Have you ever noticed differences and similarities between Marinette and Ladybug? Small things that they do that makes them each their own person. Whether you have noticed or not, they're there. To be clear, it's not apples and oranges, more like apples and pears--similar, yet different. So, let's forget that Marinette and Ladybug are the same person and find out what I'm talking about. Warning: I will be talking about the episodes Stormy Weather, Dark Cupid, and Dark Blade. So, spoiler alert. First, let's talk about the similarities. I'm going to be honest, I wasn't expecting to find so many, but I'm happy to say I was wrong, like Marinette and Ladybug both have a good sense of justice. Ladybug's sense of justice is kind of obvious, she wants to save Paris from a man who manipulates sad, angry, and/or bitter people for his own personal gain. Although, Marinette's sense is more on a smaller scale, like stopping the mean girl from manipulating her classmates. Comparatively, it's small potatoes. Another similarity is that they will always put the city first, whether it's forcing herself to kiss Chat Noir or sacrificing a photo shoot with Adrien. It's so easy for Marinette to say, "One photo, that's it!" or Ladybug, "Meh, maybe I can get someone else to kiss him." But they don't, they care about the city too much to be reckless like that. The third similarity is their actions upon pure instinct. I'll be blunt, I'm very surprised on how instinctive and resourceful Marinette is. I thought this was only a Ladybug quality, but they like to prove me wrong. Whether it's taking lead in Dark Blade when the literal mayor was scared our of his mind or coming up with a handy dandy speech. These two girls have a lot tricks up their sleeves. So, the differences is what makes or breaks the preference of a character. Now, I can mention all the small potatoes that I want, but to be frank, it all boils down to the same problem. Marinette simply doesn't have the same confidence as Ladybug, especially with Adrien. When Ladybug puts on that mask, she transforms into a woman with no distractions (most of the time) and is sure that she will win the fight. Marinette seems to gain this confidence when in danger, like in Dark Blade. Yes, Ladybug gets distracted by Adrien at times, but she knows she has to put the city first and tries to treat him as a civilian. But when Marinette tries to get close to him, her confidence quickly melts, and then the stuttering. In my opinion, I prefer Ladybug over Marinette. The confidence that Ladybug portrays is why she's a hero, and if she didn't have it, we would always have Lady-Klutz. This doesn't mean that Marinette isn't a good character or she isn't entertaining, she's a hero in her own sense. But if you'd tied me down and asked who do I prefer, I'd say Ladybug.
Just Saying, -Jane