[MaskedRiderAsakura]

Okay, guys, this might be surprising coming from me.



Ghost isn't THAT bad of a show. Okay, yeah, I listed it at the bottom of my Kamen Rider list, but I love Kamen Rider so much that it only comes out as mediocre. My biggest beef with the show is that literally every element of it that I loved was either downplayed or sidelined. Alain? Best character in the show by far, but the show leaves him so underleveled compared to the other two Riders that he becomes ineffectual as a Rider. The collectible gimmick being the ghost of deceased historical figures? Awesome idea and awesome opportunity for Imagin-level hijinks, but instead they get these half-assed one-off stories and then are completely forgotten about. The ghost theme itself? Awesome! Except, ironically, this is one Rider show where death means practically nothing. Takeru's status as ghost is ignored even by the characters themselves and Takeru and Makoto must have set a record for the most resurrection within a single series amongst all Kamen Riders, plus the show is missing the spooky vibe that even Kiva managed to have at certain points. The idea that Takeru has to collect the Heroic Eyecons to wish himself back to life, but there's also another Rider that needs it to resurrect his loved one? Great idea, but they should have let it marinate a little bit more, maybe have Necrom seek out the eyecons in order to restore the Ganma World or something using humanity as a sacrifice. I like that the Sage turned into Dark Ghost, but it was done mainly as comic relief. What if he functioned as an actual mentor to Takeru while retaining his quirky qualities (which he sort of did, but most of the time he was just being super cryptic about shit), teaching him how to use his powers because he WAS a Kamen Rider. Or something.



That being said, there were things that I really enjoyed that WERE executed well. The old grandma that Alain grew fondness for and the episode in which she died? Beautiful episode. Those earlier episodes where Makoto was still a rival to Takeru? Those were pretty good too. I can't say I love Ghost, and some of the dislike the series gets is a bit justified, but it's not as bad as I used to think it was.