REVIEW: Ghost 16
Now it could easily be the debut of a new rider, but I am feeling much better about this new episode than the three prior. It feels more focused and just generally better than what we’ve had these past few weeks. Alan is actually getting some character development, there is a sense of focus and drive with the drama of the episode, Makoto is getting more development and there are so many mysteries and questions being flagged up in a way that makes me want to watch more of the show. In short this week’s episode was fantastic and a return to form for the show.
I honestly do not know where to start this review, since I have so much to talk about. I suppose I should start with the star of this episode, Alan. So far he has been a kind of a bit player in the grand scheme of things, getting manipulated by his brother and Javelle and only occasionally appearing up to do something. With this episode not only is he thrust into the spotlight in regards to his position in the plot, by becoming one of the primary antagonists (not villain, I’ll get back to that), but he is now become more important, to me at least, emotionally and dramatically. His promotion, for lack of better words, to primary antagonist comes from not only becoming a rider, but through also taking matters into his own hands. By no longer only following orders and exerting his agency, he has become one of the key players in the plot. I love that they are finally giving him attention since what we have seen of him so far is so compelling and interesting. On top of that the various hints of his character, in regards to how he views humanity and our world, also fascinate me deeply.
But what about my labelling him as an antagonist? Well that is from his hints of redemption. There is one key moment in the episode where after doing a bit of a clichéd villain speech about not forgiving Takeru for changing Makoto, the music and Alan both stop and he takes a moment to look around his surroundings. This, combined with the newly debuted trailer for Alan’s mini-series, makes me want to classify him as an antagonist since his morals are grey at worst, confused at best. I say confused as his morals can clearly be seen as being based around the standards of Ganma who, because of their biology as being able to re-heal and change bodies easily, have their own way of seeing things. He isn’t necessarily wrong in his morals, he’s just unaware of other ways of living existing apart from his. That’s why he is an antagonist and one who can probably become a heroic protagonist in the future: he has the potential to learn of other views and ideologies and thus possibly be on the side of Takeru and Makoto who wish for the best for everyone.
From that look at Alan’s morality, as well as Takeru’s interaction with Robin Hood at the end of the episode, I’ve noticed some very interesting themes within the show now: conflicting ideologies and the reconciliation of them. This theme initially was apparent with the conflict between Makoto and Takeru through the two’s argument over how their powers should be used, which was reconciled when Takeru saved Kanon and thus showed Makoto that Takeru’s ideology of saving others is indeed just as important as looking after oneself. With Alan his ideology is that the needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few and that one life is not worth as much as the lives of the many. At least this is what it seems like what he believes. This is obviously against Takeru’s belief that every life matters. What I assume is going to happen is the two are going to a fight for a while and then reach a middle ground. On top of that Makoto and Alan’s relationship will hopefully be explored and the two may also have a similar arc.
I really adore this. The fact that Kamen Rider Ghost is able tackle and wrestle with the conflict of ideologies shows that it’s quite an intelligent show. But what’s even better is that it tackles and wrestles with these themes in a way that kids can understand. It successfully does what a children’s show should do: teach kids about important things, but in a way that is entertaining and doesn’t insult the children’s intelligence. Hopefully with this complex theme and plot, more people will see that Ghost is really worth their time.
As I stated in my introduction, our two other main characters also got some development, or the hints of future development. With Takeru, since this episode wasn’t really focused upon him, he only got a bit of development, but I think it will grow to something extremely interesting. While trying to bring harmony between the two he realises that maybe Ganma aren’t as bad as he initially thought and that some compromise could be made. The only criticism I have of this bit of development is that it’s only one line of dialogue. I hope that this theme/development grows and is highlighted again: I’d love to see Takeru, Makoto and Alan trying their best to get both sides to agree with each other.
As for Makoto, he hasn’t exactly developed further from last week’s episode, but rather more about him has been revealed/hinted at. At the beginning of the episode he tells Takeru that once he has “settled things”, he wants to follow in Takeru’s footsteps and help realise Ryu’s dreams. This shows that Makoto has grown a lot since we were first introduced to him. However what is more interesting is that during his fight with Alan/Necrom, its heavily hinted that the Ganma’s may have stolen Makoto’s body in some way. Now It’s not outright said, but rather Makoto says “You stole something from me” which Alan replies with “What, a body?”. However if this theory is true, it would great some really good drama and explain a lot of things, such as how Makoto is able to use a Ghost Driver or who the Ghost Drivers can be used by.
Now I will get to the glaring omission of this review so far, Kamen Rider Necrom. First off I love the design of the suit. I love the colour scheme, I love its helmet, I love that it looks so artificial to differentiate it from our previous two riders. From its artificiality it also hints at some greater plot points such as where the Ghost Drivers came from. I also love that it has a time limit and is fuelled by Ganmas, thus further emphasising its artificiality. Its powers are also extremely cool, such as being able to turn into ectoplasm to avoid attacks or allowing Alan to use/take over other Ganma’s bodies. It’s extremely versatile and enough of a departure from our other two riders to distinguish it apart from them. We also got to see Grimm soul which again is also a great design with its dark green highlights and overall white body. Its weaponry is also creative, using pen nibs attached by rope to Necrom’s shoulders. Overall Necrom has an extremely strong design and set of powers and I adore it.
Episode 16 is not only some of the best of Ghost, not only some of the best of Kamen Rider but also some of the best television I have ever watched. It so expertly ties so many intelligent plotlines and themes, has some fantastic action, which I was sadly able to not cover due to editorial limitations, had some great character development and finally showcased one of the most visually appealing riders yet. If this is what Ghost can be, and in fact has shown to be with some prior episodes, it will surely become one of the best Kamen Rider seasons we have ever gotten.
