Phantom Seer is a spine-tingling horror series which won the “Gold Future Cup” award as a one shot and was serialized in the Weekly Shonen Jump. Phantom Seer is a Japanese manga series written by Togo Goto and illustrated by Kento Matsuura. The serialization began in August 2020.
I have been looking for newer, fresher manga which was serialized in 2020 to find some gems before they blow up, and Phantom Seer manga caught my eye. So, I figured I would give you a quick rundown of the first chapter so you can get a sense of it and maybe try it for yourself.
Phantom Seer Manga Chapter 1 Review – Spoiler alert!
Aibetsu Riku is a normal high school student who enjoys assisting others. Her parents work in the service industry, so she believes it comes naturally to her. She does, however, have a sixth sense that allows her to detect danger. Iori Katanagi is our second protagonist; He is a Shaman who hunts Phantoms, but unlike other shonen protagonists in Shonen Jump, he has no desire to be a Shaman. The only reason he engages in Shaman activities is because of his sister. However, we can see that he has a mysterious history.
During our first encounter, we learn that Riku can attract phantoms and endangering others. Then Iori becomes driven enough to destroy the ghost, and we conclude with Iori’s sister demanding that he protect her. The first chapter is a straightforward shonen introduction, but it was done well in my opinion. To be honest, I do not think it was particularly imaginative or artistic.
The art is also good, and I thought the characters are also surprisingly well done. Especially the relation between Iori and his elder sister Yayoi Katanagi which felt a bit organic to me. Also, as this is a supernatural series there are some horror elements, especially with Phantoms. And I think they look rather good.
Issues?
What I have noticed is that a lot of Shonen has been serialized in the last 4-5 years start the same way. They are so close that it could turn some people off, leading them to believe it is just another rip-off. That is a problem with this manga as well. It may resemble Bleach or Jujutsu Kaisen at first glance, but I believe there is enough to hold me interested. Like Black Clover, which was heavily criticized as a rip-off of Naruto. But after 2-3 arcs it turned out to be far better to most people’s expectations.
Conclusion
So, in a nutshell, this is a good contender for a new big shonen, but with the unpredictability of Shonen Jump in recent years. Notably after seeing some manga I personally liked a lot when they first began but were axed quickly, such as RobotXLaserBeam, Act-Age, Time Paradox Ghostwriter. It’s difficult to predict what the manga’s future holds but given how well the first volume sold and was reprinted. So, I believe it’s fair to assume it won’t be cancelled any time soon.
You can read Phantom Seer on: Phantom Seer Viz Media or Manga Plus by Shueisha
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