What to Watch: Miraculous

by Chelsea House, GGR Contributor

Miraculous is a french CGI series based in the beautiful city of Paris, France. It’s centered around two youngsters, Marinette Dupain-Cheng (Christina Venezuela) and Adrien Agreste (Bryce Papenbrook), who are given super abilities to save their city in its’ times of need. They are both given powerful jewelry , or Miraculous, that are paired with adorable mini beings called kwamis. When kwamis are combined with their miraculous, they give specific super powers to their wearers. Marinette is given the Ladybug Miraculous with the lovable and ever so sweet Tikki, and Adrien is given the Cat Miraculous with the cynical, cheese loving Plagg. Together they create Ladybug and Cat Noir, the dynamic, Paris saving, duo. These super abilities come with a price, however, and the cost is never revealing their true identity. 

Each show goes as such – Evil villain Hawk Moth (Keith Silverstein) uses his abilities to akumatize, or give evil powers to, an angry / broken hearted victim. In exchange for giving this victim the ability to seek revenge on their wrong doer, Hawk Moth demands that they retrieve the Ladybug and Cat miraculous, because apparently when they two are used together, they can grant you the ability to reshape reality. Once the victim becomes a powerful villain, they run rampant through the town of Paris until Ladybug and Cat Noir save the day. 

The show itself is pretty straight forward, and at times pretty predictable. So why all the hype, you ask? 

First and foremost the show is just simply fun to watch. The akumas are all different based on the person who is cursed by them, and they are all intentionally ridiculous, which gives you a nice chuckle. The banter between characters is clever, and the chemistry between Cat and Ladybug is great, which makes sense since the actors have voiced in other shows together like Seven Deadly Sins. Also the characters do have some character development throughout the seasons. They start at the 13, and so you see a lot of mistakes being made and a lot of learning from said mistakes. You see pride being swallowed, courage being grown, imperfections being polished up, disappointments being processed... It’s got a really great coming of age theme through the show. 

Secondly, the romances on this show are pretty captivating. I mean it’s French, so I feel like that’s kind of an obligation. If you’re out of high school, it brings you back to the days of first kisses, crushes, and why you listened to punk rock to soothe your wounded soul when your crush didn’t ask you to the dance. It’s simple, and yet comes across really genuine, so as a younger person you may relate. As an adult, it gives my husband and I a good laugh at old growing pains. 

Lastly, the show has layers. Like... A lot. This alone will keep all ages watching and wondering what will happen next. If you don’t believe me, go check out the fan theories (if you’re okay with spoilers). There’s quite a bit of what you see isn’t necessarily what’s true in Miraculous. There are layers to the kwamis, to the heroes, to the villains and more. It’s probably what I love most about this show. I also love that it’s kid friendly, even for my three-year-old. If you’re looking for something really deep and thought provoking, Miraculous just ain’t it for you. But if you are looking for an easy watch that still keeps you curious, then by all means give it a go! With three seasons already out and more promised, it’s a great go to. I give it two thumbs up!