The Rose of Versailles (Lady Oscar)

[Astro Forever]

New trivia: Rosalie actually existed, too!!! The real Rosalie was called Rosalie Lamorlière (and not "La Moriere"), and as shown in the manga (not in the anime, which ends with Oscar's death. The manga goes on for a full volume until Marie-Antoniette's execution) she was the queen's chambermaid during her confinment in the Temple prision. All the rest of her story was pure fiction.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE7DC123AF931A2575AC0A965958260

The anime doesn't end with Oscar's death. We're going a few years after the revolution, and Alain, Rosalie and I believe Bernard remember Oscar together, and Rosalie tells how she remained close to Marie-Antoinette until she died, and how Marie-Antoinette wanted her to talk about Oscar. It's not very long IIRC (I haven't watched it in over a year, but I have only 3 episodes left so I should watch it again soon! ).

I had no clue Rosalie really existed! hmy: It's good to know her real last name, too. It's not written the same in the subtitles and I hadn't heard it right in the French version.

As for the Japanese version, I do not know the French version from memory so I didn't notice many differences, except for one: I didn't know the queen's blind double was actually a prostitute. It doesn't really change the story, but it makes it more dramatic IMO, because it kind of makes her situation even more desperate.

[Ataru Moroboshi]

The anime doesn't end with Oscar's death. We're going a few years after the revolution, and Alain, Rosalie and I believe Bernard remember Oscar together, and Rosalie tells how she remained close to Marie-Antoinette until she died, and how Marie-Antoinette wanted her to talk about Oscar. It's not very long IIRC (I haven't watched it in over a year, but I have only 3 episodes left so I should watch it again soon! ).

I think I deserve an OWNED/PWNED for this.

I really never watched the anime: sincerely, I never liked it because (I've said it before) of the lack of humour, an important element in the manga.

[Astro Forever]

Any anime or movie can't be as deep as a book (or an entire book series), obviously. I understand your feeling but I still feel it's too bad you can't appreciate the series for what it is in itself. I can assure you that it's really really good! It's true that there is not that much humor in it but I found it moving and very interesting anyway.

I watched the ending again a few days ago. Oscar dies after like 5 minutes in the last episode, and the next 15-17 minutes are about what happened after. We even get to see the missed escape of the royal family.

I watched an episode or two in French since. Interestingly, Oscar's troop finds out she's a woman in the second to last episode in French, but many episodes earlier in Japanese. I find the French dubbing excellent, but I would have preffered if they had stayed truth to the original. At least it's not nearly as bad as the 1980 Astroboy!

[Ataru Moroboshi]

Any anime or movie can't be as deep as a book (or an entire book series), obviously. I understand your feeling but I still feel it's too bad you can't appreciate the series for what it is in itself. I can assure you that it's really really good! It's true that there is not that much humor in it but I found it moving and very interesting anyway.

I watched the ending again a few days ago. Oscar dies after like 5 minutes in the last episode, and the next 15-17 minutes are about what happened after. We even get to see the missed escape of the royal family.

I watched an episode or two in French since. Interestingly, Oscar's troop finds out she's a woman in the second to last episode in French, but many episodes earlier in Japanese. I find the French dubbing excellent, but I would have preffered if they had stayed truth to the original. At least it's not nearly as bad as the 1980 Astroboy!

Actually, I'm watching an anime from the same director, Osamu Dezaki: A****a no Joe (Tomorrow Joe). There's a curious thing about this one: the manga lacked humour, but the anime had it. I think I'll follow you advice and watch Lady Oscar again: maybe I was to young to appreciate the quality of the anime version.

BTW, the anime had something missing at the manga: the plot to assassinate the prince of Spain. As you'll remember, a radical Jacobin tried to assassinate prince Ferdinand, but Oscar stopped him. However, real history makes me think is would be better to have that man killed the prince: Ferdinand of Borbon and Parma, known as Fernando VII "el Deseado" (the wished one) is the most infamous king Spain ever had: a traitor, coward, maniac and unloyal man, direct responsable of almost 200 of years of dictatorships, civil wars and genocides. That time, Oscar must have stayed at home with Rosalie, André and all the gang and leave that hero who was about to save a whole country do his job alone! :d evil:

[Astro Forever]

Actually, I'm watching an anime from the same director, Osamu Dezaki: A****a no Joe (Tomorrow Joe). There's a curious thing about this one: the manga lacked humour, but the anime had it. I think I'll follow you advice and watch Lady Oscar again: maybe I was to young to appreciate the quality of the anime version.

That's curious indeed. I have to say that it's hard to picture Oscar as funny since she seems to me so serious. Is she (I can't bring myself to say "he", unlike the characters! ) funny herself in the manga or is the humor more around her? In any case, I just love the character. I've just realized she even reminds me of Astro in a way: Astro is a child, she is a woman, and so the strenght they shows (both physically and psychologically) seem in opposition to what we would expect from them (not that I consider women to be weak, being one myself but while I can easily picture a woman soldier in today's workd, it's something else when I think of more than two centuries ago). This "contradiction" gives these characters a lot of depth. And it's so great to have a strong teenager/woman as the hero for once!

I can say that I liked the series better when I saw it last year than when I saw it as a teenager, and I liked it even better in the last weeks. My only advice would be to try to put the manga aside in your mind. I know it's hard but I believe it's the only way to enjoy a movie or series after having read the book(s).

I know the director of the second part (I forgot where he took the series in charge, but another director was in charge of the first episodes) said he went with a darker atmosphere or something and I can really see it.

BTW, the anime had something missing at the manga: the plot to assassinate the prince of Spain. As you'll remember, a radical Jacobin tried to assassinate prince Ferdinand, but Oscar stopped him. However, real history makes me think is would be better to have that man killed the prince: Ferdinand of Borbon and Parma, known as Fernando VII "el Deseado" (the wished one) is the most infamous king Spain ever had: a traitor, coward, maniac and unloyal man, direct responsable of almost 200 of years of dictatorships, civil wars and genocides. That time, Oscar must have stayed at home with Rosalie, André and all the gang and leave that hero who was about to save a whole country do his job alone! :d evil:

Haha, I have to agree!