***Spoilers for Miraculous Tales Of Ladybug And Cat Noir up until season 5***

Some would say that I have a borderline unhealthy obsession with kids shows. To them I would simply say: “Are you happy with the way the world is?” Because here’s the thing, the older I get, the more it becomes abundantly clear to me that the world is crap and happiness is something that takes way too much effort to maintain. And when I’m tired of the real world, sometimes I just want to get lost in a kids show. Where, even when the stakes are high, I know it’s all going to work out in the end. And I don’t have to deal with everyday problems, just the fantastical.

And obviously, as a burnt out adult, I like finding like-minded people. (And it turns out, I attract people who are exactly like me). And I basically got one of my friends, who also has a tendency to hyperfixate on fiction to spend an entire day, binge watching Miraculous Ladybug with me. And I did this after finding out that he hadn’t even finished watching the season 4 finale of Miraculous Ladybug and that was a travesty.

And you know what I realised as I went through season 5 of Miraculous Ladybug? This feels like a completely different show from seasons 1-3.

Seasons 1 – 3

Disclaimer: I don’t think Miraculous Ladybug is badly written. I actually find it incredibly entertaining and I think that considering it’s an episode kids show, it’s actually incredibly well done.

Season 1 did a great job of establishing the world. We got an origin story for how Ladybug and Cat Noir got their powers and we saw their daily life in a city that is terrorised by a grown man preying on the vulnerable. So far, I didn’t really expect any big revelations because the writers are just testing the waters to see if anyone is even interested in the show.

Season 2 added some variety but mostly stayed the same. We had a few new superheroes and some character development. But for the most part, this is an episodic kids show. Each problem is solved by the end of the episode and doesn’t really cross over to the next.

Season 3 is where shit started to go down. The stakes got a bit higher with Ladybug needing to depend on more and more superheroes. We learned a bit more about Marinette and Adrien’s family history. We had some really good lore episodes. And the season 3 finale brought on actual consequences for Marinette’s mistakes. Master Fu lost his memory and Marinette was forced to take on the responsibility of keeping Paris safe and making all of the decisions herself.

Season 4

Season 4 is when we first started really understanding that the writers aren’t playing around. From the first two episodes, there were major consequences for Marinette and Adrien’s actions. Due to their double lives as superheroes, they were unable to have healthy relationships and therefore caused their significant others to be accumatised. Marinette was left feeling that so long as she is Ladybug, she could never have a boyfriend and could never truly be honest with anyone. Adrien almost cost himself one of his closest friends when his relationship ended. And he felt that he couldn’t truly be himself around his own loved ones.

Unlike in previous seasons, this conflict remained throughout the season. The result of her feelings of isolation led to Marinette’s entire friend group being accumatised in the third episode. There are actual consequences now that last beyond the single episode. We also got to see how vulnerable Master Fu is now that he has renounced the Miracle box.

We get some new characters and learn more about their backgrounds. There’s also more obvious hints that things aren’t as great as the characters would want you to think. Even Rose and Juleka’s seemingly perfect relationship has its cracks. Not to mention the fact that Marinette is still deeply traumatised over the events of Cat Blanc (an episode many fans had assumed was a mere what if episode without any true impact on the story). We start to really understand just how wrong it was for Master Fu to give the responsibility of protecting Paris to teenagers. Ladybug is on the verge of a mental breakdown at almost every step of the way. And Cat Noir cannot put aside his need for Ladybug’s validation even in the midst of akuma attacks (I’m not criticising him, he’s a child, of course he wants his crush’s attention and to feel valued).

And the most major changes in status quo of all? Alya knows Ladybug’s identity and Luka knows both Ladybug and Cat Noir’s identities. This does not bode well for the future. We know they’re both incredibly trustworthy but they’re also known miraculous holders and Gabriel has no compunction against hurting literal children.

We also see plot progression for side characters. We witness how traumatising it is for Luka and Juleka to suddenly have their deadbeat father show back up. How much of a strain it puts on their mother to see her terrible ex attempt to bulldoze through her life.

We get another What If episode but this time, one that shows the consequences of Gabriel winning. We also see how much of a toll Ladybug’s disconnection has on Cat Noir. He isn’t willing to just brush off her slights, he’s actually been pushed to the brink of relinquishing his miraculous.

And to top it all off, Felix (the only character in this show who has all of his brain cells) is added to the mix. Not only does he know Shadow Moth’s identity but he is also a force for chaos. In the span of 40 minutes, he is able to defeat Ladybug and Cat Noir and take all of the miraculous. We can be sure now that he was kept out of the show for so long because with him there, there would be no episodes to watch.

Suddenly, Miraculous is no longer a light hearted kids show. There are actual consequences for the mistakes each character makes. And Ladybug is progressively becoming more and more traumatised until she is pushed into a panic attack. She is way too young to be handling all of this responsibility but she has absolutely no choice. None of them have a choice.

And best of all, the love square reverses and the status quo is fully turned on its head.

Season 5

Now granted, not all of the episodes in this season are out yet. But the dozen that are currently out have already blown my mind. I don’t think I can even handle this level of drama from this show. The stakes are higher than they have ever been. No longer is this a show where Ladybug can simply fix everything with her lucky charm at the end of the episode. Now, the conflicts are a matter of life or death.

And contrary to what some may have you believe, there will be no cheap reversals. Everything from Gabriel Agreste being cataclysmed to all of the love-square kisses are happening, being remembered and having an impact on the plot. And the love-square is finally moving forward. Sure, in order for Adrienette to happen, they had to kill off Ladynoir and Marichat but that’s the price we pay. It wasn’t feasible for them to be together (without a reveal) as their superhero counterparts so I’m almost glad that Cat Noir broke Marinette’s heart. That’s what she needed to return Adrien’s affections.

I’m also absolutely loving the new information we’re getting about how the peacock and butterfly miraculous came to be in Gabriel’s possession. It’s looking like Gabriel, Amelie, Emelie, Nathalie and Tomoe were all connected in the hunt for the miraculous. And it also looks like Adrien, Felix and Kagami are all senti monsters.

And if the bad guys don’t win, both Gabriel and Nathalie may actually die, leaving Adrien an orphan. And while we despise Gabriel Agreste, we don’t want Adrien to lose yet another parent. Yes, I know that Gabriel is the worst parent in the show but Adrien loves him. I just think we need to find a way to save them both and then lock Gabriel up for life (with visitations from his son).

I’m also really starting to feel for Kagami. She’s spent most of her life in isolation and is now having to support her ex boyfriend getting with her best friend. Not just that, she’s being exploited by the most soulless character in the show: Lila Rossi. I just want her to be given a loving partner, I literally don’t even care who it is at this point (though I’m hoping it’s Luka). She doesn’t deserve to suffer like this.

And I’m sorry to say this but I LOVE Felix as a villain. He is truly chaotic neutral. Sure, it’s bad that he wiped everyone out but can we truly expect a senti monster who believes humanity is evil to have well-adjusted morals? I love that he genuinely only loves his cousin and Kagami and will remake the world to make them happy. Those two deserve to be prioritised for once. And while Felix shouldn’t be wiping out all of humanity, he’s learning.

I’m also starting to have an issue with Marinette’s friends. They are way too invested in her relationship with Adrien. It’s not healthy at all. They basically enabled all of her stalkery tendencies and the moment she sets boundaries or tries to do the right thing, they get in her way. It’s ridiculous. And Alya needs to be fired from her wing-woman duties. She basically attempted to force an Adrienette kiss and that’s gross. Though, on the flip side, Kagami’s slowly becoming my favourite character. Truly, she is the only sane character in the show and Marinette and Adrien should really take her advice more often.

I’m also absolutely loving the fact that all the dumb characters are being roasted to a crisp. Marinette is being called out on her bullshit by not just Tikki and Alya but also Joan of Arc (of all people). Adrien is being roasted by Plagg. And Gabriel is getting roasted by everyone (including Nino)! It’s also incredibly satisfying to watch Gabriel getting his arse kicked by the women in his life.

Final Thoughts

Overall, I am loving the direction the show is going in. Yes, it does read a little like fan fiction but that’s only because they’re utilising incredibly popular tropes. And to be honest, it’s really working out for the show. It turns out, we do want cheap, overused tropes in this show. And we really do want this show to slowly turn into an anime. We want entertainment! We want to forget our shitty lives! But most of all, we want Gabriel Agreste, Tomoe Tsurugi and Lila Rossi to all dive into the sun.

If you want to hear about how I think Kagami is a senti-monster and her mother is the one who funded the hunt for the miraculous, please let me know. I love obsessing over kids shows.