A release that has been literally years and years in the making, the first limited edition release of Rose of Versailles is now set for May 7th, 2013. The set, priced at $49.99, will bring the first twenty episodes of the series in its original Japanese language format with English subtitles. Special features are yet to be determined. The set will come with four DVDs inside to spread out the episodes.
Plot concept: General Jarjayes – so desperate for a son to preserve the family name and noble standing – names his newborn daughter “Oscar” and chooses to raise her as a boy.
Fourteen years later, Oscar is a masterful duelist, marksman, and the newly appointed Commander of the French Royal Guards. Her first task: to protect Marie Antoinette, who is engaged to the French prince and future king, Louis-Auguste.
But even though the planned marriage should provide both countries with some much needed peace and prosperity, the French court is a dangerous place – and Marie’s youthful naïveté makes her an easy target for those who wish to see the monarchy overthrown. Oscar soon finds herself both defending Marie’s reputation from those that seek to discredit her and protecting her life from those that wish to kill her.
THE ROSE OF VERSAILLES, Part 1 L.E.
Format: DVD
Street Date: 5/7/2013
Runtime: 480 minutes
Genre: Drama, Historical
Suggested Rating: 13+
Audio: Japanese (Mono)
Subtitles: English subtitles and English on-screen translations
Video: 4:3, Color
SRP: $49.99
Discs/Set: 4
Set during the years preceding the French Revolution, The Rose of Versailles is a tale of romance and political intrigue that centers around Oscar François de Jarjayes, a young woman whose father has raised her as a man – and trained her to be an elite and skilled soldier – so she can succeed him as the commander of the palace guards.
The Rose of Versailles is based upon the best-selling manga (comic) by Riyoko Ikeda (Dear Brother, a.k.a. Oniisama e…), which was originally serialized in Shueisha’s shoujo (girls’) anthology magazine Margaret, from 1972 through 1973, and later collected into 10 volumes. In addition to its anime adaptation, it inspired a short story collection (also written by Ikeda), a French-Japanese live-action film, and multiple musicals staged by Japan’s famed Takarazuka Revue.
This 40-episode anime adaptation of The Rose of Versailles originally aired on Japanese television from October 1979 through September 1980. It features animation by TMS ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD., as well as direction by Tadao Nagahama (Romance Robot Trilogy) and Osamu Dezaki (Nobody’s Boy – Remi, Dear Brother, Aim for the Ace!). Right Stuf, Inc. acquired The Rose of Versailles anime series from TMS ENTERTAINMENT CO., LTD.
