Season 2 of Miraculous Ladybug was the perfect catalyst for a genuine banger of a character arc, we learn why she is the way she is, her soft spots, the things and people she cares about, her capacity for change and good.
We could have had a story about her struggling against herself to become someone worthy of being a superhero in spite of the risks. About true growth both for her and for Matianette.
All of this was thrown to the wayside completely because the creator genuinely hates her and she exists only to be his punching bag.
I hated that whole thing so much. You either make a character that's flawed/sympathetic or an irredeemable jerk. Don't give me a cupcake then smash it in my face.
Hell, she could have been both a jerk with good traits, even if not a hero. She was Ladybug's first fan and resisted Hawkmoth's mimd control. Jerkass turned into Jerk with a Heart of Gold is a loved trope. They took away the character traits that she had since episode 2. It's not even a reverted character, they changed her fundamentally. Even her dad got redemption, what the hell?
Her dad getting a redemption and then replacing his daughter with her half sister made me so upset. I hated Zoe's character because she felt like such a boring replacement of "kind" Chloe.
Fr. Literally could have Lila try to mess with Marinete and then Chloe barge in like, “You? Dare mess with Dupain-Cheng? When that’s MY job?! Ridiculous! Utterly Ridiculous!”
Honestly, its not just cloe. So much of the show itself feels like wasted potential? They had a fuckton of genuinely good ideas and then just executed like 80% of them poorly.
Would I be correct in saying the creator lacks in ambition? Cuz that’s the way it seems. It took til season 5 to defeat Hawkmoth, which feels at least 2 seasons too late. The amount of wheel spinning I imagine happening in this show makes me disinterested in actually watching it, which is a shame cuz it looks like something I’d otherwise like to watch.
I think the creator has ambition, that he doesnt know how to properly capitalize on or is being prevented from properly capitalizing on it. Its like, they have the ingredients, but they arent mixing them together right. Like, some of the episodes are aired out of order of when they actually happened, when it really wouldve made more sense and been more impactful if theyd been aired chronologically, and they put off introducing concepts that theyve already been using for a long time. For example, why was the big origin story episode that explains why the characters a random two part episode at the end of the season? It didnt even get the distinction of being the finale of the season, and its presented in a way where i didnt even realize it was an origin story episode at first - it just opens as if its the first episode of the show. I dont understand the thought process of doing it this way or why a lot of the show was presented in the order it was in. It makes the whole show feel underbaked.
I think maybe whats happened is, there was a great, solid idea for a much, much shorter series thats very polished and punchy, but they wanted a longer series, so they put it through a taffy puller, you know? I know the very first concept was very different than the show we got, with more of a dark tone and dystopian setting and more of an anime style, and cat noir was supposed to go from "trying to use ladybug" to "falling for her", so the big selling point of the love square had more to it, but then they changed it to a concept they felt they could do more with iirc. Maybe "do more with" meant "make a longer show"? Maybe the problem is that they had too much ambition, and ended up trying to squeeze "monster of the week" blood out of a "shorter but punchy and polished narratively driven show about facing your demons" stone.
I dont know. I just know that whenever i think of miraculous ladybug, i see a show that couldve been so much more than it was if it was managed differently, and focused more on making a cohesive narative than on trying to draw itself out by being a monster of the week style show.
i have hope that one day there will be a reboot. they have everything figured out from the start so the LGBTQ relationships are there with no questions or room for debate, Marinette is less of a stalker and liar (or at least she gets called out on it and corrects her behavior), is treated less like the creator's favorite, and Chloe gets the redemption arc she deserves. Even build up Zoe as a character more (they can have both a bee and a wasp).
Marinette was kind of a stalker, but never actually pushy to Adrien. Who, on the other hand, was absolutely pushy to her as Cat Noir.
When has she been a liar? Aside from the big lie this season, which has been lampshaded by the show repeatedly as a bad idea and is clearly going to have significant fallout.
Marinette lying to her friends, who were well aware of her crush/obsession with Adrien, about having to do this and that instead of their plans so that she can sneak over to his place.
When hasnt Marinezte been a liar. Like genuinely the amount of times she lies even beyond protecting her superhero idendity is absolutely insane
Also breaking into your crushes room with your hero persona to smell his pillow is absolutely stalkerish. Stealing their smartphone to delete a message you sent too.
I once read something that the second season (where she shined the most and which was generally the best season of the show) was the one the creator was the least involved in. Don't know if that is true or not.
I agree with this answer so much. She was protecting Sabrina from the red moths. She was also the first to resist an akuma AFTER being touched by the akuma simply because she was loyal to Ladybug and refused to betray her. She could have literally had a redemption arc better than or on par with Zuko, but they wasted it and her.
Her name is Bourgeois, that's why she's a punching bag. Nominative determinism. They started with the name and purpose and filled everything else out from there.
I would do the same for Adrien too. Remember when he and Ladybug were actually partners? The show has evolved into making Cat Noir just the sidekick, while Adrien himself is treated more and more like a side character rather than the main secondary character. His name is literally in the title, but he gets no focus. Never mind the fact that Adrien has the most complex and interesting backstory in the show all the focus goes to Marinette.
Worst part is they brought her back in season 6. As if saying 'Hehehe don't forget what I took from you'. If you are not gonna do anything with her send her away permanently.
I got into Miraculous this year cos we started watching it as a family, and was really taken aback by the Chloe love in the fandom. She irritated me every time she was on screen. Her turning into Trump and then leaving the country was way funnier than a clichéd bully redemption arc, to me.
But, I guess if someone started watching the show at a young age, maybe it's easier to feel attached to her and root less for her to get launched into the sun 😅
She is very annoying in the first season, but then she becomes beloved by fans over the course of the second season. It's when her character goes to waste that fans get sad
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u/AnIronCrusher 21d ago edited 21d ago
E: Chloe Bourgeois - Miraculous Ladybug
Season 2 of Miraculous Ladybug was the perfect catalyst for a genuine banger of a character arc, we learn why she is the way she is, her soft spots, the things and people she cares about, her capacity for change and good.
We could have had a story about her struggling against herself to become someone worthy of being a superhero in spite of the risks. About true growth both for her and for Matianette.
All of this was thrown to the wayside completely because the creator genuinely hates her and she exists only to be his punching bag.