Symbolism of sunsets in Miraculous Ladybug A thread:

You’ve already seen my thread on the symbolism of the moon in Miraculous but let’s analyse the symbolism of its complementary force of nature- the sun.

The Sun in literature depicts pure happiness and bliss. In the context of relationships, the sun symbolises a happy love life, passion and positivity which is evident in MLB but what about the deeper and sometimes DARKER meanings behind it?

Compared to the amount of moon scenes in the show, there are only a few sunset scenes in Miraculous which is disappointing nonetheless I’m always in awe of them

Examples:

- Ice cream scene in Glaciator

- Ladynoir scene (ending of Cat Blanc)

- Adrienette plane scene (New York)

Apart from the ice cream scene in Glaciator (which is very overlooked) these sunset scenes portray an explicit message regarding Adrienette and Ladynoir’s relationship development. A sunset represents romance but also, change, beginning of darkness and transformation.

We know the Moon represents one’s hidden emotions and the subconscious mind, offering us the ability to express our feelings and in the case of Miraculous Ladybug, the feelings the characters are *not aware* they have.

The moon is Yin and the Sun is Yang. The Sun represents light, life and warmth on an emotional level and grants a person the ability to express their feelings towards a loved one but instead of it being from the subconscious mind, the person is *fully aware* of their feelings.

The Ice cream scene is a little bit different. As mentioned before, the sun depicts a change or some sort transformation. In this scene, Andre hands Marinette the ice cream and reassures her that “her love with materialise.”

I’d argue that the episode Glaciator was the beginning of the shift/ CHANGE in Ladynoir’s relationship, in other words, feelings were expressed and they became more than a superhero team: they became partners; their bond was strengthened.

When Andre says her love will materialise, he meant every word unbeknownst to him. He was implying that Cat Noir is Marinette’s true love- the one she trusts with her life, the one she can be vulnerable around knowing he’ll always be there to catch her over and over again.

This example is my favourite. In this scene, the two admire the sunset as Adrien delivers a heartfelt message to Marinette. He says "The only reason I can enjoy this beautiful sunset is you. You’re always willing to take a chance on something or someone even when no one else is."

Why is this so significant? Well the sunset is said to offer the ability to appreciate life’s gifts: just like the moon, it allows one to show gratitude. Adrien’s greatest gift was meeting Marinette, which is why he easily tells her of her best qualities.

His feelings are very much the OPPOSITE of feelings buried within the *subconscious mind*, in other words, he is very much aware of how much he admires Marinette and he has no trouble expressing this.

Now the ending scene of Cat Blanc. I left the deepest one for last Here Cat Noir says “hey bugaboo. So what was that sudden call for?” to which ladybug responds “I did it” and rests her head on his shoulder in a loving manner.

Cat Blanc was a traumatising episode suffice to say, with its deeper messages still yet to be uncovered. To put it to you: Ladybug faced her worst nightmare: Ladybug faced the person she’d last expect to fight- her partner Cat Noir akumatised into Cat Blanc.

This was the episode where it really dawned on her how much she values her friend, and how she can’t imagine a world where he is evil. Notice the ending scene where Cat Noir asks “what was that sudden call for?” emphasis on the word ‘sudden’

This implies that LB desperately needed to see him- after facing her worst nightmare, she needed to feel close to him and she does not even try to hide it. She smiles and responds “I did it” which sparks confusion though the two sit together on the rooftop admiring the sunset.

Why is this significant? Two reasons: romance but sadly beginning of darkness and ANOTHER change. This sunset scene was very romantic and it represented Ladynoir’s bond strengthening. They could literally sit in silence and enjoy each other’s company.

Now for the darker implications. Obviously when the sun sets, the moon makes its appearance... darkness in other words. This darkness is embodied by the fact that Ladybug knows that somewhere along another time stream, Cat Noir became Cat Blanc++

++ thus inadvertently triggering the end of the world and causing an imbalance in both the universe and Yin and Yang. That’s her dark secret she’s keeping which caused another shift/ change in their relationship.

Subconsciously, Ladybug could be repressing her feelings for Cat Noir, afraid that their romance could destroy the world probably why in the episode Heart Hunter Ladybug states “I can’t be in love with you” ... CAN’T as if something is stopping her from falling in love with him.

We’ve seen the S4 trailer and it’s a LOT to take in. I hope we get more sunset scenes. Imagine how powerful it’d be if Adrien (whether superhero identity or civilian form) is just reassuring or comforting Marinette/ LB especially as she is going to go through a hard season.

After all, Marinette is the moon and Adrien is her sun- he isn’t called sunshine boy for no reason. Perhaps he can shed some light and remind her of who she is, helping her to pick herself back up.

End of thread <3

Check out my moon thread if you haven’t already xoxo https://twitter.com/thecartoonhots1/status/1367627807271096320