# The Rose of Versailles (1979)

> A woman raised as a man commands the royal guards at Versailles while torn between noble duty and her own heart before the French Revolution.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/30073

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 40
- Episode runtime: 24 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: animation, drama
- Network: Nippon TV
- Cast: Reiko Tajima, Miyuki Ueda, Tarō Shigaki, Nachi Nozawa, Rihoko Yoshida, Yoneko Matsukane, Yoshito Yasuhara, Keaton Yamada
- TMDB rating: 8.3/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078570/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melodramatic, sincere, wistful, opulent, bittersweet

## What critics say

Acclaimed as a landmark of Japanese animation, admired for its sweeping melodrama, strong female lead and vivid portrayal of Versailles on the eve of the Revolution.

## Synopsis

The Rose of Versailles (1979-1980) is a Japanese animated historical drama series created for Nippon TV, produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha and adapted from the celebrated shoujo manga. Its protagonist, Oscar François de Jarjeyes, is raised as a man and commands the palace guards at Versailles, a role she keeps even as her heart pulls her elsewhere. Reiko Tajima voices Oscar, with Miyuki Ueda as Marie Antoinette, Tarō Shigaki as the commoner André Grandier, and Nachi Nozawa as Hans Axel von Fersen forming the principal cast around her. The engine of the series is Oscar's struggle between her chosen life of service and duty to class and country and her own desires, while each episode moves through court gossip, romantic entanglements, military postings and the growing hardship of ordinary Parisians. Across one season of forty episodes, the story builds steadily toward the French Revolution, so the lush palace intrigue and gilded gowns are always shadowed by rising hunger and anger in the streets. Fans of Princess Knight and Fushigi Yugi will find resonance in its heroic heroine and melodramatic romance, while viewers drawn to period dramas such as Mary Queen of Scots will appreciate its sweeping historical scope. The mood is melodramatic, sincere and wistful, with a bittersweet emotional pull that rewards patient, character-driven viewing.

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