Miraculous Ladybig... it's kind of like the Endless meets Sailor Moon

[icon_uk]

I've mentioned before the fun kids cartoon Miraculous Ladybug, featuring the magically empowered young heroine of Paris, Ladybug, and her partner in crime-fighting, Chat Noir.


(Click to embiggen)

There's now a tie-in comic (originally digital, now just released in TPB) where the series creator chooses to reveal a surprising amount about their origins.



Much of the fun from the series comes from the complicated relationship between the main characters, neither of whom knows who the other is.

Ladybug is Marinette, who has the hots for her classmate Adrien but finds Chat Noir a reliable, but frequently exasperating, ally.

Adrien likes Marinette as a friend, but in his identity of Chat Noir has fallen completely for Ladybug.

Add in a few other friendships, romances and fanon crushes and we're so far beyond love triangle that we need to enter the realm of the platonic solids (Or romantic solids in this case).

But that's not what we're here for today. We're here to talk about Miraculous's (Since Miraculous shouldn't be a noun, I'm not sure how the plural works)



Now we know that all the major players in the series get their powers from their Miraculous', magical talismans which transform them. We believe there are currently 19 Miraculous, each with a unique power, an animal theme and a guardian spirit called a Kwami.

They also get full on magical girl transformations (Chat Noir's is perhaps even more magical girls than Ladybugs, because that boy can POSE!)

Each Miraculous looks like an item of jewellery and they appear to be set up as certain conceptual groups; Representing Yin and Yang we have Ladybug (earrings),

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and Chat Noir (signet ring),

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The five basic elements of Chinese legend are Butterfly/Moth (brooch), Fox (pendant) and the soon to be revealed trio of the Bee (hair-slide), Peacock (another brooch) and Turtle (bracelet) and the other twelve are based on the animals of the Chinese Zodiac (None of whom we've seen yet)

We know that the Miraculous are thousands of years old, but the Kwami are even older, and have been creating heroes for that entire time.

In the cartoon, the guardian of the Miraculous is Master Fu, a 186 year old man and also currently holder of the Turtle Miraculous (though seemingly too old to transform). He knows a lot about the history of the Miraculous but has never shared very much (in fact Adrien has never even met him properly)

Even so, it's perhaps a little odd that we find out so more about them in the pages of the comic (written by the series creator Thomas Astruc and drawn by Brian Hess) than we do in the series, but such is life.

So Marinette is having one of her regular meetings with Master Fu and they chat, in the company of her Kwami Tikki, and Fu's Kwami Wayzz.







So basically it would seem that the Kwami, through the Miraculous, are sort of like the Endless, embodying certain universal concepts . Ladybug is Creation and Chat Noir is Destruction (Though Plagg is hardly Gaiman's take on Destruction), I think Hawkmoth is Generosity (subverted because he's the villain of the piece, giving powers to villains he creates, rather than heroes he inspires) and based on her power of illusion, Rena Rouge (the Fox) might be Deception or Creativity/Artistry, Turtle is probably Protection

BTW, I really want to see the Mathematics Miraculous in action!

The rest of the story is sort of fun too, as our Parisian heroes are temporarily recruited by some American superheroes, but this seemed the more interesting part to share.

 

Comments

[dewinged]

Re: Transformations.

In the flashback episode showing their origin, Marinette looks appropriately freaked out at her very first Transformation.

Adrien, since they used the stock footage, looks like a pro at his first Transformation.

Personal Theory: For some reason, Adrien practices/has practiced transformation poses before meeting Plagg. I find this hysterical.

Master Fu: "But no one is kind or nasty by nature."

*later*

"Master Fu, this is Chloe Bourgeois."

Master Fu: "Oh, kwami. Chat Noir, just activate Cataclysm and flick me right between the eyes. It'll be quick and painless."

I am not sure which animal on the Chinese Zodiac would represent Mathematics, though it would likely end up in Max's hands.

The Pig Miraculous, however, will be harder to get since I am almost positive it's halfway across the world in the hands of one Mabel Pines of the West Coast United States. ;)

In my head for this show I use Miraculous as a singular and plural noun. Sounds less awkward to me.

[mister_terrific]

Considering Chloe's leaked future this season, I wouldn't be too sure of that. :)

I'll say this, given Le Papillion/Hawkmoth's track record in season 2 so far, he's really not good at the bad-guy business.

I'm sorry, I'm a terrible snob. I'll always opt for the French dub/English sub when I can.

[icon_uk]

Though I do always like Hawkmoth realising JUST how badly he's screwed up with his current choice. I think he just got lucky in season 1.

But his choices did lead to the rather touching moment in the Gorizilla episode when he realised that he'd gone too far.

[dewinged]

Hawkmoth has his motivation for akumatising people: get the Miraculous. However, the people he evilizes tend to have their own agendas, and he keeps forgetting that. Watching him reap what he had sown in Robustus was satisfying.

However, in Season 2 episode 1, his idea to throw Ladybug off the scent of who he really is was damn ingenious. I was seriously impressed with the sneakiness of that plan.

[icon_uk]

We saw a hint of his risk-taking in "Jackadit" too.

[zachbeacon]

I'd be more impressed with his efforts to keep a secret ID if he didn't cover everything he owns with butterfly patterns.

[icon_uk]

The start of season 2 actually covers that, and offers an explanation that manages to cover his backside quite well.

[zachbeacon]

I just saw that over the weekend. Maybe I need to watch it again because, while pretending to be a Hawkmoth victim was brilliant, I don't recall him giving a reason for the butterfly decor.

[icon_uk]

He didn't attempt to cover up the butterfly motif in his work (Which would be hard to do), and though it might be me reading into it, his explanation was that he'd been inspired to use designs from the book of Miraculous in his work, and then adding that the book "was the last gift I received from my wife" for that extra emotional "sell".

[icon_uk]

I think it was a deliberate choice to use the stock footage for Adrien because that kid wanted to be a superhero soooooo much!!! He didn't even wait to hear all the rules, it was a chance to break out of the limiting mould his father had set for him and he grabbed it like the life-preserver that it was.

There may be a hint at some of the other Miraculous holders in the opening titles to season 2, where certain characters have animal-esque features doodled on them.

I'm looking forward to seeing how Chloe works out, given that Hawkmoth sent an Akuma to follow her because the odds were pretty much 100% that an Akumatising situation would arise in very short order give her personality. (Still, Adrien likes her, and he may be naive and tends to see the best in everyone, but she must have something like a redeeming feature... somewhere.... deep deep underneath)

[dewinged]

I first started watching this a few months back, just as Season 2 was starting in France, and I avoided any spoilers for S2.

Talking to a friend who was watching Season 2 episodes at the time, I told them "Why doesn't Hawk Moth just have an akuma follow Chloe around all the time, since it's pretty much inevitable?"

Friend: "Wait til Season 2. It's all I'm saying."

[dewinged]

Oh, I know what is destined for Chloe from those leaks. I was just making a joke. :)

Though I want to see Rena Rouge again.

(Then again, is and when Alya finds out Ladybug and Chat Noir's identities, I expect there to be a flashback episode to all the clues she missed over the previous episodes interspersed with shots of Alys banging her head against her desk for 22 minutes.)

[icon_uk]

If Adrien and Marinette can't recognise each other (especially Mari not recognising the face of the boy whose bone structure she probably has committed to memory), I have to assume there's some serious magical identity concealing going on.

[mister_terrific]

Or a great deal of stupidity. :)

[icon_uk]

A frequently underestimated power in the universe, that's for sure.

[dewinged]

One friend of mine says they're oblivious because they're teenagers (Marinette can't connect Chat's free spirit to Adrien's reservedness, and Adrien can't see past the spots on Ladybug's costume to connect it to Marinette). I'm more for the 'it's a glamour' theory.

One of the few times where 'It's magic' makes more sense.

Also, one of the other things on Netflix I've watched is the anime adaptation of Nanatsu no Taizai (The Seven Deadly Sins). Both that show (English Sub) and Miraculous (also English Dub) share a lot of the same voice actors. It gets a little unnerving at times.

[kamino_neko]

Hmm. I've watched both and never noticed the shared VAs. Though I do get the reaction. Watching Soul Eater and Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood (both dubbed) back to back had the same effect on me. (Al and Crona was especially striking.)

[zachbeacon]

I can buy her not recognizing him more that the other was around.

Cat Noir's hair is an unkempt mess whereas Adrien is well groomed. The personalities his identities display are night and day to each other. The freaky cat eyes have to make it hard to concentrate on any other aspect of his face.

On the other hand, Ladybug and Marinette are clearly the same person.

[icon_uk]

The Adrien/Chat Noir hair thing reminds me of BTAS, where for the first time we had Dick Grayson with a visibly different hair style to Robin. Dick's was slicked back, Robin's was allspiked and mussed up (Ditto for Tim when he took over) I always appreciated that idea as I don't think I'd seen it used before (Black Canary wore a blonde wig originally, but that's not quite the same).

[sisterofbloomerjunior]

Face blindness, perhaps?

[mister_terrific]

Oh, you mean "Girl Most Likely To Get Her Entire Graduating Class Akumatized". :)

[icon_uk]

There are only two she hasn't managed so far; Marinette and Adrien!

[kamino_neko]

Honestly, if Alya finds out about Ladybug, I mostly expect an episode or two of her grumpily avoiding Marinette for not telling her (probably resolved when Ladybug needs to rescue her and takes the opportunity to explain why).

[tripodeca113]

What a good show Miraculous Ladybug is.

[leoboiko]

What is Chat Noir's Stand? Because that's clearly a Jojo character.

[dewinged]

"Stray Cat Strut."

[mizerous]

*Does Jojo pose*

[kamino_neko]

Fu looks so much like Pat Morita in these pages.... I keep expecting him to tell Marinette to 'wax on, wax off'.

[zachbeacon]

Actually watched some more of this over the weekend. I was so happy when the American Netflix added season two ... only to discover it was just the first 12 episodes.

Still they were 12 episodes with a lot to unpack.

I don't think I like the two main Kwami anymore. I get the secret they're keeping from their "partners" is a conceit of the show but they could save them so much trouble just by telling their wielders the truth. Nooroo shows more loyalty and he clearly hates his job.

[kamino_neko]

Wait...wait, what?

US Netflix DID add them?

WHAT THE HELL, NETFLIX CANADA? WHY DO YOU STILL ONLY HAVE SEASON ONE?

[kamino_neko]

OK, I just looked up information...Netflix isn't getting it until Family Channel finishes airing the season. Which doesn't start until week after next. So, it hits Netflix near the end of the year... v_v Bluh. Hopefully season 3 (if such happens) will get a simulcast, or hit Family earlier relative to the airing elsewhere in the world.

[mizerous]

At least it's on Netflix. Can't be up for it on Nick >_>

[icon_uk]

What secret do you mean?

Nooroo seems to be enslaved, so I don't think his attitude reflects the real him.

[zachbeacon]

Early in season two, Tikki and Plagg learn who Ladybug and Cat Noir are. Plagg looked like he was about to say something about it but Tikki stopped him.

Given how many Akuma have been created from misunderstandings, I think it would be easier on everyone if Tikki would just tell Marinette who Cat Noir is and Plagg did the same.

Nooroo obviously isn't happy with his position in life but he seemed disappointed when his master temporarily renounced him so he could use a different Kwami.

[icon_uk]

It might change things up a bit as I don't think there's any way that Marinette could treat Chat the same way after learning that he was her dreamboat.

Adrien would, I think be less flustere. Given how he's learned to admire Marinette over the course of the two seasons, I think he'd be delighted to learn that his "Bugaboo" was also one of his friends, even if it would mean reflexively toggling back the flirting by about 60% (and he'd be replaying every thing he'd ever said to LB and trying to imagine saying it to Marinette and he'd probably be blushing redder than her costume the whole time.

[icon_uk]

I didn't see Nooroo's reaction as being disappointment that he was being replaced, but disappointment that this wasn't the release he'd momentarily hoped it was going to be, but simply part of another complicated plan which means he'd still be stuck with Gabriel at the end of it.

[long_silence]

If Tikki and Plagg are supposed to be some of the oldest kwami, representing creation and destruction respectively, why are Ladybug and Chat Noir so unimpressive?

They can use their special powers once and then they have five minutes before their transformations run out. It just seems really weak when Hawkmoth's creations seem to be able to keep their powers for an indefinite amount of time.
And then there's the fact that Rena Rouge was objectively weaker than Volpina. One single illusion versus an unlimited amount.

From a balance perspective Nooroo got the best end of that deal.

[icon_uk]

You make a very valid point about Volpina vs Rena Rouge.

The semi-explanation given in the show is that Master Fu never had access to ye olde tome (tm) of ancient Miraculous lore that Gabriel has been in possession of for years, and just doesn't know everything they can do yet. Now he's had access to the book for long enough to make scans of it he's learning some new things about what the Kwami and Miraculous are capable of power-wise and we're promised sight of some of those before the end of this season.

[icon_uk]

What you said does make me wonder about Hawkmoth's powers though.

If the akumatisation isn't his one-shot-wonder equivalent of "Lucky Charm", "Cataclysm" or "Mirage", what IS his final power move that would set his transformation timer ticking down?

[long_silence]

It probably is his equivalent of their special moves, but because he isn't there fighting in person he can just immediately force feed Nooroo and transform again so that he can watch his villains inevitably fail. It probably helps that he's an adult who works from home.

"Lucky Charm" just seems so small in comparison, creating a single item that might help if used correctly. "Miraculous Ladybug" is much more impressive since it allows her to undo all of the damage done, basically rewinding time, but that move doesn't seem to affect the time limit.

Of course Chat Noir doesn't have an equivalent to that second move that we know of.

[icon_uk]

I assume that the "Fix everything afterwards" is an extension of the Lucky Charm spell.

Chat IS rather underpowered by comparison.

The South Korean release only (so far) Artbook suggests that other powers were either intended for both of them, or might yet appear. (click to embiggen, though my scanner was having an off day)

Ladybug gets a couple of variations on her yoyo






Chat gets the Black Storm destructive blast or the far more fun Portal-gun like Black Hole.



Storyboards for the original anime style for the series also suggest that Felix (proto-Adrien) would have had the power to cause bad luck to happen to other people.



Oh, and just because it was scanned too, here's Chat in an unused design with a cat-ear beanie-hat!

[remial]

BTW, I really want to see the Mathematics Miraculous in action!

I'd almost imagine the character to be like the Clock King from B:TAS, watching their target, calculating movements, etc.

although a Steve Austin type character might be fun as well, "Two plus two equals I'ma kick your ass!"