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.
