Antibug (Miraculous Ladybug) – Overly Animated Podcast #148
By: Dylan Hysen
Dylan Hysen and Delaney Stovall discuss episode 17 of Miraculous Ladybug, “Antibug”.
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Dylan Hysen
Dylan is a software developer from the DC area who hosts the Overly Animated podcast discussing everything animation.
I agree that with both Max and Marinettes Uncle it doesn’t make sense how they’re recognised(as they didn’t recognise the man in Animan, and Marinette did mention the hat she worked on in mr. Mime), but when you’ve seen a person in an outfit just five minutes before, I don’t think it’s weird if you recognise them again with a reverse colour scheme. Specially since we already know they are capable to notice certain traits (you two seemed to miss that when Jagged Stone thought Chloé was Ladybug, he asked what had happened to her hair), and although I think they’re quite oblivious, I don’t think they’re that oblivious.
About Hawk Moth, I don’t think he is necessary limited as how much power he can give, but by what he powers he gives. As in, I don’t think he can decide what powers someone will get. Everyone gets a power somewhat related to why they’re angry or sad, so I think he can has a close guess to what their powers can be, and then works from there. E.g. Chloés powers come from being hurt by a person she idolises and a person wishes to be (as showed when she tries to pose as her), so the power she gets when under Hawk Moths influence is the (slightly twisted)power of her idol. He couldn’t decide that’s what she would get, so I couldn’t decide that if original Ladybug rules would apply to Chloé as well. I honestly think he might have won by now if he, himself, could decide their powers.
When it comes communication, it seems to be the moment they’re akumatized he’s in their head and can see through their eyes.
(Don’t worry, this doesn’t contain any spoilers. I don’t tell you stuff and theories if you don’t already have all the information for what I currently write.)
This show’s internal logic is so specific.. I think I disagree about seeing her in the same outfit mattering. I think the show argues that the superhero costumes fully disguise the person. We’ve seen people be identified by specific items in the disguise, but Chloe is wearing a different outfit so isn’t it different? Idk either way I think it’s getting into sketchy territory when you say that people can be recognized for looking like their normal counterparts: Mar and Adrien are so obvious in that regard.
Yeah I can kind of buy that Hawk Moth can’t control the powers. I mean, it makes no sense, a person’s emotional state determining the powers, but I can buy it on a thematic level and the show has been pretty consistent with it. A better question that this episode raises and we brought up in the podcast, is why can’t Hawk Moth just send out so many more akoumas? There have got to me way more people in Paris than this with emotional distress at some point in their day.
I still, personally, think it makes sense, because her whole outfit, mainly her mask, is then the “item”, and our heroes have both been confirmed on how she looks like wearing it before she was akumatized.
And yeah, being recognized for looking like their normal counterpart might be sketchy territory, but it is a fact within the story as it’s already been done before with both Nino and Stormy Weather. How consistent it is and if any of that actually makes sense at all (in some weird way or another) is an important thing to discuss, but again, I still think the recognition of Chloe is the one that is the most believable (of the five I mentioned from both this and the last comment).
I think the Hawk Moth discussion should be continued when you’ve seen everything. I really do believe it is quite an interesting discussion, but I also don’t know how much I more I can write without spoiling anything, and that’s no fun for you.