Riyoko Ikeda is a Japanese manga artist and singer. She is included in the Year 24 Group by some critics, journalists, and academics, although her inclusion has been debated due to a focus more on epic stories than the internal psychology of those mangaka. She was one of the most popular Japanese comic artists in the 1970s, being best known for The Rose of Versailles.
Riyoko Ikeda at 2008 Taipei International Book Exhibition
The Rose of Versailles , also known as Lady Oscar and La Rose de Versailles, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It was originally serialized in the manga magazine Margaret from 1972 to 1973, while a revival of the series was published in the magazine from 2013 to 2018. The series is a historical drama set in the years preceding and during the French Revolution. Using a combination of historical personages and original characters, The Rose of Versailles focuses primarily on the lives of two women: the Queen of France Marie Antoinette, and Oscar François de Jarjayes, who serves as commander of the Royal Guard.
Riyoko Ikeda (right) with cosplayers dressed as Marie Antoinette (left) and Oscar (center).
A barricade erected by student protestors in Tokyo, 1967
Ikeda in 2008
The uniform worn by the Royal Guard during the Napoleonic era is similar to the uniform worn by Oscar.
