Miraculous Ladybug
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About
Miraculous Ladybug (officially known as Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir in English, Lady Bug in Korea, and Miraculous overall) is a French-Korean CGI-animated action and adventure series created by Thomas Astruc and produced by Zagtoon, SAMG Animation, Method Animation, and Toei Animation. The series, which follows the exploits of Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste as they protect the city of Paris from evil under their superhero alter egos, Ladybug and Cat Noir, quickly gained a fanbase after the premiere of the English version in December 2015.
Premise
Set in modern day Paris, the show centers around teenagers Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste who, entrusted with the power of the magical jewelry of the Miraculous, become superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir respectively. The pair capture and purify akumas, corrupted black and purple butterflies created by the mysterious villain Hawk Moth, which are responsible for turning regular people into super villains, while Hawk Moth seeks Ladybug's and Cat Noir's Miraculouses and their powers for his own purposes.
History
The original concept of the series was conceived around 2005 by Thomas Astruc[1], who previously worked on other French animated shows in various production roles such as Code Lyoko and Wakfu [22], both of which he worked on as a storyboard artist for example, after working with a woman who had a ladybug design on her shirt. After drawing the initial character design on a sticky note (titled "The Mini Menace Ladybug", shown below, left) and fleshing her out with mock-up fake comic book covers[30], he would eventually meet producer Jeremy Zag who helped turn it into a TV show. During production, the show would go through a number of revisions, ranging from a darker tone with political stories, similar to the tone of that of the mock-up comic book covers which were suited for more teenage and young adult audiences[12], to an unused team concept known as the "Quantic Kids."[14] (sketch shown below, right)
The concept was eventually first made public on September 5th, 2012 as a short 2D anime proof-of-concept video animated by Toei Animation and produced by Method Animation and Zagtoon[2] titled "Lady Bug Japanese version" originally uploaded to Youtube on August 30, 2012.[27] (shown below, left) which garnered notoriety and spread due to its anime aesthetic and comments about and comparisons to existing magical girl anime. The video was made private a few days later due to a mishap that accidentally made the video public, as it was intended for potential investors in the project. The video would later be re-uploaded by a few fans, one of which was titled "Ladybug PV" which has garnered over 6 million views as of September 2016. In October 2013, a new teaser trailer for the show was released, seeing a change from the anime art style that was used in the proof-of-concept video to CGI (shown below, right) animated by South Korean animation studio SAMG Animation.
In late 2015, the show premiered, first in South Korea on September 1st on EBS, then in France on October 19th on TF1, and then in America on December 6th on Nickelodeon. On November 20, producer Jeremy Zag announced through Instagram that 2 more seasons of the show would be produced.[26] On December 22nd, Jeremy Zag confirmed through Instagram that a 2D OVA is in progress for Japan.[17] In early February 2017, the show's first season premiered on Netflix for American audiences, This was also accompanied with the announcement that airing of the show would be moved from Nickelodeon to Netflix for American audiences only.[34] On May 17, it was announced that the show would get two more seasons in addition to the two seasons already planned for a total of five.[37]
Season 2
Throughout 2016 and 2017, production updates and appearances at conventions showcased upcoming content in the upcoming seasons, ranging from new heroes and villains, to new scenes, including what appeared to be a balcony scene with Marinette and Cat Noir. The second season was also touted to, for the most part, see a shift to overarching story arcs compared to the first season's self-contained episodes.On December 11, 2016, the show premiered its first holiday special in France on TF1, which would retroactively be included as a part of Season 2. However, it wouldn't be until late 2017 when Season 2 would officially premiere with 2 episodes aired in Spain on October 21st. France would later see a premiere a few days later on October 26th.
In the US, the holiday special premiered on Netflix on December 20th, 2016, with the second season to premiere its first half on March 30, 2018[38][39] alongside a third season currently in production[36]. On November 3rd, the second season aired its season finale in Switzerland. On November 30th, it was announced that the season's second half would premiere on December 14th on Netflix.
Reception
After the show first premiered in the US, the first episode garnered 1.4 million viewers.[20] The show has an IMDb rating of 9.0 out of 10 from 374 users as of May 2016.[3] and a 4 star rating out of 5 from Common Sense Media.[4] The show was also ranked at number 18 on Tumblr's 2015 year-end list for "Most Reblogged Animated TV" alongside other animated TV shows.[13] Tumblr's official Fandometrics blog also began listing Miraculous on their TV Shows fandom list, debuting at number 19 near the end of September.[15] before eventually reaching the top spot on the March 14 edition of the list.[29] As of May 2016, the show is currently ranked third.[16]
Writing for the Los Angeles Times, television critic Robert Lloyd described the show as "clever, romantic, fun, the way some of us prefer our superhero stories."[28] The show has also become a number-one animation show on France's TF1.[21] Near the end of 2016, the show reached the second place spot for Tumblr's year-end list for "2016's Top TV Shows (Animated)",[32] while also debuting at number 13 on Tumblr's year-end list for "2016’s Top Ships" with the Ladynoir ship.[33]
In 2018, the show won Choice Animated TV Show at the 20th Teen Choice Awards.[40]
Online Relevance
The show's official Facebook page for the show has garnered over 13,700 likes as of May 2016,[5] while the show's official Twitter account has accumulated over 10,200 followers.[6] Dedicated fan accounts for the show in various regions also exist, with the most popular, @Ladybug_Cartoon, having over 65,000 followers.[35] On March 5th, 2015, a dedicated wiki was created, gathering over 400 pages in the following months.[8] A Miraculous Ladybug subreddit was created by user Yatalac on September 4th, 2014 which has garnered over 1,100 subscribers in the following months.[7] On October 18th, 2015, YouTuber headofporridge uploaded scenes from the show accompanied with the French opening as fanmade trailer, gaining over 360,000 views in the following two months. On December 21st, 2015, YouTuber Lulu uploaded a translated version of a Vocaloid promotional video featuring an alternate universe set in the 1700s, which gained over 34,000 views in the following five days. On September 27, 2016, an official Youtube channel was established, garnering over 27,000 subscribers in the following week.[31]
Fandom
Quickly after the release of the promotional short, the series gained a niche following that increased since its release, mostly on the microblogging network Tumblr.[10][11] As of April 8th, 2016, the artist community DeviantArt has over 12,000 results under the keyword "miraculous ladybug".[9] The site Fanfiction.net has over 2,800 submissions for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir,[18] and over 4,100 results for fanfiction on the website ArchiveOfOurOwn.[19] A separate fanon wiki was established on December 30th, 2015 getting 57 pages in the following months.[25]
Related Memes
Miracusonas / Akumasonas
Miracusonas and Akumasonas refers to fanmade original characters used to represent characters with powers from Miraculouses[23] and akumas created by Hawk Moth.[24] Miracusonas are based off of a certain animal, have civilian and superhero identities, have a Miraculous and kwami, a weapon, and a special attack. Akumasonas also have civilian and supervillain identities along with powers and an item possessed by an akuma.
"No Spoiler!"
"No Spoiler!" refers to a phrase usually attributed to the creator of Miraculous Ladybug, Thomas Astruc. The phrase acts as a go-to response for any story related question fans of the show may have for Thomas, with a response usually being an image macro containing the phrase or a reply containing the phrase itself.
Love Square
The Love Square is an informal term given to the potential relationships between the two main characters, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and Adrien Agreste, and their superhero alter-egos Ladybug and Cat Noir arranged in a square: with Marinette sharing non-mutual feelings for Adrien, Adrien sharing feelings for Ladybug and vice-versa, Cat Noir and Marinette sharing somewhat awkward feelings towards each other, and Cat Noir sharing unreciprocated feelings for Ladybug, all the while with Ladybug and Cat Noir not knowing the other's civilian identity. The potential relationships from this love square has led to a number of in-jokes, shipping art and permutations with added characters, creating more complex figures such as a proposed "Love Octahedron".
Miraculous Moves AU
Miraculous Moves is an alternate universe reimagining of the characters, with both heroes and akumas, as breakdancers. The AU was started by Tumblr user starrycove in 2015 and has since led to the creation of fan-created derivative works such as fanfiction, fan art, and cosplay as a result.
Scarlet Lady AU
Interview with Thomas Astruc
3kole5: Can you please present yourself and your work, Thomas Astruc, for the people who may not know you?
Thomas Astruc: I’m Thomas Astruc, 41, creator and director of Miraculous Ladybug. I live in Paris, and I love super-heroes, cats and cooking.
3K: Did you expect Miraculous Ladybug to get the popularity it did?
TA: We all thought “yeah, the show should work fine”, but we didn’t expect it to be this successful all around the world, and especially this fast.
3K: What about your show do you think made it a success?
TA: Probably because Miraculous is all about good vibes. Some people may think the show is corny, but I believe that such positivity is very refreshing and helps to deal with hard times. I also think that people can feel that there’s a deep mythology hidden in the show, and that they’ve only seen glimpses of it so far, which makes them curious. And of course, the romance!
3K: How enjoyable of an experience is it to know that the cartoons you have worked on are enjoyed not only in your native France, but in many other countries around the globe?
TA: I’m very happy to be able to share our culture with the rest of the world, and hopefully that people get to love France a little bit more. I’m also very happy to see that Miraculous bring people together, no matter the nationality or the age. That’s all an artist can hope for.
3K: How has the success of the show and its increasing fanbase impacted your life, if any?
TA: Well, it’s like Christmas comes on a daily basis, now. I receive a lot of mails and packages from fans. I apologize for not being able to answer to each and every one of them. I can’t thank them enough. These last years were exhausting. Their love and support really helped then, and still helps now.
3K: Do you think that French animation has become a bit of a stronger force in the animation world in the past few years?
TA: I think so. We started to build an animation industry at the end of the eighties, decades after US and Japan. And now we are the 3rd biggest country for animation. But we still lack of visibility. When people watch our shows, it's difficult for them to guess where it comes from. Partially because we don’t have distinctive style, like japanese animation, or big motion pictures powerhouses owning big properties like America has. But mostly because unlike US and Japan, our animation industry is not used to create synergies with video games, comics and merchandising. But we will improve. We can count on our strengths: we have great schools, great artists (big up to the Miraculous team!) and we are at the crossroad of many cultures.
3K: What are your opinions on the current quality of animation (both western and eastern)?
TA: We’re very lucky to have so much quality animation these days, wherever it comes from. My only concern is for japanese industry who reached a point where it needs to open up internationally but seems struggle with this. I hope they’ll succeed.
3K: Favorite part of the fanbase?
TA: They can be writers, artists, cosplayers, musicians, or fans who simply enjoy the show, I love them all. They are so nice and always spread positivity. They really captured the essence of the show.
3K: As a database referencing internet culture, we would like to ask you this: what do you think of the trends that have spawned from your show and from yourself such as the phrase "No spoiler" or the original characters that the fans are making, both hero and villain?
TA: Is Miraculous “trendy”? I don’t realize. All I can say is that Miraculous seems to get a life on its own outside the show, which is great, because it means it has made its way to people's heart.
3K: Do you have any tips for aspiring animators in the world?
TA: Two things. First: storytelling above all. Second: you don't work for yourself but for the others.
3K: Do you have anything you want to add to the readers at Know Your Meme?
TA: “Try and be nice to people, avoid eating fat, read a good book every now and then, get some walking in, and try and live together in peace and harmony with people of all creeds and nations.” Big up to those who guess where this quotation comes from, and bigger up to those who live by it. Love!
Search Interest
External References
[1] Twitter – Thomas Astruc
[2] Crunchyroll – VIDEO: Toei Animation and French Company ZAGToon Collaborate on 'Lady Bug'
[3] IMDb – Miraculous Ladybug
[4] Common Sense Media – Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
[5] Facebook – Miraculous
[6] Twitter – @BeMiraculousLB
[7] Reddit – /r/miraculousladybug
[8] Miraculous Ladybug Wiki – Main page
[9] deviantART – Search for miraculous ladybug
[10] Tumblr – Search for miraculous ladybug
[11] Tumblr – Tagged as miraculous ladybug
[12] Google Docs – Miraculous – French Kit Translated
[13] Tumblr – Most Reblogged Animated TV
[14] Twitter – Thomas Astruc
[15] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – TV SHOWS – Week Ending September 28th, 2015
[16] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – TV SHOWS – Week Ending May 2nd, 2016
[17] Instagram – @jeremy_zag Miraculous Ladybug working session at Toei Animation Japan
[18] Fanfiction.net – Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir Fanfiction Archive
[19] ArchiveOfOurOwn – Miraculous Ladybug – Works
[20] ShowBuzzDaily – UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Sunday Cable Originals & Network Update: 12.6.2015
[21] Variety – ‘Little Prince’ Takes Soumache and Rassam’s ON to Another Level
[22] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – Resume
[23] Tumblr – Search for miracusona
[24] Tumblr – Search for akumasona
[25] Miraculous Ladybug Fanon Wiki – Main Page
[26] Instagram – @jeremy_zag season 2 and 3 in progress
[27] Internet Archive – Lady Bug Japanese version
[28] Los Angeles Times – 'Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir,' a French turn on teenage superheroes
[29] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – TV Shows – Week Ending March 14th, 2016
[30] Miraculous Ladybug Wiki – The Mini Menace Ladybug
[31] Youtube – Miraculous Ladybug
[32] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – 2016’s Top TV Shows
[33] Tumblr (via Wayback Machine) – 2016’s Top Ships
[34] Twitter – Thomas Astruc
[35] Twitter – @Ladybug_Cartoon
[36] Zag Inc. (via Wayback Machine) – Release Dates
[37] Periscope – rosiesinner
[38] Licensing.biz (via Wayback Machine) – How is Zag America redefining the children's entertainment market with Zak Storm?
[39] Entertainment Weekly – Cruel Intentions, Jessica Jones, Ghostbusters and more coming to Netflix in March
[40] Twitter – @BeMiraculousLB
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Top Comments
Z. Moderator
Dec 26, 2015 at 03:36PM EST
Nanalan is the source of all evil
Dec 27, 2015 at 08:33AM EST in reply to