The Window of Orpheus (, Orufeusu no Mado), also known as Orpheus no Mado or Das Fenster von Orpheus, is a Japanese shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Riyoko Ikeda. It is a historical romance and was partially adapted into Takarazuka Revue musical in the title The Window of Orpheus - Story of Isaak. But the entire story hasn't been adapted into musical. The manga series was published by Shueisha, first in weekly Margaret from 1975 to 1976, then in monthly Seventeen from 1977 to 1981. The series was collected in 18 bound volumes. It takes place in Germany, Austria and Russia with the backdrop stories of the World War I and the Russian Revolution. Theme Riyoko Ikeda published her first long story The Rose of Versailles in 1973. The story had two main themes. One is the life of Marie Antoinette, the Queen of France. And the other is the love and the life of Oscar François de Jarjayes. These two themes were in resonance, and The Rose of Versailles got great popularity and success. On the other hand, The Window of Orpheus has the three themes. The one is the life and the love of another Oscar François, that is, Julius von Ahrensmeyer. The second is the story of music and the life of a musician (Isaak) which Ikeda truly wished to describe. And the third is the historical romance in the Russian Revolution. Ikeda wrote the French Revolution in the Rose of Versailles, but she did not satisfy it. She wanted to describe the deeper human drama in the background of another revolution. Origin and development Riyoko Ikeda had learned piano from her very young days. She had loved music and wished to become a professional musician. But she got aware that she hadn't talent. She gave up, but the passion for music has vividly existed through her life. In October, 1973, after completed the long story The Rose of Versailles on the Margaret, she travelled to the Europe with her friend manga artists Toshie Kihara and Yōko Tadatsu (JA) for about one month or one and half months. They reached and stayed at an old city of Regensburg by chance. There, Ikeda was inspired and visioned the stories of the music and romance which she could not fully express in The Rose of Versailles. There were two obstacles in writing the first long story La