review provided by Katie and Andrew
Title: Rose of Versailles: Part Two
Director: Osamu Dezaki
Studio: Tokyo Movie Shinsha
Author: Riyoko Ikeda
U.S. Distributor: Nozomi Entertainment, Lucky Penny
U.S. Release Date: April 7, 2015
Format and Length: DVD / 20 Episodes, 480 Minutes
Genre: Adventure, Drama, Historical, Romance
Industry Age Rating: 13 and up
Overall Personal Rating: B+
Similar Series or Titles to Check Out: Revolutionary Girl Utena and Le Chevalier D’Eon
Synopsis:
Rose of Versailles: Part Two begins where Part One left off. Oscar is beginning to feel out of place among the nobles, but does not know what to do about it. Looking to challenge herself further, Oscar leaves Marie Antoinette’s side and enlists with the French Guards. The French Guards are common soldiers who put their lives on the line every night as they patrol the streets and keep the peace. However, Oscar soon learns that an anti-noble sentiment resides everywhere, even amongst the guards that grudgingly follow her orders. Will Oscar eventually find herself torn between her loyalty to the crown and her loyalty to France itself?
Marie Antoinette’s indulgences are beginning to take their toll on the common citizens. While the nobles live in sheer decadence, the poor children are left to starve on the streets. Counts and countesses are attending masquerade balls while normal families are forced to bury their loved ones because they are unable to afford medicine. Pleas that were once for equality are now enraged demands for radical change, but what does the nobility have to say for themselves?
Commentary:
Rose of Versailles: Part Two is a wonderful conclusion to this historical anime. At first, I was not very interested in this anime, but after a few episodes, it drew me in. Rose of Versailles is an old anime that has been re-released and might be hard to watch, but give it a chance if you are able to see past the lack of action and the tragedies that fall upon the characters. Be prepared to get emotionally attached to certain characters though.
I really loved that Rose of Versailles: Part Two focused more on Oscar’s life than on Marie Antoinette. They did an amazing job in describing the drama that had become Oscar’s life. Oscar loved Fersen, but was sure that he loved Marie Antoinette. Fersen loved Oscar but decided to stay by Marie Antoinette’s side until the end. Andre’ loved Oscar but he kept it to himself until the end of their time together. That is a lot of drama for one girl to deal with. Finally, Oscar and Andre’ are able to tell each other that they love one another however; it was too late for a happy ending. But sometimes that happens when there is a Revolution going on.
The plot picked up pace in Rose of Versailles: Part Two. It still seemed like each book of manga equaled one episode of Rose of Versailles, however I got very caught up in the battle scenes and that seemed to make episodes fly by. Be careful though, you can easily marathon the entire series in a matter of a few days, which I did because it is just that good. Each disk has five episodes and they go by pretty quickly. The opening and closing music fits the mood of the anime very well. It is slightly bittersweet and the background music depicted the music of the 17th Century, although there were a few instances of “dramatic” piano playing, but that is par for the course for an anime of this age. The opening and closing music is catchy and I found myself singing along by the third disk; thankfully there are subtitles with the lyrics too. The animation does look dated but then again you have to remember the age of this anime. Some of the scenes will take your breath away and others will just make you laugh. The backgrounds are very detailed and look beautiful. Be careful of the sparkles though, they may blind you.
While Rose of Versailles: Part Two is not completely fact, if you enjoy history or love historical fiction then this anime is for you. This anime is a classic and deserves a special place in the history of anime in general.
Extras:
Rose of Versailles: Part Two has clean opening and closing animation and Nozomi trailers as special features. Each disk has two trailers and the fourth disk has an interview with the director, Osamu Dezaki.
Overall Grade: B+
Rose of Versailles: Part Two is a wonderful conclusion to the Rose of Versailles story. Despite its age, it is very enjoyable. If you are a fan of older animes or you are open minded with different genres of anime then you should enjoy Rose of Versailles: Part One and Part Two. As a complete series that I watched once again back-to-back without interruptions, I would give the entire series an overall grade of an A-. It is definitely worth a watch. I can recommend either Revolutionary Girl Utena or Le Chevalier D’Eon. Revolutionary Girl Utena also features a young woman blurring the gender lines with sword fights and Le Chevalier D’Eon revolves around the French Revolution. I also suggest watching Rose of Versailles: Part One, but that goes without saying.
