Oscar, having fully embraced the revolutionary cause, leads her troops in the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. During the battle, she is fatally shot while raising the revolutionary flag. She dies in her loyal aide André’s arms — but André has already been blinded and dies of his own wounds immediately after. They die together on the battlefield. Her final words are about the dawn of a new era. Fersen survives, Marie Antoinette is later executed.
Unlike many modern romances, the love story in is not instantaneous. It is built on years of camaraderie, unrequited pining, and shared ideals. André, who loves Oscar from childhood but is separated from her by class boundaries and her "masculine" military role, represents the grounding force in Oscar's life. The anime handles their relationship with a mature tenderness that is rare in the medium. The episodes depicting Oscar’s realization of her love for André are often cited as some of the most beautifully animated and emotionally resonant sequences in 70s anime history.
: Oscar is assigned to protect Marie Antoinette as she arrives at the French court. Over time, Oscar becomes torn between her loyalty to the monarchy and her growing awareness of the suffering of the poor. Characters Oscar François de Jarjayes Lady Oscar 1979
Following the death of André (who literally runs out of life after sacrificing his vision and health for Oscar), Oscar leads the attack on the Bastille. In a brutal, rain-soaked sequence, she takes a musket ball to the chest. She dies standing up, sword in hand, in the shadow of the prison she helped liberate. She dies the same day as the monarchy she once swore to protect.
– The Takarazuka Revue adapted The Rose of Versailles in 1974 (before the anime), but after 1979, Oscar roles became a coveted “male role” for their top stars. Oscar, having fully embraced the revolutionary cause, leads
The story of centers on Oscar François de Jarjayes, a woman raised as a man by her father, a high-ranking military officer, to become the leader of the Royal Guards. The anime adaptation, produced by Tokyo Movie Shinsha (TMS) and directed by various luminaries including Osamu Dezaki and Masahiro Umehara, brought Ikeda’s vision to the screen with a fidelity that stunned audiences. The series aired from October 1979 to September 1980, totaling 40 episodes, and it remains the definitive visual representation of the manga for international audiences.
To understand the weight of the anime, one must look at the context. The late 1970s was an experimental period for shōjo (girls') anime. While adaptations of Attack No. 1 and Candy Candy were popular, they largely dealt with sports or melodrama. They die together on the battlefield
– Common post-1979 topics:
: A complex figure navigating gender fluidity and societal expectations. André Grandier
At the heart of the phenomenon is the protagonist. Unlike modern "strong female characters" who simply adopt masculine mannerisms, Oscar is a study in painful duality. Raised from birth by her father, a general of the Royal Guard, to be the son he never had, she is a master of the sword, etiquette, and horseback riding.
For international audiences in the 1980s and 1990s (particularly in Italy, France, and Germany, where it aired under titles like Lady Oscar ), this anime served as a crash course in French history. Many fans have admitted that they learned more about the Storming of the Bastille from this cartoon than from their textbooks.