By Munachiso I., Glen Burnie High School
The story follows Yuya Niyodo an idol in the boy pop duo 'Zings'. However unlike his partner Yoshino, Yuya is nowhere near as passionate towards his job as a performer and always has his partner pick up his slack. But the lazy idol manages to find a way to contribute as little while still getting paid when he comes upon Mogami Asahi., the ghost of a legendary idol who still desires to perform on that bright stage.
I enjoyed how some parts of the story would show us the fans perspective, whether it be their reactions to the new changes in Niyodo and his stans or worrying about how to appropriately support their bias in a way befitting his character. Niyodo as an MC is an acquired taste just like how he is as an idol. His lack of enthusiasm in a way draws me in as I'm fiercely passionate about art and makes it intriguing to see him grow to want to put in effort into his job as a performer. However, if it makes you angry that he doesn't try at all and only has Asahi, Yoshino, or luck help him out then it may be a frustrating read.
The author is pushing the reader's suspension of disbelief too much at times. There are moments where some characters like should have caught on the weird change immediately like Yoshino or their manager. I'm sure this will be addressed in later volumes but you'd think some of the Niyoid stans would also notice. While I like how Niyodo shows lack of passion for his job it also makes me mildly annoyed. I've seen actual trainees who are preparing to be idols themselves say they plan on using it as a stepping stone for some other career. And that by itself isn't bad but it confuses me how someone could go through all this strict training, dieting and work only because they want to be something else. It makes me wonder why the position wasn't handed to someone who is actually passionate and I end up feeling bad for Asahi, she wants to desperately perform but her life ended too early. While Niyodo is still able to perform and yet isn't even into it.
I feel those who might like these books are those already experienced with idol culture (especially the one in the East). Things like kpop, jpop, vocaloid, cpop etc. The reason is that they understand that feeling of being able to grow thanks to the efforts of another person. And the want to support that same person or group to the best of their ability and see their success.
Click here to check out Phantom of the Idol, 1 by Hijiki Isoflavone.