Kami Kuzu☆Idol

Idoly Pride X Budoukan, Uramichi Oniisan edition. Never thought that the mish-mesh of those formulas would work so well.

Idol shows. You might've heard them aplenty, much less seen them in action, even if it's clips on YouTube showcasing how much of a juggernaut genre this is in Japan, and there is absolutely no shortage of them since it's a cultural phenomenon over in the Land of the Rising Sun. But, amongst the many copy-and-paste plans that have little to divide and stand out, how mangaka Hijiki Isoflavone managed to shine through with a story that sounds so typical, yet looks so paradox, is certainly baffling. ... And in the midst of a small following to the lot of you that watched this show, can most certainly say that you've enjoyed this in some capacity, this is my huge surprise in the lacklustre Summer 2022 season to say that I really enjoyed this. A LOT. And I'm not kidding.

Usually, idol stories are just basically a bread-and-spread affair of repeating the tropes that the somewhat idol genre has been maligned for but not talked about a while lot, but in a very simple way, Hijiki Isoflavone incorporated 2 things: adulting, and the paranormal. And the adulting ranges from this boy pop duo ZINGS, which comprises of the youthful Kazuki Yoshino and the adult lazy-straightlaced Yuuya Niyodo. While Yoshino has a lot going for him with his looks and childlike voice that would be enough to earn big amounts of fans, Niyodo is the complete opposite with his darker, bass-like voice that just screams total laziness and uncharacteristic for the idol industry: a sloppy, half-assed personality and hostile behaviour towards his fans, that he is the plague of the duo whom just wanted enough to quit being an idol. The unique plot twist, is that Niyodo encounters another idol: the beloved and popular singer, 17-year-old Asahi Mogami, whose life was tragically cut short due to an accident, robbing her of her prime days of idoling. Having been dead for a year, she desperately wants to get back into the industry, but she has nowhere else to turn to being a ghost...and that's where Niyodo enters the scene with a clear win-win situation on Asahi possessing Niyodo, showcasing his vibrant side that definitely is a total 180 to shock fans with ease. This is the journey of Niyodo and Asahi as they venture through the lifeblood of the newbie, but fledgling ZINGS as the joining of forces between yesterday's real star and today's dirtbag, initiates the Phantom of the Idol's story and their rise to decent fame.

On hindsight, a ghost and a living human for a comedy seems like a recipe for disaster, but how Hijiki Isoflavone weaved this intricate comedy can only best be described as a niche of sorts, very similar to Uramichi Oniisan. The story itself has some funny elements between Niyodo and Asahi, and each of them already had their charm from the get-go, that with the ghost possessing collaboration of an idol who's pretty much done with his job and the idol whom died but still wants to continue her legacy even after death, brings about the comedic tones that's just oh-so-perfect. Even more so with Yoshino being tagged along as the other half of ZINGS, try as hard as he might to convince the lazy, Uramichi Oniisan-influenced Niyodo to perform at his best, it depends on his mood to get over and deal with it, and that's already saying about his childlike voice that pleases the ears of the many.

But don't go for a sec thinking that ZINGS are the only people that make up this show, because what makes it more engaging and entertaining are the side casts that amp up the insane comedy strikes that at times, can be a hit or miss. Manager Hitomi Shinano is the one that glues the duo together; the Niyodo (Hardcore, Happy Three Friends) Fan Club of Kasenjiki, Tsugiko and Shigutaro is a wild goose chase of having their post-night bar activities and analyzing each and every of Niyodo's actions and fantasizing to the insane degree. God I love the trio's unkempt dedication and endless praise to the dirtbag. And last but not least, where there's the main idol group, there'll be veteran groups, such as the case of the boy idol band Cgrass and its strange leader Hikaru Setouchi, whom has been the hardcore fan of Asahi's enough to sense the Phantom in Niyodo and clash the psychological battle of not being found out. Every character does at least make sense, from Niyodo's Uramichi Oniisan to Asahi's Idoly Pride, and the Niyodo Fan Club's Budoukan vibes giving the show its run for the comedy, which is definitely not for everyone, that it takes a certain level of people like you and me to enjoy the simplicity of a story that has the comedy driven in its own length of hilarity.

I do feel that the need for CG in idol shows have since become the overrated usage, and this perception will not change for future idol shows going forward. Sadly, what Studio Gokumi has done here is only a touch above the average mean with somewhat mediocre but "acceptable" CGI for the dances, which to be honest, I would be happy if it didn't came with it just to save a measure of the insanely expensive anime production cost. Elsewhere, everything here just seems like an ordinary low-tier show that has been given a relatively small budget to work with since the anime didn't really set on fire for being just your oh-so-typical idol show with a unique twist, that come what may, will not change the perception of the majority out there. It's just alright and serviceable for a standard such as this.

But where Kami Kuzu☆Idol really shines is in its songs, which is for the par of course, its own set of songs that have been curated for this sole purpose. Both Fumiya Imai and Shun Horie did a knockout job on their part as the main duo ZINGS of Niyodo and Yoshino respectively, given that the former is best well-known for Given's supporting boy Hiiragi Kashima and the latter, one of my favourite characters in a while: Dragon, Ie wo Kau.'s scaredy-cat dragon Letty (and KanoKari's simp Kazuya unfortunately). Even Nao Touyama as Asahi Mogami has had her share of fun being the ghost idol and also with one of her ED songs. Speaking of the OST, ZINGS's OP, holy wowsers is it very catchy and fun to listen to, and I'd be glad to put this amazing song on repeat for days on end, definitely one of my top OPs of the season. The many scores of ED songs range from decent to good, and I'm fine with all of them either way for a different mesh that serves up "bang"s (though not to the point of banger).

All in all, I still thought that Kami Kuzu☆Idol a.k.a Phantom of the Idol would've been an underappreciated show, given the many tropes and its kinda lackluster freestyle way of storytelling. But this is part of the charm why this show works, and I for one, as mentioned in the beginning, embraced it and came out with a smile on my face. Maybe not the show that I would remember a season or 2 after it finishes, but all I can say is: thank you Kami Kuzu☆Idol for lighting up my sweltering Summer 2022 seasonal run, that despite the short 10-episode runtime, I didn't feel like I've wasted my time watching a show that's for the very niche. And even if you come out with a different feeling that this show isn't so much worth your time, if you just wanna chill out to idols and ghost possessions, the wacky comedy style, it'll do.

Let's ZING! ZING for Smile!

A lot needs to go into a show, for things to click, and to work. Which is what this show does and more so. It's engaging, it can be amusing, and most of all.It's likable in it's own way, but with it's own twist, that'll stand out more and more. It honestly reminds me of a mix of Budoukan x Idoly Pride x it's own charm. Which can only be a good thing.

Story and characters: 7
Being an idol is a serious thing. You can't just waltz into it, thinking you're going to make a easy buck. But it's where our story leads us, Niyodo, pretty ... much one of the most lazy and unenthusiastic idols you will ever meet, about to be fired, now has a once in a life time cheat code to his name...The power of a dead famous idol in Mogami Asahi, able to take over him, and be her usual idol self. Niyodo, seeing this as a perfect opportunity, pushes a win-win as he calls it, situation. To let her enjoy being an idol again, while he can relax and make an easy stretch about it. But with how this story has gone, you can maybe guess. Things may change. Which if developed nicely, will only stand out more and more.

It's that kind of story that makes it fun and creative. But with how both of the characters naturally vibe off of each other. Yet alone the other cast members to boot. It makes for a show worth watching. It isn't painful on the ears by any stretch. Nor are the characters eye rolling. It's enjoyable from the get go. Sure, it has it's flaws. But it makes t up with it's charm, and personality. When it comes it's character interactions, and out right good cast line, that'll drag the show forward.

Art and sound: 7
The style is clean, pretty, engaging. Even with the usual 3D styled idol dance moves, it still looks nice in general. But also once again, when it comes to idol animes, the music is great. I actually really enjoyed the first song that they sang, and I'm sure you will too. The reactions from the cast too,how it's animated, it's good. Top notch there. Plus if you want a main highlight of why this is so creatively fun and charming.Just see episode three, and it's ending, and you'll get a good glimpse of that.

Kami Kuzu is surpisingly charming and amusing for sure. A good watch if you're looking for something to just vibe with. Keep watching for sure, as I'm sure, the story will ramp up even furter, which can only be a good ting.

Went into this expecting an anime type treatment of Idol anime mash-up with Phantom of the Opera and was pleasantly surprised to find there was something new and different in this story with a lot of heart.

Animation - Sub Par - 5/10

Let's get the bad news out of the way first. The CGI 2D/3D animation is a little wonky and not great. The high water mark of 2D rotoscope or motion capture would be Yuri on Ice, and possibly Dance Dance Danseur. This anime is maybe 30% of that. It's visible and obviously not the best. The only good thing I can say is they ... at least got the dancing right, plus it's ULTRA obvious the Yoshino dancer guy is a much better dancer than Niyodo, he's got all the right flourishes at the right places to give that extra Oomph to a dance performance. Kudos to him! So the animation is a problem but the character designs are great. Asahi (the ghost) is personable and cute, Yoshino is adorable and Niyodo is the tall, handsome one. In short, good character designs, rotoscope but animation could have been handled better at least to Idolish 7 standard.

Music / OST - Slightly above Mid - 6/10

Music wise all the songs are nice and catchy, but not necessarily memorable. I'd dance to them if they came on though.

Story and Characters - 8/10.

The story and characters are where this anime breaks new ground. Character wise, we have Niyodo who became an idol because he was lazy and wanted a way to make a quick buck. He makes no bones about being what he is but that's not the normal mold of idols, which Asahi and Yoshino fit. They try their best to get him to at least like his career, which is what good friends do because his initial wave slave mentality was honestly off-putting at the start. Still, it's refreshing to actually see an introvert succeed as an idol with support from his partner, management and fans.

Where this anime shines is in its examination of fans, FANDOM and all that entails, good AND bad. Obsessive fans. Stalkers. Haters. Devoted ones with high expectations. Idols having zero break or privacy as everything these days is instant news. Where does one draw the line between work and private time? What is the true cost of success if an idol has to have a "fake persona" to please fans 24/7? These and other themes are explored in a non judgmental, light-hearted manner that still gives the viewer plenty of food for thought.

And of course, the shining stars and best part of this anime were the "nerd" fans. They were LIFE!! The nerd fans provided so much comedy I wanted another season just so I can vicariously "squeee" and be FANS with them. The Calendar episode had me in stitches. It's hard not to identify with some aspect of those fans as there are some bands I was 100% fan-girling at so I really identified with them and they're the real reason I enjoyed this anime so much.

Recommended if you like Idol and Music Anime, with a message that is subtle but wholesome.

An idol and a ghost,quite an interesting combination,last time Idoly Pride use the same concept and now we got Kami Kuzu Idol as the successor.

Is it enjoyable ? yes

is it as good as idoly pride ? NOPE,not even close

The anime actually doesn't start really good with me,the reason is one of the MC is basically one of the anime tropes that I hated the most,The "Im too lazy and busy for this sh*t",I almost dropped this show in an instant BUT I keep watching and watching even though I already bored,until Asahi comes and gives me an instant smile,I always love a cheerful anime girl ... and Asahi definitely one of em,my wills to keep watching suddenly increased.Even after I learned that Asahi is a ghost of a dead idol and I know that ghost and human relationship usually ends badly (unless it's Yuragi-sou no Yuuna-san ofc),I keep on watching it,though there's some more major let down like the personality change that to be honest very...*cringe*(sorry),i keep on watching it and actually kinda like it and thought to myself "oh this ain't so bad,not dropping it is definitely a good decision".

Atleast,UNTIL THEY START DANCING

CAUSE JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE FCK IS THAT...?

The CGI-ish animation of that dance is just terrible,some of you might say "I've seen worse" or "you have a too high standard" well let me tell you,the bad CGI that we watch usually came from an action anime where it doesn't really matter to me like that turtle scene from Shield hero or the dragon CGI from Kenja no Deshi,cause in the end,all those CGI is just a mere passing through scene that can forgotten after a few minutes,but here we watch an idol anime where movement and choreography is a one of the point of interest from an idol anime and it pretty much mean that we will see atleast once every episode,now imagine watching that turtle and dragon CGI scene but longer and worse,you have to watch it in EVERY SINGLE EPISODE.

The way their eyes looks,their movement that looks like the total opposite of fluid.Compared to idoly pride,the dance scene is straight up garbage.

They looks like a prototype version of husbando AI that trynna copy some move from youtube KPOP dance tutorial or better,they looks like people with kyphosis trying to pull some cool dance moves in a night club.

Some people maybe dislike my takes on the dance scene,but you do you,i can't stand that.
I rather close my eyes and only listen to the music( which is actually pretty good)
everytime that dance scene pop out.

To be honest,the only reason that keep me watching and give this show an 8 is Asahi and the music.
So overall,not recommended.
If you want to watch the story with similar concept and don't mind about a bleaker story,i suggest you to watch Idoly Pride.

But if you still insist to watch this out of curiousness,go ahead,nobody stopping you cause in the end,i will finished this kyphosis dance club anime as well

I wasn't sure what to make of the PV, but I decided to give this anime a chance anyway and I'm really glad that I did. The characters were fun and engaging, the comedy made me laugh, and there were come cute and heartfelt moments scattered throughout the episodes. It was fun to watch how possession changed not only Nyodo but also Asahi as well. The recurring secondary characters were also a treat from the sweet and sincere Yoshino to the enthusiastic fan club members to the rival idols. There were no characters I dreaded seeing on screen.

If you're looking for an anime to ... watch casually, this is a good pick. Just kind of go with the flow of it and it'll be worth it especially as the story progresses past the first few episodes.

I do not like idol anime. However, I am compelled to always pick one up with a slightly interesting premise. But hell, this isn't even my first idol show that I watched with a ghost assisting the MC, which was Idoly Pride, and that one was a disaster. So I wasn't really looking forward to Kami Kuzu.

Yet, contrary to my low expectations, the complaints that I usually have with idol anime are solved here. First off are the members of the idol group. Thank god that there's only two people in the idol group in this show. Usually, there's like 8+ members in an idol ... group, and all the members blend together. Of course, in a 12 episode run that needs to cram in story, there's no way that a large cast of members in an idol group are not going ot be heavily archetyped. With a small two member cast in Kami Kuzu, there's a lot more opportunity for individuality and for you to get to know the two members well.

Niyodo obviously has a lot of screen time because he's the MC, so you get to know him a lot. He's lazy, gets tired, has no particular hobbies, and enjoys getting money for free. His manzai with both Yoshino, and Asahi are nice. The gimmick in this show is that the lazy Niyodo can always trade places with an energetic Asahi to create a inconsistent idol personality, where some of his performances are energetic, and the others, more lethargic. That brings me to the to Asahi. While she's just a super generic idol personality that I'd hate if she were just the MC of another show, her setting being that she's a ghost that's haunting Niyodo makes her a much more bearable and endearing character. Again, both Niyodo and Asahi would be a bit too boring by themselves, but the pairing with each other completes them to become a good duo. Finally, we have Yoshino. If he was just in another generic idol group anime, he'd probably have little to no depth. However, him being the sole other member of Zings makes him a lot better of a character. He's a good friend to Niyodo, picking up the slack that he creates, while also trying his very best to overcome his own obstacles. He's lacks confidence, afraid of standing out and has stage freight, so he too, enjoys the company of a more confident Niyodo.

Did you see that? I just listed every relevant main character. There was only three! That's a shockingly small amount for an idol show, and that small character cast brings out the best of all three of them. The side characters are also great. The manager is good, but the otaku fans are honestly just as good as the main cast. There's a lot of focus on a specific die-hard fan group of ZINGS, and their perspectives contrasted to Niyodo's and Yoshino's are great. Just the conversations that they have and the excitement they get from the events make them an essential part of the show. there was only one scene where I thought they were a bit too over the top, but that's also because I believe the show dragged on a chapter's worth of content into an entire episode.

Other than that, there's also the poor animation. You can clearly tell that the anime reuses a lot of frames, and the conversations that the female fans are very static. The dance choreography honestly isn't the worst CGI, but it's also still unwatchable because of the horrific CGI. The facial expressions and mouth movement during dialogue aren't as dynamic as they should be. The last episode was basically a just concert with songs that ZINGS already sang, so they just reused all of the animation.

Overall, a low budget anime with some poor pacing in terms of reusing animation and dragging on episodes to save on animation, but the content and characters are actually far better than most idol shows.

Un anime simple, carismático y entretenido... (no apto para quienes busquen romance, aviso antes de que se desilusionen)

Comedia naif, con humor básico y constante.
La historia es bastante simple y la trama avanza rápido, sin vueltas, así que no aburre pero tampoco sorprende mucho.
Tiene sus momentos tristes y dramáticos obviamente, pues la protagonista es una idol muerta, pero pasan bastante rápido y se centra mas en la comedia.
Los personajes no son tantos, todos son simpáticos (a su modo) y tienen el desarrollo necesario para empatizar con ellos, no mas, no se van por las ramas.
Destaca Niyodo (el idol de pelo marrón), que tiene bastante mas peso ... como protagonista que el resto, ya que el humor del programa se centra casi por completo en su actitud despreocupada y desinteresada de todo lo que no sea dinero fácil. Me gusto que, si bien evoluciona a lo largo de la historia, por los diferentes sucesos, mantienen una coherencia que me resulto inesperada.
La fantasma, el rubio y la manager, cumplen con su parte, pero no destacan tanto.
Las fans son, sin duda, uno de los pilares de la comedia y se roban mas de una vez el protagonismo, me encontré varias veces viendo una escena con expectativa por como iban a reaccionar ellas y riéndome de antemano.

Ilustración decente, sin mucho detalle. Por ahí pifian, pero nada tan grave.
Musicalización y sonido bien en general; y los temas de la banda tampoco fueron tan malos, no me voy a hacer fan de Zings, pero algunos se me pegaron un toque.
Animación estándar, me gustó y el CGI no fue tan asqueroso, lo que es común en animes de idols.

Escribe @ES_CAY

Anime-drew Lloyd Webber.

If you’re into your idol comedies then you’ll probably get a chuckle or two out of “Phantom of the Idol”. Pessimistic and apathetic towards being an idol, Niyodo is on the cusp of being fired from the idol duo ZINGS if he doesn’t get his act together. Whilst moping over how he’ll get his next paycheque he happens upon Asahi, a busty, bubbly, adorable… and dead ghost of a former idol who’s only attachment to the living world is a desperate need to sing on stage as an idol once more. Luckily for her Niyodo doesn’t enjoy the hard work that comes with ... being an idol so he strikes a deal with her so she can possess his body and do all of his idol performances for him.

“Phantom of the Idol” is what you get when you mix any happy-go idol anime together with “Uramichi Oniisan”. The standard moé blob comedy against cynical corporate pessimism is a formula for comedy that works surprisingly well and makes this anime quite unique in the idol genre. Niyodo’s exasperating sloth-ness and straightforwardness is not only a cause for the casts woes, but also a strange antidote in the fake, competitive idol world that cuts through and helps others like his indecisive duo partner Yoshino or his uptight competitor Setouchi. He’s so apathetic towards his work that he’s earns a strange following of fan-girls who’s devotion to him and after show commentary on him whilst having drinks is hilarious, but the personality “gap” that comes from Asahi performing after taking over his body and the reaction to that by his fans is probably one of my favourite comedy gags ever.

It’s animation is about what you’d expect from an idol show. The CGI mo-cap performances look fine but feel a bit janky to watch and the hand drawn animation nothing extraordinary. However they do manage to pack a lot of personality into the characters like Asahi, Niyodo, his duo partner Yoshino and their delightfully insane fanbase to make up for it. I get the feeling they had a lot of fun animating Asahi and giving her character a lot of life… ironically.

The humour does have a tendency to go a bit overboard and it sometimes gets a bit repetitive, but the anime overall is solid. I’ve really enjoyed watching “Phantom of the Idol” and if you’re someone who like idol comedies then I would recommend it.

7/10 Good.