The Rose of Versailles
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The Rose of Versailles (ベルサイユのばら Berusaiyu no bara), also known as Lady Oscar, by Riyoko Ikeda, is one of the best-known titles in shōjo manga.
The setting is France, before and during the French revolution. The main character is a woman named Oscar François Jarjayes. Her father, General Jarjayes, despaired of ever getting a son (he had six daughters), and decided to raise his youngest daughter as a man. He trained her well in the arts of fencing, horsemanship, and medieval combat. Oscar often practiced her skills with her best friend, companion and, technically, servant, André Grandier, whom she almost always defeated. André was the grandson of her nanny and thus they spent most of their time together in harmonic friendship, which later, near the end of the story, blossomed into mutual love.
Oscar is head of the palace guards, and responsible for the safety of the young, flighty and new Queen of France, Marie Antoinette as well as the rest of the royal family. The story centers on Oscar's growing realization of how France is governed, and the plight of the poor. Another important storyline is the love story between Marie Antoinette and the Swedish Count Axel von Fersen. The affair between the two was the subject of rumors through all of France, and the reputation of the Queen was in danger, so Oscar requested the Count to leave the country.
After the Count decided to leave and sign up for the war of independence in America, Marie Antoinette suffered from lovesickness. And so she began spending, buying expensive jewelry, clothes, going to balls every other night, just to steer her thoughts away from the only man she loved. This, in turn, weighed even heavier on the tax bill, and even greater poverty spread over France due to Marie Antoinette's desires.
Both the Affair of the Diamond Necklace and the infamous Gabrielle de Polastron, comtesse de Polignac are central historical events in the plot, as well as, of course, the French Revolution and the fall of the Bastille - all given interesting interpretation through the fictional character Oscar and her companions.
Publishing and forms
The manga was serialized in Shueisha's Margaret magazine in 1973, and became an instant success. It has been turned into a play, an anime series, a live-action movie, and a ballet. The author, Riyoko Ikeda, is working on the libretto of an opera version of her story as well.
The play adaptation of the manga is also the longest-running show by the Takarazuka Revue.
In 1983, the first two volumes of The Rose of Versailles were translated in English by Frederik L. Schodt for the purpose of teaching English to Japanese speakers and released in North America by the North American branch of Sanyusha. The Rose of Versailles was the first commercially translated manga to be available in North America.
See also
External links
- [Riyoko Ikeda's Official Site]
- [Lady Oscar] (The Rose of Versailles overseas title)
- [Glory! A Berusaiyu no Bara compendium (English information website)]
- [Pegasus:A Rose of Versailles Fan-website] (The Rose of Versailles fan-art and fan-fiction)
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