Anime Review: Rose of Versailles, the

Review The Rose of Versailles

General Jarjeyes really wanted a son. He wanted one so much that he named his daughter Oscar and raised her to be a boy. When Oscar reached the age of fourteen she was assigned to be the guard of the new crown princess Marie Antoinette. It is Oscar's duty to deal with the various plots that threaten her and the royal family. This story takes place in the years leading up to the French revolution and not even Oscar can ignore the drastic economic and political conditions of the times.

The Rose of Versailles is an extremely gripping dramatic show in the Shojo vein. It is a great drama but this show takes itself very seriously. I would say that it is the strongest in the beginning but later episodes are worth watching as well. This is a semi historical show as well. There are some fictional characters and some of the characterizations are somewhat historically debatable but there is a good deal of solid history in the show as well.

The animation style of the Rose of Versailles is very old and that may put some viewers off. If you can watch a digital version of the show it isn't so bad but this isn't the kind of show you watch for the animation.

The Rose of Versailles is only available though fansubs and after 25 of not being licensed I think that is the only way you could ever see it without learning Japanese. I found this show very enjoyable and I felt it was a learning experience in more ways than one. I give The Rose of Versailles a rating of very good/ excellent.