REVIEW: Ghost 23
And so this chapter in Kamen Rider Ghost comes to a close. The status quo has shifted greatly, allegiances have changed, new forms were gained and lives were ‘lost’ in the wake. This was a great episode on the whole, but there were some nagging issues that mildly detracted from the overall quality.
Where do I begin with this review? There is so much to say and so much I want to analyse. I suppose a good place to start would be Makoto and Alain, since I honestly feel they stole the show this week. With this episode we see Alain trying to deal with having a body again in an especially touching and frankly adorable scene where Makoto gives him food. It’s an extremely touching scene showing genuine growth for both parties since Makoto is showing a kindness that has been cultivated after his sister returned and Alain supressing his pride to accept Makoto’s help. Another great moment in regards to Alain’s character was when he finally got to try takoyaki; it again showed that Alain is growing to appreciate the human world, something I hope will continue throughout the rest of the series.
But of course the elephant in the room is Makoto’s ‘death’. Now I use inverted commas here since, well Makoto really isn’t dead: His Eyecon has been destroyed and his true body is in the hands of Adel. Now this does detract from the impact/drama of the moment a little since Makoto is not permanently gone, however it is still a very touching and sad moment. The two reconciling here as well as Makoto’s promise to connect with Alain’s life and hopes, really showed how far these two have come since we first saw them and how much they really do care for each other; seeing Alain cry and question his tears was also a nice added touch.
Makoto’s ‘death’, I feel, was a very elegant move to make to further the story of the programme. Rather than clumsily moving ahead with a simple invasion storyline, we are getting a very personal motive for our heroes to fight and to go back into the Ganma world so as they can rescue Makoto. It also allows for some potentially interesting conflict between Takeru and Alain since they have a common goal, yet aren’t fully on the same page just yet. Overall this plot point was a very graceful way to move the story along as it is poignant, dramatic and gives everyone in the cast a motivation to continue.
Yet, something that I felt was quite inelegant with this week’s episode was Takeru’s sudden hatred of Ganma and sudden overcoming of this personal issue. Now this bit of development is actually fantastic in concept. Having Takeru be confused and angry over what the Ganma are doing shows that he isn’t just some goodie-two-shoes one note character. It shows that he’s flawed and by having him overcome these flaws, he can grow as a character and be a better hero if he can. However, having this character arc be over the course of one episode feels very unnatural and in all honesty rushed. If this arc happened over two episodes, it would feel better. If they kept Makoto’s death in this episode, yet have Takeru mull over it over the rest of this episode and the next, realise he could’ve saved him if he wasn’t being prejudiced, and then gain Grateful in the next episode, it would have had more impact. This plot line is good, it just needed some breathing room.
This also leads to Grateful feeling not earnt as well. By having Takeru lose all of the Eyecons at the beginning of the episode, then gain them just as easily for him to earn Grateful feels rushed. Again if they just simply left it for a single episode, it would have made such a big difference. I can also squarely blame this poor structuring on scheduling in regards to the movies and the spring special. If they were pushed back a week or weren’t there at all, all of the complaints I have would be non-existent since Takeru’s arc would have had some time to make sense.
But speaking of Grateful, let’s discuss its design. Now I really love the overall colour scheme of gold and black, they really complement each other. The shape of the armour is also very appealing and good looking. Where I feel the form falls flat is the usage of the symbols for the heroic figures and the helmet. The helmet’s silhouette is quite appealing due to its regal-ness, but the choice to have it be a mix of colours makes it a bit too busy; it’s also a bit too spiky with all the bits jutting out everywhere. The usage of the heroic figures’ symbols is also too busy. I understand what they were trying to go for, but again the large ranges of colours are extremely clashing and too busy. But overall I like the design. I am a bit confused at why the “combine all the forms” form is the mid-season upgrade, but hey that trope was quite tired and I’m glad to see it changed up a bit.
And now for the usual paragraph of shit I want to say but can’t really put in a thematised paragraph. I’m really confused at what happened in regards to Javelle and being taken over by that slab or whatever it is, but I’m sure this confusion is intentional and I’m curious as to see what it is. I really liked that moment where the Sanzo and Grimm Eyecons returned to Alain just because it just shows that Alain has redeemed himself and all that; it was just pleasing for me to see.
But yeah I really enjoyed this episode and what is going to happen next because of the events that happened in it. The relationship between Makoto and Alain is again the best part of the episode and Takeru’s character arc would have been much better if it was spread over the course of two episode, but beggars can’t be choosers.
