Adults watching cartoons is on the rise. At first, I couldn't understand the trend for the life of me. Especially the idea of "Brony" (a fan of the children's show "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" that is outside the targeted demographic area of young children). I have a five-year-old little sister, and I do watch the TV shows with her sometimes, but I had never actually voluntarily watched a children's show without her.
Until I discovered "Ladybug."
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The full TV show name is "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir." This show tells the tale of two high school students named Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste. Marinette is half-French and half-Chinese girl that is an extremely awkward and clumsy student with a passion for fashion. She's a cheerful and generous girl, that (as most girls tend to do) struggles with self-esteem and confidence. Marinette has the biggest crush on Adrien Agreste.
Adrien is the son of a world-famous fashion designer. When Adrien is not in school, he can also be found modeling. Adrien is somewhat shy and charismatic, usually found with a serious expression on his face. He can let loose more around his close friends but he is not very open emotionally, possibly due to his lackluster relationship with his father.
While being themselves is a full time job, when danger appears in the various minions the main antagonist, Hawkmoth, sends out, Marinette and Adrien transform and become something...miraculous.
Marinette sheds her awkward and clumsy exterior to become the superhero Ladybug, a beloved icon with the powers of good luck and creation.
Adrien can finally let loose and become Cat Noir, a smooth-talking, cocky super with the powers of bad luck and destruction. These two supers are the epitome of yin and yang.
Did I mention they don't know each other's true identities?
I'm an avid Tumblr fan and as I was browsing, this show kept popping up on my dashboard. I thought, "Well, I trust these people I follow. Let's give it a shot."
Not gonna lie, the first episode was super cheesy. But there was something about it that kept my interest. There had only been two episodes released in the United States, but the thing about it is, is that "Miraculous" is actually a French cartoon, and they had many more episodes out. So, I watched the French versions with English subtitles (It was in this moment I had a pang of regret for not taking French classes available at my school...)
Here are five reasons you should be watching this show too...
1. The relationship between Cat Noir and Ladybug is adorable and ship-worthy.
These two are absolutely adorable together and the need to ship them is real. While the romance between them is a subplot and not the main focus of the show, it's undeniable the chemistry that the two of them have together.
2. The KWAMIS.
Kwami are the ADORABLE little creatures that help everyday people (such as Marinette and Adrien) transform into supers. Marinette is aided by the sweet and caring Tikki. Notice that Tikki resembles a Ladybug in appearance, and Plagg (Adrien's kwami) has the same colors and appearance as Cat Noir. There are seven known kwamis that are in this universe, with only four of them having appeared more in depth in the show, and given a name.
3. Diversity
This show has such a variety of characters, with no two characters alike in anyway. Marinette is a biracial combination of French and Chinese. (And they run a bakery!). The variety of secondary characters is a large one too, with each of them getting their chance to have their claim to fame.
4. Akumas
As stated earlier, the evil villain Hawkmoth creates minions to send after Ladybug and Cat Noir. Hawkmoth sends out "akumas" or little evil butterflies to transform different characters into evil minions. Almost every secondary character that attends school with Marinette and Adrien have been "akuma-tized," taking the stage as the villain of the moment.
5. Ladybug
Seriously. As a female that loves superheroes, I would have LOVED to have had a kick-butt leading lady like Ladybug on television as I was growing up (late 90s to early 2000s). She isn't the sidekick. Ladybug takes charge and Cat Noir, the male, takes a back seat and follows her. PLUS her weapon of choice is a yo-yo. How cool is that?
This show contains such a variety of characters and ideas that it is hard to not get addicted... Thank you to Thomas Astruc, creator and writer of the show, and Jeremy Zag, producer. These two guys have created something amazing. They are both amazing and I can't wait to see what the future holds for this show! (PS- If you're reading this Jeremy Zag, I'm so excited to hear more about Pixigirl)
BONUS: These facial expressions...
