Miraculous (Series) Preview

Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir

There’s a brand new superhero series in town, and it’s going to rock your kids’ socks off. Starring a pair of cool teenaged superheros named Ladybug and Cat Noir, Miraculous is a blend of drama filled high school hijinks and action filled villain battles that will keep kids interested from start to finish – even if the adults in the room may be rolling their eyes every few minutes or so.

Created by ZAG, Miraculous seeks to be a show that can inspire girls with a heroine they can relate to. Ladybug’s secret identity is Marinette, a pretty shy girl who stutters through every interaction with her crush, and too nice to say no to anyone. Marinette’s best friend is constantly trying to inspire her to carry out an actual conversation with Adrien, Marinette’s classmate and crush – but no dice. In real life situations, Marinette is hopelessly lacking in confidence and comes across as rather ditzy – which, to be honest, is a disappointment. The cute, ditzy girl who can never say no is pretty much the standard for a lot of cartoons, and it’s irritating that Marinette is only confident and powerful when wearing a mask. That being said, as a super heroine, Ladybug is definitely filled with power and confidence, and it’s clear that she runs the show.

Ladybug’s sidekick is cat-suited teen named Cat Noir. While he has plenty of power of his own, the two work together to defeat villains, and Ladybug generally calls the shots. The two only know each other by their super identities, and there’s plenty of flirting as they fight. It plays a little on the whole Superman/Clark Kent thing, as they both wear only an eye mask and a suit, but neither realizes that they are classmates. Cat Noir’s secret identity is none other than Adrien – Marinette’s hopeless crush.

Though the way they’ve come across their superpowers has not yet been explained, both Cat Noir and Ladybug gain power from a tiny little creature who stays at their sides. Using a piece of jewelry, they  harness the creatures’ powers for a short time in order to unleash their signature moves. The villains change in each episode, as all of them are angry or disappointed people who have been transformed by Hawkmoth, a mysterious villain who wants to capture their Miraculous’. In each episode, he sends a newly created villain at them in hopes of their defeat.

Miraculous is a great start in the right direction, giving girls a powerful heroine they can emulate and enjoy. Though I would have liked Ladybug’s secret identity to be less of a clichèd ditzy teen girl character, she makes up for it in power and confidence when her spots come out. You can check out Mirculous every Sunday on Nickelodeon.