is a Japanese comedy

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series by Hijiki Isoflavone. It has been serialized in

Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the name Studio DNA whose main purpose was to edit shōnen manga ...

's ''josei'' manga magazine ''

Monthly Comic Zero Sum is a ''josei'' manga magazine published by Ichijinsha is a Japanese publishing company focused on manga-related publication, including magazines and books. The company was first established in August 1992 as a limited company under the ...

'' since December 2017 and has been collected in seven ''

tankōbon A is a standard publishing format for books in Japan, alongside other formats such as ''shinsho'' (17x11 cm paperback books) and ''bunkobon''. Used as a loanword in English, the term specifically refers to a printed collection of a manga that w ...

'' volumes as of July 2023. The manga is licensed in North America by

Kodansha USA Kodansha USA Publishing, LLC is a publishing company based in New York, US, and a subsidiary of Japan's largest publishing company Kodansha. Established in July 1st 2008, Kodansha USA publishes books relating to Japan, Japanese culture, and man ...

. An

anime is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...

television series adaptation by

Studio Gokumi is a Japanese animation studio established by former Gonzo members. History Studio Gokumi, literally meaning "Studio Group 5", was founded in May 2010 after members of Gonzo's Studio Number 5 left the company to start one of their own. Studio Nu ...

aired from July to September 2022.

Plot

Yuya Niyodo is on the verge of being fired from his job as an idol in the two-man group ZINGS, due to his poor and lazy attitude, when he meets the ghost of Asahi Mogami, a popular idol who died a year ago in a traffic accident. Niyodo gets her to possess him and do his job for him, causing him to gain a reputation as a strange idol.

Characters

Main

; : :Yuya is a member of idol unit ZINGS. However, since he debuted as an idol to earn easy money, he is unmotivated during performance and fan interactions. He lets Asahi possess his body during his idol activity so Asahi can stay in the living world as long as possible, and he can keep earning easy money. ; : :A popular idol from the group I'm who lost her life in a car accident and became a ghost roughly a year before her encounter with Niyodo. ; : :An idol and member of ZINGS who desperately keeps Yuya in the unit because he cannot perform alone.

Others

; : :The manager of ZINGS and owner of the company they belong to. ; : :A dedicated Niyodo fan with green hair who often wears a headband with lightsticks attached to it. ; : :A Niyodo fan who works an office job. ; : :A Niyodo fan who is also a student. ; : :The leader of popular idol group Cgrass. Setouchi initially believes that Niyodo is copying Asahi Mogami, and creates a thorough website documenting every time Niyodo behaves strangely or poorly. ; : :A member of popular idol group Cgrass. ; : :A member of popular idol group Cgrass. ; : :A member of popular idol group Cgrass. ; : :A member of popular idol group Cgrass. ; :

Media

Manga

''Phantom of the Idol'' is written and illustrated by Hijiki Isoflavone. The series began serialization in

's ''

'' magazine on December 28, 2017. The manga is licensed in North America by

Anime

television series adaptation was announced on November 26, 2021. It was produced by

and directed by Daisei Fukuoka, with scripts written by Yasuko Aoki, character designs handled by Saori Hosoda, and music composed by myu. It aired from July 2 to September 3, 2022, on

TV Tokyo JOTX-DTV (channel 7), branded as is a Japanese television station that serves as the flagship of the TX Network.BS11, and AT-X. The opening theme song is "Let's Zing!", while the ending theme song is "Kimikira", both performed by the musical unit ZINGS, composed of Fumiya Imai and

Shun Horie is a Japanese voice actor and singer. He is a known member of Raccoon Dog and SparQlew. He won the Best New Actor Award at the 12th Seiyu Awards. Filmography Anime television series ;2016 *'' Age 12: A Little Heart-Pounding'', Kazuma Hiyama *' ...

Sentai Filmworks Sentai Filmworks, LLC (or simply Sentai) is an American entertainment company. Located in Houston, the company specializes in the dubbing and distribution of Japanese animation and Asian cinema. Its post-production arm is Sentai Studios. The ...

has licensed the series. On November 16, 2023,

Hidive Hidive (stylized in all caps) is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service was launched in June 2017 after the dissolution of The Anime Network's online service, which survived after the liquidation ...

announced the series would receive an English dub, which premiered on November 23.

Reception

In 2019, ''Phantom of the Idol'' placed third in the 5th

Next Manga Award The is an annual award for manga series presented by Kadokawa Corporation's '' Da Vinci'' magazine and Niconico streaming website. It is divided into two categories: one for print manga, and one for web manga. Overview The award was originally ...

in the print category.

Notes

References

External links

* * * {{Studio Gokumi 2022 anime television series debuts Anime series based on manga Comedy anime and manga Ichijinsha manga Japanese idols in anime and manga Josei manga Sentai Filmworks Studio Gokumi Supernatural anime and manga