The Star of the Seine

The Star of the Seine, or La Seine no Hoshi, emerged in the mid-1970s as a historical shōjo manga series written by Kaneko Mitsuru and illustrated by Asuka Yukiko. Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, the narrative follows a young woman who adopts a masked identity to protect the impoverished and advocate for justice during the social upheaval of late 18th-century France. The series was developed as a companion project to a concurrent anime production, aiming to capitalize on the popularity of European-inspired period dramas in Japanese girl's manga of the era.

The design and artistic direction of the work draw heavy inspiration from the aesthetic conventions established by The Rose of Versailles, focusing on ornate costume details and high-stakes romantic intrigue. Kaneko and Asuka’s collaborative approach sought to blend educational historical context with the emotional resonance typical of the genre. While it occupies a niche space in the landscape of 1970s manga, the series remains noted for its attempt to bring a specific cinematic flair to the historical romance format, maintaining a dedicated following among collectors of classic period-piece manga.