They say that if something strange and mysterious occurs, he's a guy you can rely on.
Phantom Seer (仄見える少年, Honomieru Shonen, Transparent Boy) is a manga by Togo Goto with art by Kento Matsuura that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump for 30 chapters, from August 2020 to April 2021.
High schooler Iori Katanagi is rumored to be the guy you go to when something strange or mysterious is happening to you. One day Iori tells Riku Aibetsu, a girl with a knack for sensing danger, that she is being haunted by a Phantom, supernatural beings that hunt humans and cause strange occurrences. Luckily Iori is an exceptionally strong Shaman with the power to exorcize Phantoms, but he would much rather slack off than do his job. After Iori is forced by his Shaman sister Yayoi to help Riku, she discovers that she is a “beckoning hand,” with the power to attract Phantoms who endanger people. Hoping to achieve her goal of helping others by assisting Iori with his work as a Shaman, Riku teams up with him, much to Iori’s chagrin. But Iori has more secrets than he lets on, and the life of a Shaman is no picnic.
Phantom Seer is Togo Goto’s first manga in Shonen Jump, and is based off a oneshot published in Jump GIGA in 2017. Chapters are officially released in English the same day they are published in Japan, on Manga Plus
(website and app) and Viz Media (website and Shonen Jump app).
Tropes:
- Berserk Button: Do NOT offer to sacrifice yourself for Iori, he will insist against it.
- Casting a Shadow: Iori's powers rely on manipulating and using his shadow. He can thin it out to make himself invisible to people and Phantoms, or thicken it to use as a weapon. In addition, he can pin Phantoms in place by getting them to step into his shadow, making them easier to attack.
- Commonality Connection: Both Iori and Riku have specific ideas of what life they want to live that are at odds with their abilities. Iori wants to be a normal high schooler, but his strong shamanic powers and shaman family have roped him into fighting Phantoms. Riku wants to help people like her police officer father and nurse mother, but her ability as a “Beckoning Hand” draws Phantoms to her, making it likely that she’ll endanger the very people she’s trying to help.
- Combination Attack: Black Thunder, a combined attack of the Katanagi siblings, which uses Iori's shadows and Yayoi's eyes to discharge massive energy on their opponents, but it immediately drains Iori from energy.
- Cool Key: Iori and Kenma both have one that can release the powers of their respective contracted Phantoms. It’s likely that a key is a tool of the trade for all Shamans.
- Cut Short: The series ended after only 30 chapters with the Big Bad still at large and only one of her five Co-Dragons defeated, two remaining off-screen and never properly introduced.
- Damsel in Distress: Riku's power as a Beckoning Hand draws Phantoms too her, and as a result she's often captured or endangered by them. Chapter 8 shows that Riku will start training to fight despite her ability, making it possible she may grow out of this role in the future.
- Famed In-Story: The Katanagi siblings are such powerful Shamans that Phantoms are terrified of them. In chapter 3 Yayoi tells Riku to not use their last name while on a job, as it may lead Phantoms to attack them in panic.
- Once per Episode: Every chapter so far has Iori and Riku getting involved with removing a Phantom that is killing or kidnapping people.
- Pilot: The manga is loosely based on a short one-shot of the same name that has a few key differences. Iori has the last name “Kei” instead of “Katanagi,” and there’s a completely different girl taking the place of Riku. However several elements of the first chapter, including Iori meeting the girl in an old classroom, and using a key to summon Phantoms from a large door, are basically the same as in Chapter 1.
- Sibling Rivalry: Iori and his sister Yayoi have this kind of relationship, with Yayoi using threats (and the occasional display of her powers) to force her brother to do his job, and can thoroughly intimidate him even over the phone.
- Spooky Photographs: Chapter 1 has Iori taking a picture of Riku which clearly shows the Phantom that’s haunting her. Said Phantom is a disembodied head with bulging eyes and a mouth that takes up almost its entire face.
