The Rose of Versailles (1979–1980) User Reviews

French beauty

[IkuharaKunihiko · 8/10 · 7 July 2006]

In France in 1755 a daughter was born to the famous royal guard family Jarjayes, named Oscar Francois de Jarjayes. Since her father desperately wanted a boy to continue his work as a royal guard to the queen, Oscar was raised as a boy and learned how to fight and fence. Oscar and her friend Andre were soon assigned to Versailles to protect Marie Antoinette. There they discovered a lot of affairs from madam du Barry, Jeanne de Motte and others. But Andre fell in love with Oscar and in 1789 the French revolution started, forcing them to choose if they want to be loyal to the queen or to the people...

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"Lady Oscar" is a real treat for all nostalgic anime fans and history lovers. Namely, despite the fact that Oscar is a fictional character, almost 90 % of it's story is actually ( loosely ) accurate. For example, I thought that the whole double crossing affair by Jeanne de Valois de la Motte, who dressed a prostitute as Marie Antoinette to trick cardinal Rohan into thinking that the queen likes him and bought an expensive necklace ( worth 200 million $ by todays standards ) on Antoinette's account, and who was later led to a court where she said that Antoinette was a lesbian, was just a gross exaggeration by the anime makers. But I was surprised to find out that not only did Jeanne really exist, but that this actually did happen!

Still, the real hero(ine) is Oscar, a fascinating woman always dressed as a man, and her tragic romance with Andre, which creates subtle gay themes. The director Osamu Dezaki directs this anime on the limit of fantasy, not caring so much about the structure or the sometimes dry events, as much as creating opulent, excellent characters. Oscar is the highlight of course, a woman trying to find her place in the world and history, choosing if she should be loyal to the rich queen or to the poor people.

Grade: 8/10

Fictional character in the midst of true historic events

[sadya77 · 8/10 · 11 July 2006]

I first discovered this animation when I was 21 years old and even though I was an adult, I became hooked.

I was living in France at the time and I couldn't speak the language. When I watched television it was hard too, everything in French, even the English speaking movies would be dubbed French... So when we got a disk, I started to look for foreign channels, there were many German Channels and BBC World. Thank God I could understand some German, so when I wanted to watch a film or a series, at least I could understand something. Since there wasn't much else to watch, I tuned in to RTL and watched whatever they aired. Lady Oscar series was somewhere in it's first episodes. I missed the first ones, but I slowly understood the story line anyway. This animation brings up pleasant memories, I used to watch it with my firstborn playing in my lap, happy to finally hear a different language on TV than just French and actually understanding what they were saying! What struck me was, that the way this animation had been made, the way they told the story, you almost forgot after a few minutes that it was an animation! The script, the scenes are often almost like in real series. I think this is perhaps also one of the reasons I got hooked on it. Plus I love history.

Most of the historical events are true as seen in Lady Oscar. Even her family excisted. We see real historical events take place through the eyes of Lady Oscar and her other fictional friends (André, Rosalie).

It's about the last King and Queen of France. We don't just follow the life of Lady Oscar, but we watch Maria Antonia of Austria become Marie Antoinette of France. I've always had a special interest in the French, Russian and British history, (rumor has it that the other tragic queen, tsarina Alexandra had a portrait of Marie Antoinette hanging in one of her rooms, eerie when you think about both their endings!) so it was nice to watch it.

The animation is a must see for children, because it wakens the interest of children for history. In this animation they tell in short why Marie Antoinette made her mistakes, why the people of France did what they did, how the situation slowly escalated and it gives an idea of life just before and after the Revolution.

There is one thing though that bothers me a little bit. The main character is brought up as a boy by her father, because he was disappointed never to have a son. In the first episode you see her sisters, but later they are never mentioned again. Also, you meet her mother in a few episodes, but in later episodes, she isn't mentioned either.

Also, in real life in those days, nobody would have accepted this kind of behavior of a female, while a father might have raised a daughter as a son in his craziness, other people would never have accepted that female to fill the roles of males, while in the animation, she leads troops of men who actually follow her for example. Women had to fight for a right to even vote for themselves, let alone to do what Lady Oscar did! So, in that sense, of course, it's not correct. But then again, it's an animation and around half of it is supposed to be fictional, besides, it's good to see a female character this strong, even in an animation.

Of course it doesn't cover everything, but it's still very good and enough for young children. My children are 9 and 7 and at their ages, they still enjoyed this animation and understood a lot, though I had to explain them a lot of the background and the motivations of the characters involved.

It's not just an animation for enjoyment of children, but they actually learn something. From what I understand it has been made in the 70's. But still it's very watchable and I was actually quite surprised it was that old! I think it's superb and even as an adult I enjoyed it and now, many years later, I've bought all the episodes on DVD and loved watching it with my children, translating and telling them a bit about the history.

Perhaps some people will laugh at me, but I feel this animation is as suitable for an adult as it is for children.

Very good historical fiction piece

[AngelofMusic1998 · 9/10 · 21 December 2023]

During the late 18th century,a young woman is born as a sixth and youngest daughter of an army general. Her father names her Oscar and raises her as a boy .Oscar later becomes a commander of the Royal Guards and confidant of Marie Antoinette. The story takes place before and during the French Revolution. Since this is a fictional story,many events are made up,while some actually happened. For the anime made in 1979 and 1980,Rose of Versailles has a nice animation. The character of Oscar is truly great,she is loyal, brave and very fierce. The finale is touching and emotional. Rose of Versailles is also very influential still,due to its influence on shoujo that came later. Overall,this is a very good and emotional shoujo .9/10.

A classic animated series

[Rectangular_businessman · 10/10 · 11 June 2010]

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.

An untold story of beauty and sacrifice in a well known tale of history

[Johnny-Dy · 10/10 · 26 June 2016]

This is for all of those (and you are many) who didn't see this epic anime, too old for your minds even to look for.

This anime is about 37 years old to the date, and still it hungers us the drama genre fans into oblivion by each episode the more.

This anime is about an extremely appealing fictional character named Oscar Francois de Jarjayes and her equal fictional friend named Andre that together are drawn into the big picture of reality, of the human history called: La Revolution Francaise de 1789-1799 from which the sparkles of democracy have transgressed throughout all of Europe, so in other words its a story within our European history, within our European heritage.

And what of a story this is!!!!!!!! My God...

Oscar is a name you would give to a boy and no coincidence her father thought of the same thing since he has the "misfortune" of having his wife given birth to a girl instead of a boy to carry his legacy and his honor as a nobleman further. The female protagonist of this story, caring not just the name of a man but also the responsibilities and the pressures only the best of men can deal with, is soon caught in one of the most turbulent and pivotal time of Frances and Europes history. It's a time just after some bloody and costly wars between France and Austria not just in lives but in this two country's peoples welfare, just ended. Austrias queen, to reassure the newly and unsteady peace between the two giant countries, gives her most beautiful daughter Marie Antoinette in marriage to the France prince Louis the XVIth (fact of history). In debut of the story, Oscar must safeguard the royal family, especially the new princess of France Marie Antoinette as she is targeted for being a foreign element that can not be trusted by the parisian nobles of Versailles. As the story unfolds Oscar is soon forced to partake not just her job of the royal guards high commander, but also to mend and caretake the ever more abrupt discrepancy between the luxuriant world of exaggerated pleasures and the major surplus of monetary spending from taxpayers money that the nobles enjoy, with the world of commoners taxpayed into the ground by the nobility, forced to work from down to dusk just to barely be able to feed their family some potatos with salt in the evening, if even that. With a relentless principledness, courage and some fencing abilities that would make even the toughest and bravest of men applaud in delight, she manages to soften terrible wounds both of this corrupt nobles vs. the growingly angered-persecuted commoners conflict, as well as in her ever troubled heart witness to some unbearable, unreal nobility cruelty.

This anime throughout its 40(or 41) episodes describes not just the massive adversity our hero(ine) Oscar has to amount, caught between a world of perversity and ignorance that the nobles obnoxiously embrace and a world of sweat, tears and anger that the commoners are trapped in; but also the tormenting questions of her forever growing personal dilemma: to lead a life of staggering manlike integrity that forces that renown icy look in her eyes (meaning she is compelled not to show any emotions in public) opposed to her own woman heart scolding her for being exactly the reverse of how a woman should feel and be!

I've finished watching this show no more than a day ago that compelled me to write this, and I still can't manage to shake this kind of choking searingly feeling in my chest from this story of dedication, perseverance and sacrifice, in this awesome, old and painfully delightful anime Versailles no Bara aka La Rose de Versailles aka Lady Oscar.

Throughout all of it, you have the feeling more and more rupturing in the end, that this world does not deserve some of the people that make almost all the sacrifices imaginable for it, and Lady Oscar is without a doubt one of the best of those!

Grade 10/10. I'm a drama junkie, but this has left even me wanting no more.

the best anime ever

[anna-12388 · 10/10 · 21 September 2016]

The rose of Versailles....lady oscar

(The rose of Versailles one of the best anime ever made for so many reasons. everything was amazing the story line (which it is half real) was perfect! the soundtrack pretty amazing!! the drawing of the characters ♥very beautiful

i hope i can see or find another show who is talking about french revolution :))))))))

The best historical romance yet!

[sandrinenzenza · 10/10 · 10 September 2017]

Not only is "Lady Oscar" the best historical romance ever shown in an anime, it also depicts the most beautiful patient and passionate love. Oscar is a woman but her father desperate to have an heir in the military, decided that she would be raised as a man. Although, she was trained as a man, she never denied her womanhood until she got her heart broken for the first time with Fersen. Fersen is a Swedish noble who has a love affair with Marie-Antoinette and considers Oscar as best friend. "The Rose of Versailles" explores the theme of the forbidden fruit with the French Revolution playing in the background. Oscar is so beautiful, sensitive and strong at the same time, that she attracts both men and women. Rosalie, a girl, she rescues in the middle of Paris, falls in love with Oscar but denies this love as Oscar isn't a man, after all. Fersen cannot love Marie-Antoinette because she's the queen of France. Andre, Oscar's faithful servant and childhood friend takes 20 years to confess his love to Oscar because is a stableman and cannot marry an aristocrat. Nevertheless, he follows her everywhere and supports her in every mission assigned by the Royals. Andre is even ready to risk his own life for her even she doesn't love him in return. At some point, Andre partially loses his eyesight and his only worry is not to be to able to see the face of the woman he truly loves. It's only at the start of the French Revolution that Oscar will realize how she loves her childhood friend Andre, who is always present for her and supports her choices. She comes to this realization when her and Andre are being attacked in Paris for riding a "noble carriage" and are saved in extremis by Fersen. Towards, the end of the anime, they finally confessed their love for each other and get married the same night. They both die shortly after, on the side of the people for a new era and get buried in the woods they love so much and where they made love for the first time. I'm a French speaker but I highly recommend to watch this anime in Japanese with subtitles as the dialogues are so poetic and the imagery is supporting the texts. I'm over 30 now and I spent this last summer watching my favorite animes and I must say that I appreciate them even better now than when I was a pre-teen. There are some emotions and nuances that I could never get back then. I really recommend this anime as it is one of the best and it's a true piece of art because of its drawings and lyrical dialogues. You have the impression to move through a painting gallery or to read a succession of poems. I hope "Lady Oscar" will continue to be shown for the next decades or even centuries!

Rose of Versailles

[lfakhroo-12 · 10/10 · 2 July 2014]

I'm from Qatar and I'm 38 years old Qatari women sense I was little girl I love this animation and still love it even know if I see the last couple episode or the last four episode I cried I don't know why but this animation or Oscar character is touched my heart and I love hear a lot for long long time I thought that Oscar was a real person and I search a lot to find any things about hear because I was hope to see if what I see it in the animation was a fact, but the thinks that I seen it in ARABIC version and I want to see it completely in English language but I gave up. For the last maybe 4 years as I remember I search for it but I found just the Japanese language with English subtitle I hope some day I will find what I search for.

French history lessons with a twist?

[iceblack · 26 September 1999]

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'.

Great Anime

[aboodfarhood · 9/10 · 3 April 2020]

The series captured some sides of the French revolution in emotional way. Rather a long series (40 episodes) yet not boring. Lovely.

Classic Japanese girl's comic

[ebiros2 · 7/10 · 15 December 2016]

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.

Whether it blooms red or white, a rose is still a rose.

[loncarkristina · 9/10 · 29 April 2022]

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.

Leftist drivel

[LordSerene · 1/10 · 18 July 2023]

Regarding the positive aspects of this show, the art style is quite nice to look at and the music goes very well with the scenes.

Regarding the reason I gave this show one star, I did so because despite the original creator, Riyoko Ikeda, supposedly spending two years researching the events surrounding the French Revolution, she still regurgitates the same leftist lies made by the radicals of the time. Contrary to popular belief, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were not dim-witted, careless spenders, but were actually very willing to reform the system to benefit the common people. Such reforms included the abolition of the state monopoly on grain, the cutting of spending at Versailles, the abolition of allowances for useless aristocrats, improvement of courts, abolition of torture, abolition of forced labor, and improved prison conditions (The Bastille wasn't that bad of a place nor did it hold political prisoners at the time of the revolution, but of course, the storming gets romanticized in this show anyway, with all its pointless deaths.) To this show's credit, The villainous portrayal of the Jacobins like Robespierre is refreshing, but it does not change the fact that the two monarchs were portrayed as being "responsible" for all the hardships that led to their deaths in the first place. It's not particularly surprising considering Ikeda was a member of the Japanese Communist Party and was clearly influenced by Marxist ideas when she was involved with making this work. However, false propaganda cannot be excused.

Accurate history while using interesting substitute character

[rwaller-688-593340 · 17 May 2013]

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.

Poetry under the disguise of a shojo anime

[TooKakkoiiforYou_321 · 9/10 · 4 January 2022]

With clear-as-day feminist undertones and especially in regards to the character of Marie Antoniette, who is portrayed as the most dignified person in the entire show even with the dated, debunked fake attribution of "eat the cakes!" at the end of the series. Yes, she spends a lot of money (mostly to the benefit of some friend) but she also fights the patriarcal impositions put on her by the Versailles court as well corruption and prostitutes/power-hungry women alike while making all the efforts to help people she cares for while feeling completely alone and without the possibility of a true love except for the one felt for an outsider, in Charulata and a Wife Confesses' fashion. She's also the only one who shows intelligence and will to not shed useless blood amongst hordes of men prone to even kill children for their own gain, even when she gathers armies to fight back the insurgent third state under the convinction there is alternative to the royal power. Excellent animation, excellent voice acting and music (the original japanese ones in both cases), amazing animated intro and outros that directly quote another anime masterpiece (Kanashimi No Belladonna, in case you're wondering) , gripping and interesting plotlines, this series has all the marks of an anime classic provided you experience it in its original japanese form, not in any localized or censored version. Highly recommended.

Lady Oscar is a brilliant example of one of the best heroines in anime

[Irishchatter · 9/10 · 28 May 2019]

I really really liked the character because you hardly get to see the likes of a masculine woman shown in anime. Also the fact she was a badass, she could kick the bad guys butts equally as a man. I was so sad she got killed and also even more sad that Marie Antoinette was beheaded just because she let the French people down.

I never knew I could like such an amazing 70s anime like The Rose of Versailles would blow me away. Seriously folks if you like your history, and sprinkle of lesbian/bi romance then you gotta watch this anime!