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Debate No. 2
A few Comments
An interesting page, "Berusaiyu no Bara for
Smart People", raises a few fair points, and then a few un-necessary ones.
The most (story related) annoying point so far: "Oscar must have
loved Hans Axel von Fersen better than Andre Grandier because she was even ready
to wear a dress for him"... I thought this kind of hasty reflection
insulting and quite damaging to the integrity of the story:
In my mind, there is something a bit ridiculous about asking this question:
1. Because this is not where the focus of the story of the
story is. What are we doing? the Hit Parade of feelings Oscar
decides to show to us?
2. In my mind, and from the way it was written / drawn, and
hopefully for anybody who is really into Berusaiyu No Bara, there is absolutely
no point nor any doubt!
The argument was: Her feelings for Fersen must have been stronger,
since she decided to wear a dress for him.
Now, this just shows which point Oscar was at with showing and dealing with
her feelings at the time (discovering that, despite trying to bottle them up,
she could still fall in love), the fact that this awakened her "feminine
side", which she hadn't explored before (she was in a uniform at 14) and
therefore didn't know how to handle this (the fact that she didn't know how to
react better to the feeling of being a woman in love than by wearing the dress
in question), is just the materialization of where she was at in her inner
conflict, not the strength of her feelings, which you cannot assess.
So the argument is, in my opinion at least, quite irrelevant.
The point is not: who did she love more (can you actually "love
more"?). You can probably love differently. The point is: there
is one love she decided to let go of, and one she did not. And this has
all to do with which point in her life she had reached, too...
Besides, who is to say that, by wearing a dress, she was willing to be
somebody she was not (Oscar would have never been satisfied in the role of the
mere "Bride of Somebody"), but had more strength to acknowledge who
she was and find a love who would accept her the way she was?
The fact is, it would have been easy to fall in love with Fersen: He was an
attractive foreigner, noble, well educated and charming (more than one woman was
attracted to him, not least of all Marie-Antoinette), and she would get to see
him and be in his company most of her time in Versailles: there was
nothing wrong with having feelings for him. All in all easy and
acceptable. Acting on her feelings may have been a bit more tricky:
she already knew it could never be because of Marie-Antoinette, so she was not
running the risk of having to decide whether or not she should go with her
feelings. She knew she couldn't, there was only that far that she could go
to express her feelings and that was it. End of story. Maybe quite
painful for a young woman who awakens to her femininity, but no major risk,
here.
If you are starting to get into the argument of "who loved whom
more", then why not say that she must have loved Andre more because:
- She knew him so well, as a brother, and yet didn't just
get "used to him", but, on the strength of his feelings for her and
his dedication, started to develop a feeling of love towards him, when she
thought she couldn't love anymore.
- She didn't turn him down despite the way he forcefully
demonstrated his feelings for her. On the contrary, she was the first one
to forgive.
- She admired him and respected his views despite the fact he
was not a Noble.
She also knew that it would be more difficult to love somebody out of her
social class (unacceptable, in fact), and that she would hurt many people around
her by doing so, especially as, going blind, he would not be able to care for
her, or himself.
She knew all these obstacles (otherwise bigger than if she had had a chance
of a relationship with Fersen), and yet this time, she decided to go with her
feelings (for the first time in her life as well, she would embrace being a
woman!).
But then again, there is the "tragic" and "romantic"
sides of the story. She could not go with her first love and be happy (too
easy, the story would have been so uncomplicated and short!!!! but the
awakening to her true gender had to be dramatically noted) and she had to chose
somebody she could join in his tragic love (and death): Andre. You knew
there was a good reason he was so present in the story from the beginning!
Everybody adores the character of Andre. Essential in the story,
he is, however, this appealing only because he is secondary and the story
doesn't focus on him, and as a secondary character only: (More
about Andre in Debate Part 10)
Everybody loves Andre because he is a secondary character, although many may
not realize the fact that this is what renders him so much more appealing.
This may seem paradoxical, but he may not -being quite a "linear"
character- have the attributes of a leading character, nor contain enough
paradox to fill the story.
Everybody loves him because he is so straight-forward and loyal in his
affection: he is admirable in his patience and enduring love for Oscar
despite what she puts him through (Interestingly enough, she may seem to put him
through more pain in the Manga as she behaves more in a "spoilt"
manner, which may be more accurate according to her rank, nature and breeding).
He is the epitome of the perfect lover: always there, always patient,
despite everything... but should he be a leading character with more
"appearance", he would actually be quite boring!
The territory he allows us to explore is therefore more limited.
Granted we understand his struggles since he is not noble, and he is in love
with a woman who is his superior in all things, he is the doorway to the
universe of the "commoners" and this is he who gets Oscar involved in
this world more than anything (although Oscar is not blind and, as a more
complex character, is deeply affected by the state of things in Arras, for
instance, while Andre seem to "accept the state of things" a bit
more). But this is more or less because of what he is (his birth), rather
than who is his and how his character develops (he is one of those characters
which doesn't actually evolve this much throughout the story).
He is shown as unfortunate to be of common descent, when his heart is so
pure, and this introduces us to the injustice of Birth. Oscar says, in the
French version of the animated series at least that "she has never known a
heart more noble than his").
Neither the Manga nor the series have picked up enough of the comic potential
of the character, especially in the early years (although he may be put to use
as the comic relief needed, by his quirky remarks and comments, in many scenes).
All in all, he seems to be a goody-goody. Yarn.
Then a few elements finally come to challenge our one-dimensional vision of
the character (which may represent the deepest evolution in the character of
Andre throughout the whole story): Desperation makes him a much more
interesting character. The way he demonstrates his feelings (or hormones!
but it is good to know he has some human impulsions) to Oscar has shocked more
than one, but it is pivotal and extremely good scene.
The fact that Andre is forceful (you could call it violent, but it is not
necessarily negative, as a strong demonstration was needed for Oscar to realize
the extent of his love, and I don't personally think he would have gone any
further. He may have been pushed by love, and he is primarily good) is
useful in the development of the character and he finally steps out of the
suffering "linear" goody-goody image and turns into a more dramatic,
tragic character with no support (at least in the Manga, where there is no such
thing as a friendship with Alain), which help set the scene for the final act.
This will be about the only time his character will surprise us - at least in
the animated series.
However, in the Manga, he is seen as having much more of a darker side, which
I find quite appealing because it is quite different than the
"expected" Andre behaviour, especially when, deciding that, if he
can't have Oscar, then nobody else will, he goes to the length of disguising
himself as a noble to mix poison in their glasses, so they can die together.
This is much more dramatic, but still romantic as it is spawned from his
bigger than life love for Oscar, and this is what Andre represents: a
(frustrated) romantic, idealistic love. And, as a demonstration of Andre
as the epitome of the tragic character, Ikeda makes him die first protecting his
beloved... what he wanted to do all his life!
This is why everybody loves Andre, because he is the symbol of the dedicated,
romantic lover, and because he remains strong, patient and attractive behind
Oscar -and he gets to have her!-, but also why he should remain only a secondary
character:
Once Oscar and Andre are united and she decides to rally to whichever
decision he may make, the story is already set-up and follows through with no
great surprise. What else can Andre do, which may be interesting?
This is when Ikeda decides that he will have to die, because this is the only
dramatic event which can happen at this point.
(More about Andre in Debate Part 10)
Berusaiyu no Bara; Lady Oscar: All Rights Reserved Ikeda Productions 1972-1973, Tokyo Movie Shinsha Co. 1979-1980.
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