I'm pretty far into Zero-One now, I think I've watched through episode 35? I definitely feel like it is a bit too much of a slow burn sometimes, but when it's good, it's GOOD. Seeing as I am about to slam face first into "Uh oh, pandemic" territory though I'm a little nervous about how it will handle the home stretch. Right now I think I like it on a similar level to Ex-Aid, maybe a little lower.

Yua slugging Gai in the face was one of the most satisfying things I've seen in quite a while, I must say.

https://i.imgur.com/N0c8pux.jpg

Much as I was scared about watching OOO and the possibility of it not living up to expectations, I was also very excited to rewatch it to see what I skimmed or missed the first time around, or just plain forgotten. My first watch was quite a bit back and I was completely binging these, so naturally I didn't quite pick up on everything! Such as...

First off... I love Eiji's cunning at the start of this episode. It's something I like a lot about his character - how on the surface he's a very simple person, but underneath it all he's actually very clever and perceptive - but I don't always recall specific circumstances, nor do I remember all of them that clearly! So Eiji seeing Ankh about to kill Hina, and immediately jumping to holding the OOO driver over the river and essentially yelling "OH NOOOOO ANKH LOOK IT'S IN DANGER WHAT WILL WE DOOOOO OH NOOOOOO" is beautiful and amazing and hilarious. In many ways Eiji's early characterisation can feel very by-the-numbers, but in other ways you can clearly see a lot of layers shining through.

Second: I knew in the back of my mind that this was the case, just as like, a piece of trivia... but I never truly thought about how Hina's parents are dead. So that shot of their photo on the shrine, followed by Eiji thinking back to Hina calling Shingo's name... oof. Oof. It hit me real hard and it's already making me appreciate her character a lot more -- I always liked her, but rewatching these early episodes paints a picture of someone struggling between trying to find her own independence and path in life (through applying for a job), while also being completely dependent on the presence of the only person she has left.

Third: I do distinctly remember Ankh getting his product placement Iphone 4, but I didn't remember him straight up scanning and using Shingo's memories to the point that he now has at worst a very good understanding of both the modern world around him, and Shingo's personal life especially in relation to Hina. A lot of stories that go this route would have the 800-year-old ancient being not understanding anything about their host's situation (... granted, bit of a specific set-up now I say it out loud), but here Ankh does know everything, he just doesn't care. It's another great way of illustrating the type of character he is early on, with how cruelly efficient he wants to be.

Fourth: Sorry, breaking up this season's rule of three; but if it wanted me to follow that it shouldn't have given me so goddamn much to talk about! ... though this one is, um, "OOO's OST is so fucking good what the fuck". How did this battle theme ever leave my mind when it's such a banger.

Fifth: Me when I see any small animal

https://i.imgur.com/ZZMjwSy.jpeg

Sixth: Something I've always appreciated about this show is how nuanced a take it has on desire and how it really doesn't take a side beyond saying extremes are bad. This is going into a lot of late-game stuff, but it's a story that holds its greatest strengths in simply telling a story, painting out certain implications, and allowing you to come to conclusions on your own rather than casting judgements. And it shows this from even the first episode with the Yummy hosts -- all of them have their desires shown, but none of them are really judged for having them. In this episode in particular, we're introduced to a guy who's really gluttonous and eats a lot of stuff -- but the show never really judges him for that or says he's too greedy? Ankh sure as heck judges him, but... he's Ankh, and what he says - "If he dies fulfilling his desires, so be it" - is kinda fucked up, which is kinda the point! Not gonna say it's perfect, I'm not so naive I forgot what happens in the next episode; but there's certainly a theme going on even early on about desire being a lot more nuanced than "greed bad".

Seventh: So this might be a strange direction to take it in, but it's something I want to start recording because it's starting to interest me a lot. I've noted before how the Greeed's belts are strangely similar to the Arcle, and how alongside Agito; OOO and Kuuga are the only Riders that get their belt from an explicitly ancient mysterious source... and since I've now watched Kuuga and adore it with all my soul, I'm starting to see more similarities in this rewatch. You've got Eiji straight off the bat, who as I noted is quite cunning and smart underneath his simple smiles -- and that's sort of similar to Godai. I realise that it's a lot of general traits I'm conspiracy theory-style stringing together here, but even the way they carry themselves and the connections they forge and their overall optimism despite everything going on underneath is striking me as a lot more similar than I thought before. Then you've got the framing of the Greeed, where putting aside the killing game and their unique language - and, yes, that's a huge part of their identity to put aside - they feel in many ways like the Grongi in how their early scenes are shot, the style put on them, their antagonistic chemistry with each other and their disdain for humans and how they've changed since they were sealed away. Heck, Eiji is backed up by a non-Rider member of the police... kind of! All I'm saying is that there's a lot of parallels going on here and I want to see if I can spot more as I watch (and spoilers, starting to think a few things about a certain secondary). Maybe this was part of the whole 40th anniversary thing? I dunno, but OOO sure is feeling like a new hero, a new legend at the moment.


When Episode 3 alone is giving me this much to talk about... man. Man rewatching this was I think a good choice.

Just finished episode 10 of Super-1, and my takeaway so far is that this show is friggen hardcore!

Like, just as an example, the latest episode was all about a monster who inflicted people with so much fear they'd attempt suicide. And its title? The Devil's Christmas Present. Add to that the various vicious death traps Dogma sets up throughout the show and the onscreen death that happens every now and again... how were people claiming Black was way darker than previous entries??

Outside of that though, I am actually having alot of fun watching this show so far.

Like, yeah, outside of Kazuya all of the characters a pretty one-note so far, but sometimes all you need is a cool hero punching evil in the face, and Super-1 definitely delivers with some surprisingly well choreographed fight scenes.

If the show keeps up this kind of pace, I think it'll definitely take the spot as my new favorite Showa entry of the franchise(currently that position belongs to J). It's got a cool suit design and gimmick, good action, and a likeable hero. And you know, that's really all I need sometimes. It really does feel refreshing after a string of the "deeper" entries in the franchise that I've been watching recently. It's simplistic yes, but it's also very enjoyable.

One of my favorite little moments in OOO hands down, and something always stuck with me even from way back in 2011 or whenever. I think what I love most about it is how it's such a stupid, obvious, simple, transparent ploy on Eiji's part... and also completely foolproof. Ankh has unknowingly given his would-be lackey way more leverage than he thought, and Eiji has the autonomy and intuition to start taking advantage of that immediately. It's something particularly fun about those early episodes before they settle into a (relatively) more stable relationship.

Oh man, don't even get me started on the OOO OST! I could literally just start linking tracks all day, because they're all just so great. Amazing battle theme? Maybe you mean this one? But s***, you could mean this one that's apparently a theme for the RideVendors; it's always been a favorite of mine, especially because I believe it plays during the debut of a certain Medal in episode 4. And then there's the stuff that deliberately strays from the ska influence for more impact, like the show's designated "heroic resolve" theme.

And then there's one thing I particular I noticed rewatching the show that I thought really said a lot about the OOO's uniquely varied yet cohesive tone, which is that one of the show's favorite themes for wacky and relaxed moments is also remixed into one of its favorite for somber, emotional scenes. Well, two of them, actually. And seeing the track titles while looking these up to link to, I learned something that'll probably make you very happy – this is apparently Hina's theme! Go figure!

Ooh, have I never mentioned this anywhere yet? Because I totally agree that OOO is the second half of Heisei's version of Kuuga. I think it might even go beyond just the surface level, but I haven't put enough thought into it to really say. Obviously they have different styles and priorities as stories, but also maybe they don't, too? I don't know, but it was a thought that occurred to me somewhere in watching both shows again.

Maybe it's just my dumbdumb brain not really catching it, but I personally never got why people compared Kuuga and OOO specifically. Like, yeah, there are some simularities, but alot of the ones I was able to make were superfluous at best. I found them to be very different shows.

Haven't seen Kuuga yet but so far what I can think of is ancient belt, ancient monsters and hard to control berserker final form.

Well it may be because both have protagonists who stumble upon an ancient belt, removes it only to unleash demons from their entombment, are generally pleasant people and are overshadowed by their male co-stars (Ichijou/Ankh). Aside from that, yeah, not much actually in common.

That's the one!! It sticks out as the 'main' battle theme to me and any time it kicks in I'm just so sucked in. I'm not sure I've mentioned this before but one of the biggest things to me that gives a show its unique vibe is its soundtrack; and in particular I think Kuuga, W and OOO are the greatest Heisei Riders at achieving this. Just instantly stick in my mind as not just great soundtracks; but when I hear their themes, I just know it's them.


Interesting, I thought I was the only one here! They absolutely have different priorities but at the same time a lot of what they're trying to achieve is similar.


Wait, a lot of people do this?! Here I was thinking I'd caught something unique! Well... yeah, quite a bit of it is superficial; but if it was just the Greeed's belts I wouldn't have had a second thought about it. Naturally Kuuga's subdued, subtle tone embedded in Showa-isms can't really be compared to OOO' loud, bombastic nature -- but at the same time I'm just finding a lot of framing and character dynamics that are bringing to mind Kuuga more than anything else.

In those regards it's actually kinda funny on a note specific to me, as Ichijo is my favorite character in Kuuga whereas Eiji is my favorite in OOO.

Well I dunno about "alot" but I have heard people make the comparison before in other circles of the web. But hey, if you're able to point out more that connects the two, maybe it'll help explain why both are my Top 2 Rider shows as of right now, haha.

My favorite parts of OOO was when he would use random combos by either crafting a clever strategy with them or being forced to since he doesn't have the right combo medals.

I wish more shows would do that again. Saber seems like the perfect show to do something like that.

I think a lot of the less superficial similarities between Kuuga and OOO come down to how both depict their casts in a way I feel is more grounded in nuanced realism than usual, even though that's way less obvious with OOO because of that wild post-W energy. The huge glaring difference is probably that OOO believes very much in moral grey areas while Kuuga very much doesn't. The Grongi and the Greeed are both like, avatars of human sin, but the way each show portrays them ends up vastly different. It's definitely no 1:1 comparison, but I do see plenty of parallels.

I think they did this in Build with the random Fullbottles and stuff.

To an extent, but like anything made after Wizard they're dropped within like 14 episodes for the shiny new upgrades and all interesting aspect is lost.

... I say this as someone who LOVES Build. Lord I would have loved it if the only upgrades were Hazard and the FullFullBottle.

Fourze had it to a degree - I still think the Astroswitches are some of the funnest gimmicks - but there was no real back-and-forth with villains getting them, or any reason to not use any given Astroswitch beyond like, not knowing how to use a new upgrade for half an episode. I'm alright with it though, given the type of show Fourze was.

The difference with Build is that it felt like OOO had rules for what each medal did and why some worked together while Build’s powers just felt random and poorly defined.

I suppose I could see that. Interesting.

Also, moral "gray" area? Yet another reason Sagozo is the best OOO form, jus' sayin'.

I really don’t want to constantly pick fights with OOO fans, but really? Grounded? Realism? NUANCE?! I always find Kobayashi’s character writing super hamfisted, with all the nuance of getting pelted in the head with a brick. Not to say they can’t have depths, I still wont shut up about Kitaoka from Ryuki, but I don’t think her characters are her strong point at all.

Kamen Rider Drive Episode 48

https://i.imgur.com/hjSStr0.jpg

I really like Takeru's early scenes here. You don't see him much, but his little interaction with Shinnosuke was very lovely and reminds me of the best aspects of Ghost already -- Takeru's kindness and willing to give up something he almost certainly needs more just to help out someone in need.
Drive is a season that as time goes on, I'm finding less fondness for -- but this episode, while missing these aspects directly; did do a good job of reminding me what was enjoyable about it. The dynamic of the special investigations team; the dynamic between Shinnosuke and Steinbelt -- it's not here, but that's very much the point, it feels just wrong to not have them in a Drive story and this is about Shinnosuke having to move on with his life without them. It's a lovely bit of bittersweet-ness that shows just how fantastic Drive was at drama.

...

And that's about all I've got to say! Aside from the very funny coincidence of the show saying Shinnosuke will go on to have a son called Eiji; I didn't get as much from this as I was hoping I would. Not sure if I made a mistake in choosing this as the first part of my Ghost rewatch? I was impatient to start but man, man I don't think this was quite it. I remembered this being more of a blatant Ghost advertisement than it actually was when in reality it's a very lovely send-off and ending to a show that I haven't watched in a while and don't intend to any time soon that happens to feature an Eyecon.



Kamen Rider OOO Episode 4


https://i.imgur.com/8LixqvD.jpeg


OOO, meanwhile, continues to go on a streak of being absolutely fantastic! This is that one episode Eiji's infamous speech comes from -- "If you can reach out and help someone and you don't... you'll regret that for the rest of your life. I just reach out because I don't want to feel that way". It's a great speech! And one that in context and on my second watch, is clear that it's not all genuine -- it's coming from a place of overwhelming guilt. Even this early on, we've seen enough flashbacks and statements from Eiji to see that he's someone who at his core desperately wants to save everyone he can reach out to, yet has failed tragically in the past and that continues to wear him down. It's this conflict that makes him as interesting as he is for me - even though on the surface he seems like your bog-standard "do good things because it's the right thing to do" toku hero - which is still something I like! - what you've really got here is a question of how much he's motivated by it being the right thing to do, and how much he's motivated by his guilt. It's a great question to tackle and we'll be seeing it unfold more and more throughout the season.

This is also the first episode to really feature the most fondly remembered thing about OOO's gimmick items -- the constant back-and-forth with them. I didn't remember it happening this early, but already Kazari has gone and stolen the Kamakiri medal while Eiji's swiped two Cheetahs and an extra Tora! Especially now I know more about the toys, it's even more fascinating to me that they did this -- because the Kamakiri medal came with the OOO Driver! It was that toy's way of showing off its mix and match gimmick and that's why it was used from the first episode. And it's gone by episode 4! I can't express enough just how much I like this gimmick; it's such a simple way to keep you on your toes and keep our hero balanced and strategic. Without the Kamakiri swords he's ended up having to improvise with a different style of legs to attack the monster and save its host. And I'm glad they did, because... it allows them to pull off this visual below which will always stay in my mind. A visual that is so perfect thematically it needs no explanation; and so memorable it's one of my favourites in all of Kamen Rider. Fantastic episode.

https://i.imgur.com/bmOE9jG.jpg

Well if you were counting that in your rewatch, you ought to have gone further back and included Ghost and OOO's cameos in Surprise Future and The GaiaMemories of Fate!

You mentioning the neatness of the gimmicks reminded me of how even way back in 2012 when I watched OOO for the first time, I was thinking to myself how I wished he didn't have a regular (but cool!) sword and only ever relied on whatever weapons his chest medal provided him. As a compromise, maybe the swords Kamikiri medal summons are the merch you buy that has a slot for cell medals... and same for the fists the Gorilla medal gives etc.

Yeah that episode of OOO was great. I still remember laughing out loud when I saw this though, it's so good :lol

https://i.imgur.com/8scHyCW.gif

For a show that's handling the topics it is, OOO can be very very funny. I find it's got a great balance of subtle and laugh-out-loud that makes it a joy to watch!

I was considering the movies, but... well. They're movies. I've already got a lot to catch up with as-is; at least a 20-minute episode I'm able to slot in along OOO's early start! A rewatch of the W movie though... hm... there's an idea to shelve for later...


Yeah, I'm very split on the Medajalibur. It's very cool and looks wonderful in OOO's hands, but as you said it does make each arm medal's weapon feel a little less necessarily; ESPECIALLY Kamakiri's swords. Something I'm also realising is, uh, where does he get it all the time? It's not like a power of the suit that he can magic up (something I'm able to justify for most Rider weapons), it's a piece of technology created by an outside source. Does he just secretly lug it around Terui style? :lol

Assuming I'm remembering these episodes right, OOO also very quickly presents a problem when it comes to its gimmick. That problem being that certain combos are just straight upgrades to others.

Heck, right off the bat we have a prominent example; Red-Green-Yellow is a direct upgrade to Red-Yellow-Green. And yet, what is always the go-to combo in later episodes? Tatoba. It gets especially egregious in the last act of the show when Eiji has a ton more Medals and yet, it's always Tatoba.

Heck, this even apples to individual Medals and not just Combos. Green's' blades are shown multiple times to be better in every aspect to Yellow's' claws. I get that it's implied that Medajalibur is stronger than all of the sharp weapons provided by individual Medals anyway, but IIRC it's also never explained why only Tatoba can use the sword in the first place.

I'm not entirely sure I'd agree with that; swords have very different uses to arm-mounted blades.

It took me a bit to find time to sit down and do this, but I definitely want to say something about this whole speech and why it's so great – after all, I might regret it if I don't! :p

The thing about it not being entirely genuine, that's exactly right, and all those layers are why I honestly find it sooooort of odd seeing this scene treated like just a straightforward inspirational herosim thing? There's a line Hina says to Eiji that prompts this whole thing – and it's a brilliant question to have a character ask of the lead in a superhero show this early on – which is just basically "how could anyone be this unrealistically kind and selfless?" Before he says anything else, Eiji replies that he isn't kind, and while it's easy to take that as simple modesty, it can just as easily be read as genuine self-awareness on his part. Like he knows not helping people would make him personally feel like crap, and that's all he's hung up on.

And this is the part where this post is quickly going to lose any cohesion, but I just adore how much can be taken away from all this – that little bit of ambiguity that lends things more than a bit of a depth. How much does Eiji really understand his own issues? Is the selfless hobo shtick his way of confronting them, or just a means to escape them? Are being selfish and selfless even mutually exclusive in this case? Isn't feeling personal pain at the suffering of others the raw essence of heroism? But is that definition for the best? I don't know! But this show'll get you thinking about these things and that's why it's good! I mean, I could go on (and have gone on in the past) about Eiji alone for days. And I'll probably have plenty of opportunities to do that in the near future, so that's something I'm looking forward to. OOO is a series I never seem to run out of thoughts about, so it's nice to have the excuse to maybe get some more of them out there.

Oh, and yes, OOO using the Cheetah Medal to tenderize a Yummy IS a hilarious visual. It's embarrassing to admit, but that was probably the main thing I remembered from the episode the first time around. In case it wasn't clear enough what I mean when I always say I took this show for granted... :lol

I really need to watch ooos and more toku in general.

Yesss!!! All of this right here! This is what I take away from OOO and why, even if it took a bit to think over later; it became my favourite Rider show. It's why I'm so excited to rediscover it and why I'm so happy it's bearing fruit this early on!

Kamen Rider OOO Episode 5

https://i.imgur.com/Y6KwJiq.jpg

This show's seriously got to stop giving me a billion things to talk about. Like, something I distinctly remember from when I first watched it is that the 'Last time on OOO, these three things happened!' section didn't actually cover everything that happened in just three broad statements, and I think that's a real testament to just how much OOO is able to have occur in one episode yet still feel completely balanced.

Like, let's talk formulas and structures for a sec. Usually in a show like this, ESPECIALLY in a Toku show; where you have a particular group of main villains you'd usually give each their own focus episode near the start of the show to really get viewers accustomed to them and start fleshing them out for later. It's standard but it works and plenty of great shows build on that. So, ostensibly this episode is Mezool's; a personal favourite among the Greeed for me for reasons that unfold later. But despite this being her Yummy, her getting a big fight and grand entrance to Eiji in, you've also got Kazari manipulating things behind the scenes after he took the stage last episode, and then almost the entire back third is an introduction to and fight with Uva! And the best part is that in comparison to that previously-stated formula, it all feels so natural. Thing A leads into thing B while thing C naturally spun-off from the others; it's all very much within their nature, you see the Greeed tying each other around their claws and backstabbing each other whenever they can for their own benefit. It is wonderful villain stuff, and once again their new hideout, disguises, and discussion in the dark is so very VERY Grongi in a way I simply love.

But that's not the only thing that's really broken out of here, because his is hardly a Greeed-centric episode -- aside from Mezool's introduction and Uva's fight, you've also got the A-plot of a rich girl spending so much every day; you've got Hina's lingering conflicts; Ankh clashing with Kougami -- and again, all of it is so well balanced. All of these elements get the exact time they need to shine, no more no less; giving you just enough of the picture to feel satisfied while still getting you excited for what's coming up next. Kougami's deal is only truly established at the beginning but throughout you see Ankh trying to fight back against him until eventually he has to fall back on his tech; there's enough cutaways to the rich girl to get her story; Hina's conflict is interwoven with hers... and I really like how I can't really fit any of this into a three-act structure or anything else, yet all of it just works. Something I really enjoy seeing is when people used to working on the genre and know it inside-out are able to play around with it and not stick to the rules so much -- every decision here feels deliberate and like there's true intent behind every little detail.

Couple more fun points? Once again, we see Eiji's hidden cunning at work -- Ankh tries to stomp off to trick Eiji into thinking he doesn't know where the Yummy is in order to stockpile more medals... but despite how dumb he looks, Eiji tricks him right back with a facade of helplessness because he knows right away where Ankh was looking. In what would usually be a decent ploy to draw the episode out, this is a great bit of genre-savviness that still feels fresh all these years later and adds more personality to Eiji than you'd think. It's also very subtly displayed in the opening of the episode, too -- the whole time you think he's not listening to the conversation between Kougami and Ankh, that he's obliviousness; but no, he clearly heard every word and is considering him despite how goofy he's acting. Oh, and then the Uva fight scene goes and has a big bike scene! In Kamen Rider! Imagine! Bikes! In Kamen Rider! What a concept! I'd be tempted to mark that off as another Kuuga-ism if OOO's immediate predecessor wasn't just as obsessed with making great bike scenes, but something that adds to it is that Ankh's riding too. It's something kind of fun about the Ridevendors; that they're not relegated to just a Rider's equipment and you see a lot of characters using them throughout the show. And just to top it off... boom. Eiji and Ankh stole more medals for their first full set. I don't remember if every episode had a change to the medal count, but it's starting to feel like that was the case!

https://i.imgur.com/JvacClA.jpeg







Kamen Rider Ghost Episode 1


https://i.imgur.com/Qb47eMY.jpg


This is one of the best first episodes Kamen Rider has ever had and you won't convince me otherwise.

Not that Kamen Rider is bad at first episodes or anything -- most seasons I can think of aside from Zi-O do a phenomenal job and really stick with me; and even for seasons like 555 where I didn't enjoy it, I can still appreciate how good of a first episode that was at nailing the tone right off the bat. But Ghost's, to me, is very special in how much it's able to establish and how well it's able to establish that. I just talked in this post about OOO being a master of balancing a thousand things at once and this truly feels like it comes close -- Akari and Onari, even if you might find them a bit annoying (I have things to say about Akari later), are already very well-realised characters with a lot of personality from the second they open their mouths. They're very loud, very passionate; you can easily see what's going to be a big source of conflict for this season yet at the same time their love for Takeru rises above all of that. It's not like they're smothering him, but there's a real subtle natural element to the bond they have with Takeru that makes it feel real and that there's enough there to get them without fleshing out the details just yet. Talking of which, Takeru has a hell of a lot more self-esteem issues than I remember! Like. Oh good god we need to get this lad some therapy ASAP, though I guess a season of Kamen Riding will have to do for working out his feelings? There's a very relatable lack of confidence in everything he does and how he feels he's living up to his father that you might as well name him Rodimus and call it a day, and that seriously helps with all the 'believe in yourself' stuff later on. Usually that'd be pretty stock shonen/toku stuff, the kind of thing you tick off on your Sentai Bingo Card; but here it feels like there's a lot more legitimacy to it in both how he talks and his body language. I don't know why I didn't pick up on it the first time around but there's so much character to Takeru right off the bat. Like, hell, he lives shut away in a basement! To quickly shift gears, actually? Love Tenkuji Temple. The set design alone is drop-dead gorgeous, and the way the camera follows Akari running through it near the start gives such a great continuity of location to the place that you immediately map out the place in your head. Is that just me? Because despite how big the place is I straightaway know how all the main areas connect and am so ready to see it for 50 episodes. Pretty great parallel to how well the characters are set up, in fact!

So that's why I actually did kinda feel something when the main character dies at the 10-minute mark. I don't think I truly appreciated how much of a way this is to start off your children's show about funny ghost shenanigans and learning all about Beethoven and Himiko? Like just over a year from now parents are writing complaints to Toei about having to explain the concept of death to their kids on Christmas because Takahashi decided to kill the funny bike gamer man, but Fukuda's out here like. Nah. 10 minutes. That's all you get bud. It's kind of amazing and creates a fantastic hook within so little time, especially with the time limit!

The remainder of the episode is mostly a fight scene, but it's a fight scene riddled with wonderful and characterful choreography. Something I did have a complaint with in the later stages of the Heisei Era was how bad the fight choreography got; I adore Build and I liked Zi-O, but neither of these had me enjoying the fight scenes much because it was either a very simple repeated one-two punch or it was full of special effects; scenes like RabbitRabbit and Zi-O II's debuts were truly saved by the emotion behind it all. I don't know why this was, I assume maybe it was because Taikawa was probably getting a bit tired by that point... but in Ghost he's showing his stuff! Ghost has a very distinct style of fighting compared to any Kamen Rider we've seen before, with very intentional strikes and punches clearly derived from Takeru's background and training at the temple. This early on it's not quite perfected, but that's because Takeru isn't either -- he's clearly a novice at this with all his bumbling while trying to float around, getting hit back and forth, leaving himself open. Ghost's fight scenes are very very rich with great action and it's something I'm looking forward to!

There's a few complaints I have; particularly Akari and the fact a new form is used right in the first episode -- I really feel like first episodes should have the Rider's main form and nothing else, unless it's a pre-form like Den-O's Plat Form or... well, Ghost's transients; or you're pulling off something unique like Kuuga. But this was an issue I had with my literal two favourite shows in OOO and Build, and Musashi has a lot more emotional weight behind it than poking a Smash with a Hedgehog hand; so I can more or less excuse it. What is here is exciting enough to have me hooked!

Amazing. One sentence into one episode of Ghost and you're already being more glowingly positive about something than even I am. You know Christmas isn't for another month, right? :p

Ghost's first episode is one I've always considered a just ~tiny~ bit too packed for its own good, but it's also not exactly lacking in cohesion, or anything like that. And after reading that post and thinking back on the episode, it's funny, because I'm trying to think of what I do find wrong with it, and it's entirely those mechanical plot details. Stuff like Takeru's reaction to getting told to become "Kamen Rider Ghost" being a confused "GO~SUTO?!" as though that's the one of those three words that should be stumping him. Stuff I learned to find more endearing than anything a long time ago, but which admittedly still speaks to a certain lack of polish.

And again, I'm thinking about that, and it's just like, is that even a real problem? Is it unforgivably bad pacing and/or editing if Takeru is randomly on a motorcycle he never had before during the transition between the two fight scenes? Heck, for all I know, they were just paying tribute to the Cyclone's non-origin in the OG show. None of the nitpicks I can think of have all that much to do with the true meat of the episode's story, which, despite being so busy, still cleverly establishes everything to the point that even the arguably unnecessary debut of Musashi Damashii is set up in Takeru's very first scene, and built upon throughout the episode. And also, that fight scene is super uplifting and great! So yeah, maybe this is up there with heavy hitters like the Kuuga premiere in its own way. I certainly wouldn't be opposed to that. I mean, I say I have my issues with it, but it's not like I didn't already love it to bits anyway.

Good on you for picking up on Takeru's self-esteem issues and sloppy fighting style early on, by the way. The huge amount of growth he gets on both those fronts is a huge part of why I find him to be a legitimately great protagonist, so it'll be interesting to see your reactions to even just some of these early episodes going forward. I mean, you mention the good choreography in the fights, and now I'm just itching for a chance to talk about how intense some of Ghost's fights with a certain blue rival character get. Or just the first arc in general. Really love that first arc. And the ones after it...

...I really like this show.

Oh yeah, Ghost had a lot of potential and the first quarter of the series was definitely strong. Unfortunately, most of that potential went down the drain when the higher ups at Toei decided to funnel some of the budget into Amazons.

Weeell, don't get too excited just yet; because I always liked the first third or even half well enough -- it's really the later stages I remember not liking, so that's when things will get REALLY interesting for seeing if my opinion's changed or not. That said, uh, there's definitely a lot in this episode that I'm appreciating more this time around. I thought it was a fine debut before but as you said, I'm now picking up on a lot more little details that make me enjoy it just that bit more. If nothing else, I've already gotten something out of this rewatch!

It -did- kinda bother me that he was reacting to 'Ghost' out of 'Kamen Rider Ghost', though I figured he just doesn't know a lot of English. And the motorbike? ... eh, he probably just had one? Not an awfully uncommon thing for something to have!

This would be a more credible explanation if everyone in the show including Takeru himself wasn't already consistently referring to ghosts using the English word almost exclusively right out of the gate. :lol

I think if Ghost didn't burn through its main premise in 13 episodes it probably would have ended up a stronger show.

Much like how Tenkuji Takeru must contend with the Gamma, Kurona must contend with people chiming in with how Ghost actually sucks and unfounded facts about Amazon :v (I am people if it comes to the end of Ghost, or the last quarter in general.)

So correct me if I'm totally wrong, but I was always under the impression that Ghost is one of those shows that more or less forgoes the title 'Kamen Rider' much like most early-Heisei shows or Wizard and Gaim etc.

Yes, I know they say 'Kamen Rider Ghost' right there in the first episode, but I've always chalked that up to just an oddity due to not having quite ironed out all the lore yet. Outside of crossovers where they need to remind you of the brand, I don't recall anybody ever calling anyone a 'Kamen Rider'. In fact, I don't think Takeru is ever even called 'Ghost' by anyone? Unlike Specter and Necrom, I don't remember his transformed state being treated as an identity of it's own, he simply is always Tenkuji Takeru.

Assuming I'm remembering that all correctly, I just think it's neat even if like I said, the first episode and crossovers muddy it a bit.

Is the big boy Iguana in the first episode? If so, that automatically makes it good.

Not quite yet!

Sad times. Ghost isn't Ghost without his pet Iguana made from a Skeletal Horse bike and the Black Pearl.

(Seriously, what do Iguanas have to do with the theme? If anyone can tell me they're secretly a sign of death, I'll be impressed and satisfied.)

Only thing I found is that Iguanas are a symbolism for fulfillment in life?? Idk.

Alright, let me give this a try.

After a quick bit of looking around, the best I could turn up is that it probably doesn't have anything to do with ghosts at all. This is speculation on my part, but apparently Ghost went a bit into the planning phase before it was actually 100% about ghosts, so it might've just been some dumb idea they came up with that they got too attached to to give up on.

However, the inspiration for that dumb idea was, of all things, the equally rather dumb giant lizard Obi-Wan Kenobi rides in Star Wars: Episode III, and of course, Obi-Wan was a hero with a cool hood who came back from death as a ghost, so arguably, the Iguana Ghostriker has everything to do with the themes of the show... from a certain point of a view.

Yeah, uh, way more excited for episode 2 tomorrow then!

... GodDAMMIT they definitely should have introduced the iguana in episode 3. I'm mad now.

So he isn’t Ghost in 46 out of 48 episodes?

Hey, he's in four episodes! And the movie! Truly, a vital part of Ghost's group, where would they be without him?