A review by akookieforyou
The Rose of Versailles Volume 1 by Riyoko Ikeda
5.0
I'm only a quarter of the way through the story, and I'm already in love. I haven't been this utterly captivated by a story in awhile, it's on my mind even when I'm not reading it, and I'm actually excited to watch the anime adaptation after I finish it (something else that I haven't cared about in awhile).
So let me be perfectly transparent in my thoughts and expectations going in to this. Even though this story is regarded as one of the best shoujo manga, and not just in the shoujo demographic, but of all time. It inspired the insanely popular and beloved seinan manga, Berserk. And to top all of that off, the mangaka, Ryoko Ikeda, was a member of the Year 24 group, i.e. the group of women that set the stage for what shoujo is today. However, even with all of those accolades, the story just didn't sound all that interesting to me, and I only decided to pick it up because I'm trying to learn more about the history of shoujo, and the most influential and iconic series. Now I feel insanely foolish.
The story is so rich, every character (good and evil) are so interesting, and the art is just stunning. Even though I know this series will make me cry given the real life events it's based off, I'm ready to dive in head first.
As an aside, can we just talk about how insanely gorgeous the omnibus editions are?? Those covers alone have me in love! But that's literally only the tip of the iceberg, the beautiful fully colored prints and luxurious paper quality are amazing. I really need to get my own copy now lmao
So let me be perfectly transparent in my thoughts and expectations going in to this. Even though this story is regarded as one of the best shoujo manga, and not just in the shoujo demographic, but of all time. It inspired the insanely popular and beloved seinan manga, Berserk. And to top all of that off, the mangaka, Ryoko Ikeda, was a member of the Year 24 group, i.e. the group of women that set the stage for what shoujo is today. However, even with all of those accolades, the story just didn't sound all that interesting to me, and I only decided to pick it up because I'm trying to learn more about the history of shoujo, and the most influential and iconic series. Now I feel insanely foolish.
The story is so rich, every character (good and evil) are so interesting, and the art is just stunning. Even though I know this series will make me cry given the real life events it's based off, I'm ready to dive in head first.
As an aside, can we just talk about how insanely gorgeous the omnibus editions are?? Those covers alone have me in love! But that's literally only the tip of the iceberg, the beautiful fully colored prints and luxurious paper quality are amazing. I really need to get my own copy now lmao