It’s fine in concept. My issue with it has always been that nothing about it has anything to do with Ghost’s actual themes. It would be like if Fourze, the outer space Rider, had a submarine that could transform into a dinosaur.

You know, I'm just gonna say it, those are the worst two episodes of Ghost. They have some tangential relevance to the larger story, but they're really barely scraping by on that front, and like you said, the plot's focus on Shibuya doesn't actually serve to "rehabilitate" him into a deeper character or anything, because he goes right back into the background with Narita as soon as it's over.

Don't get me wrong, it's Ghost, so I still like them, but there's no getting around how underwhelming that arc is. I'm also not sure if it helps or hurts that it comes directly after one of the show's best arcs, either. Like maybe it's okay as a breather, or maybe that just rubs in how mediocre it is by comparison. Who knows?

Eh, I think it's a closer connection than you might think. The specific word in play during that arc in Japanese, 信念, can also be translated as "conviction" which I think better gets across what the episodes are going for. Faith in the sense of having the resolve to see something through to the end.

Oh, and by the way, I can't help but notice:

You seem to have acquired a catchphrase here. :lol

Wait, I'm confused. Are you trying to make this sound like a bad thing? Because you're not doing a great job. :p

Oh, neat! That makes a lot of sense. Yeah, I wasn't mad at the show for seeming to define good old-fashioned elbow grease as some higher calling, but it seemed, like, a bit much? Conviction, though, that I can see.

Ha ha, yeah, looks like you caught that. I needed some way to acknowledge that people had feelings about what was coming up (and they are mostly not good!), without getting drawn into anything that'd give more away.

And, I mean, it doesn't really bother me. I'd like to stay as spoiler-free as possible, but I know that a) shouting NO SPOILERS for a show that finished airing almost three years ago is not really fair, and b) it's folks who are engaged with the franchise, and they aren't trying to be rude.

Still, everybody's been really great so far. This is a pretty good community! Y'all should be proud of yourselves.

ZUON! ON! ON! ON! ON!

https://vignette.wikia.nocookie.net/...20140321074024

KAMEN RIDER GHOST EPISODES 39 - 40

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ghost/391.png

ALL DADS ARE DEAD

I don't imagine this two-parter is anyone's favorite, but I thought it had some positives. Namely, I really enjoyed seeing this Scooby-Doo gang run through what's basically a dumber version of a Drive story. (Shinnosuke would've cracked this thing top to bottom in about one scene. Stick to ghostbusting, kids!) Each Kamen Rider series has a pretty strict premise/aesthetic, and I think it's neat to see one cast deal with a different cast's dilemma. I don't remember that happening a lot on other shows, and I think it's actually a really good idea? Execution matters a lot, and I don't know if there's enough meat on this particular bone to last two episodes, but, like, I appreciated the attempt.

And, maybe it's Stockholm Syndrome, but I actually enjoyed Takeru's naively optimistic view of a man he'd never met, and his instance that all people are basically good. (Speaking of Stockholm Syndrome, even the theme song is growing on me. What have I become?!) It's very, very weird that he's trying to tell a girl he just met that her workaholic father is a super-great guy that she should have unwavering faith in, but it's also so Takeru. He's got more belief in people than nearly any other Rider I can think of outside of Fourze, and while it's not the most compelling character trait ever, I do like how the show has at least committed to it.

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ghost/392.png

What I do not like is the super-clunky shoehorning in of Oh Did We Not Mention That Alain Has A Mysterious Dead Brother Well Let's Do That Now, nor did I enjoy the introduction of Makoto Is Unbelievably Mad At His Father Who Disappeared Mysteriously But He's Never Mentioned Before. (I'm less mad at the latter, since how everyone felt about their dads was the theme of the story, but it was still pretty hamfisted.) The poor writing aside, I'm mostly just not into the idea that at this late stage in the series (ten episodes left!) it feels like we are going to have to deal with some new antagonists/obstacles, rather than any sort of escalation of the ones we've already seen. (I could be wrong, but I've got a bad feeling about it.) I don't think Adel's a great villain, and the Ganmeisers are dull as dirt, but having a new endboss just feels like a weak solution. Hopefully I'm wrong!

https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ghost/393.png
https://kamenriderdie.com/images/kr/ghost/394.png

Oh I see you've gotten to the annual "Time to hint at the Summer Movie" dialogue/scenes they put in the series. Because once you watch Episode 42 it's time for Ghost's Summer Movie since it fits nice and snugly between Episode's 42 and 43

Yep, got it locked in on my files!

In my mind I had fit the movie between episode 40 and 41, though in hindsight it probably doesn't make that much of a difference.

I totally forgot about the two-parter about the girl, her dad, and the Ganmeiser switching bodies, maybe because it is placed right between two story arcs which I enjoyed a ton.

The Wiki has the movie hitting theaters six days after Episode 42, so that's where I plan on watching it.

The body-switching story is, at best, a fun diversion. I'd be shocked if even fans of Ghost had it in their Top 5 or anything.

I'm not saying that a dinosub wouldn't be cool, just that it really wouldn't match the theme or aesthetic of the Rider in question.