Riyoko Ikeda (池田理代子) is a Japanese manga author and soprano singer. As one of the 24-gumi, she has written and illustrated many shōjo manga, many of which are based on European historical events, such as the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution.
Her most famous manga is Versailles no bara (ベルサイユのばら, The rose of Versailles). Other famous works include Oniisama e... (おにいさまへ…, Dear Brother) and Orpheus no mado (オルフェウスの窓, The Window of Orpheus) that won an Excellence award at Japan Cartoonists Association Award in 1980.
I literally cried so much in this manga, Oscar and André deserve the world and need to be together. Lady Oscar is my favorite woman she's strong and beautiful.
hmm... manga yang satu ini sukses membuat saya hafal habis-habisan sejarah perancis dan sejak itu juga saya suka sejarah, sampai kemudian berani menulis dengan latar belakang sejarah tertentu ^^
hebat bagaimana ikeda bisa menggabungkan fiksi dan sejarah dengan begitu baik sampai-sampai begitu banyak orang percaya akan kehadiran Oscar Francois, Andre dll
Pour tous les fans de Shoujo, mais aussi de récits historiques, parsemés d'éléments fictifs, la Rose de Versailles est un classique pour les mangas, mais aussi pratique pour les cours d'histoire. En effet, cette série raconte l'histoire de trois perosnnages historiques (deux réels, un fictif) à l'époque de la Révolution française. Ces personnages sont Hans Axel de Fersen, Marie-Antoinette et Oscar Francois de Jarjayes. À travers leur histoire, nous découvrons comment une monarchie a été marquée et influencée par leurs passions, leurs états de pensée et leurs dévouements.
Artistiquement, Riyoko Ikeda a un très bon coup de crayon. Si les premières pages démontrent des dessins plutot frais et caricaturaux, proche de l'humnour d'Osamu Tezuka, auteur influent, le trait de Riyoko Ikeda mûrit au fil de l'histoire alors que les incidents deviennent dramatiques, même tragiques.
Pour les classes d'histoire et de philosophie, la série est aussi très éducative car l'auteur parvient très bien à démontrer les déboires et les philosophies de cette époque, mais aussi la vie de plusieurs personnages historiques comme la Comtesse du Barry, Jeanne de la Motte, Robespierre, Madame de Polignac, Saint-Just, etc. Elle décrit même aussi l'affaire du collier avec une très bonne synthèse, ainsi que les histoires de Marie-Antoinette avec son amant et avec le reste de la cour de Versailles.
Compilé en quatre volumes (2: la série complète, le troisième et quatrième des histoires annexes), cette série est un récit qui démontre très bien aussi l'état d'esprit contestataire dans les années 70 au Japon, très liés avec les incidents et remises en question à l'aube de la Révolution française.
This book right there, is one of the turning points of my childhood and teenagehood. I will never get tired of reading about Oscar, André, Rosalie, Marie-Antoinette and Fersen. It made me feel all the things I felt at 13 and though I remembered it quite well enough, I was amazed to rediscover what I had forgotten. This is one of the books who got me really hooked on french history and the Revolution. The queerness in this story guided me in ways I only begun to understand years later. I just love this story and I always will.
As I continue to discover monuments from the manga culture, I wanted to read the story of a famous character of my childhood. It was difficult at first to familiarise myself again with codes of the shojo style but I was impressed and even moved by the way the author gets us attached to characters and how she make us feel their emotions. And as a french person, it was fascinating to read my country's History through a different eye. I liked this way more that I thought I would :)
Riyoko Ikeda es brillante. Amo cómo cuenta la historia real de la revolución francesa a través de personajes ficticios. Me impresiona como en una sola historia introduce los conflictos de género de Oscar, la lucha de clases y cómo Oscar va evolucionando y se da cuenta del privilegio en el que vive. Se ha vuelto uno de mis mangas favoritos.
3.5 I actually liked the old drawing style but the construction of the scenario is a bit unclear. I was often lost because from one page to another, days/months passed without warning so it made the comprehension a little hard sometimes. But I’m glad to discover one of the OG classic manga.
I've read it ten times already, but it had been a while. Maybe I shouldn't have craved, because now that I've reread it my feelings are mixed. I could give this 5 stars for the stake of the past, or 2.
The drawings are gorgeous, of course. The plot is great, you can't help but love the characters and I'll never be objective about that.
(Rosalie must be protected at all costs. Rosalie is the love of my life.)
But. Never before had I noticed the questionable takes underlying this. It's so outdated, particularly regarding sexuality and love. I know it's the contrary of what many people will say, because of Oscar. But if you put that character aside, it's disturbing.
Plus, romance has to stop at some point. Everyone doesn't have to fall in love with everyone. Everyone doesn't have to fall in love with Oscar. (I'm thinking of Louis-Joseph. He's seven, what is your problem.) It's always so grandiloquent, although it can also be a quality if you're in the right mood.
There are also many historical inaccuracies. I understand; it's fiction. But to make fun of, say, Bernard's so-called Oedipus complex is a bit too much.
I feel like I'm nitpicking, though. This manga will always be one of my faves. But as someone's who's been obsessed with the series for years and swore there wasn't a better thing in the world, I can't help but feel slightly betrayed.
- Edit: reread on December 8th, 2024. My point still stands. I love this work immensely because it came into my hands at twelve. But André, really? He used to be the Ideal Man in my eyes, and the way he's always there for Oscar is touching. But that one scene is still SA, and it's like it didn't even cross my mind fifteen years ago.
Rosalie is still the best character. She's a treasure and I love her. She cries so many times, yet to Oscar she is a breath of fresh air, and as a Very Much sensitive person this fact makes me feel validated.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
“No matter what, a knight should never act based on feeling…no matter what…But, I am only human.” Brigadier General Oscar François de Jar Jayes
Rose of Versailles is definitely, by no argument at all, the most beautiful Shojo Manga I have ever read. I don’t mind a bit reading the excessive love story throughout all 10 volumes of this manga. This manga has powerful story and the characters are all well built, it was no surprise to know that a lot of Japanese Kids started asking their history teacher whether Oscar really exist in the history or not. Once I picked up the first volume, it was so difficult to stop till I finish all 10 of them even though this is my third read. I have seen the anime at early 90s, and then read the manga in Indonesian. The 2nd read was in Japanese, but I was lost in translation when they started talking about the history. This 3rd read is Indonesian again.
Rose of Versailles was the first manga with historical fiction as its theme, and it wasn’t Japanese history, it was French history. Just like most Manga in Japan, it was first publish in teenager magazine from 1972 till 1973, and then they republished it as a series Manga. Rose of Versailles was the first manga that become best seller in the history of Japanese Manga…And not only that, it was also published in many countries. When the anime was made, it was played all over the countries that speak French.
Ever watch Marie Antoinette movie by S Coppola?? Yes? No? No problem! This manga richly detailed with France's royal gala clothings, tall-lanky-handsome and amazingly-pretty characters, guns and fires, loyalty and betrayal, somepartofit, I think, nicely brought to live into that live action movie.
Nice to know some part of the world history this way.
pertama kenal manga ini dari kartunnya di tipi. tapi terus kartunnya ngilang baru deh berburu manganya. bagus banget cara penggabungan antara fiksi dengan sejarah perancis. pikiran SD-ku waktu itu mengatakan memang ada seseorang bernama oscar yang terlibat dalam pergolakan sejarah di prancis.
Very nice comics, with Historical background of France Revolution.. A woman that was forced to be a great man, but inside, she (Oscar) is always a real woman with her fragile heart, falling in love with a man but can't be together...
L'anime se focalisait sur la relation André/Oscar, le manga en fait une tonne sur Marie Antoinette, personnage (à mon sens) insupportable, reste le couple star qui reste quand même au centre de l'intrigue. Très bon manga quand même.
Un premier tome captivant, aux graphismes de qualités, où la fiction se mêle sans problème, aux événements historiques, Rioko Ikeda, sait nous entraîner dans son univers, nous permettant ainsi d'oublier, les quelques maladresses, et erreurs historiques.