Manga Anime Takarazuka

Film Music Artbooks

Goodies Stores Hints

 

  Manga

In general, it's easy to get copies of the Japanese bunko and film comics editions.   If you live near a Japanese bookstore, ask them to order the books from Japan for you.   If not, try one of the online places listed under "Stores".

Here are the info you will need:

** Bunko edition, black and white, original story **

Title:	Berusaiyu no Bara
Volumes:	5
Author:	Ikeda Riyoko
Publisher:	Shueisha
Year:	1994

 

Volume	ISBN
1	4-08-748220-0
2	4-08-748221-9
3	4-08-748222-7
4	4-08-748223-5
5	4-08-748224-3

 

** Film comics edition, all color, based on anime story **

Title:	Berusaiyu no Bara
Volumes:	12
Author:	Ikeda Riyoko
Publisher:	Chuokoronsha
Year:	1996

 

Volume	ISBN
1	4-12-202633-4
2	4-12-202634-2
3	4-12-202656-3
4	4-12-202657-1
5	4-12-202678-4
6	4-12-202679-2
7	4-12-202704-7
8	4-12-202705-5
9	4-12-202726-8
10	4-12-202727-6
11	4-12-202750-0
12	4-12-202751-9

Other Japanese editions are either out-of-print or difficult to find   (See "Publication history" for details).
As for the translated books ...
English:   partial story, out-of-print.
Chinese:   complete story, newly reprinted.
Italian:   complete story, new edition in release.
Indonesian:   complete story, out-of-print.

You can still find the out-of-print books in used bookstores and auctions, but it does take some patience and may be quite expensive.

 

  Anime

** English:   No official release, fansubs available **
The Rosebud project is the only complete fansub to date, though some fansub groups are re-mastering the tapes with new translations.   You can request tapes through Glass Rose Production or one of the distributors in Anipike's fansub list.

** Raw Japanese:   newly released on DVD, some LD and VHS volumes may be out-of-print **

DVD
Box 1:   BCBA-653   (2000)
BOx 2:   BCBA-654   (2001)

LD
Volumes 1-10:   JSLA-22322 - JSLA-22330
Volulme 11:   JSLA-22331   (episode 41/movie)

VHS
Volumes 1-10:   GE-55 - GE-64

** Chinese:   available in VCD, Japanese/Chinese voices, no subtitle **

Fan2-er3-sai4 mei2-kue1 ch'uan2-chi2   (2000)
(Versailles Rose Complete Series)
20 VCDs, distributed by Hua-Piao.

** Italian:   newly released on DVD, Japanese/Italian voices, Italian subtitle **

Volumes 1-3 so far, other volumes planned for future release.   Distributed by Medusa Video.

 

  Takarazuka

There are various editions available, depending on the year and actors you want.
The newest edition is the 2001 series on DVDs:
Oscar and André Chapter,   TCAD-007
Fersen and Antoinette Chapter,   TCAD-005

For the older editions, browse through the following Takarazuka stores to see if any are in print.   Then decide whether to order the videos and music through your local Japanese bookstore or an online store.

Takarazuka Audio-Visual Software Shopping Site
Takarazuka-an

 

  Film

The 1979 movie is now available in DVD:   PIBD-1104   (English with Japanese subtitle).  

 

  Music

There are two anime albums, the Memories collection (4 CDs) and the Original Soundtrack collection (1 CD).   Only the Original Soundtrack collection is still in print.

Berusaiyu no bara:   bara wa utsushiku chiru
original soundtrack & meibamen ongaku shuu
Kitty Records
KTCR-1286,   first edition (1994)
KACD-2001,   reprint (1996)

 

  Artbooks

There are several illustration books, some of which contain only Berubara artwork and others with artwork from various series   (See "Publication history" for details).   The most complete Berubara artbook is the Shueisha 1976 "All-Color Illustrations" edition.   But, alas, this edition is only available in used bookstores, and quite expensive to boot.

If you like having an artbook with images from various series, go for "Ikeda Riyoko:   A Collection of Illustrations" (Art Vivant, 1999). This artbook contains about 40 pages of artwork from Berubara, Orpheus no Mado, and Ekateriina.   It also includes an interview with the author and her signature.

 

  Goodies

** Postcards **

There are several postcard sets, some of which contain only Berubara artwork and others with artwork from various series   (See "Publication history" for details).   The one still in print, I think, is a 2-volume set called "Ikeda Riyoko's Post Card Collection"   (Art Vivant, 1999).   Each volume contains 8 postcards, with artwork from Berubara, Orpheus no Mado, and Ekateriina.   The artwork are drawn from those used in the 1999 artbook, "Ikeda Riyoko:   A Collection of Illustrations."

** Stamps, posters, cels, dolls, key chains, etc. **

Small, rare items like these are tough to find in stores, unless you happen to live in Japan.   The easiest way, I think, is bid on Yahoo! Japan auctions via a proxy bidding service.   You can also buy things from used book dealers and manga agents, though at a much higher cost.   All I can say is, browse through the stores and look twice before buying.

** Fan guides **

The "Berubara Encyclopedia" will be re-issued in October 2002.   This is a must-have for any Berubara fan who is looking for the official Ikeda wisdom. ^_^   In the meantime, you can practice your Berubara skills with these fan-written guides:   "Berubara Databook" and "The Secret of Berubara."

The Databook, reprinted at least yearly, is a listing of publications, broadcasts, and various theatrical productions that have been released to date.   The Secret book ("Berubara no himitsu", 1996) is a collection of short, mostly humorous, essays about the manga.   All of these books are available only in Japanese.

 

  Stores

Here is a list of places either I or other fans have used with success.   All except Yahoo! Japan auctions will ship internationally (see below).   Note that the prices and selection vary widely from store to store.   So, be sure to compare things at different places before buying.

New:

Power Ambitious	[jp, en]   Specialty store offering Berubara and other collectibles.
Jamall	[jp, en]   Books, CDs, and DVDs.
Fujisan	[jp, en]   Books, CDs, and DVDs.
BK1	[jp]   Books and CDs.
Amazon Japan	[jp]   Books, CDs, and DVDs.
CD Japan	[jp]   CDs, DVDs, and LDs.
Bokelai	[zh]   Chinese-translated manga.
Hua Piao	[zh]   Japanese/Chinese-dubbed anime VCDs.
Tiscali Net	[it]   Japanese/Italian-dubbed anime DVDs.

Used:

Yahoo! Japan auctions	[jp]   Books, CDs, DVDs, and collectibles.   Use a third-party agent such as Celga/Doujin-box, if you live outside of Japan
Bookmart	[en]   Books, CDs, artbooks, and collectibles.
Manga Search	[en]   Books, artbooks, and collectibles.
Acclimate Solution	[en]   Books.

 

  Hints

Just some words to aid your search for Berubara stuff in Japanese sites.

Japanese	Romanization/English
ベルサイユのばら	Berusaiyu no bara
池田理代子	Ikeda Riyoko
漫画 巻	manga (in general) manga (chapter/volume)
アニメ	anime
宝塚	Takarazuka
映画	movie
イラスト 画集	artbook (single series, usually) artbook (various series, usually)
セル画	cel
ポストカード	postcard
ポスター	poster
人形	doll
下敷き	shitajiki (pencil board)
オスカル	Oscar
アンドレ	André
アントウネット	Antoinette
フェルゼン	Fersen

 

FAQ