Miraculous: Ladybug and Cat Noir is a show that’s a bit of a paradox: it features some very familiar elements, but also stands out as unique. The first seven episodes are now available on DVD, and if your kids are already fans of shows like Sailor Moon or Power Rangers, they’re likely to find something to love in Miraculous.
Miraculous is a French children’s show currently airing on Nickelodeon with an English dub. This understandably can cause rushed dialogue attempting to fit in a sentence that matches the animation, but those moments are rare in these first seven episodes.
The story follows Ladybug and her partner Cat Noir, who both have magical pets who grant them superpowers complete with magical-girl-type transformation scenes. Together they battle Hawk Moth, who “evilizes” people to turn them into supervillains for his own nefarious purposes. Wondering how the two became superheroes, and why Hawk Moth wants their powers? So is my daughter, as the show oddly doesn’t open with an origin story. (It appears to be coming later in the series.)
Out of their costumes, Ladybug is actually Marinette and Cat Noir is Adrien, and the two go to the same high school unaware of each other’s secret identities. Marinette has a big crush on Adrien, who in turn has a crush on Ladybug, which adds a fun dynamic to the show.
Miraculous is set in Paris, and almost all aspects of the culture and language are preserved even with the dub. The characters enjoy stinky cheese, visit famous landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and Louvre, and even the villains are uniquely French. (A mime is one baddie of the week. Seriously.) For my daughter, who loves both Paris and shows like Power Rangers, it’s just the right mix.
Miraculous: Ladybug and Cat Noir is a fun show with enough unique elements that make it feel like more than just a retread of the typical kids’ superhero show. If you’re looking for something new, pick up the new DVD collection available today.
A promotional copy was provided for review purposes.
All Images: Nickelodeon / Shout Factory / ZAG Entertainment
My daughters discovered this show in youtube and they even enjoy it in French! The animation reminds me of early 2000’s Barbie, but it is actually really fun. My youngest named one of her dolls Marinette, so you get the idea…
You’ll know how Marinette and Adrien got their powers at the end of the season. The last two episodes (which are actually one large episode split into two) explain that.
the last 2 episodes are acctually meant to be first because they are the origines episode (the starting episode or how it all began)
when is season 2 starting i wish it will start soon do you have any information??
I found this show on ABC3 but they stoped .I have loved it ever since but they need more episodes to the series, I even love it in French, Spanish and other languages.
I just came across it through Netflix. I have some past interest in the Sailor Moon series, and have been reading Clamp’s Cardcaptor Sakura manga.
I feel that the creator of this series (a former W.I.T.C.H. animator) has put together a a fun French cartoon that modernizes Sailor Moon type stories while combining some Superman (I’ll explain) and moving it to Paris. The Superman comparison isn’t just that Ladybug and Cat Noir are more like Western superheroes, but also that it reminds me of how Clark’s attracted to Lois, who’s attracted to Superman. There’s sort of a dual-sided version of the unrequited love between alter-egos and secret identities. Part of my love of the Parisian feel is not necessarily the food or the Eifel Tower references, but those wonderful Parisian style townhouses. The have a distinguishing style which I’ve even seen LEGO emulate for kits. When Marinette comes out of that top floor, it reminds me a little of how Arnold (“Hey Arnold!”) had that spacious top floor room w/ skylight in his grandparents’ boarding house.
There’s also something about French animation that I find distinctive and appealing. Totally Spies, the Adventures of Tintin (based on the Belgian graphic novels), Inspector Gadget, and Rabbids: Invasion (personally,, I think that Rabbids were the understated precursors to the Dreamworks Minnions). I see something very admirable in how the animators overseas still hold a torch that create quality cartoons that can appeal to all ages, or all genders, without necessarily bending to the tropes that our country pressures studios to pander to.