The Rose of Versailles (TV series) · Flickorian

The Rose of Versailles

TV series
1979–1980
1 season
Nippon TV
Animation
Drama

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8.3 TMDB worldwide · 198 ratings

Raised from birth as a man, the Lady Oscar commands the palace guards at Versailles in the years before the French Revolution. Her beauty and noble spirit make her a shining figure in the eyes of both men and women but she is torn between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country and her own heart and desires. She lives as a noble amidst the opulence of Versailles but her keen senses and compassion are not blinded to the poverty of the French people.

About the show

The Rose of Versailles, also known as Lady Oscar and La Rose de Versailles, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in Shueisha's shōjo manga magazine Margaret from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the series was published in the magazine from 2013 to 2018. The series is a historical drama set in 18th century France before and during the French Revolution. Using a combination of historical personages and original characters, The Rose of Versailles focuses primarily on the lives of two women: the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, and Oscar François de Jarjayes, who serves as commander of the Royal Guard.

The creation of The Rose of Versailles as a story about revolution and populist uprising arose from Ikeda's involvement in the Democratic Youth League of Japan – the youth wing of the Japanese Communist Party – and from an interest in the French Revolution she developed after reading Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette in high school. The series was developed during a significant transitional period for shōjo manga as a medium, characterized by the emergence of stories with complex narratives focused on politics and sexuality. The Rose of Versailles was a significant critical and commercial success, and by 2022 had sold over 23 million copies worldwide. The series contributed significantly to the development of shōjo manga, and was one of the primary works responsible for its shift from a genre aimed at children to a genre aimed at adolescents and young adults.

The Rose of Versailles spawned a media franchise, having been adapted into an anime television series produced by TMS Entertainment and broadcast on Nippon Television during the 1979–80 season, a 1979 live-action film directed by Jacques Demy, a series of musicals staged by the Takarazuka Revue, and a 2025 anime film produced by MAPPA. Several sequels and spin-offs have also been produced, notably Eikou no Napoleon – Eroica. The manga series was licensed for an English language release in North America by Udon Entertainment, while the anime adaptation is currently licensed in North America by Discotek Media.

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