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One of the most revolutionary pieces of the shoujo genre,The Rose of Versailles, recently got a new manga film that is premiering today in Japan. The story ofThe Rose of Versaillesis one of the most significant projects because it helped the underrated shoujo genre in a major way and escalated its popularity to a completely different level.
The creator ofThe Rose of Versailles,Riyoko Ikeda, first released the manga in 1972 in Shueisha’s biweekly shojo magazine, Margaret. It was a difficult time for female manga creators considering the gender discrimination at the time. Ikeda herself went through a lot of struggle while creating the manga, and she recently shared the details about it.
According to the manga creator, she was not only paid half as much as her male colleagues but she was requested as well to conclude the series far earlier than she had planned. This was proof that the shoujo genre needed to evolve in a major way, andThe Rose of Versaillespaved the way for it.
The struggles of Riyoko Ikeda while working onThe Rose of Versailles
During a recent interview withOricon, Ikeda shared her experience while working onThe Rose of Versaillesand the problems she had to face as a female manga creator. While talking about her work, Ikeda revealed that she had to protest against the norm of women getting half the salaries of male manga creators while working the same job.
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Ikeda stated:
When I was working on The Rose of Versailles, women couldn’t advance in their careers, and I was paid half the salary of my male peers. I once protested, asking, ‘Why am I paid half when we’re in the same magazine and have similar popularity?’ The response shocked me. ‘Men need to support their wives, and women are supported by their husbands. That’s why men earn more.’ People were stunned that I dared to question the system.
Ikeda revealed that it was a difficult time becausethe male manga creators were considered superiordespite the fact that they worked for the same magazine and had similar popularity.
The manga creator pointed out that a woman mangaka couldn’t hope for a promotion no matter how popular her work gets. It was truly a sad time for female manga creators and while it is slowly getting better, it still is not as good as the male manga creators.
Riyoko Ikeda was forced to endThe Rose of Versaillesearly
Further explaining about the struggles of female writers,Riyoko Ikedaalso confessed to the fact that she was asked to endThe Rose of Versaillesmanga way earlier than she expected. She was given a strict deadline that she had to follow no matter what. It is assumed that this strict deadline was also introduced because of her status as a female writer.
When I serialized the manga, I was told it had to end 10 weeks after Oscar’s death. Unlike today, where popular works can continue indefinitely, there were strict deadlines. I wanted to write more, but I’m glad the story can now be introduced to modern audiences.
Ikeda’s struggle are a reflection of what female manga creators had to go through at the time in order to follow their passion of making mangas. And while the shoujo genre is getting the reception it deserves, it still doesn’t help the female creators.
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The Rose of Versaillesis one of the pillars ofthe Shoujo genre. The series and its multiple variations have helped in the rapid growth of the shoujo community and hopefully, the new movie will add more to it.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2959
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
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Riyoko Ikeda
