ベルサイユのばら [Berusaiyu no Bara / The Rose of Versailles / La Rose de Versailles]

Set in the final years of the French Revolution, Riyoko Ikeda’s The Rose of Versailles (1972–1974) is a landmark shōjo manga from Shueisha that redefined the genre with its lush, tragic romanticism and politically charged drama. The story follows the fictional Lady Oscar, a woman raised as a man to lead the Royal Guard, as she navigates her duty to Marie Antoinette and her own forbidden desires amid the crumbling Ancien Régime. Ikeda’s sweeping, operatic tale of class, gender, and revolution remains a cornerstone of manga history, beloved for its emotional depth and its influence on both Japanese comics and global pop culture.