A member of the medium-defining Year 24 Group, Riyoko Ikeda’s historical epics and domestic dramas broke gender roles, binaries, norms, and so much more. Her magnum opus, Lady Oscar: The Rose of Versailles crystallized all of these concepts into a single work. However, she continued to explore these themes in subsequent works such as Dear Brother and Claudine. Her efforts to share France’s culture through Lady Oscar were later awarded in 2008 when she received France’s Legion of Honor. Intense and filled with emotional intention, Ikeda’s works quickly demonstrate why they broke so many borders.