YMMV / Miraculous Ladybug S04E02 "Lies"

• Alternative Character Interpretation: Was Kagami's reaction to Adrien goofing around an example of her not knowing the real him? Or was she trying to reassure him that he didn't need to put on any sort of mask around her — whether it be his perfect model persona or the clownish repression of his true feelings as Cat Noir?
• Harsher in Hindsight: Kagami can already come across as Unintentionally Sympathetic on a first viewing, but after watching "Kuro Neko" Adrien's apparent reason for becoming disillusioned and distant with her (namely, that she doesn't seem to understand or accept the "real him" when she dismisses his goofy Cat Noir pose as "being silly") can be even harder to watch since Plagg eventually tells Adrien that neither his perfect model nor his Cat Noir are his "true self," but different expressions of his real personality, making her heartbreak this episode feel even less warranted than on first airing.
• I Knew It!: Many fans suspected that this episode would focus on Adrien and Kagami breaking up like "Truth" did with Marinette and Luka. They were right.
• Memetic Mutation: Adrien's blunt response in the English Dub when Kagami asks him if he loves her. The way the, "Excuse me?" line was delivered has made the scene possibly unintentionally funny, and now people are using said audio for Reels and Tiktoks on Social Media.
• Strawman Has a Point: Kagami is framed as not accepting Adrien's "true self" when she dismisses his cat pose as being silly, and as a Control Freak when she presses his back against the wall and proclaims that this is his true self. However... she's not wrong. Adrien really does feel backed into a wall due to his father's tightly controlling his life, and in "Kuro Neko" Adrien and Plagg discuss how neither Adrien's perfect model nor his goofy Cat Noir persona are his "true self," but different expressions of the same person. Though she's framed as in the wrong this episode, she's really not far off the mark.
• Tear Jerker: The fallout between Kagami and Adrien. The poor girl is about to cry in the end.
• Unintentionally Sympathetic: Kagami is supposed to be seen as a Control Freak girlfriend who can't understand Adrien and is unable to see his "true self". Even putting aside the potential interpretations of her reaction to Adrien clowning around, the fact that she's completely unaware that her boyfriend is still pining after Ladybug made plenty of fans sympathize with her instead.
• Unintentionally Unsympathetic: We're meant to sympathize with Adrien because Kagami ends up breaking up with him since he can't explain his constant disappearances to her. However, he's shown to still be pining after Ladybug even while dating Kagami, even looking forward to future akuma attacks so he can see the heroine (to the point that his interactions with Mr. Ramier come off as him encouraging the man to get akumatized). It especially contrasts with Marinette's actions in "Truth"; she was genuinely upset about missing her dates with Luka, while Adrien seemed happy to ditch Kagami for Ladybug. The fact that he completely ignored Kagami after the battle is not helping.

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