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Thread
:
Kamen Rider Die watches Kamen Rider Ghost
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08-12-2019, 08:02 PM
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Kamen Rider Die
Kamen Ride Or Die
Join Date: Aug 2019
Location: Chicago, IL
Posts: 6,159
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
I do largely disagree, obviously. Onari is a character who's either going to click with you or he won't, but lumping Akari in with him? That's just mean! She was great. Everything about her that would've been annoying gets dropped almost immediately and she proceeds to spent the vast majority of the show being one of the most competent, active female leads Rider has ever had.
I think it's that, halfway in, I don't feel like they contribute much, separately or together. Akari invents the Make Ghosts Visible Spray, but, like, an episode later we get Spider Lantern and that's all she uses. Onari throws himself into a fight, but gets beat immediately. It feels like they're there for mostly Be Exposited To reasons, and to cheer Takeru on. I don't feel like they're goofy enough to be comic relief (I don't think I've laughed once at them?), and they don't push back enough and/or have their own lives enough to be a good support system. I really appreciate that Akari gets to big a big ol' science nerd, but it so rarely becomes more than her Trait (like, it doesn't help solve a problem or generate a story) that it feels underutilized.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
Speaking of active, I also have to stick up for my boy Takeru. I just don't see how him sitting around waiting for the Ganma to do evil things is any different from Emu waiting for someone with the Bugster Virus to be wheeled into CR. Sure, he doesn't have the charisma of Gentarou or the depth of someone like Eiji (fun fact: every show looks at least 10% crappier when compared to OOO!), but there's plenty going on with his character, and I think just like the show he stars in, Takeru gets a lot of heat for no good reason. He always felt like a very human lead to me, and I appreciated the drive he had. He has this strongly held belief in the value of every individual person's life that I don't think is quite like any other Rider hero, and it was cool how he always tried to reach out to people, to the point where his primary goal in opposing the Ganma isn't even about simply defeating them after a while.
See, I'm going to disagree on Emu. So much of what I want out of Ghost is what shows like Ex-Aid and Drive and Fourze had, and that's something for the characters to be doing before they gotta Henshin. Emu was a doctor before he got his Driver, and he's a doctor while he's a Kamen Rider, and he's a doctor after his show ends. That part of his character informs his need to be a Kamen Rider. He needs to save people, and he's doing it all day regardless of the Bugster Virus.
For Takeru, his motivations seem both selfish (he would rather not disappear into glowing particles, which, fair) and generic (fight monsters, save people, help friends). He's not a bad hero, necessarily. I loved that he decided to sacrifice his early revival to bring back Kanon. That's a big ol' hero move and if the show had swerved away from it, I don't think I'd ever believe in Takeru again. So, I'll follow him for the series. He just comes off a little bland for me. I need some spice to a character that I'm going to watch for 30+ hours.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
The early done-in-one episodes were also something I always really appreciated. In my mind, the occasionally clunkiness of the hyper-compressed stories is no worse than the opposite problem of padding that can result from making them two-parters. The lack of breathing room makes them feel less natural, but the plots manage most of the same depth in only half the time, and the result is a really brisk first quarter that packs a lot in.
I guess my main storytelling criticism is that the first plots didn't have enough moves to them. There's never a twist, or a red herring, or anything. They hit the beats to activate a new suit and power, but after a few episodes like that I feel like the process devalues itself. We're rushed to the colorful fight and awesome new costume in such a way that the journey feels incidental, and the reward unearned.
There's absolutely a problem with padding in two-episode stories, and Wizard is, like, Exhibits A-Z for that, but I'm not sure cramming so much into the first few episodes, as we're supposed to be getting attached to these characters and this premise, was a smart move.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
Actually, Ore Damashii was also partly inspired by a firefly, which have an association with spirits in Japan I'm not educated enough to properly explain off the top of my head. What I do know is that I love that Ghost managed to get a classic insect motif in there.
Oh, neat! I didn't know that. Thanks for the heads-up!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
I do not envy your position as a recent fan trying to play catch up with finished series that have like half a dozen DVD/Blu-ray specials, major appearances in like four movies a pop, online-original content, and whatever other obscure stuff is out there. The worst part is, I think if you were a fan in Japan, it'd actually be even harder to track it all down.
Literally the worst part about getting geared up for a new Kamen Rider series is downloading all of this
stuff
, and then having to go to the Wiki to figure out, hopefully without spoiling anything, where each bit of media fits in. Drive nearly killed me, because Sangou and Yongou and the Sentai crossover all happen between two goddamn episodes. A lot of my prep for a new Kamen Rider series feels like putting together a jigsaw puzzle from the reverse side.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Fish Sandwich
First of all, as Tokunation's resident Ghost fanatic, I'd just like to thank you for really getting into the nitty-gritty of what about Ghost doesn't work for you in this post. A lot of criticism I see about Ghost is either too surface-level or too overblown to the point where it's hard for me to even process, so I appreciate you making a clear and compelling case as to what the show's fundamental problems are.
Aw, thanks! I might be a little crabby about Ghost for partially comedic effect, but it's not like I'm trying to dislike it. I want to like it, and when I'm frustrated by what's on the screen, I feel the need to examine the show and my reactions to it. I'm not just trying to burn it or nothing.
Thanks so much for your thoughts on Ghost! I love talking about this stuff. I'm grateful for your time, and I'm definitely going to check out that thread you linked when I'm all done with Ghost.
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