I was gonna edit my long post (link below) full of all things episode nine: reaction, analysis, details, but I decided that there’s enough on there already so this gets its own post
The artistic side of the episode
Apparently the creators wanted people to pay attention to animation, and while DQ is DQ, what I found interesting was the juxtaposition between Marinette’s house and Adrien’s house, or rather Marinette’s daily life outside of school vs Adrien’s.
Room 33 is covered in loud art in all sorts of vibrant colors, and it has huge windows to let in the sun. Marinette’s room is all pink and homey. Both are covered in creative projects and pieces of self-expression. Marinette’s friends are also brightly colored, all dressed in their own candy-colored styles and congregated close together. They emanate support, warmth, and positivity.
Even in the evening, after Marinette loses connection with them, they’re worriedly clustered in the corner of her room, waiting for her to come home safe. At first Alix tried to reassure everyone that she’ll be fine, but as time passes they aren’t so sure anymore. The colors are muted here to represent their concern. This part passes so quickly, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that nobody’s talking about it, but it was so cute. They care about her sm.
On the other hand, Adrien’s life is the polar opposite. Everything is black and white with the occasional red accent, and the rooms are so spacious that everyone feels far apart. All of Gabriel’s guests wear black and hide their faces, and even Adrien’s family and friends don’t introduce anything more than an extra primary color.
Everything is so manufactured and performative, from the pretentious high society “clubbing” to the actual interactions between Adrien’s family and Gabriel’s inner circle. Even the creative work, Gabriel’s designs, feel uninspired and robotic.
Even tonally and plot-wise, the Marinette and Friends part of the episode was filled to the brim with comic relief as everyone played off each other while the Agreste part was pure serious lore, dark in tone, making the finer details of Adrien’s environment feel foreign.
What this episode shows us visually is how Marinette’s typical after-school life is full of warmth, vividness, and trust while Adrien’s is a dull and cold reality where everyone around him is hiding something behind a literal or metaphorical mask.