REVIEW: Ghost 10
Following on from last week’s great success, Ghost continues to impress me. Not only is this episode a great example of a second half of a two-parter, which I am absolutely counting this as, but it also furthers the plot in a significant way, develops the already fantastically written characters even more, has great action and is just generally a great watch!
So for this review, rather than starting with the plot, I really want to start by talking about Takeru. The reason why is because his character arc so far has been extremely poignant, moving and a breath of fresh air for not only Kamen Rider protagonists, but protagonists of superhero media in general. This is because his attitude of self-sacrifice, although quite common, is acknowledged by both him and others as being quite foolish and naive. He fully admits that he does want to come back to life, but that he wants to save Kanon instead. This is met by opposition from Akari, who was also fantastic this episode, who makes Takeru realise that other people do care for him. I really like this since that, although interesting and compelling, the trope of a completely self-sacrificing hero is being taken apart and really examined here. It’s being shown to be quite naïve and selfish in some ways. By expertly deconstructing this popular narrative, I really think the programme is doing something interesting with Takeru’s character.
Continuing on with Akari, she also shined quite a bit this week too with her protesting of Takeru’s self-sacrificing. I really like the angle they are going with her character of not being a simple love interest or comic relief, but rather an intelligent, capable, independent and plot-important three dimensional character. Makoto on the other hand continued on with his arc, but we are starting to see the beginnings of his face turn as he is starting to hesitate fighting Takeru, especially after Takeru shouts to him that he wants to save Kanon. We also got some development of Javelle, who rather than just being a simple butler to Aran, is also a ruthless soldier who answers to those higher than Aran. I’m glad Javelle has this extra layer to him, since it would’ve been quite boring for him to just be Aran’s lapdog.
As for the plot proper, it maintained last week’s high quality. Due to part one having a conclusion to its half, we don’t get a rushed opening scene, but rather a nice easing into the plot; a far better option that what we got with the Billy the Kid arc. This week we did get some significant advancement of the serial plot with the Eyecons being stolen by Saionji in a very clever string of events. Although I do have some apprehension about this plot device being used this early in the show, since I really have no clue what will be driving the plot from now on, but to do this now is quite a brave move and moves the plot ahead at a breakneck speed; it really shows that the writers are willing to take risks and to not be tied down by the gimmick/initial premise, yet still honouring it and making some very interesting storylines around it.
Looking at the episode as a whole however, not many things happened, yet those few plot points/scenes were impactful. Another plot point I quite liked was Saionji possessing Shibuya, since he has been quite a redundant character so far. Furthermore, it was a very intelligent way of getting the Eyecons from Takeru. The lack of a monster/victim of the week was also quite nice since it allowed the serial plot to takeover without any dissonance or balancing act. Finally, I just want to highlight again how wonderfully the writing staff have used the Eyecons as the conclusion of the episode was so frustrating, but in a good way. Seeing the endcard without any of the Eyecons was quite heart-breaking and just shows how well the toys are being used within the show.
As I said earlier, the action this week was quite impressive, a highlight being the fight between Takeru and the Seiryuto Ganma. I really enjoyed this fight since it allowed for the sheer strength of Benkei soul to be showcased. On top of that I really liked the combination Omega Drive and Omega Bomber finisher since it is so very unique and impressive looking. It just goes to show that by having such a versatile weapon and toy gimmick, variety and creativity can seep through. Another good fight scene was the one with Javelle against our riders; I like that his fighting style is quite simple, with just a few solid punches and what seems to be super speed. I would say it seems out of place considering the Ganmas so far have used weaponry, but I suppose they needed to differentiate him from the rest. The fight between Takeru and Makoto near the beginning, although not being long and action packed, was still quite important as the two are now neck and neck in terms of power and skill, thus showcasing Takeru’s growth in a more subtle way then just saying it.
And that is all I really have to say about the episode this week. That may seem like a bad thing however, I feel it shows that Ghost has a consistent mark of quality since its normality and its formula is of quality. Not much happened, but what did was quite important.
