MF Ghost – Season 1 Episode 1 Recap & Review

The Challenger From England

Episode 1 of MF Ghost opens with the introduction of a new motorsport in a world devoid of high-powered sports cars. It boasts a successful global audience of 30 million subscribers and low regulations resulting in no-holds-barred white-knuckle racing.

The scene transitions to the arrival of Kanata Rivington at the airport along with Ren Saionji at the race tracks as they admire the MFG race. Kanata witnesses the race on the airport screen and recognizes it from talks with his friends over in England.

Later that evening, Ren speaks to her friend Wakana over the phone. Wakana seems excited about the English guy crashing at her house. Ren finds Wakana’s crush odd, as falling in love is something much more meaningful. Ren remains indifferent to Wakana’s obsession.

She rejects love at first sight, calling it shallow, and recalls Aiba Shun introducing himself to her before asking her out. She thinks to herself that she will only fall for a guy she finds attractive, irrespective of whether other girls like him or not.

Returning home, she instantly falls for Kanata as he introduces himself. She quickly rushes in claiming to have to study. She instantly questions the strong feeling she has for Kanata. The next day, Wakana asks her about Kanata and requests a picture of him.

Kanata visits a GT garage and meets with Mr. Ogata who shows him his car collection and helps him understand more about MFG. Based on this, he presents an old-fashioned three-pedaler and Kanata agrees to work with it.

Later that day, Katana and Ren bump into each other at the train station and she offers to walk home with him. The two have a long walk as they get to know each other. She also manages to swap contact details with him and get a picture with him. He tells her the reason for visiting Japan and that he is here looking for his dad.

The next day, Wakana rushes to see the picture and shows it to all her other friends and they begin to fangirl over him. Later, Kanata shows her an old picture of his parents claiming to be looking for his dad. He expresses his admiration for his parents and claims to be looking for the place where they took the picture. She offers to help him look for the place.

The next day, Aiba questions the employee at the desk about Ren but is denied as it is confidential. Just then, he sees Kanata enter and register in the MFG. Aiba confronts the new joiner outside the office and introduces himself. Kanata instantly recognizes his name, praising his fame in England.

Aiba takes Kanata under his wing and, treats him to lunch. The two watch and discuss MFG over a race of Michael Beckenbauer. They watch Michael climb the leaderboard with his Cayman while enjoying a meat bowl.

Later that day, Kanata approaches Mr. Ogata at the garage looking to help him out. Mr. Ogata treats him to snacks while they discuss the MFG cars. Mr. Ogata also tells Kanata about his failed career in the MFG.

The next day, Ren and Kanata visit temples and shrines looking for the place his parents had taken the picture. She helps him out by coming up with ways to narrow down to the spot. Kanata expresses how mesmerizing being in Kamakura is because of the sentimental value to him. He expresses his desire to see the place from a very young age and brings tears to Ren’s eyes. The two go on to make an offering and Ren admires how earnest he is.

The next day, Ren rushes to work and Kanata finds it strange he happens to have an event of his own. The event continues as the commentators announce Aiba being in 5th position. Kanata gets anxious hearing famous names taken by the commentator, but Mr. Ogata tells him to focus on qualifying. Aiba observes Ren from a distance and gets jealous about the commentator praising her figure.

Just then, Kanata and Ogata spot him and realize they are running short of time. They rush to make preparations and soon enough Katana revs the engines of Number 86. Aiba advises him about the racetrack and how to maneuver through it. While Kanata sets into the starting point with his car, Ren spots him and contemplates the coincidence before he can take off for his round.

The Episode Review

Episode 1 of MF Ghost kicks off by introducing us to the world of racing and its key characters, all the while laying the groundwork for the overarching storyline. However, it dedicates a significant portion to this setup, offering only a brief glimpse of actual races. The pacing of the storytelling feels a bit sluggish, and the characters need more energy to make the scenes livelier.

Yet, it’s worth noting that this might not be a persistent trend. With the foundation now in place, it seems the anime is poised to dive headfirst into the racing action. In this episode, we’re treated to a peek into a race scene, and from that, we can make out that the animation is on point, and the choreography is captured with stunning precision. Notably, there are plenty of shots from the driver’s perspective, which is a crucial ingredient for an exhilarating race scene.

Episode 1 ends with Katana taking off from the starting point and we can expect to be greeted with an action-packed lap as Katana maneuvers through the tracks.