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Does Hourou Musuko spoil the Rose of Verailles

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Member

7:15 pm, Jan 10 2011
Posts: 307


I read a summary that said that the school puts on a production of the Rose of Versailles, and I want to know if it spoils the story at all. I've never watched/read the Rose of Versailles (even though I plan to) so going into it knowing big plot points would really suck.

Also, does this part of the story go on for a long time?

Post #440012 - Reply to (#438848) by spikebaby
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11:39 pm, Jan 14 2011
Posts: 2


[never mind] see below

Last edited by BillPutnam at 8:44 pm, Jan 24 2011

Post #440273 - Reply to (#440012) by BillPutnam
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6:24 pm, Jan 15 2011
Posts: 307


Quote from BillPutnam
Quote from spikebaby
I read a summary that said that the school puts on a production of the Rose of Versailles, and I want to know if it spoils the story at all. I've never watched/read the Rose of Versailles (even though I plan to) so going into it knowing big plot points would really suck.

Also, does this part of the story go on for a long time?

No spoilers of the Rose of Versailles follow.
It is hard to go into Rose of Versailles without some idea of how the plot will develop. After all, it is in the time just before the French Revolution and Oscar (you will find out why the female protagonist is named Oscar in the first part) is an aristocrat. It is one of those historical novels where they invent a likable character (think Johnny Tremaine) and insert them in the middle of a revolution (American for Johnny T, French for Oscar, Meiji Restoration for Kenshin). It has many historical characters, many of whom are portrayed more favorably than I recall from the history I read. I suggest you browse through the Wiki for Marie Antoinette (rather than Rose of Versailles which is a compendium of spoilers). It will give you the historical background so when they feed you references to external events in the novel you will understand.
I liked it because I actually found myself admiring Marie Antoinette and cringing over the feckless King Louis 16th. Both had extremely powerful forebears (Empress Maria Theresa of Austria) for MA and Louis 14 (the Sun King - L'etat c'est moi) for her husband, but Marie grew into the role and became a genuine queen.
Read or watch Rose V for the characters. You already know from history that part of it must end badly. It is a delightful romp through the 18th century.
Here is a bit of trivia from Wikipedia: [The mangaka] had read Stefan Zweig's biography of Marie Antoinette in high school, and the first chapters focus on the queen, casting her as a shoujo heroine, and du Barry as a rival. Oscar was created as a supporting character. Oscar eclipsed Marie Antoinette in popularity and due to reader feedback became the main character.

Thanks for this, I went ahead and read Hourou Musuko because know one replied fast enough but it's true it doesn't spoil the story so that's good. Will watch/read Rose of Versailles soon...

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8:47 pm, Jan 24 2011
Posts: 2


1/24/2011 update. So I also read the first volume of the Manga. It is much easier to understand than the anime which jumps in a year later and then introduces the story via flashbacks. Regarding the Rose of Versailles, I agree with you that there are absolutely no spoilers in the manga (other than the aforementioned bit that life during a revolution is not good for the health of the protagonists). Rather, you will not appreciate the humor of the casting of the characters unless you are at least partly familiar with the Rose of V.
There is another reference in the manga to a Takarazuka_Revue which is sort of what the class performed, except they are all female. You should look at the article in en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Takarazuka_Revue

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