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Will YOU like BeruBara?
Answer true or false to the following:
* Gender roles and gender confusion, if not overplayed, are fascinating issues to explore.
* I enjoy historical dramas with varying levels of accuracy.
* I like stories that deal with power struggles or struggles to overcome issues related to social status
* I like characters that have a very profound sense of integrity and duty and stories that center around their struggles
* If the show takes itself seriously, I will try to take it seriously as well (with varying levels of success)
* I like stories that have to do with issues of duty versus emotion.
* I can deal with serious drama that will definitely NOT leave me with a warm squishy feeling at the conclusion.
* In context, some melodrama is okay (especially if it's shoujo)
If you said "true" to at least three of those, you will definitely like BeruBara. If you said "true" to all of them you might become as obsessed as I am about BeruBara.
In the very first episode, Oscar and André beat the living crap out of each other. You think I'm kidding? I'm not kidding! |
BeruBara is the mother of all shoujo. When you watch it you will be like "hey, I saw that on *such and such* anime once." Well guess what? BeruBara probably started it. While I don't expect anyone who ends up seeing this to become nearly as obsessed with it as I am, I really do believe that almost anyone would enjoy it.
Because of the fact that it's labeled shoujo and that the photos you see of the show are all very frilly and froufrou, people think that the whole thing will just be basically "Miaka~!! Tamahome!!" except in pre-Revolutionary France. That is completely wrong. (It's"Antoinette-sama~!! Fersen~!!" Hahah j/k) It is definitely a romantic show, no doubt, and the first half of the show is especially sparkly, but you have to keep two things in mind while in the "sparkly" arc.
One, this show was made in the 70s. Animation was not nearly as advanced as it is now, and certain things had to be done visually to make the art seem fantasy-like. Before the director changed in episode 19, the method of choice was using lots of eye-glints and "sparklies" especially for Antoinette and Fersen. You might find this annoying, but almost everyone just finds this amusing and an aspect of the show that is dated. There are plenty of other plot elements and characters that balance out the "sparklies" at the beginning. Believe me when I say by the time the show hits its stride, and it starts to get very serious, you will miss the "sparklies".
Two, whether or not you realize it, characters are being crucially developed in those demi-romantic moments. To skip them completely and move on the more serious stuff later on would do you a great disservice.
Unlike most modern shoujo, there next to no comedy in BeruBara. There are definitely funny moments (intentional or not), but it takes itself very seriously, and for the most part any viewer does the same. (There are, however, some moments where you just have to laugh =P Namely at funky fansubtitles or at my poor André, haha!)
The first couple of subplots in BeruBara seem kind of boring as they center around the petty world of the aristocracy in Versailles as they scramble to garner as much as power and influence as they can through whatever cowardly means necessary. But you should watch these episodes, as the character development for Marie Antoinette--as she is manipulated and decieved-- and for Oscar--as her character is formed and established as the lone bastion of integrity in the entire noble class--is CRUCIAL.
Once the story moves beyond Versailles and shows the struggle of the Third Estate in all of France, the fact that you have seen the stupidity and greed of the nobles only makes the years leading up to the Revolution all the more important and profound to you as the viewer. As the series unfolds, you already have an idea as to what is going to happen to the historical characters, so the interest shifts to the fictional characters as they develop and flourish. Oscar's transformation from ignorant but dutiful servant of the Queen to a conscious member of the State who recognizes the unjust treatment of the people (and she's a noble!!) is absolutely incredible to watch unfold. And of course, André's shift from carefree stable boy to a deeply moral yet pained man is absolutely heartwrenching.
Oscar and André when they are about 26 years old, doing target practice. |
Berusaiyu no Bara, the anime, is not so much a series about 'love' as it is about 'devotion' in its many forms. There are forms of devotion in terms of duty, honor, and pride; devotion in terms of love and affection; devotion in terms of being moved by a higher cause.
In terms of cheeziness, yes, it can be cheezy, but not nearly as much as I think people expect. For instance, Fushigi Yuugi is an absolute cheezfest, and if you didn't vomit all over yourself, believe me when I say BeruBara will be a breath of fresh air for you. Things are dramatic, but I think given the era in which the story is supposed to take place, it feels really appropriate.
It is historical drama, and yes, it's anime. So I'm not saying BeruBara is the most miraculous thing ever. But I AM saying it's one of the best animes out there, hands down. It very justly deserves its title as a classic and the status that it has earned in Japanese pop culture. But is it the Sistene Chapel? No. So as obsessed as I am, my priorities aren't THAT screwed up. Not everyone I've shown BeruBara was in love with it, but everyone I've shown it to (yes, EVERYONE) has liked it and enjoyed it. And it is my sincere hope that you will enjoy it as well!
Versailles no Bara and all associated intellectual property are © Riyoko Ikeda.
Everything on this website was legally procured by the site author, CCS, for the sake of sharing the fandom on the internet. Please do not take anything here as it was a lot of work and money to gather.
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