Lady Oscar: The Rose of Versailles

Osamu Dezaki was one of the most prominent Japanese animationist, recognized for a visual style that aims to give the viewers a sense of 'static movement'.

Considered to be one of his best works, "The Rose of Versailles" features a young heroine, Oscar, seeking to find her role in a world that falls apart around her in the most violent way possible - the French Revolution. She commands a battery of soldiers, protecting the King of France and his wife, with the help of her faithful attache.

This series doesn't focus on her alone, as backstabbing politics that occur inside the confines of the Versailles give the viewers compelling reasons to watch. Without wanting to give away anything, I advise anyone wishing to see this series that Osamu Dezaki represented a phase in the history of Japanese animation in which his works reflected the social psyche of a tumultuous Japan before its meteoric rise in the 80's.

Even with a female lead, it's best that kids under the age of 12 understand first what the French Revolution was like.

If you liked this series, perhaps you may find other works of Osamu Dezaki also appealing, such as the boxing series 'Hurricane Joe' and 'Treasure Island'.

This classic anime series, inspired in the comic books by Ryoko Ikeda, follows the story of Oscar François de Jarjayes, a girl raised as a man to become her father's successor as leader of the Palace Guards. The entire plot takes place in France, in the years before and during the French Revolution. The series combines historical characters with other that are merely fictional; however, the development of the story manages to be both convincing and realistic. All the characters are wonderfully portrayed: Their psychology and feelings are heavily explored during the series. Also, the character designs, despite being somewhat dated, are still stylish and beautiful to look at. The music is great too, and fits very well with the tone of the series.

"The Rose of Versailles" is one of the best animated series ever made, and it is still one of my favorites, I wish there were more anime like this.

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.

Rose of Versailles is a great anime to show young people to spark an interest in European history. For the most part, the events depicted are pretty accurate, and the portrait of the doomed young Queen is pretty much spot on. A lot is made of the lead character, Oscar, being "fictional," but it should be pointed out that her place in the drama of the French Revolution is not fictional -- the role she plays is the role of Lafayette. Lafayette did, of course, fight in the American Revolution, he was appointed to commander of the Garde Nationale when things turned bad, and he was protector of the Queen, and he did try to stop the violence and ultimately switched sides in the Revolution. He was also a glamorous figure who always appeared in uniform and was quite popular with the ladies at court. It works amazingly well to have a woman as Lafayette. A lot of interesting discussion can be generated by weighing the results of re-imagining him as a woman.

François Augustin Regnier de Jarjayes would have never imagined that he would be famous over 200 years later in far away country of Japan which he may have never heard of in his life. Oscar Francois de Jarjayes is the sixth daughter of Francois Augustine. He desired to have a son after having five daughters but fate has it that his sixth child was also a daughter. In his desire to have an aire, he raises his child as a man. As the result Oscar becomes a brigadier general in the royal guard. Yet, she is a woman (and rather good looking one at that ) which attracted the hearts of millions of Japanese teenage girls which made this comic a sensation in the '70s Japan. Rose of Versailles became a sensational hit as a comic, and an anime series. Now a classic, it still enjoys popularity to some degree in 21st century Japan. Few Japanese girls comic enjoys a classic status but this one is one of them.