The Rose of Versailles is a classic shoujo series that tells the story of the events leading up to, and including, the French Revolution. The story revolves around Oscar Francois, officer in the Royal French Guards (who happens to be a woman raised as a man in order to continue her family's illustrious military tradition), and the woman she is charged to protect - Princess(Queen) Marie Antoinette. Starting from their idyllic youth as the Princess first learns what love is (albeit not in the form of her husband but of the dashing Swedish prince, von Fersen) and Oscar first learns what it means to command an army unit to the tumultuous events leading up to the French Revolution, Rose of Versailles covers many years and many events, many based on history.

I will heartily admit that the Rose of Versailles, along with Escaflowne and Kino no Tabi, is one of my most favored series of all time. It's got it all: an exciting cast of characters, intrigue, lots of sword fights, love triangles (or worse!) and the unique period setting all blend together into a very attractive package. It's not something you could rewatch frequently, as it is a long series, and rather emotionally draining if you get caught up in each character's triumphs and trevails, but it's a great show to revisit every so often, like an old friend. For me, it never gets old in the retelling, because the story and the characters are so layered.