Overview
Not being much of a comic book readerâuntil recentlyâand never that interested in the superhero genre, I will take the word of the creator when he says that this is the first ladybug-based crusader of right and justice. Even I know there have been other cats, but mostly theyâre bad and/or female, or at least big brawny bashers.
Put simply, this is one of the best animated shows Iâve ever seen, and it is one of my favorites of all time after just its first season. Rather than me bothering with explaining the premise, hereâs a promo video thatâll tell ya all you need to know.
Writing
Did you catch the last thing mentioned in the video? (It did go by pretty fast.) Except for the superhero aspect, the most important thing in this show is the relationship between the leads. Itâs actually quite funny how Marinette likes Adrien when heâs himself and is easily annoyed by him when heâs Cat Noir, even though theyâre the same person. And he likes her as Ladybug but doesnât spare her a second look in her civilian guise, thinking of her only as a friend. So that dynamic makes for four relationships between the two characters: without wasting my time trying to remember or look up their portmanteaus, thereâs Marinette/Adrien, Marinette/Cat Noir, Ladybug Adrien, and Ladybug/Cat Noir (LadyNoir; I remember that one). Itâs amazing that each of those have their own special elements that make the show so watchable as well as relatable.
The other superb part of this show is its humor. Most of my favorite moments involve Marinetteâs adorkable attempts to speak to Adrian. Of course a major part of that is in the animation and acting, but it wouldnât work at all if not for some great writing.
Some of my faves:
Marinetteâs hand sliding down the railing {Guitar Villain}
Her fall off the bench and Cat Noirâs dances {Mr. Pigeon}
Her weird walk in the park, the sighing chin drops, and the best of what are usually puns that are smellier than Plaggâs cheese: Coldilocks {Stormy Weather}
The phone message and Baywatch-style slo-mo run through Copycatâs eyes {Copycat}
Marinette making âyada-yada-yadaâ gestures behind Cat Noirâs back {Evilistrator}
Using one hand to make the other stop waving, and the incredibly cornyâon purposeâdramatic moves during Ladybugâs song {Santa Claws}.
And of course her catchphrase when she has to go before she turns back into a pumpkin: âBug, out!â
But as a photographer, I must protest about all those âthe boy ate too much spaghettiâ lines! Iâm stuck somewhere between outraged and amused, but those ridiculous red pants drop it into the outraged side.
Another thing that abounds is shoutouts. My favorite is in “Stormy Weather,” when Manon is hiding under the table and giggles, right out of Brave! Even though Iâve never watched a Spiderman movie, I still recognize the iconic scene where heâs hanging upside down next to right-side-up girl, and this happens twice, although one time itâs the girl upside-down. In “Pixillator,” Mr. Damocles uses the line, âSurely you canât be serious,â but Jagged Stone doesnât bite. Iâd be shocked if Gabrielâs scream of âAdrien!â from the Christmas episode isnât recognized by all. And this one might be me projecting, but thereâs something about the vertigo-inducing scenes in the Origins episodes that remind me of Lindsey Stirlingâs âWe Are Giantsâ video.
Now for a small downside. I think the writers made it a little too obvious and over the top with the clues as to who Hawkmoth is, so itâs entire possible theyâll pull a switcheroo in the second season. My no-evidence guess is that heâs actually Gabrielâs brother, who was jealous that the gorgeous blonde woman didnât pick him, so he kidnapped her and is holding her hostage. He wants the ultimate power that having all the miraculouses would give him so he can give her the world. Or perhaps she ran away so he wouldnât nab her, having to leave her family to protect them. Yes, Iâm a master of the delicious art known as fanwanking . . .
Directing
I admit to not having a single notion as to what a director does in animation. Everything must be storyboarded to an OCD degree and then sent to the animators. Itâs noteworthy that when I do catch a director credit, itâs always the creator. So, since thereâs really nothing to say here, Iâll just leave it at that.
There is one thing I have to mention, though I donât know if this started in the writing room, done on purpose, or if it was an animation error. Since at least some of the animation must be done in Japan, itâs completely possible it wasnât noticed, but in âGuitar Villain,â Marinette is outside the hotel talking to Tikkiâthis is when the Gorilla catches her and she says itâs a talking purse from Japanâbut behind him you can see the traffic going on both streets. We donât see the intersection, but enough cars pass by so that if they were stopped for a red light, weâd see them stopped behind the Gorilla. So with both directions going at the same time, thereâd be plenty of crashes. . . and theyâre driving on the British side of the road. . . which is also the driving style in Japan.
I also wonder about the background characters. Of course in order to save money theyâll reuse the same images, thinking no one will notice, but thereâs a regular cast that appears in almost every episode. The one whoâs really noticeable, is the redhead in the green sweater; in âThe Mimeâ sheâs on the bus and then is right outside it too!
Acting
I donât follow voice actors, but apparently the two English leads are pretty famous, and they show here that they very much deserve to be. Thereâs a few BTS vids of Marinetteâs actor both vocalizing and singing, and sheâs truly stunning to watch. In “Evilistrator,” thereâs a scene where Marinetteânot Ladybugâtells Cat Noir how they can escape from the box theyâre in. As usual he thanks her in a flirting manner, only to have her turn his face away with a dry, âYeah, Iâm a geniusâ that he doesnât pick up on, but is a subtle yet amazing piece of acting. In “Guitar Villain” after she slips down the railing, after Adrian leaves, she murmurs, âI canât feel my legs anymore,â and it sounds incredible. Then thereâs the beginning song of the Christmas Special, when her mom tells her to be nice to Chloe: she gives a small âugh,â compared to Chloeâs over the top reaction. But the crowning moments had to be all those tiny squeaks when sheâs around Adrien. . .
One last note: I would think one of the best reasons for a writer to go into animation is that you donât have to worry about the actors adlibbing! Given that constraint, I have a new and higher respect for the job these voice actors do.
Cinematography (âArtworkâ if animated)
Iâm no expert on animation, though I did get why Brave was so amazing in that respect. With such little experience, it may not mean much when I say the CGI here is every bit as spectacular.
Perhaps the best example is in Ladybugâs transformation sequence: if you look closely you can see the geometric patterns of her suit, which shine when the light hits them and makes the view shimmer, but not in a âthat-looks-like-a-mistakeâ kinda way.
Itâs startling how quickly one gets used to the visuals of Paris, with that iconic if ugly tower and the buildings around the river. Other landmarks are delightfully rendered, like the Trocadero, the Louvre, the Grand Palais, and the zoo. But once in a while, particularly when theyâre jumping along the rooftops to get somewhere quickly, there are glimpses of the city that tourists would never notice, and possibly locals donât bother with either, the best being the park next to the bakery, now featuring a statue of Ladybug and Cat Noir.
Perhaps the best episode for visuals was âStormy Weather,â where the very first shot is from above, looking down the building. And the final storm taking place on top of the same building looks spectacular. When Marinette gets off the bus in âMr. Pigeon,â the street and buildings look gorgeous. The only recurring scenery worth noting is every time an akuma leaves home, giving an overview of the Paris suburbs, with that damned tower in the background.
Closer to the camera, thereâs plenty of freeze-frame bonuses, my favorite coming in âTimebreakerâ: during the scene in the restaurant, with Alix and her dad celebrating her birthday, thereâs a close-up of the Egyptology specialist, and you can see heâs wearing a shirt decorated in hieroglyphs. . . and it looks a lot better than mine! Another one occurs in âMr. Pigeon,â when Plagg lands on the bed in the hotel after declawing. As the dish of cheese is brought to him, you can see a pillow in the shape and color of a ladybug behind him.
Music
Possibly the best theme song since Jack of All Trades. Hereâs the complete version, in English.
But itâs kinda surprising that there isnât much of an emphasis on sound in this series. An interview shows that this is on purpose: âThe music plays a very minor role in the show. Often times itâs hardly audible over the dialogue or sound effects, but it provides the right subtle push that guides the emotion of the episode.â
Thereâs some great soft music at the iconic scene at the end of “Origins 2,” not quite romantic but still emotion-inducing. Once in a while thereâs mood music, like the soft stuff when Adrienâs dad finally hugs him, or during the first scene of “Horrificator,” where itâs melodramatic horror; on the other hand, âSmelly Wolfâ might become the next âSoft Kitty.â Then there are the themes, particularly Ladybug and Cat Noirâs transformation sequences, which immediately go into earworm territory, though the âFly away, my little akuma!â theme does not. Besides the Christmas episode, which is actually a musical episode, thereâs one other that features music, âGuitar Villain,â where we get Jagged Stone jamming on the electric guitarâactually pretty good instrumentalsâunlike XYâs (purposeful) crap.
âFeelâ
If I had to pick one moment above all others to encapsulate exactly what this show is made of, it would be the climax of âThe Puppeteer,â where a split second before sheâs going to be turned into an evil minion and have her powers taken away, Ladybug uses Lady Wifi to âpauseâ the villain. . . then, having all the time in the world, she casually strolls to the Puppeteer while whistling her own theme song!
But more than anything, this show has so much heart, particularly in its young heroine. While someone like Clark Kent has had decades to learn how to be both himself and Supermanâand to a lesser degree the same goes for Batman and Bruce WayneâMarinette not only has been an unexpected superhero for only a few months, sheâs a teenager! Sheâs got school, sheâs got family, sheâs a babysitter sometimes, sheâs trying really hard to be a fashion designer, and sheâs dealing with her first case of puppy love. . . all these things pull for her attention, which is hard enough for your average teen, but then add the humongous responsibility of saving her city at least once a week. This also goes for Adrien, but to a lesser extent. Thankfully thereâs a few scenes that show how much of a weight this is for her, as well as times when she doesnât make the right choice, choosing herself first over her job as Ladybug. . . usually involving jealousy whenever another girlâs around Adrien.
Yet despite all that, Marinette is an awesome character. For a teen to be a superhero but unable to gloat about it, and always failing to get what she wants in the end, she takes things remarkably in stride, never losing her sense of humor or sweetness. Her big aquamarine eyes, which get even bigger when sheâs joyful, perfectly offset the blue/black hair to the point she goes from incredibly cute to downright beautiful. Early on thereâs a shot of her caught as sheâs rooting through the trash, and the look she gives is priceless, worth the price of admission alone. She usually doesnât mind being teased, quirky but lovable, so sheâs someone girls can relate to. All this makes her one of the most intriguing teen protagonists Iâve ever seen. Adrien manages to pull that off in no small way as well, even when his fame and wealth are added to it, though he becomes a bit of an arrogant jerk when heâs dressed feline.
But of course I canât leave this without mentioning the giant elephant in the fandom: the far-too-common complaint by supposed fans who spend all their time whining about how no one recognizes Marinette as Ladybug. That doesnât seem to bother people about Superman, but for some reason itâs a big issue here. This surprises me because youâd think such creative people as the fans claim to be would rather spend their time coming up with fanwanks rather than whimper about it.
So hereâs mine. Thereâs a comic strip called âPhoebe and her Unicorn,â where in order to keep herself hidden from most people Marigold the Unicorn has something called the Shield of Boringness. Now, considering all the magical powers Tikki gives Marinette, especially the way her mask didnât come off when Lady Wifi pulled on it, then youâd think over 5000 years they would have developed a power that disguises their faces and bodies. See, simple?
(And as I wrote above, I donât believe Hawk Moth is Adrienâs Dad, but thatâs a story for another time.)
9/10
;o)
