Rose of Versailles is one of the only anime that has all the qualities of a classic literary epic:

>story with a massive scope with scores of characters whom the story each follows intimately over a lengthy period of time
>unapologetically melodramatic by design
>explores several lofty concepts like love, honour, spirituality, liberty. existentialism and so on
>big focus on war, politics and the fate of nations
>fully embraces Romanticism and makes each character’s personal problems seem larger than life and tied with grand political stakes
>timeless sociopolitical commentary
>has broad appeal due to dipping its toes in multiple genres

If you told me this was an adaptation of an epic European novel rather than a manga, I’d believe you. I’d say that only LOGH and maybe Berserk come close in this respect.