[ShyGuy]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fish Sandwich

Formulaic as they are, I also maintain it has the strongest Monster-of-the-Week(s) plots of that whole era of Rider.

I agree with this for sure. The nature of Phantoms, and the method by which they come into existence, lends itself well to stories with more emotional depth and nuance. It gives the guest characters for each 2-parter more effective characterization, since the show explores their personalities and struggles with more significance than minor guest characters would usually get.

In a way I almost wish I had watched Wizard before I watched the first three Neo Heisei shows preceding it, because I think then I wouldn't have been quite as exhausted with that format in general as I was by the time I got to Wizard. Since I've been running through seasons one right after another, four seasons in a row of that format in a relatively short time just got tiresome by this point. So I think my issues with Wizard's pacing aren't so much an actual problem with the show as they are just a symptom of the way I've been watching the seasons all in a row.