“Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” has captured the hearts of superhero-loving kids and teens alike since its debut in 2015. The show follows the lives of two French teenagers: Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a clumsy, fashion-loving girl, and her supermodel crush Adrien Agreste.

While on the surface they seem like your run-of-the-mill 14-year-olds, they have been tasked with an otherworldly responsibility: to be Paris’s very own superheroes. They’ve each been gifted a “miraculous,” small jewelry (which also happens to include tiny, divine beings when put on) that allow them to transform into their superhero personas: Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Marinette and Adrien, though, have no idea about each other’s identities, which makes for a very interesting plot-line. Marinette, who is in love with Adrien, has no clue that her love is not actually unrequited: both Adrien and his superhero alter-egos are madly in love with Ladybug, and, loyal to the irony of the show, he has no idea that his love is not unrequited either.

Also, the villain they’ve been burdened with fighting—Hawk Moth—juuuust so happens to be Adrien’s father.

The premise of the show is so multifaceted that it can easily appeal to a wide variety of audiences. It contains diverse characters, colorful costumes, and at times, discusses some deep and emotional topics. It’s both relatable and entertaining, and within the last couple of years, has become especially popular among those in the older teenage group. However, that growth in popularity is accompanied by a growth in criticism, which challenges the very foundation of the show: the plotlines.

A large portion of that audience has been discontented with the various plot holes in the show. One not-so-major (and, honestly, quite silly) example is the fact that the superheroes are never really questioned when they are gone for extended periods of time. No matter if they’re in class, at home, out with friends, or simply in the middle of a conversation, everybody just tends to accept their unexplained absences, which just so happens to be in sync with the appearance of Paris’s heroes.

There’s also been prominent discourse among other things, their age being one (who knew 14-year-olds could be such good crime-fighters?), and another being the incredibly repetitive, formulaic nature of the show in its entirety. Every episode includes the same premise: Marinette’s awkward crush on Adrien causing problems, Adrien’s distant, cold father either canceling on him or serving him with a cruel, undeserved punishment, somebody on the outside reacting negatively to some consequence of either of these situations, and Hawkmoth ‘akumatizing’ them (turning them into supervillains).

In the midst of the discourse, though, there have been two college students that have decided to take matters into their own hands.

Momo and Mipan, the artist and writer duo that go by Breaking The Page on Instagram, have decided to take the initiative and recreate the series to include the opinions and preferences of the fanbase. The project has been in progress for the last couple months, but on Sept. 8, their first official episode was uploaded.

I was able to get an interview with Momo, the artist of the project, to ask a few questions about the process. Here are the questions and responses, as follows:
Q: What made you decide to start this project?

A: “Honestly, Mipan and I have kind of wanted to do this project ever since she convinced me to watch it six years ago. I’m a huge fan of magical adventures and good storytelling, and the show had… one of the two. So, mostly, I didn’t like it, until this project started this summer. I found I finally had the time to start writing, just for fun. We had no idea the rewrite would blow up as much as it did. As soon as we saw the overwhelmingly positive response and how many people wanted to see this, we immediately went all in and worked to make this the best it can be, for everyone!”

Q: How long do you intend to make the comic? Will you replicate every season?

A: “We made the timeline very loosely based on the real show, but kind of condensing and changing a lot of things. So the main story—AKA the Hawkmoth arc—will last four seasons instead of five, though we will have plans for a fifth season!”Q: Do you have any other artists/writers collaborating with you, other than just the original duo?A: “Besides a few volunteer Parisians for culture checking and translators, it’s just Mipan and I! And, no matter how big we think this project may get, I think we’ll just keep it to just the two of us. This is a passion project for the both of us, and we’d like to keep it as true to our ideal story as possible.”
Q: What are you most excited about in regards to recreating the series?A: “Honestly, I’m most excited for when different character arcs start crossing over and we get into the real bulk of the rewrite. I’m a huge writing nerd and a fan of character-based plots, so I can’t wait to show Miraculous fans what we can do!”

Q: What is your favorite part about the original show? Least favorite?A: “Personally, my favorite part of the show was how many upgrades/costume designs there were. As bad as the story/action could be at times, I’m a sucker for magical transformations and power-ups.”

“Least favorite part…can I say all of the writing and characters? There’s so much potential for likable, dynamic characters, and it’s just…not there. If I had to pick a scene, though, I think I’d have to say the entire season five finale.”

Q: Have you had any difficulties while working on this project?A: “Honestly, I’d say my biggest difficulty is just managing my time. I’ve had no problem writing; it’s just this story has a life of its own! It’s just hard finding ways to fit this into my life. I’ve never been good with planning ahead, so as the episodes get bigger, I’ll have to actually do things ahead of time.”

So far, the group has done an excellent job portraying the Miraculous plotline—it’s well-written, makes sense, and they have re-created the characters to match exactly what the fandom has been wanting for the last few years. I, myself, am tremendously excited to see what this dynamic duo has in store for the future.