Ok, Netflix, I am paying attention. Netflix is coming with the heat via anime. First Sakamoto Days, then my toxic beloved The Summer Hikaru Dies and now The Rose of Versailles?! Shojo is always going to be an attention grabber for me and seeing vintage shojo once again the spotlight is a treat for any fan of the genre.
More than 50 years since the release of Riyoko Ikeda’s Shojo masterpiece, famed anime studio MAPPA set to work on its anime adaptation of The Rose of Versailles to a new generation. This moving tale of romance and fate unfolds during the turbulent French Revolution vividly bringing to life the world of Oscar — a beautiful woman raised as a boy by a distinguished general — and an ensemble of unforgettable characters.
“For everyone who once admired those lovely roses…That heart-pounding excitement is brought back to life…”
Netflix debuted its official English-subtitled trailer for The Rose of Versailles today, and I am hyped beyond belief. This brand-new anime film based on Riyoko Ikeda’s classic anime set at the dawn of the French Revolution makes me happy that the Shojo genre and Shojo works of the past that helped build up the genre via manga and anime are not an afterthought in today’s time.
The series has longed been a very important and critical media text on queer love, gender, and feminist themes. It weaves together a complicated narrative with lots of Shojo sparkles. Critiquing everything from marriage, the value of women’s work, political movements, and staying true to yourself despite society’s strict perspective on individuality, it is a series that has stayed relevant and timely despite its setting being around the French revolution.
Decades of live action offerings, stage plays, musicals, elaborate cosplays, and spin offs have followed. The Rose of Versailles has also gone on to not just inspire a number of series like Berserk, but also help inspire a reoccurring trope in the realms of anime and manga: lively cross dressing heroine, as well. The Shojo fan in me is looking forward to seeing this classic series in bloom all over again. Thank you to those who adore Riyoko Ikeda’ work and prove once again that Shojo deserves to always be in season.
Oscar François de Jarjayes, a beautiful woman who dresses in men’s clothing, was raised as a boy by a distinguished general. Marie Antoinette arrives from neighboring Austria as a bride to become a noble and graceful queen. André Grandier is Oscar’s servant and childhood friend. Meanwhile, Hans Axel von Fersen is a handsome and intelligent count from Sweden.
Converging in Versailles, France in the prosperous late 18th century, they embrace their destinies with grace and beauty despite being swept along by the times. In an era of restrictions, Oscar defies the societal limits of status and gender, choosing her own path and bravely leaping into the French Revolution.
■ Based on the original manga by Riyoko Ikeda
■STAFF: Director: Ai Yoshimura Screenplay: Tomoko Komparu Character Design: Mariko Oka Music Producer: Hiroyuki Sawano Music: Hiroyuki Sawano, KOHTA YAMAMOTO Animation Production: MAPPA Production: The Rose of Versailles Production Committee Distribution: TOHO NEXT, Avex Pictures
■Sponsorship: French Embassy in Japan / Institut Français
■JAPANESE VOICE CAST Miyuki Sawashiro Aya Hirano Toshiyuki Toyonaga Kazuki Kato Shunsuke Takeuchi Takuya Miyu Irino : Fukushi Sumi Shimamoto
■ ENGLISH VOICE CAST: Caitlin Glass, Megan Shipman, Karen Strassman, Ryan Colt Levy, Andy Delos Santos, Brandon McInnis, Daman Mills, Talon Warburton, Greg Whipple, Damian Haas, J Michael Tatum, Kiff VandenHeuvel, Barbara Goodson, Alejandro Saab, Jon Hall, Shelby Young
■Theme Song: “Versailles” by Ayaka
About Netflix:
Netflix is one of the world’s leading entertainment services, with over 300 million paid memberships in over 190 countries enjoying TV series, films and games across a wide variety of genres and languages. Members can play, pause and resume watching as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, and can change their plans at any time. Find Netflix Anime: ➡️:ANIME TWITTER: / netflixanime ➡️:JAPAN ANIME TWITTER: / netflixjp_anime
The Rose of Versailles starts streaming on April 30, 2025, only on Netflix.
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