How does the French dub differ from how the eng dub tones down the affection between ladynoir?
lol I actually had a few examples of this in my notes already bc I was switching between Eng and French while the rewatching earlier seasons to compare the script
In Stormy Weather/Climatika, after Chat Noir was sent flying and Ladybug helped him up and said “I thought cats always landed on their feet.” (the iconic hand kiss scene):
In English he says "Thanks, Miladybug, but I had it covered." [Kisses her hand]
In French he says "It was on purpose, my Lady, for the pleasure of meeting you again." [Kisses her hand]
Bro the second one is so much cuter like there’s no comparison
(Another minor thing from this ep is when Climatika says there’s going to be an endless Winter, in English Chat Noir says “but I look so good in a swimsuit” while in French he says “but I look super hot in a swimsuit” Lmao the english dub just really likes to censor our boy)
In Dark Cupid/Dislocoeur, when Chat Noir throws the akumatized pin to Ladybug:
In English he says “Happy Valentine’s Day”
In French he says “Happy Valentine’s Day, beautiful”
(He actually calls her the term of endearment “ma belle” which literally means “my beautiful.” I know it’s not as common to say “my beautiful” in English so it could also be taken as just “beautiful” or “gorgeous” etc.)
The way he says “Joyeuse Saint-Valentin, ma belle” is literally so much cuter than the English dub version of the line
This isn't necessarily related to flirting/affection, but in Copycat/L'Imposteur, when Chat Noir is leaving the art studio at the very end:
In English he says "Better help the fellow out. His crush just got crushed!" [walks away from Ladybug] "...That makes two of us."
In French it goes "You better help him. You just broke his heart after all!" [Walks away from Ladybug] "...Not just his, by the way."
dude I really couldn't take the English version that seriously but the French version sounded so much sadder & carried more weight
In Puppeteer/La Marionnettiste, after Chat Noir says “Don’t let her turn me in to a puppet!”:
In English he says “You know I like to be in command~”
In French he says “Only your wishes are my commands~″
smh this simp erasure
In Guitar Villain, when Ladybug is riding the dragon:
In English Chat Noir says "Nice job."
In French he says smth that doesn’t translate directly but was basically like "You're awesome..."
The delivery of the French version of the line just has him sounding so much softer & unabashedly in awe of his Lady
In Prime Queen/Audimatrix when Chat Noir says “I know how we can prove our feelings” and tries to go in for the kiss:
In English Ladybug says “Not a chance, kitty.” and when he tries again in the freezer she says “Still not a chance, Cat Noir.”
In French Ladybug says “Now is not the time, my kitty.” and when he tries again in the freezer she says “it’s still not the right time, my kitty.”
Smh why would you even change this?? Like it completely changes the meaning and just feeds in to the false idea that Chat Noir is “pushy”/harassing Ladybug against her wishes when her ACTUAL annoyance with him was that he’d flirt at the “wrong time” i.e. literally in the middle of a battle. Also it’s just soooo much sweeter whenever she calls him “mon Chaton” compared to just “kitty” in English
In Frighteningale/Rossignoble, when they’re speaking in rhymes and Ladybug asks Chat Noir for a “dance”:
In English Chat Noir calls Ladybug “Miladybug”
In French for the same line Chat Noir calls Ladybug “Lady of my heart”
Bro????? “Lady du mon coeur” is so fucking sweet there’s literally no contest here
tl;dr: imo the French dub is more romantic, not bc of the stereotype of the language itself being romantic but because their lines are actually blatantly more affectionate/emotional, imo the French version makes Chat Noir sound more unabashedly affectionate whereas the English dub slightly tries to keep him sounding like a Cool Guy(TM)/tones down their flirting/also generally makes the script a lot more "childish" to really push that whole “this show is for 7 yr olds” vibe (lmao @ "darken their heart" vs "evilize them" and "I free you from evil!" vs. "tIMe tO dE-EviLIzE")
