In Defense of Sabrina Raincomprix.
Miraculous Ladybug is something that has so many layers to the point it’s discourse can move beyond the main characters. Numerous people within this series have great complexity to them, which lead to my irritation with certain side plots. I tend to notice things as I engage with the world of the program. What I picked up on with one of its antagonists, Sabrina Raincomprix, has led me to have sympathy for someone we aren’t supposed to be rooting for; her unsettling arc is to blame.
While I will admit I hated girls like Sabrina, I can own up to why I’m so frustrated with the writing she gets: because I was a Sabrina as well during my childhood. While I was not popular, nor was I friends with people whose parents had money and power, I did treat people terribly because my friend didn’t like them. I had friends treat me like the scum between their toes and they continued to do so because I would not stand up for myself. I was afraid of being seen as a friendless loser because I did not want to leave the toxic friendships I was in.
As much as I do not like how at this point in the series Sabrina still worships Chloe, I will admit that I understand why the production made this choice with their work. Plenty of people, not just teenagers, are friends with people who are awful to them and can not find the strength to leave the ones who are hurting them. There are those who eventually are able to stand up to their bully of a friend, but others are not that fortunate. Individuals either grow away from the person, or they become just as bad as them. I have had to get rid of people in my life because they became too nasty because of them copying the person they were going out of their way to please.
Life imitates art. When you put aside the goofy nature of Miraculous Ladybug, it’s bit of a sloppy a coming of age story. Nearly everyone in this series has made bad decisions, but that’s realistic. Tales about perfect people are boring and there’s only so much wholesome content I can consume before I want some drama. I’ll take Janine Teagues from Abbott Elementary for example. I enjoy her character but I can’t help but get frustrated with her errors she causes because she acts as if she knows everything. If Janine did not mess up in every episode so far of the series, it would be a drag to get through. While Sabrina’s arc with her trying to please Chloe may be frustrating, it’s far from stale.
I hope people who are like Sabrina Raincomprix build up the courage to drop those who have a negative influence on them. I have also accepted the fact that these people got so corrupted, there is little hope of them becoming a nice person again, or ever.
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