Yuya Niyodo is one of the grumpiest and laziest idols to ever exist. He’s phoning it in. Hard. He’s totally out if it means he has to put any effort in. Meanwhile, his musical partner, Kazuki Yoshino, is extremely popular with their fans. He’s giving it all, but he can never go solo with his intense stage fright. Everything changes when Niyodo meets the ghost of a former idol who passed away in a traffic accident. She wants nothing more than to be on the big stage again while he can’t wait to get off of it. When it turns out she can possess him, they strike a deal: she can possess him for his idol performances. He gets to keep his job while she gets to live the idol life!

This turned out to be as funny as I thought it would! I wasn’t really into it for around the first 25% of it. There were some things that didn’t make sense, and others that were just hard to believe, on top of Niyodo being an unlikable character. I found it hard to believe that Asahi Mogami would skip moving on to continue idol life, especially when it wasn’t like she and Niyodo had become friends. Then the story started picking up and became enjoyable.

It was ultimately a fun read. I really liked Mogami and Yoshino, but Mogami really carries the story. There wasn’t a whole lot of character building, but I appreciate that sacrifice in the name of setting up the series. There’s a lot bubbling under the surface of each of the characters, so it’ll be fun to see them develop throughout the series. We already started seeing more of the character development by the end of the book, so I’m looking forward to this.

All in all, it was mostly hilarious. I really enjoyed the artwork and how it lends itself to the humorous plot points. The entire opening had me thinking this wasn’t a series I was going to get into, so I’m really glad it quickly picked up and showed a lot of potential. It’ll be fun to see where this goes as well as how that ending pans out!

This has a lot of promise, I just wasn't fully sucked in. I'm going to continue on and hope to like the next ones more!

I really liked the idea of the story going into it. I think it was well executed, but unfortunately I’m not the biggest fan of the male lead as I feel like he falls into the lazy doesn’t really care attitude which personally it doesn’t matter too much as I did, enjoy the bubbly, female lead more and the relationship with each other was really cute and adorable and the way she pumped him up for all of his performances and it was funny and cute and I will be reading more from this author in the future. I just feel like I personally wasn’t really rooting for the main male lead, and that’s the only reason why I marked it down one star. Other than that turn out 10 stars absolutely adore.

An apathetic male idol gets possessed by the ghost of an energetic and enthusiastic former female idol - high-jinx ensue!
This seemed to be very polished well structured manga with fun characters, commercial artstyle, and laugh out loud comedy. I did feel that the pace was uneven in some of the chapters, each one following a new problem the couple are trying to overcome. And I didn't think that this would be a manga that I would want to continue into volume two until the very end and the fantastic cliffhanger that it ended on. That was so well done that it made me want to continue with the series. The idol culture that is so popular in Japan is not something that Is replicated in the west and it can actually be quite educational to read idol based manga.

this manga was interesting to say the least. i think i may have had too high of an expectation for it though as i honestly had the urge to skip a few pages. i don't think i will be continuing this

Phantom of the Idol is a hilarious, heartwarming manga that follows an idol who doesn't want to be one. Known for his lackluster performance and apathetic attitude, Yuya is perhaps the laziest idol ever, until he gets possessed by the ghost of the girl who used to be a top idol! Together, they strike a deal and have a ton of hijinks as Yuya learns to maybe not hate his job so much.

I adored this manga, the bonds between the characters growing was so sweet and everyone was so endearing. The pacing and plot were also both on point, and I am really looking forward to the continuation!

This manga is not for me. In my opinion it is kind of cute and has lot of humor but it is not my cup of tea.

Thank you to Kodansha Comics and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this manga. I can definitely see why there are people that are not a fan of this. There's a lot of dry humor involved and moments of disjointedness. However, perhaps because I love learning about idols and ghosts and that there's a foil to the dry humor like Zombieland saga. I think though it's going to be one I will be taking my time with because I think if you binge it, you could get tired of everyone and everything. Overall, though, it's fun and if you love idols and ghosts as well as dry humor, check it out! 3.5-4 out of 5 stars

This book was absolutely fantastic. I've already added it to our list for order this year and will recommend it to students.

I didn't like it. I didn't vibe with any of the characters if anything I think they were very one-dimensional and cliche. The story was wordy and did not really bring anything to the story. Additionally, I didn't like the humor, the jokes weren't funny.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kodansha Comics for the e-arc!

The story was quite wholesome with the sunshine and moon trope. A grump that is Yuya, performs in a pop duo called ZINGS, he's lack of interest in this industry is very evident unlike a certain someone he meets after a concert. Aasahi a former pop idol is hanging around the venue.... as a ghost, they soon create a relationship which entails body possession, friendship and fulfilling a dream of being a pop idol. Win, win right!

The fanbase of ZINGS is quite relatable, you have a half that sticks for Yoshino the bubbly 'I GIVE IT MY ALL' type than you have the others that feed off of Yuya's stoic, carefree, rather be anywhere but here types, which honestly I totally understand and are in the same boat. Its fun seeing them go through many rollercoasters of emotions towards their beloved.

Overall the art and pacing is well done, facial emotions and reactions are the key factors of engagement and plot.

I am very excited to check out the anime adaptation on HIDIVE!!

Uhmmm, I expected to like it. I really did. But I guess I had my expectations too high. Let's see, it wasn't that bad, several pages made me laugh a lot, but in others it was all meh.... So it got kind of heavy for me.

I liked the characters, but the scenes where I wanted to explore more about their personalities not so much, so it was complicated.

Still, it has interesting ideas about what it's like to be an idol and how that can change your personality.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

<i><b>4.5 stars, rounded down</b> (as it's only the first volume)</i>

<b>Plot: </b> Niyodo, a reluctant male idol who only does his job for the money it affords him and puts in minimum amounts of effort meets the ghost of Asahi, a 17-year old girl who was the top of her idol game when she was struck down in a car accident. They work together and share body in order for her to continue her dream of being an idol and allowing Niyodo the chance to be lazy!

<b>Thoughts:</b> This was *so* fun. When I realised that it contained a ghost, I thought it may be quite sad so initially was put off but very quickly got into the comedy elements, so much so that I want to (and will) continue the series. The characters are likeable (and very different), the art style is really fun and engaging. Genuinely enjoyed this WAY more than I was expecting.

<i>I was provided with a complimentary copy of this volume by Kodansha via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, which I leave voluntarily</i>

Cute and fast read. Good for passing time. Fluffy and fun. I enjoyed it for what it was. Not sure if I'll continue but it was fun.

Rating: 3.5 stars
I like the premise of this manga - a pop idol who died too soon possesses the body of an idol who's only in it for the paycheck in a sort of symbiotic relationship. Some of the plotlines and weird gimmicks Mogami comes up with are pretty ridiculous, and I thought this would be rather one note. BUT THEN! Right towards the end there's some INTRIGUE thrown in with another character, so I'm looking forward to volume 2 to seeing what their deal is!!

This was a fun introduction to this series and a fun story and plot overall! We follow Yuuya who doesn’t really want to be a music idol, he just wants to get paid so when the ghost of a famous idol offers to take over his body during his concerts, it seems like the perfect deal!

The two of them were hilarious! Especially as they bonded and Asahi started to make him do the concerts more, despite him not liking it that much. This was a very lighthearted read even though one of the characters is a ghost! I’d definitely recommend it if you like music, grumpy/sunshine friendship dynamics and a cute art style!

3.5/5

~ Thank you Netgalley and Kodansha for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review ~

This was absolutely adorable and so funny. We follow an idol who only got the job because he thought it would be easy work. Due to his lacklustre and bored expressions during performances, his is very unpopular with the fans, putting his job on the line. Luckily he meets the ghost of an idol who can possess his body and make his performances sparkle! This is hilarious guys. I enjoyed every page, the art is cute, the expressions are wonderful, and the plot is wholesome. I really loved the art style and think it worked well with the vibe and general feel of the plot. I cannot wait to continue on with this, I think it's going to be a fun series that will put a smile on my face.

~ Also reviewed in this video on my channel, skip to 25:40 ~
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIiplm3LhNw&lc=UgzWCKEiGXCUo3CqaQ94AaABAg&ab_channel=readingwithmerb

~ Goodreads review ~
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4834730560

A grumpy lazy idol gets possessed by a hard working enthusiastic former idol named Asahi. Hilarity and cuteness ensues as confusion about the idols abrupt change cause the fandom to erupt in obsession over him. There is a slight tinge of mystery about Asahi and how why she is a ghost, especially with the cliffhanger the volume leaves off on. But the main focus is the slice of life aspects of being a idol and what it means.

I would totally recommend this book to slice of life fans and those who are into idol culture.

Phantom of the Idol follows an idol who got into the business thinking it would be easy money. On the verge of being fired, he meets the ghost young women who dreams of being back on the stage. A deal is struck and a strange friendship begins.

I loved the juxtaposition between these two main characters: a grumpy, lazy idol and an enthusiastic, fan-focused former idol. Their energies play off each other so well! I also thought the art was really cute and the story concept was unique and fun.

If you are a fan of series such as My Dress-Up Darling, Kiss Him, Not Me!, and Horimiya then you may want to delve into Phantom of the Idol. This musical comedy series follows an upcoming idol singer, Yuya Niyodo, and his anything but “idol” persona. He originally joined the idol career scene because he thought it was easy money and in reality, it turns out that he actually has to put in the hard work. On the brink of giving up due to the stress of the job, Yuya meets the ghost of Asahi Mogami. Asahi died early in her career before she could reach the heights of stardom and spends her ghostly days hoping for a second chance at the stage. Could this new partnership between Asahi and Yuya actually work out?

This series instantly reminded me of reading other idol-themed stories such as Full Moon Wo Sagashite and Ossan Idol. I love a good musical-themed story and that’s the aspect that drew me to try out this new series. The first volume is light and entertaining, with many comical moments. Yuya and Asahi are complete opposites as idols and personality-wise which leads to a lot of laughs. Asahi’s bubbly nature and passion for the stage prompt Yuya to try harder as an idol while he would rather sleep in order to not practice. His dry humor and the duo’s personality differences made it fun to read, especially the parts where she borrows his body and performs in his place. The story has a lot of wacky antics making it a fun read, and I felt there was never a dull moment.

At the core of the story when you put the glitz and glamor aside, this story has a lot of heart. It’s a series about fulfilling dreams and finding your path. When Asahi meets Yuya, it makes him question just what kind of idol (and person) he wants to be not only for the fans but more importantly himself. The first installment has a good blend of comedy and true sincerity that will capture the reader’s attention. Additionally, the artwork and bits of the story poke fun at idol culture with stereotypical fans and shojo-esque tropes.