Riyoko Ikeda (b. 1947) is a Year 24 Group author whose The Rose of Versailles (1972–1973) was one of the first shōjo works to achieve mass cross-demographic readership in Japan and the first to receive a substantial international following, particularly in France and Italy.
Career
Ikeda debuted in 1967. Berusaiyu no Bara (The Rose of Versailles), serialised in Margaret in 1972–1973 and adapted to anime in 1979, dramatises the French Revolution through the fictional character Oscar François de Jarjayes alongside historical figures including Marie Antoinette. The work was a commercial breakthrough — selling more than 20 million volumes — and a generation-defining shōjo property.
Later career
Ikeda continued to publish into the 2000s, with works including Orpheus no Mado (1975–1981) and a later series of historical biographies in manga form. She has also pursued a career as a classical mezzo-soprano, performing recitals in Japan.