the “soul” of the manga. More are noted on section [2.]. (b.) Marie Antoinette is an equally complex character and her character flaws drive an important part of the plot. She happens to be the original main character of the manga, despite Oscar’s prominent role. She is also highly conflicted, between her responsibilities as the queen and her carnal and emotional desires. Married to a loveless marriage to the last pre-revolution Bourbon monarch, she becomes infatuated with the Swedish nobleman Axel von Fersen. A tragic love story in nature, and combined with a series of toxic influences lead her to increasingly succumbing to her personality’s worst aspects. Although sensitive and genuinely affectionate to her close people, she always showed traits of a defiant, pampered and stubborn noblewoman, which combined with her hedonistic outlook on life leads her to isolate herself from court politics and into a lavish lifestyle that weighs on impoverished citizens, ending being loathed as the “autrichienne”. And the rest is history. Outside them, almost the entire cast has important roles to fulfill, and their destinies are interwoven by the historical framework, be it the Day of the Tiles or the Affair of the Diamond Necklace. Historical people relevant to French history are also featured, such as Maximilien de Robespierre and the infamous Comtesse de la Motte. Even the very brief appearance of Napoleon Bonaparte is highly valuable in context. (c.) Before I proceed with the next section, I must note something: by no means do I find the narrative to be even close to perfect. Ikeda has deeply invested into a meticulous and quite accurate presentation of the setting, with its classist inequalities and other factors ailing contemporaries, and remains mostly faithful to modern French history. The amount of research behind is staggering, and also fondly reminded me of when I used to live in Paris. What I consider as a flaw however is a perhaps too shōjo element: melodrama. Although touching at times, at others it was overwhelming and detracted from enjoyment, turning characters into needlessly theatrical and less convincing. I don’t frown upon melodrama, but here some moments made disharmonious contrasts with the otherwise very mature story. Also, some character developments felt too sudden, forced and “spoon-fed “, rather than gradual, progressive and according to a “show; don’t tell” approach. I do understand though that this comes from Ikeda publishing her manga in a shōjo magazine, and from different priorities for her story. [2. Continuing with subjects…] In the previous section, I mentioned that Oscar can be considered the soul of the manga. I certainly own an explanation. Other than being a highly complex character, she is considered as an archetype of the strong-willed female lead present in other shōjo works, and offered Japanese female readers with a different role model to look on. Related to this is Oscar’s use as a vessel for societal ideas connected to feminism, showcasing how both sexes’ living is damaged by fixed gender roles in a conservative, classist and sexist society. Juxtaposed and contrasted with Marie Antoinette, Oscar is also confined by limitations of duty and gender role, but it is further interesting to note she can symbolically be considered as being further conflicted and confined by both her male and female “traits”. A personal opinion, but her tale can be interpreted symbolically as bridging the “male” with the “female” self in order to turn into a more whole person. Love and sexuality themes also play an important part. The idea of a woman participating in passionate, intimate relationships with men is combined with the idea of not losing her freedom and identity, but rather embracing persons of the other sex as equals. Also connected to sexuality are elements of yuri, evident in interactions concerning Oscar. She is often the object of infatuation of lady courtiers, and Rosalie Lamorlière has openly expressed a crush for her. And obviously, themes and influences drawn from French culture and history are omnipresent. Rose of Versailles is the prominent example of Ikeda’s work promoting and popularizing France and French culture in Japan (others including Glory of Napoleon and Secret Polish History, indirectly in the last case), and in 2008 she received France's “Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur”. [3. And concluding with the artwork section...] I consider the artwork to be the least strong element but by all means I found it decent. Most shōjo art styles are not my cup of tea, because of exaggerated character designs. Instead, proportions are soft and the illustrations harmonious, although the “too bright” eyes sometimes stick out like a sore thumb. Backgrounds are simply functional for most of the time, but some were very elegant (e.g. the environment of the court of Versailles). Certain scene presentations were vivid and flowery (literally sometimes), and others were visceral and shocking for a shōjo manga (e.g. showcasing symptoms of smallpox in all their glory). One of my favorite backgrounds is based on a historical illustration for the Women’s March on Versailles. Hope you enjoyed my review!