Versailles no Bara - Classic Shoujo At It's Best

"Bara wa bara wa..." Dang, the OP is catchy!

I spent the weekend marathoning Versailles no Bara (The Rose of Versailles), the classic shoujo anime from 1979. It tells the story of Oscar, a woman raised as a man who becomes the captain of the French Royal Guards during the rule of Louis XVI. Oscar is a fictional character, but the anime depicts many of the real events that lead to the French Revolution. While the animation is ancient, and the story tends to dip into melodrama, it's so compelling that you just can't stop watching.

It's a shame that the series was never translated into English. I can somewhat understand why Versailles no Bara wasn't brought over when it was new; there's drinking, blood, suicide, infidelity and references to prostitution. Not the kind of stuff that the PTA would like. Now that it's old, no North American anime distributors would touch the series. This is a great loss for fandom, since it's one of the great classics of anime.

In short, Versailles no Bara is an excellent series that everyone should see. Don't miss out on a classic.

'Oscar... OSCAR!!!" Melodrama banzai!