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Why I Love Ghost *Unmarked Spoilers*
...I couldn't come up with a better title...
Hey look, another one of these from me. Only this time, instead of just farting out random thoughts on everybody's favorite Rider show, I'm going to be defending what seems to be in the running for everybody's least favorite Rider show. By farting out random thoughts on it. So not that different really. Kamen Rider Ghost is a show that, as far as I can tell, really polarizes people. There are plenty of people who like it but a lot of the people who don't like it REALLY don't like it, which I find unfortunate. There are a lot of things about Ghost that seemed to just not click with some people on a fundamental level, and plenty of flaws that turned people off, but I have a hard time understanding how a show with as much going for it as Ghost could get so frequently lumped in with the bottom tier of Rider shows. If you honestly thought Ghost was worse than Kiva, you're probably forgetting just how bad Kiva was. I'd argue Ghost is pretty up there as far as Rider shows that aren't Blade or Agito go, but even trying to step back and look at it a little more objectively, I simply can't bring myself to call it anything worse than average. For every thing it does wrong, it does at least one other thing right. I'm basically going to discuss the whole show from the ground up in an attempt to call attention to those things, so maybe grab a nice drink if you're planning to actually read all this (thank you, by the way), and be warned, for if you haven't guessed yet, there will be *cough* !UNMARKED SPOILERS! throughout. It's mostly broad stuff until the last part though. If you're even reading this not having watched the show. This is going to have a vaguely similar format to my Gaim thread, except this time everything else is just setup for the end, where I'm going to talk about EVERY SINGLE EPISODE of the show. Yeah... I was working on this on-and-off for a couple months, mostly because I felt strangely inspired to get my thoughts on Ghost nice and organized in writing, and I really had no clue it'd get this big. I've made some long posts before but I will be genuinely surprised and/or horrified if I ever top this one. Feel free to take this in sittings or just Ctrl+F "Onari" (or whatever other characters/episodes/stuff you might be curious about) if you, you know, have a life to get back to. Hopefully this is of interest to someone? I actually waffled a bit on whether or not to actually post this. I mean, it's a little embarrassing that a bit of free time and a show I like way too much produced... all this, but given the rather wide-ranging opinions on Ghost, even just around here, I figured it'd be worth sharing. See you on the other side... -- First up, some broad thoughts on our trio of Riders. I'll talk about their growth and whatnot down below, episode by episode. - Takeru is a character burdened with an unfortunate fate. No, not being a ghost. Being a protagonist who's generally upbeat and nice. In a repeat of something I see happen a lot with Kamen Rider leads, Takeru frequently gets accused of being "boring", "underdeveloped", or more bluntly, a "Mary Sue" (and other such terms). That first one comes down to taste but the second two are flatly untrue. Takeru has a ton of development throughout the show, and if you go back and watch some of the early episodes after seeing the later ones, your mind might be blown by how different he actually is. If I had to sum up his character in a sentence, I'd say he's a normal person who tries to be a generic hero, a seemingly minor but incredibly important distinction. Takeru's growth is so central to the show and its themes that I can't talk about ANY of it here. Expect a lot of what I write below to be about him. - Makoto is easily the least fleshed out of Ghost's Riders, but don't count him out because of that. He's very much a side character at all times, which I think disappointed people coming off of Gaim and Drive, two shows that tended to write their Riders with a lot more independence. Frankly I think this makes for an interesting change of pace compared to guys like Mach or Baron, and as a sidekick, he's top-notch. He may not be in the spotlight much, but he plays an invaluable role in a lot of the Plot, and he very much has an arc and personality of his own. He may not be as compelling as Takeru or Alain, but Makoto really does shine in his own way. Probably the most underrated character in Ghost. - Alain is great. He's so great, people who otherwise hate the show love him. He's so great, nobody minds we've seen his exact arc a million times, including just before with Chase in Drive. I can't think of any greater sign of approval than that, because there's a lot of "been there, done that" stuff in Ghost that absolutely infuriates people (HINT, HINT). Like Takeru, his character development ties directly into a lot of the themes so I'll get to the details later. Basically, it's really good. He has very clear, visible changes that pretty much nobody questions the quality and execution of, and he kind of steals the show from everyone else in a lot of people's minds because of this. And now onto some miscellaneous praise: - Ghost has a very freeform kind of pacing that allows it to tell its stories very naturally. There are a lot of stand-alone episodes, a rarity for Heisei Kamen Rider in general, but there's also a healthy mix of two-parters and larger serialized arcs. Because of this, it's very rare for an episode of Ghost to feel like it just stops abruptly. A lot of the two-parters, for example, actually end their first half on a distinct note of closure, rather than a cliffhanger. I really like this sort of approach for a weekly TV show because it lets each episode feel satisfying on its own, and also as part of a larger story. It's really the best of both worlds, and I would love to see more Kamen Rider shows use this kind of format. - The soundtrack in Ghost is really good. I've always felt the BGM in Kamen Rider is great to begin with but Ghost's still sticks out. There are a lot of great touches to it, like how each of the Riders has their own distinct sound for their various tracks. Ghost was actually the first show in a while not to use insert themes and as much as I'd like to be sad about that, it's probably for the best. Drive could be kind of an auditory nightmare between noisy belts, characters, and singers all trying to talk over one another, and the instrumental stuff in Ghost gives plenty of energy to the fight scenes to begin with. Not to mention the more gentle music that plays during emotional moments. The theme song also gets used in some particularly memorable scenes. All around solid stuff that always sets the mood well. - Speaking of which, We Think, Therefore We Are is a fantastic theme song for Ghost. It's appropriately upbeat and has lyrics that are extremely relevant to the show's message. Even just the title alone tells you everything you need to know about the series. It's a paraphrased Descartes quote so #1 - historical figures, "I" is very pointedly changed to "we" so #2 - friendship, and the phrase itself is used here to mean #3 - live your life to the fullest. Pretty impressive stuff. - Kamen Rider Ghost is one of the most thematically rich television shows I've ever seen. Full stop. No joke. The themes and messages in Ghost are by far its greatest quality, and the things that elevate it way above its own flaws. I didn't even really understand that myself until I started talking about the show with everyone here. It's incredible. The more thought I put into the show, the better it got. I don't even feel I can do it justice with my wannabe English major skills. I'll try my best, but rest assured, I'm going to make it sound more stupid than it actually is throughout this. In short, whereas most Kamen Rider shows pick a single defined theme and have it hang over the show, like "Dreams!", or "Hope!", or "Memories!", or what have you, Ghost has a handful of strong themes that are all inseparably connected together into something even stronger. The only single word that really covers it all is "Life!", which was THE perfect idea for a Kamen Rider show about a dead guy. You may have noticed I've already brought them up a couple times and I'll continue to do so throughout, because they're so central to the series it's impossible not to. At first I wrote Ghost off as being mostly just a fun show but the truth is it has an extraordinary amount of substance to it for a goofy, lighthearted, glorified advertisement for toys. - Ghost has a pretty solid supporting cast. I'm not quite crazy enough to say it's one of the best or anything but I found the characters very endearing. Akari is obviously the standout performer though. I remember being so ready to hate her for having the played out "character in a supernatural story who doesn't believe in the supernatural" shtick going on but not only does she rapidly grow out of that a couple episodes in, she resolves to solve the mysteries of the Ganma using the power of SCIENCE!, and in doing so becomes one of the most actively useful side characters in Kamen Rider history. The other characters are less consistently helpful but since they're also out of the spotlight as a consequence I'm hard-pressed to call this a problem. Shibuya and Narita are mostly sidekicks for Onari to hang out with, and Kanon is more important than she might seem. Once she stops being a MacGuffin she actually plays a huge role in Alain's character arc over the course of about a dozen episodes, making her pretty indispensible to the Plot, even if she gets lumped into the B-team with Shibuya and Narita a lot afterwards. - Onari is fine. No really. He's not the most amazing character ever put to screen but I don't know how he gets the sheer amount of vitriolic hatred I've seen. Whether or not you like him will depend greatly on your sense of humor. Personally I find his antics amusing and I appreciate how Ghost confined its comic relief largely to one (main) character instead of having the entire cast take turns being wacky, which was another nice change of pace from Drive (though both styles have their merits). Even if you don't find him funny, he's not some big detriment to the series. On top of occasionally being the emotional heart of the show (really), he's WAY more helpful than he's given credit for. If I were to rewatch Ghost in full, I think I need to make a list of every time Onari does something useful. It happens more often than you might think. Like his wicked paranormal investigation skills throughout the show. He even made the business cards! I'll mention a couple moments down in the episode thoughts but I swear it's just the tip of the iceberg. I think the fact that he was never properly in the spotlight caused people to overlook a lot of the qualities Onari has and it's real unfortunate because he's, at his absolute worst, no more annoying than any other comic relief clown in Kamen Rider. He even gets his own bullet-point he's so underrated. - The Ganma are pretty good too. As I've briefly touched on, Ghost is all about the human experience, so appropriately its villains are essentially people who deny they're people. A bunch of emotionally repressed weirdos. This manifests a bit differently in each one of them. Javert is a fiercely loyal servant who sees no reason to exist beyond fighting. Igor is a mad scientist who likes to think he's above such illogical concepts as "emotion". Gyro... admittedly just kind of exists to be backup Javert. Adonis actually IS in touch with his heart but because he's still a weirdo ends up sending some mixed messages to his sons. Alain and Adel are just generally empty people who can't understand basic things about being human, but are very convinced of their own superiority nonetheless. Of course Alain eventually grows out of this but Adel is a whole different story I'll get to in a second. The fun thing about the Ganma is that, fitting the idea they're all just people at the end of the day, they're pretty much universally revealed to be less grandly evil than they look. Javert goes on a whole journey of self-discovery, Igor is ultimately just a gigantic dork, Gyro... just sort of goes along with whatever the guy in charge says to begin with, Adonis is a perfectly nice guy when you get down to it, Alain is Alain, and Adel is, well, let's talk about Adel... - Adel is a really good main villain in my opinion. Maybe not one of the greats, but very enjoyable and a perfect fit for the show he's in. He makes a good foil to Alain and a great foil to Takeru. He starts in a similar place to Alain but unlike him has a growing resentment of their father that eventually pushes him to do some crazy s***. From there he becomes pretty much the exact opposite kind of person Takeru is, which the show calls attention to frequently. I feel like it's quite rare for Kamen Rider to have a main antagonist that's as much of an antithesis to the hero as Adel is, and that makes him really cool and unique. Due his nature as the ultimate emotionally repressed weirdo his characterization is subtle enough I think people just plained missed a lot of the small things that make it work. His whole deal is that he wants people to think he's some kind of logical, emotionless being when in reality he's just an irrational, whiny prick. You can constantly see little cracks in his facade throughout the show that make it clear his whole agenda is basically just an excuse for him to get back at daddy and, despite appearances, he's arguably the character in the show most driven by emotion. I know I already said this about Makoto and Onari but I feel Adel is particularly underrated. He's exactly the antagonist Ghost needed, and the contrast between his small-minded motives and his grandiose actions makes him very interesting. He's a power-drunk sociopath with a god complex on one hand, and a damaged, emotionally fragile little kid who just wants to be loved on the other. And here's the main event. I was actually planning to only mention a couple really good episodes and talk about stuff in detail up above at first, but as I was writing I realized everything in the show is so interconnected this would be the best way to organize things. I honestly thought I'd be able to brush off a bunch of episodes as "unimportant" and leave them out but it simply wasn't the case. This is less a summary of each episode and more "big picture" thoughts and some shout-outs to memorable scenes. Some episodes I'll have WAY more to say about than others. This is also where the spoilers really kick in, for obvious reasons. Did you remember to grab a drink? -EPISODE 1 - Ghost's premiere suffers a bit from trying to cram a lot into 22 minutes but there's some great setup in here nonetheless. Namely the beginnings of Takeru's arc, showing how he looks up to history's various heroes, since they're people "whose lives burn brighter than others". Following up on a promise he made to his dying father, Takeru aspires to one day be strong and let his own life burn bright, just like them. The theme of what it means to be a hero is something very central to Takeru's growth and the person we meet here is very different from the person he becomes by the end of the show. He's an unremarkable, even meek individual, and his fighting style as Ghost involves a lot of awkward flailing around that will go away with time. -EPISODE 2 - The second episode is a massive improvement on the first, being a fun stand-alone adventure that continues to set up concepts that will be important throughout the show while also giving us some great character drama with Takeru. He's plagued by a lack of self-confidence, hence why he's always talking about believing in himself. Takeru's mopiness is his chief character flaw, especially early on, and we get a sense of how overwhelmed he is by everything that's happened to him with great moments like him noticing a bunch of students hanging out and laughing, sadly musing that he "was just like them, a week ago...". Stuff like this really grounds Takeru, letting him feel like a human being and not just "the protagonist". We also see some more thematic elements poke their head out as the Victim of the Week reasons his inventions are more important than his own life. Takeru really takes issue with this, being dead and all, telling him life isn't something to be thrown away. Life being inherently precious might seem like an obvious and/or trite message, especially for a superhero show, but Ghost makes it a very central thing and handles it in a way that really puts it above a lot of other portrayals of the same concept. We also get a feel for Ghost's surprisingly great long-term planning, as in response to a Ganma saying humans are mere tools, Takeru asserts that people "make their own fate", telling him not to "make a mockery of that Infinite Potential™." Before you ask, this isn't just a coincidence of the fansubs I was using or something. The line is 「無限の可能性」 right there in the Japanese and everything. It blows my mind that Ghost was thinking that far ahead from the second episode. It knew exactly the kind of story it wanted to tell very early on. -EPISODE 3 - Another fun done-in-one (hey I made a rhyme!) with some more hints of things to come. Takeru expresses curiosity about the motives of the Ganma but unfortunately his poor excuse for a mentor is too busy being wacky to give him a straight answer. This is a recurring thing throughout the early parts of the show. I like how Takeru tries his best to be proactive, even though he's not really in a position to be. You'll note his interest in stopping them frequently outweighs his interest in saving his own life. We also see Takeru's method of dealing with people being manipulated by Ganma for the first time here. Magic Hugs! In case you didn't get the memo yet, this show is kind of sugary. The hugs themselves largely stop after the first arc but this is actually just the first step in Takeru's ever growing empathic abilities that will come to a head with Mugen's debut. Onari also uses his keen observational skills this episode to help Ghost defeat the Axe Ganma, noticing holes appear in his seemingly impenetrable force-field when throwing his axes. What would Takeru do without him? Yes I'm going to write all of the stuff about Onari like this. -EPISODE 4 - This is where Specter properly makes his debut so I'll just frontload my thoughts about his role in the early episodes here. He's a great villain. He makes for a very threatening obstacle for Takeru to overcome and adds a fun element of mystery with his whole tragic backstory that's gradually filled in. Normally I don't particularly care for "rival" type characters but Makoto really clicked with me. His confidence and skill are in stark contrast to what you've been seeing with Takeru to this point, and his arrival is very much a wake-up call for him. -EPISODE 5 - Takeru has a really bad day in this one. Specter shows up again, but instead of just snatching an Eyecon and leaving, he effortlessly beats the crap out of Ghost while lecturing him on how terrible a fighter he is (he's got a point), and once he's beaten lectures him on how indecisive and mopey he is (he's still got a point). As if things weren't going poorly enough, he steals the Edison Eyecon and walks off, noting one last time that Takeru is "soft" and telling him one day he'll have to choose between protecting others and saving his own life (he's still got a point). This completely f***s Takeru up, mentally. Poor guy is in over his head enough already without another, way cooler, stronger Kamen Rider out there gunning for the Eyecons. He's scared s***less by this guy and becomes so depressed he can't even work up the energy to make himself visible, leading directly into the next episode. -EPISODE 6 - This episode rocks. It's a great turning point for Takeru's character early on and it does this by putting a clever twist on the formula of the past couple episodes. The VotW's whole deal this time is being psychotically obsessed with his music and leaving behind a great legacy, to the point he's about to jump off a building so "history will remember him", saying that a "meaningless life is worthless". Takeru does his usual spiel comparing this situation to that week's Hero, but the genius part here is that he's not visible and no one can hear him, so what actually starts to snap both of them out of their respective funks is Akari, who gives a great little speech that boils down to "just being here right now is more meaningful than anything". It works on a few different levels and I don't feel I can adequately describe it, for how simple it is, but here we go anyway. Obviously it ties into what I was saying about episode 2, but what's also great about it is that Takeru is the one learning the lesson here. He was just trying to argue you can be important without killing yourself, but what Akari says gives him the push he needs to focus on living in the moment, rather than wasting time worrying about his deadline or being in fear of Specter. One of the interesting things about Ghost is that character development in it largely comes from people supporting one another rather than anything internal. In Takeru's case his reliance on his friends is what keeps him from being a Mary Sue but on a broader level this was a great idea because the show is all about the value of friendship and connections and bonds and other such things. Just one of many ways Ghost is amazing at always staying on-message. -EPISODE 7 - More great character stuff with Takeru here. He has a dream at the start of the episode where he talks to his dad and tells him how he's decided to stop doubting himself and become stronger. We then see him training outside the temple and telling Akari the same thing. It's stuff like this that makes me have a hard time understanding complaints I've seen about Takeru being "passive". He's actually a very determined character once he sets his mind to something. All that newfound self-confidence pays off too, as Takeru actually delivers quite the smackdown to Specter this episode. He even shuts him up when he tries to start another lecture. Onari's bottomless bravery also comes to the fore here as he fearlessly walks up to Saionji and ends up taking the Billy the Kid Eyecon for Takeru. What a guy. -EPISODE 8 - This episode marks the turning point for Specter and Ghost's conflict, with Takeru finding out he's actually his old pal Makoto. This was a great way to change up the dynamic between them since Specter isn't the threat he was when he first appeared (though he's still pretty dang tough), and I'd just like to mention at this point that I feel Ghost's first arc is extremely well-paced. They could've dragged the "mystery" (Specter's real name has been in the credits this whole time, this was strictly an internal reveal) out a lot longer if they felt like it, but instead it ends at a very natural point. Gaim and Drive were like this too but Ghost's first 11 episodes have this feeling of being a very solid "season 1" of sorts. -EPISODE 9 - Another particularly solid episode. More thematic stuff popping up with Takeru's dad talking about "humanity's potential" in flashback. Again, Ghost knew what it was about very early on. It's also another great showing for Takeru's new and improved belief in himself, both as he inspires Dr. Igarashi to stop moping around by talking about how he's resolved never to give up no matter how bad things look, and especially in his fight with Specter, where Takeru is very insistent about wanting to help Makoto, recongnizing how he seems to be forcing himself to play the bad guy. Unfortunately for Takeru, Makoto isn't really having it just yet. -EPISODE 10 - This is the beginning of the two-part "season finale" and these two episodes end the first arc of Ghost on a high note. Takeru's run of believing in himself hits a roadblock after last week's revelations. He's committed to helping Makoto revive Kanon with the Eyecons, but he isn't talking with the same determination he's had the past couple episodes, and it's obvious this is a tough decision for him to make. It doesn't help that his friends are not happy with his choice. Akari heads off with him to go find Makoto, who actually finds them first. Takeru explicitly offers to help Makoto gather Eyecons, but he doesn't want help from someone he sees as a wishy-washy loser who can't even make up his mind about what he wants. Takeru fires back that he could never decide whether or not his own life is more important than someone else's, but that he still can't just ignore someone who needs help. His wording (he uses 繋ぐ/connect, one of Ghost's buzzwords you may not have noticed early on because Over-Time translated it to sound more natural until about halfway through. Not sure about TV-N) causes Makoto to flash back to Takeru's dad giving him very similar advice to what he gave Takeru in the first episode about "attaining the heart of a Hero", making it clear Makoto is starting to realize he's not being as selfless as he thinks he is. Being the stubborn guy he is though, he shakes the thought off and tries to Rider Kick Takeru (which is kind of a d*** move given he's not even transformed). Kanon causes him to miss his mark, but Akari actually tries to jump in the way before this happens, prompting Takeru to try and chew her out about not valuing her own life. The irony of this is not lost on Akari, and her response gets Takeru to actively realize for the first time that his life isn't just important to him. This is immediately followed up with Kanon straight up telling Makoto she doesn't want to come back to life if it means he has to suffer making himself fight his childhood friend. This episode really does a great job furthering what I was talking about back with episode 2 about Ghost's focus on how precious life is. Note that the drama here comes from the fact that all the characters are more concerned with other people than themselves. -EPISODE 11 - This episode rocks. All that talk about being willing to sacrifice yourself for somebody else comes to its conclusion as Takeru finally makes the impossible choice. It's a great scene. As he ponders what he wants to wish for flashbacks of key dialogue play behind him, starting with Specter's various rants. When Akari's lines from the last episode play, however, Takeru hangs his head and frowns, making it clear what he's about to do. I like how his whole thought process here is communicated just by the look on his face. I don't think there's ever been a bad lead in Kamen Rider, but Shun Nishime, especially from this point on, really kills it (pun not intended). Given that Takeru is still around for the rest of the series you could accuse the show of "copping out" but I think it's quite the opposite. It would've been real easy to have everybody find some convenient solution that lets both of them live but instead Takeru actually has to make a decision. Sure, as the viewer, you know he has to be around for at least 30 more episodes, but here's the thing, Takeru doesn't know that. The fact that he made that decision speaks volumes about his character regardless of the long-term consequences. Naturally Makoto is pretty heavily affected by all this. When he sees Takeru got to the Great Eye before him he completely breaks down, nearly crying and asking what the point of going so far as to hurt Takeru was if he couldn't save Kanon in the end. This is a deliberate and effective jarring moment since it's the first time Makoto displays an emotion other than *angst*. When he sees the freshly revived Kanon shortly thereafter, he's shedding tears of joy as he hugs her. Makoto asks Takeru why he did it, and he responds by simply telling him that it's just like he said. He wanted to help her. Makoto cements his arc by calling Takeru soft again, this time with a completely different intent. This is a really touching scene, and a great turning point for Makoto. The climax of the episode is a spectacular fight where Specter and Ghost team up for the first time (complete with side by side transformation awesomeness) to take on Javert. It's super satisfying to see how well they work together after all the beef they've had the past half-dozen episodes, complete with some casual banter here and there. Onari also shows off his superior tracking skills, finding the scattered Eyecons and tossing them to Takeru and Makoto throughout the fight, and then discovering a new one, his main man Goemon, at the end. Oh and I guess Shibuya and Narita are helping too but who cares about them? -EPISODE 12 - This episode rules. Let me just start off by giving my stance on "fake out deaths" in Ghost: I'd be more upset about them if they weren't always so purposeful and well done. This episode in particular, I will defend to the grave (pun possibly intended). This is the story of how Takeru dies. The fact that he comes back minutes later does NOT diminish the sheer emotional weight packed into these 22 minutes. Everything about it is incredible. So many great moments. This one is about as close to a straight up summary as I'll get because there really is just so much to mention. Going in chronological order here: The way Takeru takes a break from hunting for the Eyecons (which is clearly not working) to just admire the sky for a second, knowing he might never get a chance to again. The way Takeru makes it a point to take Akari to the physics exhibit he didn't want to go to way back in the first episode. The way Onari goes to mark the date on the calendar but can't bring himself to when he sees it's Takeru's last day, stumbling back and crying (that's right, this episode is so good Onari is bringing the feels).The way Akari angrily knocks all the stuff on her desk onto the floor, frustrated she can't do anything for Takeru. The way Takeru acts unnaturally happy in an attempt to cheer his friends up. It all culminates in the scene where Takeru actually disappears. It's beautiful. The music that perfectly compliments the mood (it always does). The feathers straight out of the opening seguing into flashbacks showing key moments of the series so far. Takeru, facade clearly slipping, asking if his life burned bright. Onari assuring him that it did without skipping a beat (fancy that, he's a good friend, too), and Takeru apologizing before leaving his friends with one last smile. Takeru's subsequent posthumous chat with his dad is also a really touching little conversation between a father and son. Seeing Takeru fight back tears and hug his dad when he tells Takeru how proud he is of him. How Takeru assures him he's glad he ended up becoming Ghost, since it meant he could protect his friends. The fight that ends the episode is also, you guessed it, great. Takeru returns with a determined look on his face and proceeds to kick the crap out of Javert with a level of skill and finesse he hasn't shown to this point. So satisfying. It's not even just a great showing for Takeru, as we get to see Makoto do his best to protect everyone in Takeru's stead. He's a changed man from how he was just a couple episodes ago, and it's made very clear how much he appreciates what Takeru has done for both Kanon and him. Of course, he gets his s*** kicked in, something that'll be a recurring theme with Specter for a while. His never-give-up attitude is what makes him so endearing though. Takeru and later Alain can get pretty mopey, but Specter has always got his friends' backs, no matter how bad the odds are. I know I just described most of the episode, but I strongly recommend you give this one a watch, whether or not you've already seen it. So much of what makes it great is in little bits of body language and facial expressions from the really talented cast (major props to Shun Nishime as Takeru, who always nails the subtle stuff), or well directed scenes with the great music in perfect sync with what's happening, none of which I can properly convey in the form of a bland text summary. This is one of the best stories of the whole show, and probably my favorite single episode. It's really good. Really, really good. -EPISODE 13 - Moving into the second arc as Takeru begins his quest to unite the souls of the 15 Heroes, though he doesn't really know how to do that just yet. Oh, and by unite I mean connect. That's the word they use again and it's now less important now. From this point on the Eyecons become proper characters instead of lifeless trinkets, which was a great idea. They never lose their relevance, right up to the end, even as newer, cooler forms show up. Onari also shows his killer tactical expertise once again as he advises Takeru to use his homeboy Goemon's quick attacks to counter the Sword Ganma. Truly a master of battle strategy. -EPISODE 14 - Takeru gives a big dramatic speech about creating a world where he and his friends can be happy and his gusto impresses Ryoma so much he gives Takeru some advice about connecting people's feelings. Which is the running thing in the next set of episodes. Each of the Heroes is impressed by something Takeru does and properly commits to helping him, giving an important tip that makes him a better Hero in his own right. Even after Grateful debuts and the Eyecons are all with him, the advice keeps coming, too. All this business about connecting people's feelings is also why Ghost is so persistent about VotW plots, even in the late game. Not only is there the obvious thing where the Victim learns some lesson or another, the actual main characters tend to learn something from the experience too. Like I said, Ghost's character development is fueled by people helping each other, which is exactly what the show is getting at when it talks about "connections". -EPISODE 15 - This episode is pretty cool. It's a fun little stand-alone adventure that lets Makoto be in the spotlight for a week. Although Takeru is still doing his thing with connecting hearts. When Makoto tells him the Houdini Eyecon won't work he advises him to try "making friends with him", though Makoto doesn't seem to get this, instead trying his whole shtick of demanding the Eyecon lend him its power. Houdini doesn't have a mouthpiece like Ryoma did so his exact reasons for not liking Makoto are left up to viewer interpretation. Given that the episode notes Houdini is "stubborn", which is Makoto's chief character trait, I personally think it's a case of like repelling like. It seems clear enough it comes down to how abrasive Makoto is, though. It's not until he asks more politely at the end that the Eyecon actually works for him. Outside of that, this was a much needed episode to re-establish Makoto's character now that he's a proper good guy. His embarassment over his actions (that they've been showing the past couple episodes too) causes him to have a desire to be able to fight on equal footing with Takeru. This is about as close as he comes to getting angsty ever again. At the end of the episode he very pointedly reaches out to shake Takeru's hand after refusing to back in episode 12, showing he's moved on from his stint of self-loathing. You could argue they should've played that up longer for *drama* but I could argue right back Makato's stability is why he's unique among the Riders in Ghost, making him something of a foil to the other two. This stability becomes important a couple times down the line too. -EPISODE 16 - With Necrom's debut Ghost starts to get into the concept of ~mutual understanding~ that will define a lot of the show from here on out. Takeru has been having trouble getting anything the Ganma say for a while now, and Alain showing up to come after Makoto only makes things worse, since he has just as much trouble comprehending Takeru. Their respective ideals are inherently conflicting and I love how the show makes it clear it's not so much of a matter of who's right and who's wrong as much as it is that they each believe in what they believe in. The dynamic between the two of them, and the way Makoto fits into it (remember, he's the best friend of both Takeru and Alain), really adds a lot to an already awesome series. Obviously the show is taking Takeru's side but I love how Ghost decided to go the whole moral relativity route. It's a lot more nuanced than your typical kids' show. Proabably more nuanced than a lot of shows in general. But enough about that. Obviously the real cool part of this episode is seeing Onari use his unerring sleuthing skills to trail Makoto when he leaves the temple and ends up fighting Alain, calling Takeru so that he can get there just in time. Is there nothing he can't do? -EPISODE 17 - The culture clash gets amped up as now Igor is here to argue SCIENCE! with Akari on top of Alain's continued misadventures, this time turning Specter into a glorified puppet with the Necrom Eyecon so they can be "true friends" again. Yeah, Makoto can't catch a break, but he'll make up for it in a couple episodes. We also get some fleshing out for Onari with his feelings of uselessness that hopefully I'm doing a decent job of demonstrating are unjustified! This is a recurring trait of Onari's, going back to episode 3, and it's telling of what a great guy he is that he himself would feel that way. He doesn't save the day or anything in this episode but he does show his unfaltering sense of camaraderie by giving a proper dramatic speech to Igor when he tries to insult Akari (actually shoving Takeru out of the way as he's about to do his usual dramatic speech bit!), even landing a hit on the Knife Ganma before Takeru steps back in. Could you ask for a better friend? -EPISODE 18 - In deliberate reversal of last episode, Akari gives a dramatic speech to Igor when he tries to insult Onari (after he shows his inexhaustable courage by shoving Akari out of the way of the Knife Ganma and taking the hit himself, of course). This is a really great two-parter because all three of the plotlines tie perfectly into the same message of "people who don't see eye to eye can still get along". Akari and Onari have been butting heads since day one, Himiko and Newton have a similar spat here, and of course there's the ongoing plot with Alain and Takeru. Alain's idea of a good friend is someone who doesn't argue with him (even if he has to make them agree, as per the Ganma's general disdain for individuality), but Takeru believes that people overcoming their differences is what makes them stronger, and is really galvanized by the events of these episodes to stick to his plan of talking things out. -EPISODE 19 - Once again we get an A-plot and a B-plot in perfect harmony as Takeru tries to make friends with a Ganma while also continuing to try and make friends with a Ganma. I love this two-parter so much. The fun thing about Cubi (which isn't his name yet but it's shorter than "Art Supply Ganma") is that he's so dense and weird it actually comes off pretty ambiguous whether or not Takeru is going to get through to him. Naturally Ghost isn't interested in cruel twists but it still feels like Takeru really has to put some work in for this guy to get it, making it all the more satisfying when he does. -EPISODE 20 - Ghost pulls another fake out death as Cubi appears to die taking a hit for his new pal Takeru only to pop back up fine and dandy once the fight is over. Once again I feel this is the exact opposite of a cop out. I've seen this plot a million times in Toku (including around the same point in Drive the year before!) and normally everything stays nice and status quo by the end but here Takeru's new monster buddy actually sticks around for a while. That's just so awesome to me but even beyond that it's a perfect fit for the point the show is trying to make. Makoto also finally gets freed (Kanon even helps!) and shows why he's handy to have around by coming up with a little plan that lets him and Takeru actually land a good hit on Necrom for once. -EPISODE 21 - There are a couple of fun things going on with this one. First off the MotW is a chivalrous knight, furthering the idea that the Ganma aren't just unambiguously evil by nature. Second, we get all sorts of peeks into Alain's insanely dysfunctional family now that Adonis is properly in the show. I love the contrast in how he treats his sons. When Adel tries to tell him their plans are moving along swimmingly he just snaps at him for interrupting his prayer, and the look on Adel's face really gives the impression this cold behavior isn't exactly uncommon, something that will get confirmed way later. In contrast, he politely asks Alain how his trip to the human world was and advises him to look to his heart in times of doubt. This is a very well-meaning gesture that only serves to further confuse Alain, given he's been prattling on to Takeru for a while now about how hearts and emotions are unnecessary in the "utopian" society his father created. Adel is listening in on this conversation too and hearing his father seemingly contradict his own beliefs gives him the push over the edge he needs to do some... bad stuff. Clearly Adonis won't be winning any Father of the Year awards any time soon, but he's not a bad guy. Much like the rest of the Ganma, he's a deeply flawed individual (in his case thanks to a really angsty backstory) who's just hugely misguided. -EPISODE 22 - Adel makes his move and "kills" Adonis now that he's "imperfect", saying that he plans to carry on his ideals in his father's place. One of the important things to understand about Adel is that he genuinely did believe in Adonis' vision of a perfect world, even when we see him early on in the show, and to an extent, he still does believe in it, in his own corrupted way. Not that he isn't completely bat-s*** insane, mind you. He dives right into the whole main villain thing with some real aplomb, framing Alain for the murder and ordering him executed (for realsies, unlike with Adonis) since he's become just as "imperfect". This turn of events forces our three Riders onto the same side for the first time, but they're not exactly a team yet. Alain is obviously going through some things, and now that Takeru has actually seen how messed up the Ganma world is, he's seriously doubting his whole mission to understand them, even grabbing the wounded Alain by the collar and pressing him up against a wall to yell at him ("Is this really your idea of a perfect world?!"). If this seems extremely uncharacteristic of Takeru, that's because it is. It's up to Makoto to get these two focused long enough to escape, showing once again why he's completely indispensible. The episode ends with a great little scene showing Takeru meditating only to be distracted by how completely and totally traumatized he is. It's an appropriately somber moment and once again Shun Nishime conveys a ton of emotion without a single line of dialogue. -EPISODE 23 - This episode rules. It's another turning point for Takeru and it really moves the themes forward. First off, he's still pretty hugely affected by last week's events, acting super high-strung, and even stopping himself from transforming to help Alain because he's "just a Ganma". This MASSIVE shift in attitude prompts the Eyecons to straight up leave him, not to mention Makoto chewing him right the heck out for moping about again. This is another really good showing for Specter as Makoto essentially has to do Takeru's job for him while he's busy angsting, and he actually does a great job of it, despite not having any fancy power-ups to fight with or a natural talent for all this connecting hearts business, doing his best to both protect Alain from Javert and reach out to him on a personal level ("even if you've lost everything you believe in, I still believe in you"). It's episodes like this that really put into context why Makoto is even in the show in the first place. The rest of the cast would genuinely be screwed without him around. Of course his other friends help but it's not until Makoto "dies" taking a big hit for Alain (seriously, Makoto is a total bro, you wish you were as cool as he is) that Takeru finally gets the courage to stand back up. The following scene is a really good one. Takeru sums up what a lot of the series has been about to this point (especially the past dozen episodes) by giving one of his trademark dramatic speeches, this time about the nature of "connections". It's another one I don't feel comfortable summarizing because I'm inevitably going to rob it of the nuance and context that makes it so great. So I'm not going to. It's basically just everything I've been saying condensed down to a reasonable length anyway. He'll still have his moments but by and large this is the last time Takeru gets notably mopey. He's really come a long way from where he started. Needless to say, this is another one I hugely recommend you give a watch if you want to see Ghost at its very best. -EPISODE 24 - This episode is pretty cool. It carries on the tradition Gaim started of having a team-up with that year's Super Sentai but with the distinction of not sucking. Instead of a double length special each show simply had a guest appearance during an otherwise normal episode, and a guest villain to tie into the Kamen Rider #1 movie. This worked out surprisingly well. Zyuoh Eagle shows up to help Ghost fight a monster, and then leaves. This is a fun enough distraction on its own because Zyuohger is pretty cool and Yamato is the s*** but Ghost's ability to give everything a grander purpose hits its pinnacle as it effortlessly ties a forced marketing tie-in into its ongoing plot. Takeru is hesitant to work with Alain to get Makoto back but after thinking about how easily he got on with Zyuoh Eagle, basically a total stranger, he decides to give it a shot. Boom. Kanon's usefulness to the Plot also hits a pinnacle here as she convinces Alain to work with Takeru by asking point-blank if working with him is so awful he'd rather die. You can see on his face this hits him pretty hard and the episode ends with them finally starting to put aside their differences. Since it takes a bit for Makoto to get back into the show Necrom is essentially THE Second Rider for a couple episodes, though he doesn't exactly fit in with the group yet. This was a pretty cool way to spice things up and really helps build on his already strong character. -EPISODE 25 - Speaking of building on Alain's character, these next two episodes are largely about him. He's actually still scheming behind everyone's backs, except for Akari, who notices every little smug grin he does, and also points out that he's pretty heavily doubting the "utopia" he insists he still believes in. This is also the episode that establishes the 15 Eyecons can't be used to make a wish now that the Ganmeisers are active. This was kind of an important thing to show since otherwise it'd be a pretty big plot-hole the protagonists don't just wish all their problems away now that the Eyecons are in one place. -EPISODE 26 - Alain gets all introspective after being asked some tough questions by Akari, and gets some timely advice from Fumi (who I somehow haven't mentioned yet but hopefully if you've seen the show I don't even need to tell you how great every scene involving her is), as well as some help from the Grimm Eyecon, which actually hops straight into the Mega Ulorder on its own after he says something promising. His Eyecons believed in him enough to actively chose to stay after Grateful's debut, but they haven't let him actually use their power until now, so this is a big sign of progress on Alain's part. He finally decides to work with Takeru with no ulterior motive to go to the Ganma world when all is said and done. His angst is far from over though. The very gradual nature of his arc is part of what makes it so compelling. It feels like it goes on exactly as long as it should. -EPISODE 27 - This episode is pretty cool. Alain and Takeru finally make their way to the Ganma world and naturally things get pretty heavy. As in, Adel cementing his status as the main villain by committing patricide heavy. And people say Ghost is too lighthearted. This causes Takeru to completely flip his s***, one of a couple very humanizing moments where the Ganma do something that actually pisses him off (remember, treating people's lives as disposable really gets to him) to the point he can't even keep up his usual upbeat attitude. Adel brushing this off and insulting Alain at the end of the episode doesn't exactly make him any happier. This is also bad news for Alain since he was hoping a talk with his father would help him with all the personal struggles he's been dealing with lately. In a similar moment to Makoto's sacrifice in episode 23, Alain shows just how foreign the concept of a heart really is to him by actually being confused at his sadness as Adonis is slipping away, and in a great little moment, looks over to see that Takeru is actually the one crying about it (also remember, he knows exactly what it's like to have your father die right in front of you). Adonis demonstates how much he actually does care about his sons here, too, making it clear to Alia at the start he doesn't think poorly of Adel (which maybe he should but that's not the point), and his very last words are to tell Alain he loves him. It really does come off like a tragic moment when Adel finally finishes the job. But who wants to hear about tragedy? The real important part of this episode is Onari showing his unshakable faith in the good in people by helping out a down on his luck Javert when he needs it most. The man is a saint. -EPISODE 28 - Makoto shows back up to save Takeru and Alain (who's in such shock Takeru has to literally drag him around) in the nick of time. Remember that the whole reason they came here in the first place was to save him. He then gets Alain to snap out of his haze, allowing him to take the next big step in his arc by acknowledging that the Ganma world is no utopia at all. Alain proceeds to make a portal and they all escape back to the human world, but Ghost and Necrom are left incapicated by the Ganmeiser, which means Specter, once again, has to do everybody else's job for them. Thankfully, he's got a fancy new Eyecon that lets him effortlessly walk through a huge squad of Ganma and the previously untouchable Ganmeiser all by himself. Of course, he can only use the Eyecon after making a Faustian pact with it, which he does without fear or hesitation because dangit he's going to protect his friends. Seriously, Makoto is kind of the s***. I know a lot of people found him bland once he became a good guy, and up until 40 some episodes in I thought he was too, but frankly I was wrong, and I have no clue how I failed to appreciate what a good character he actually is for so long. He even continues to effectively reach out to Alain in a way Takeru can't at the end by telling him to start calling him "Makoto" instead of "Specter", like he has been the whole show. There's also a fun B-plot in this episode with the Music Note Ganma getting tired of Igor berating him, making pals with Cubi in the process, further humanizing the Ganma while also balancing out the *drama* of the A-plot in a way that doesn't feel forced. -EPISODE 29 - This episode rocks. Once again we get a MotW story synced perfectly with the ongoing arc, this time involving a girl and her dead father. Naturally, this hits Alain close to home, but he's actually more spectating this plot than participating, overhearing some important exchanges that happen to connect directly to his own problems. His main role in the episode is talking to Fumi about listening to his heart, which, as established, he has some serious trouble with. Makoto continues to help him out too, because, again, total bro. Takeru also starts to develop his ability to see other people's memories (after a sort of fluke in episode 22), which will become extremely important in a bit. But the Riders aren't the only stars here, as Onari uses his uncanny talent for deception to cause a distraction that lets the rest of the team sneak into the Deep Connect building. Indeed, no obstacle is too great for him to overcome. -EPISODE 30 - This episode rules. Ghost gets a lot of flak for its alleged refusal to let anyone die, but because it happens so infrequently, it's meaningful when it really does. Ghost is all about life, and death is inevitably an important part of that. In this case, Fumi's passing causes the already confused Alain to feel more lost than he ever has, but it ends up becoming the very thing that lets him finally get over all his angst. The key being some choice words from Takeru at her funeral, who, in response to Alain moping that "humans are gone forever once they die", asserts that isn't quite the case, and that what Fumi meant to the people who knew her, those feelings, will always "live on inside our hearts". This is an extention of the show's usual "connections" spiels and a MASSIVELY IMPORTANT thematic underpinning of the entire series being spelled out very clearly. It's especially important to remember this for Mugen's debut in a couple episodes. Naturally, Alain finds the courage to move on and finally start listening to his heart when all is said and done, dedicating himself to protecting "the treasures of this world" in Fumi's memory, and cementing the three Riders as a proper team (complete with side by side by side transformation awesomeness) in a super satisfying scene involving bikes, Rider Kicks, and lots of explosions. You really can't go wrong with this one. -EPISODE 31 - These next two episodes are largely something of a breather between more heavy stories, while also further setting the table for Mugen's appearance, namely with Takeru wondering if there's some grand reason he can see people's memories now. In the meantime, it sure seems to help him bring Shibuya and his mom closer together. Much like it helped the VotW last time. Hm. The idea that the Deep Specter Eyecon is dangerous is also brought up again, but that won't be relevant for a bit. There's not too much to say long-term about these episodes, but they're fun. It's cool the show decided to make time to flesh out a random side character like this. Narita kind of gets the shaft, but whatever. -EPISODE 32 - Takeru's dad talks a whole lot about Infinite Potential™ in flashback, and you better believe this is important for later. It's also an excuse for a whole lot of exposition on the backstory of the show. Takeru muses about the purpose of his memory reading abilities some more too, and it's shown how they let him empathize with people on a very deep and direct level. Hm. Keep in mind Takeru is already a pretty considerate guy to begin with, too. -EPISODE 33 - This episode rocks. In blatant violation of TV show villain etiquette, Adel sends the Ganmeisers to f*** up Takeru mere minutes after the end of the last episode. And f*** him up they do, because Takeru dies! You may groan at that (you heartless monster), but once again, this happens for a good reason. First off, since he's actually gone for more than 2 minutes this time, we get to see the rest of the cast grieve. It feels very real seeing how everyone is thrown into turmoil by this. They're all trying to distract themselves from really thinking about it, Onari is in straight up disbelief (even pointing out this has happened twice already, which out of respect for Takeru's passing I'm not going to count as a helpful Onari moment, but, you know, he's right), and Alain is going so far as to blame himself. A visit to Fumi's takoyaki stand, now being operated by her granddaughter, reminds Alain of Takeru's words from episode 30, and the gang starts to regain their composure, leading Akari to come up with a plan to permanently defeat the Ganmeisers. Seeing how the characters don't just give up hope because Takeru isn't around to do all the work anymore is one of the highlights here. The whole world doesn't just revolve around him. I'd go so far as to say this episode is about them more than it is about Takeru himself. They resolve to make his death mean something, and carry on protecting the world because, even if he's gone, he's right there with them. The plan doesn't end up working, but they still don't give up, and their feelings are so strong they actually reach out to Takeru as his soul is slowly fading away into nothingness. Takeru then has a big revelation about how memories and feelings "live on past us, beyond time, beyond life and death, connecting the past to the future, and extending into infinity...". This is more or less what the series has always been building up to, and this whole idea that's at the center of Ghost, that people are far bigger than just themselves, is a deeply spiritual sort of message I can imagine a lot scoffing at. Assuming they aren't already busy scoffing at Takeru dying a third time. For my money, at least, this is some pretty philosophical s*** for a kids' show to be getting into, and something extremely atypical and unique for Kamen Rider, despite appearances. It's also the whole reason Takeru got killed again. Remember at the top where I said his growth is directly tied to the themes? I meant that more than you might expect, because from this point on Takeru is, in effect, a metaphor. Feelings transcend death, and they also let Takeru literally transcend death. This, my friends, is the essence of Infinite Potential™. Connections. Mugen Damashii isn't just some power-up being casually given out just because it's the fourth quarter, it's the culmination of everything Ghost has been about from the very start. -EPISODE 34 - What I'm going to go ahead and call "season 3" of Ghost begins, and it's a bit of a trough in terms of plot progression until about episode 41. This is fine. The overarching plot is still being advanced, but the focus is more on fleshing out the characters for a bit, telling a series of perfectly interesting weekly (well, fortnightly) plots based around the common theme of Takeru learning some valuable lesson about the importance of an emotion through his interactions with the VotW and growing stronger as a result. Again, he literally grows stronger, too, getting fancy new moves for Mugen, starting something of an arms race between him and the Ganmeisers, who are trying to further their own evolution now that something actually poses a threat to them. As for this particular episode, Onari shows his impeccable diligence guarding the sleeping bodies of the rest of the team as they're in the dream world, even taking out a couple basic Ganma with Akari's magic leaf blower before Makoto and Alain wake up to help out, which they only know to do because Onari alerted Takeru by screaming really loud, which actually comes in handy sometimes. Really, is it any wonder they keep this guy around? -EPISODE 35 - The Ganmeisers start to act without orders from Adel. Surely his hubris for thinking he can control them will never come back to bite him in the a**. Speaking of the Ganmeisers, I haven't really talked about them yet so here's the short of it (I say like a hundred paragraphs into this thing). On a thematic level they work as emotionless beings confused by the hugh-mans and their imperfections, similar to why the Ganma themselves work, and on a dramatic level, the fun thing about them is that their nonstop growth justifies the common trope in Rider where a final form is presented as being completely unstoppable before becoming just another suit. Takeru's fighting style as Mugen involves a lot of confident power walking and graceful, deliberate strikes (he's come a long way from swinging the Gan Gun Saber around like a club), but once the Ganmeisers start to catch up to him things get a lot tougher. It keeps the Ganmeisers from becoming jokes and keeps the tension up even as they're constantly getting defeated. -EPISODE 36 - Another example of a VotW plot in Ghost driving more long-term growth as these next two episodes are all about the nature of friendship. Takeru's doing his thing helping out an idol with her problems involving her pals, Alain copes with the realization he's gotten kind of useless against the Ganmeisers by undergoing some "training" with Sanzo's disciples, and Makoto meets his match, who turns out to be himself. I really like the whole Clone!Makoto subplot, though it took me a bit to come around to it. The actor is clearly having the time of his life hamming it up as such a generically evil villain, for one, but on a less shallow level it has a great resolution that we'll get to in due time and rubs in Makoto's personality a lot. You see, Makoto, as I've mentioned a bunch, is a really stubborn guy who really cares about his friends, and this really works to further that idea. It's very deliberately disconnected from the main plot because Makoto is actively trying to keep it that way. This is his mess, and he wants to deal with it without anyone knowing, because in Makoto's mind his problems aren't worthy of his friends' attention. It's an interesting character flaw because it directly stems from what is otherwise a positive trait of his. To his credit, he actually does juggle helping Takeru and fighting his opposite number pretty effectively. Even if it's to a fault, Makoto is still a bro among bros. -EPISODE 37 - Alain shows the fruits of his training by getting a new tool in the fight against evil. A stick with a hand on the end! Hey, if it works for Makoto it works for him. The fight he has with Javert at the end does a great job of showing how much more humble and mature he's become too. Javert bemoans that Alain is now fighting alongside mere "servants", only for Alain to respond that Sanzo's disciples are his comrades. Speaking of which, Onari gets a double dose of helpful moments this episode, first showing his fathomless wisdom by giving a brief speech on the nature of camaraderie to Honami (the aforementioned idol) that actually convinces her to help Akari out, and later providing instrumental encouragement by getting the crowd to chant her name at a concert, giving her the confidence she needs to perform again. Friendship is practically Onari's middle name, people. -EPISODE 38 - This episode rules. It's basically 22 minutes of pure awesome. The plot is specifically set up to call attention to how much Takeru has changed by this point and man does it work. Takeru directly asks if the Heroes are upset he's spamming Mugen and Musashi assures him they're proud of how much he's grown, and that he no longer needs their help. Daw... It's a really touching little moment. Nevertheless, Takeru refuses to accept that the Heroic Eyecons can't keep up with all the fancy new enemies he's fighting. His attachment makes plenty of sense given how much he owes that growth to them, but the real genius of this episode is the role-reversal at play. The climax involves the Eyecons outright refusing to be used, moping around, if you will, until Takeru's continued faith convinces them to hop back into the action. What follows is a great fight scene set to the theme song where Ghost holds his own against an Ultima Ganma using just his basic forms, only going to Grateful for the finishing blow. This more than anything cements just how bada** Takeru is at this point. He's in a position to tell guys like Miyamoto friggin' Musashi to become stronger, and they take it to heart. So much of the show centered on him trying to be as awesome as the heroes he looks up to, and now he's effectively surpassed them. It's great on multiple levels too, as it also furthers the theme of connections that came to the fore with Grateful's debut to begin with. The Heroes inspire Takeru to grow and Takeru in turn inspires the Heroes to grow. And as a fun bonus, we get to see Onari use his unparalled people skills to set Javert on the straight and narrow. A good samaritan if ever there was one. Just great stuff all around. One of the best episodes of the whole show by far. -EPISODE 39 - Another plot about a girl (her name's Mayu) and her father, only this time he's alive and the problem is they don't get along so well because he's busy with work all the time (he's a cop). A big part of the fun here is seeing each of the Riders reflect on their own fathers. Takeru, of course, had a very caring father who's directly responsible for him being the kind-hearted, heroic dude he is, so he's taking the optimistic approach and insisting Mayu's dad has an important job to do. This is one of the times where Takeru's upbeat nature fails him a bit, with a lot of his usual speechifying falling on deaf ears, since he clearly can't relate to Mayu's situation. Makoto, however, can, because his dad abandoned him and Kanon as kids. On one hand, this is mostly established as a shameless tie-in to the summer movie, but on the other hand, it's relatively harmless, and worked into the plot naturally. Makoto even goes so far to say he considers Takeru's dad to be his real father, providing a lot of context for many of the early series flashbacks to Makoto's childhood before getting trapped in the Ganma world, which certainly seemed to imply the same. -EPISODE 40 - Alain gets in on the action by thinking about his family a bit too. He's not as major a player in this story as Takeru and Makoto, but he makes what few lines he gets on the subject count ("There'll be a time when you realize how lucky you are to even have a father to rebel against."). I'm also quite fond of the big climactic scene between Mayu's dad and his cop buddy. It feels almost like you're suddenly watching some random police drama (or an episode of Drive, I guess) in a really good way. You get the impression these guys have a whole backstory and their own lives that you just don't get to see. It makes the "world" of the show seem bigger, and makes the random one-off characters of the week feel like actual characters and not just props for the real cast to hang around until a monster shows up. Ghost was pretty good about this in general, in my opinion. -EPISODE 41 - This episode starts with a scene that's really great for how short it is. Takeru gets to ponder his situation a bit, noting he's sort of becoming less and less human with all his crazy ghostly abilities. He's not exactly angsting, since, as he points out himself, those same powers help him protect his friends, but it's a nice reminder that, at the end of the day, Takeru is just a normal guy who wants a normal life back. Leading into the next episode, this is where the show really starts to play up how Adel is essentialy reverse Takeru. He already has a father he hates that (inadvertently) molded him into the damaged, unstable dude he is, but now, as Makoto is quick to point out in the climax, his pursuit of "utopia" has driven everyone who's ever cared about him away, leaving him standing alone. This is the point where Adel's reach starts exceeding his grasp. He's nowhere near as powerful (or smart) as he likes to fancy himself, which he sort of realizes deep down, but this notion only serves to further unbalance him. From here on out, his displays of anger and frustration become less and less subtle. He doesn't take Eadith pointing out the Ganmeisers are liable to evolve to a point where he can't control them anymore very well, for one. -EPISODE 42 - This episode rocks. I'm not sure it's distinctly one of the best the way some of the others are, but it's a huge favorite of mine. First off, Adel straight up snaps at the Ganmeisers at the start because he's not in a very good mood (even by his crappy standards), so he decides to go pick on Takeru again, although he only manages to do any real damage to Alain, who he makes sure to callously mock for being a wimpy human some more, because, again, bad mood. The gang then finds out Eadith's big secret, but they get over their anger quickly and Takeru reaffirms their desire to work together. This is a nice contrast from Adel's treatment of his naysaying last week. The episode all builds up to a climactic showdown between Takeru and Adel. The fun thing about it is that it's as much a debate as it is a fight, with them arguing their respective world views. It's another reminder just how much not only Takeru, but the others have grown since the show began, with Takeru's counterarguments flashing back to topical moments throughout the series. It's also worth noting that Takeru doesn't actually deny most of Adel's points, instead pointing out that the same things that make people flawed can also give them strength. I could probably unpack every single line into a big paragraph if I really wanted to, but in the interest of time (I swear I'm trying my best), I'll simply sum it up by saying it's a great way to show just how fundamentally different these guys are from one another. Adel has thrown away all the things that Takeru holds dear in his effort to become a "perfect being". Takeru's friends are even spectating the fight specifically to drive the point home for the viewer. His friends are always with him, literally or otherwise. Takeru's power comes from his relationships with others. He values the opinions and feelings of the people around him and always works to make everyone understand and respect one another in the name of creating a better future. Adel thinks that's dumb. His power comes largely from sheer conviction. He values nobody else's opinion because his is correct and will work to force everyone to agree with his judgement if necessary, all in the name of creating a "better future". These ideologies are so clashing that when Takeru tries to do his thing and reach out to Adel after kicking his a**, it simply takes him from bad mood to very bad mood. Instead of being a humbling moment that allows him to see the error of his ways, it causes him to see that he isn't trying hard enough, and his goal shifts from making the world into a utopia to simply becoming the world, thus taking out the middle man. -EPISODE 43 - In this one Makoto shows some progress by actually letting the others help with his whole clone problem. The real thing to talk about here is Onari though. Indeed, even one so wise, so focused, and so seemingly infallible as himself makes mistakes sometimes, and this episode has his biggest ever. The rest of the team accidentally kick up his feelings of uselessness again, causing him to do some very dumb things in an effort to be more helpful. I've established that this has a been a trait of his from early on, but now that Takeru is nearing his deadline it only makes it worse. First he willingly puts on a pair of the Demia contacts, obviously a horrible idea, in a bid to become smarter, because Akari is smart and he's not, and later, as an Eyecon, possesses Alain in a bid to fight the Ganma, because Alain and Makoto can do that and he can't. To his credit he actually keeps his composure pretty well compared to the other Demia users we see, but otherwise absolutely nothing good comes of any of this. It's a very humanizing moment for Onari as he does something selfish for selfless reasons. He's always tried his best to help Takeru but he can never help as much as the other guys can, and that frustrates him. In his mind, he's failing as a friend because he can't shoulder more of Takeru's burden for him. -EPISODE 44 - Onari's stint as Necrom swiftly comes to an end when he gets his crapped kicked in by Igor (which is pretty embarassing). Shortly thereafter he confesses to Akari that he was panicking, and explains, well, what I already mentioned just up above. Akari assures Onari that Takeru needs him as much as anyone, and that they're a team. I can only hope, if you're one of the Onari haters and you're reading this, that I've presented a decent enough case throughout why that statement is true. All this is why it's sort of important Onari doesn't get to save the day all by himself or anything, too. The whole point the show is trying to make is that you don't have to be a hero to be a good person. Onari always gives 110% and does everything in his power to help, and that's enough. Especially since "everything in his power" is actually a whole lot. Onari, being the awesome guy he is, even bounces right back from this low point and shows his superb reflexes by knocking Igor's Eyecon out of his hand by throwing his shoe at him, setting Akari up to slap him again and taking him out of the fight before he can even get in on it. Such marksmanship is mere child's play when you're as skilled as Onari. -EPISODE 45 - Adel's plan to "become the world" turns out to mean he's going to make everyone on the planet into a glorified extension of himself, not unlike how Alain tried to deal with Specter's "betrayal" early on. I like this whole evil plan a lot because on top of the obvious global scale of the threat it poses, which is always nice for a final act, it works great on the thematic level, as always, with Ghost. I've been talking about how Adel has become reverse Takeru, and this plot is the ultimate evolution of that. In his inability to understand and respect other people, he attempts to create a world where any and all individuality besides his own is erased, essentially a sick and twisted version of the idea of "connections" that's always been Takeru's (and the show's) whole deal. This is rubbed in by how Adel calls the brief moment at the start where he and Takeru see one another's memories "disgusting". Speaking of Takeru, his powers are now starting to grow out of his own control, to the point he passes out from sensory overload after hearing the thoughts of a ton of random people all at once. Wonder what's up with that? The other Riders are keeping themselves occupied, too. Alain is off with Onari and the B-team to deal with Deep Connect (with a plan suggested by Narita, of all people), and Makoto is trying to use the Deep Specter Eyecon's connection to the Ganmesiers to take control of them himself, a plan complicated by how his clone now has his own Deep Specter Eyecon, since's he's become "the real one", a claim that will prove to be surprisingly true in time. -EPISODE 46 - This episode does a great job of bringing things full circle by showing us what three of the previous VotW, each the first from their arc of the show, are up to all this time later (episodes 2, 13-14, and 29-30, for reference). Fitting Ghost's whole thing, they're all shown to be acting on what they learned from their experiences with Takeru, and otherwise living their lives. I really like this because, like I was saying with episode 40, it makes it feel like these are actual people who continue to exist even when the show doesn't require it. Unfortunately for Takeru, his powers are still going haywire, to the point no one can see him anymore, except for Makoto using the Deep Specter Eyecon, who bails him out of a fight with the Ganmeisers and then makes sure to reassure him he's always got his back and that they all have faith he'll sort this out, because, in case you're not getting it yet, Makoto is a bro. Sure enough, everyone continues to go about their business even without Takeru, another reminder he's not the only hero here. Takeru himself is so overwhelmed by what's happening to him he's getting mopey again, but Musashi is there to help him learn to shut out all the noise. This is totally awesome. It's another very full circle sort of thing for one, because in episode 1 Takeru first summoned and used the Musashi Eyecon in a fight on a beach, and now they're having a duel on a beach. It's also great because, even with 5 episodes to go, Takeru isn't done growing, and the Heroes still aren't done teaching him. -EPISODE 47 - There's a lot to talk about with these next few so please bear with me here if you've been along for the whole ride so far. This episode has something of a "calm before the storm" feel to it, devoting most of its runtime to people talking with only a brief continuation of last week's fight at the start and a short fight between Makoto and Makoto at the end. Takeru's attempt to get through to Adel with his powers backfires when Adel uses the opportunity to show that he was actually the one who killed Takeru's father. Takeru is just in disbelief at first, but, in another reminder that he's only human, when Adel callously mocks his father for being weak (Adel's not one for good taste), he gets furious and tries charging at him with his sword before Adel retreats. The rest of the episode is spent exploring what's going through everybody's heads in light of everything that's happened the past few weeks. It's even right there in the episode title. Takeru is torn between his conflicting desires regarding Adel. He knows he wants to help him, but he also knows he's not making it very easy to feel that way. He's scared his anger might get the better of him the next time they meet, and naturally, it's only with help from his friends he starts to get his composure back. This is some more great character-building stuff for Takeru, and I love how Adel essentially represents the ultimate challenge for everything Takeru believes in, rather the just the ultimate challenge for how hard he can punch things. It's easy to empathize with people when they're nice, but when you're talking about someone as unrepentantly horrible as Adel, that's tough. Alain is pretty torn himself, trying to weigh friends against family. He wants to save Adel too, obviously, but he can't help but notice that trying to do that is only causing everyone grief. This is possibly the most telling moment of Alain's arc in the entire show, as he resolves to swallow his sadness and stop Adel himself, specifically for Takeru's sake, cementing how much he's come to value his relationships with everyone. It's a pretty far cry from the days where he used to spend entire episodes alternatively blaming Takeru for everything, beating Takeru up, and insulting and belittling Takeru's world view. Makoto, being Makoto, isn't torn about a thing, but that's his whole problem. He's so committed to helping Takeru he refuses to mention to anybody that his evil clone is becoming more and more like him, even begging Alain not to mention it to anybody after he catches them interacting. He gives him a big speech reflecting on his motives throughout the show, making note that when Takeru chose to save Kanon back in episode 11, he also saved him in a sense. He doesn't want to bother anyone else with his problems when Takeru only has 2 days left, because he desperately wants to repay him for all he's done. Takeru saved him, and now he's going to save Takeru. Unfortunately, things get complicated when the clone shows up and start acting like he's the real Makoto. Only he's kind of not acting. This is where the clone subplot becomes totally worth whatever "insignificance" it may have had early on. The twin Specters get into a big fight at the end that deliberately leaves even the viewer confused about who to root for. It's kind of awesome. What's even more awesome is the resolution, where a Makoto saves Kanon from some falling rocks they accidentally blasted loose, and then a Makoto walks off. In every other evil clone plot ever put to media, this would make it clear who's who, but Ghost invokes that common resolution specifically to f*** with the viewer's head, because the one who selflessly saved Kanon in a blatant act of compassion is actually the fake, and the real one just left because picking fights with himself wasn't getting him anywhere, and he figured it'd be best to just watch from the shadows and step in if the clone tries anything sketchy. Of course, that looks less and less likely, as Clone!Makoto doesn't even have to think to act like the real deal anymore, and Takeru's talk of friendship seems to have quite the effect on him. Adel is going through some stuff himself. One of Alia's usual speeches hits a little too close to home when she asks if he's actually jealous of Takeru for having such an idllyic relationship with his father and a caring circle of friends. Adel tends to shut down when the subject of family comes up to begin with, but this remark gets under his skin to the point where, in a moment of rage, he assimilates Alia into Demia. He acts happy about this, but shortly thereafter he looks over to her motionless body with a look on his face that makes it crystal clear he's starting to creep even himself out. Which makes sense. It's worth noting that, while he's always been quick to shut her up, and insists she's simply there to bask in his magnificence as he rules over the world, Alia is literally the one person Adel even remotely respects the free will of. Disagreeing with him just once is normally a death sentence, and even a guy as loyal as Gyro is assimilated into Demia the second it's even a little convenient. This is a really critical moment for Adel's character because it so clearly shows how much his agenda is based largely on justifying his own feelings. Dude is in serious denial about a lot of things, and brushes off even a blatant moment of clarity like that because he's in too deep. In his mind, he no longer has a choice in the matter. The Ganmesiers are quick to take note of his wavering resolve, though. I'm sure nothing's up with that. And as a reward for reading through the longest chunk of this yet (just a couple more now!), I'll also mention how Onari, after spending a lot of the episode dead set on getting revenge for Takeru's father, and even trying to push those feelings onto Takeru, calms down and shows both his ineffable insight AND his invaluable supportiveness by advising Takeru to look inside to find his answer and do what he wants, an extension of his "the answer lies within your heart" catchphrase throughout the show, and, since this is Ghost, a line that will actually be pretty important in a bit. -EPISODE 48 - Alain heads to the Ganma world ahead of everyone else to take Adel down, planning to use his crazy suicide attack thing the show's been teasing since Necrom's earliest appearances. You still don't get to see it. Despite all the talk, Alain can't bring himself to murder his own brother, and Adel takes advantage of the opening to kick him around some more and then attempts to assimilate him like everyone else. Takeru is in the room by this point and he's not happy about any of this, transforming and beating Adel up with his bare hands in a series of rapid fire punches that are all edited to sound noticeably LOUD, really getting across how much Takeru has completely lost his usual upbeat attitude in that moment. All his pent-up rage towards Adel comes out all at once, and it's not until Alain begs him to stop, saying his heart is telling him to save his brother, that Takeru calms down long enough to remember what he wants in his heart, putting aside the anger that's been clouding his judgement and firmly deciding to help Adel. Adel takes this pause as another opportunity, trying to hit Takeru with a big blast of energy, but Makoto jumps into frame to take the hit, and the injuries seem pretty lethal. But which Makoto was it? Again, common evil clone plot logic would dictate that the clone reflexively take a lethal hit for the real deal and/or their friends, a gesture that usually surprises even the clone, who probably melodramatically muses for a bit on learing about ~humanity~ before dying. Except none of that happens here. Things DO get restored nicely to status quo, make no mistake, but it's once again done in a far more clever way than you'd expect. Or at least I wasn't expecting it. The genuine article is actually the one who took the blast, and the clone walks in as he's dying, with the real Makoto even giving the clone his blessing to look after everyone in his place, since it's pretty clear he has no ulterior motives at this point. You could easily complain they don't follow through on this idea (though it's worth noting the clone's whole existence was tied directly to the Ganmeisers, so I'm not so sure that was even an option), but as far as I'm concerned just having Real!Makoto suggest that himself is pretty huge. Just like every other fake-out death in Ghost it still says a whole lot about the characters. The important part isn't actually the death itself. That being said, Clone!Makoto sacrifices himself to heal the real deal, and what I like about this is, unlike the stock scenario I mentioned up above, this is a very conscious and deliberate decision on his part. He was just given permission to carry on being Makoto, but he still chooses to give up his life anyway. The really amazing thing about all of this is that, no matter which one you're talking about, this is a great finale to Makoto's arc. Real!Makoto proves himself the ultimate bro by shielding Takeru from a lethal attack using his own body without hesitation, showing just how far he's come from where he started the show at, and Clone!Makoto proves that Makoto's camaraderie is straight up infectious by also selflessly sacrificing himself. Seriously, Makoto is such a bro that even his own evil clone can't resist the urge to also be a total bro. I meant what I said earlier, you wish you were as cool as Makoto is. Getting back to our main conflict, Takeru tries to get through to Adel with one last Magic Hug, actually getting him to speak with 100% sincerity and openness about his father for the first time, confessing how betrayed he felt by him, and with Alia's help Takeru finally clears up that Adonis did care about him. And since his act is thoroughly dropped at this point, Adel actually accepts that it's true. I think Adel's actor does a positively fantastic job conveying what's going through Adel's head throughout all of this, from the sheer emptiness on his face as it truly hits him how stupid he's been, to how he's nearly in tears when Alain reassures him they're family. It's an extremely effective scene because after all these little hints of what's below the surface throughout the series we get to finally see that, underneath the grandiose, megalomanical dictator, Adel is ultimately still just a human being, like everyone else. It's a satisfying conclusion that fits perfectly with the general themes of Ghost. Let me be clear on one thing for the sake of people who disagree with that notion though. ADEL IS NOT A GOOD PERSON. He isn't particularly "worthy" of redemption nor has he done anything to "earn" it, but that doesn't matter. It isn't the point. The point is the protagonists are good people, who would be willing to forgive him anyway. I mean, the episode is even called "The Cycle of Sorrow". The important part here is that our heroes are taking the high road. Making a better future and all that junk. It's not like the show expects you to brush off his constant misdeeds, either, because the whole resolution is that, while Adel DOES make peace with his family, he also becomes a direct victim of his own hubris, the Ganmeisers doing what everyone has been warning him would happen for over a dozen episodes and taking control of him. Adel himself tells Takeru to kill him, and he complies, assuring Adel that his current feelings will always live on with his family before striking the final blow, as per the show's usual spiels about connections. -EPISODE 49 - This episode rules. A good ending is always something I look for in a show and Ghost delivers big time. A lot of thematic stuff got wrapped up last week, leaving the "finale" able to focus really well on a few particular elements. So, the Ganmeisers survive last episode's events, taking control of the Great Eye and setting off to use it's infinite power to destroy all of humanity, having come to the conclusion based on Takeru's ever growing abilities that people are a threat. Naturally Takeru himself objects to this, spamming all of Mugen's special attacks in a row, only to find that the Great Eyeser is barely scratched. it proceeds to knock Takeru right out of his transformation in one hit, turn into a giant CG monster that swats Specter and Necrom away like flies, and start wrecking the city with magic death eye lasers. Considering Takeru's personality, the fact that he just tried all his strongest moves in a row and they did squat, and the rate at which the Great Eyeser is killing people, it's perhaps understandable that Takeru goes into one last fit of mopiness, basically accepting that he's a failure who can't do anything. This time it's his father, "speaking" to him through the Toucon Boost Eyecon, who gets him back on track, showing Takeru through flashback how much his mother loved him even as she died shortly after giving birth. Takeru, who's been wondering what his mom was like for a while now, is really touched by this, telling his dad he's proud to be their child in a really heartwarming moment. With his head back in the game, Takeru muses on how his parents' love will always live on inside him, which is more talk about "connections", though amazingly the show resisted the urge to use the actual word for once. This leads to a big dramatic proclamation that love itself IS humanity's Infinite Potential™, and Takeru proceeds to knock the Great Eyeser out of its big blob monster form with one last new Mugen attack. Two big things to talk about here. One, on a plotting level, this may seem like a deus ex machina of sorts, but it's really just the final step in the arms race between him and the Ganmeisers that's been going on ever since he got Mugen Damashii. The show has constantly been building up how much his powers have been growing and the Great Eye will, later in the episode, explicitly confirm that ever since transcending death itself, he's been evolving into a being with power matching its own, so it makes since that he would be able to grow to the point he can take on the Great Eyeser by getting a fancy new emotion based move, something he's been doing for over a dozen episodes now. Especially since it's all but explicitly stated this is his strongest attack ever. Which brings me to the other thing. Two, this is an absolutely fantastic closure to all the talk of Infinite Potential™ that's burderned with the unfortunate fate of being really freakin' sugary. Like, "the power of love"? REALLY?! I'll say upfront, I thought this was totally amazing the second I first saw it, and don't even feel remotely embarrassed to admit it, but I'd find it hard to blame you if you told me this scene had you outright laughing. Honestly I was even smirking a bit myself, but stuff like this only endears me to Ghost all the more. The thing is, Takeru is speaking about "love" in the broad sense. Affection. Caring about things. Valuing them. That's been the single most prominent theme throughout the entire show, whether it's been talking about the importance of friendship, the preciousness of life, or the connections that bring people together. That declaration from Takeru holds a lot of weight because, from the very start, Ghost, as a show, has constantly been building on these ideas, and now Ghost, as a character, is using them to beat up the big bad guy and save the whole world. It goes back to that direct interplay between Ghost's themes and its plot that makes me love it, and Mugen Damashii, so much. It's the exact opposite of subtle, and that's what's brilliant about it. So that's Infinite Potential™ wrapped up in a nice, rainbow-colored bow, but what about that other thing I'm always saying is a big focus of Takeru's arc? Well, Ghost takes the wounded Great Eyeser on for one final round in a simple yet completely amazing climax. First off, he's explicitly using Ore Damashii here, largely to prove a point, and on a meta level to make it clear to the viewer how the next scene is all about Takeru himself, rather than Takeru as a symbol of humanity. The 15 Heroes are here too, and they all bascially wreck the Great Eyeser in a 16 on 1 fight. Takeru's friends are once again spectating, with them reflecting on him a bit, noting that, to them, Takeru will always be a Hero. Take good note of that capital "H". This isn't the show reminding you he's the protagonist like you'd forget, or something stupid like that. Ghost has always imbued the word「英雄」with a particular meaning. Takeru is a person of renown. Someone who's accomplished great things. He's gone from being some random kid to, in his own words from episode 1, someone "whose life burns brighter than others". Hence why he's taking the Great Eyeser on with all the Heroes. Together. They're equals at this point. As if this scene wasn't cool enough already, Ghost even takes the Great Eyeser out with one last Rider Kick. You can't go wrong with that. There's just so much that makes this scene work so well. Little touches like how Takeru mentions that people "make their own fate" just like how he did in episode 2, or how, further underscoring the point it's making, the background music is just Ghost's basic, default battle theme you've been hearing since day one rather than anything special. Since this is Ghost's soundtrack, it totally works, too. With the Great Eye restored to normal, Takeru finally gets to make his wish to come back to life. Only he's informed that disappearing for good is a non-issue now, because Takeru has basically become immortal at this point. As if this episode weren't on enough of a roll wrapping things up as it is, Takeru not only wishes to come back to life, he's now actively rejecting omnipotence in doing so, making one final point about how boring, everyday normal life is something to be cherished. The last few minutes of the episode consist of everybody just kind of being happy, and you know what, good for them, they've earned it. Which brings me to one more of these for the road. Onari shows his unbridled resourcefulness, being prepared with some onigiri for the freshly revived Takeru to munch on. If Onari weren't around he might've had to get that himself! No that one isn't very impressive, but it's the thought that counts. I mean, that was the first meal he's had in half a year, and he didn't even have to ask for it! As he's chowing down, Takeru sums up the basic point of the series in narration, imploring the viewer to always let their life burn bright, since you never know when it'll all be over. I love this episode soooo much. You may think this is everything I have to say about it but there's so much detail/unrepetant gushing I could still do. This is a great finale, and if it actually WAS the final episode I wouldn't really say there's anything that still needs to be said. And yet... -EPISODE 50 - This episode rocks. It might just be because I had my expectations set so low after how good a finale I just got, combined with Drive's attempt at this being... not particularly exceptional (it had its moments though), but I was really impressed by this epilogue, and how seemlessly it tied into Ex-Aid. As seemless as this stuff gets, anyway. This is a very natural conclusion to Ghost's story, and I don't think any elements of it are particularly holding it back. There's a lot of great wrap-up with seeing where all the characters are at, namely how Takeru is finally back to just being a goofy kid after playing the big hero for so long, a lot of great thematic wrap-up based around that most important of words, "connections" (the final scene between Takeru and Ayumu is particularly brilliant), and the way Ex-Aid fits into the plot works nicely as a "passing the torch" moment between the two protagonists. I could easily go into extensive detail as usual, but I figure I've raved about Ghost about enough at this point, yeah? -- Did you read all that? Because if you did you're awesome and deserve a cookie. Like, seriously, you're the best, and I cannot possibly thank you enough for your time. Ghost seems to get a bad rap (at least around here), and while it's not entirely underserved, I genuinely believe it to be above whatever average is for Kamen Rider. This is just the diet version, too. If I wrote about every little thing that I thought was great about every episode of Ghost, or went into more detail about what I did write, this would've been at least ten times the length. There's just so much nuance to Ghost, so many great bits of dialogue, so many great action scenes, so many emotional moments, that it can't possibly be captured in a post this short. I don't expect to change the opinion of anyone who hated the show but hopefully I've painted a very clear picture of what I see in it. None of this was a struggle for me to come up with. The show gave me so much to work with my problem was trying to keep it a reasonable length, and look at how well that went. I assure you, however good I may have made it sound, it's even better in context. If you did like the show and read this, I hope I maybe helped you like it even more. At any rate, I hope you found my ramblings interesting in some way or another. I'd love to hear any thoughts you have down below. I really poured my heart and soul into this one so frankly I'd be happy just to know someone actually read it. And no, I probably won't be making another thread like this in the future. :p |
And then Fish went back to the sea, never to be seen again...
I promise to read this when I have a moment or twenty! |
DEFINITELY not gonna be able to read this before class :lol
But as one of the few people that actually liked Ghost, I need to read it at some point. |
I would read this, I really would. But you chose to break down every episode rather than properly summarize to give the impression that "You literally need to see every second in every episode and take every minute detail."
You don't. You really could have actually summarized and gave a proper essay on your thoughts and relevant moments. |
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While the initial spark for this little project was indeed summarizing the series in a nice compact fashion, I ended up doing it how I did for several reasons: - First off, in the spirit of concise summary, the single most important reason I did it this way was because I wanted people to be able to sort of "take the journey" from my perspective, which meant one episode at a time. I definitely could've gave a more overall essay, you are absolutely right about that, but this was my attempt to basically say all the things I could ever want to about Ghost, and back up my points as thoroughly as possible. - I sort of did give an overall summary for the first section, touching on the broad stuff while only really backing out on elaborating on the Riders, since they're the focus of most of the episode thoughts anyway. It's not quite what you were hoping for, clearly, but it's something. - A big part of the fun of this for me was having an excuse to skim back over all the episodes, and that made writing it how I did a smoother experience. I could click through (and occasionally just straight up rewatch) the episodes and then jot down my bigger thoughts on them bit by bit. - Which is the thing. Despite appearances, I'm positively glossing over a lot of the episodes, boiling 22 minutes down to a short paragraph that takes about 1-3 minutes to read, and describes only a couple elements of the episode. I don't think major plot events qualify as "every minute detail". The only impression I'm giving off here is that "Every episode of the series is significant", and I really don't think that's a BAD thing. - Which naturally leads to the next reason. A common thing I hear from people criticizing Ghost is that it was incoherent/messy, so by describing the whole series in a decompressed fashion, I figure it demonstrates how that wasn't the case far better than just writing "Ghost wasn't incoherent/messy" would. Like I reiterate a lot throughout, things in Ghost are very directly tied to one another. It builds on itself a lot, so going chronologically rather than making an individual point and then dissecting it made sense to me. - Similarly, if, for example, I say "Onari was helpful", the natural followup question is "how?", hence, I described a ton of instances of Onari being significantly useful. If I didn't mention details here and there, my case wouldn't be as strong. Again, I'm trying to say everything all at once here, even if it takes an hour to read. - This is part of the reason I actively suggest skimming through a certain element of the show with your browser's search function at the start. Specifically if you don't have the time/incentive to want to take the whole roller coaster ride through the show. Rather than just a simple essay, I wanted to create a sort of... resource, I guess(?) for all my stupid opinions. Wanna know what I think about Infinite Potential™? Look it up. How about that Makoto guy? Look it up. I went into thorough detail not because I needed to, but because I didn't want to leave anything out. - I'm not good at writing short posts. :) |
I cannot fault your enthusiasm for a show you enjoy.
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Quote:
Honestly, I didn't even realize how enthusiastic I was about Ghost until it was several weeks into making this and I was staring at a massive brick of text I had somehow written. You know half a year ago I merely liked Ghost? Crazy to think about. Feels like an eternity ago. :lol Going back to what Matrix said, I totally get how the prospect of actually reading any of this is rather daunting, but hey, I had fun. |
I read some of it. It's not wrong, but I still just can't get myself to like Ghost. I dislike it for the same reason I dislike Den-O, just not for me.
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If I can find a MEGA folder, I'll give it another go. If I have to kissasian it and it's not totally thrilling me, I'll never make it!
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Despite I'm not so fascinated with Ghost, I must say that I defend Fish here. Well, truly, Ghost isn't the best Rider series ever in terms of plot and twists. After all, it's tough way to follow from two great season before it, Drive and Gaim. But, on a higher note, I must agree that Ghost is a single KR season where it gives so many meaningful messages toward the children. I bet that those who totally hate Ghost are either way too adult and sometimes think Ghost childish or that they just didn't get the full message. Basically, Ghost wants to tell you the whole thing about life burns, cherish your life, and the Infinite Potential. I guess everyone is bored with the Infinite Potential thingie but truly, it was because of that Infinite Potential that Takeru and the others could develop much better. It was also that why Adel redempted at the end of the series. Character growing itself is a characterization of the Infinite Potential.
As one say, Adel might not be the best villain ever, especially after a spectacular villain like Heart to follow. But, he's sure to be one of the villain that the show needed. As Fish stated, Adel is like a mirror for Takeru. You could basically switch their role if you want. They have almost the same background and some compelling relationship with their father. If one could remember, back in Movie War Genesis, we could clearly see Takeru as a kid. You could say if the kid Takeru didn't get the amount of development there, he could be as worst as Adel. Oh yeah, one thing that I love about Takeru is, that despite the show wanted to tell how clear-self or selflessly Takeru is, he is still a human. I love the time when he got mopey around as this is the base time for a huge development. I also love that Takeru was angry at Adel at ep 48. Takeru is indeed still a human that still could angry. However, he has friends that could keep him in check. Unlike Adel who refuse to listen to the others. You could say he has his own regrets, especially after 40-ish episode but he just was too ashamed to accept himself. THIS is what's different about him compare to Takeru. Takeru kept growing after accepting himself and that's why he got stronger by each arcs. Also, Adel is truly resembled Mitchy for a bit instance. They are just a simple young individual who can't control their own emotions or what they truly want. So, that's why they did all of those ruckus. But in the end, they just an individual who wants to get attention and love from the others. And one of the most important thing, PLEASE DON'T HATE GHOST BECAUSE OF ONARI! I know that everyone hate Ghost, but please don't overly blame Onari for this. I don't know since I felt normal against Onari. I never too dislike him at all. He can be hammy, yes, but as Fish stated, he did so many good did as much as how hammy situation he could pull off. Really, he sometimes indirectly helped Takeru and the others. Ep 17 and 28 are the one where he shone the most. He saved Akari there and also gave Javert a bit of light about Heel-Face turn. Despite his involvement to the whole game is very minimum compared to Akari or even Kanon, he still can be useful through per 10 episodes. Onari might not be the best character like Akari and Alain, but he's surely not the worst at all. All in all, if some of the veteran users still hate Ghost, I can't help. I may dislike Ghost but I also at one point I felt Ghost a bit boring and mediocre. But, Fish's statement really open my eyes (no pun intended). Ghost might not be the best Rider series here but on a higher plane note, it's the best series that the kid searches for. Ghost full of meaning to live to the upmost of your live and cherish it. Growing and develop is a part of your development. Even if you're death, your feelings will trascend over the death itself. That's the Infinite Potential that Ghost WANTED to tell! Just look, many people love Gaim, but Fish actually don't really enjoy it. And then many people last out on Ghost, but Fish ENJOY IT! One thing I could say: There's not bad Kamen Rider series, it just everyone has their own taste to decide whether it's a show for them or not. |
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