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bashsbooks's review
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The Rose of Versailles, Volume 1 was not what I anticipated, but it was still quite good. I was uncertain about the choice to make a woman acting out a man's social role in a rigidly gendered society, and I still think it results in some wonky gender implications - but Oscar is such a cool character and the fact that she is incredibly overtly nonbinary is awesome, especially coming from a manga that started in the early 70s. (I'm also interested in Oscar's slow-burn arc against monarchy and how that is going to play out.) Unfortunately, I find Marie Antoinette to be mostly boring, and the love triangle with Fersen to be eyerolling (though it's super funny that he leaves a lot and is super shallow next to Antoinette and Oscar). The Court DramaTM is so over the top that is also hilarious (love that final plot twist!).
I'm not entirely used to reading manga, and I think sometimes it's unclear what order to read the text in. On that note, I think that sometimes the switch between characters/plot threads is muddy, too.
I'm not entirely used to reading manga, and I think sometimes it's unclear what order to read the text in. On that note, I think that sometimes the switch between characters/plot threads is muddy, too.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fatphobia, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, and Classism
Minor: Bullying, Pedophilia, Suicide, and Colonisation
Brief mention of fertility issues, but not outright infertility.