Kami Kuzu Aidoru, translated as Phantom of the Idol, is a Japanese comedy manga series by Hijiki Isoflavone that follows the story of Yuya Niyodo, a lazy band member whose career takes to sudden popularity due to help from the ghost of a popular idol Asahi Mogami.
Serialized in Ichijinsha’s josei manga magazine Monthly Comic Zero Sum since December 2017, Phantom of the Idol got its own anime adaptation by Studio Gokumi, and it was broadcast from July to September 2022 by TV Tokyo, BS11, and AT-X in Japan.
More than a year after the anime’s Japanese release, streaming service HIDIVE announced on Thursday, 16 November, that it will begin streaming a new English dub of Phantom of the Idol from 23 November 2023.
Anime usually gets English dub releases within a delay of a few weeks from the original Japanese release, while sometimes it may take up to a month for its official release worldwide.
However, this particular show was only being officially dubbed a year after its release, probably due to the extremely successful release of the similarly idol-themed anime Oshi no Ko.
At Anime NYC 2022, Sentai Filmworks announced their ownership for streaming Oshi no Ko, and thus they also released an official English dub of this anime, which premiered on HIDIVE on 24 May 2023.
#HIDIVENEWS: Phantom of the Idol DUB is coming to HIDIVE on November 23rd! ✨
CAST & MORE➡️: https://t.co/xxxgSqUpHc pic.twitter.com/J97Y1RF5Wr
— HIDIVE (@HIDIVEofficial) November 16, 2023
Phantom of the Idol Plot
The official synopsis of the anime given in HIDIVE reads: “Yuya is one-half of the idol duo ZINGS, but his supreme laziness (not to mention his disdain for idol fans in general) has him on the brink of getting blacklisted from the business.
In a chance backstage encounter, he meets the spectral Asahi, the ghost of a former idol who’s eager to stage her own comeback by any means necessary… including possessing Yuya’s willing body! Is their zany partnership a match made in heaven, or is it pure idol hell?”
The official Japanese cast for the central characters has several famous voice actors from the industry such as Nao Tōyama, the voice actor of Sasuke Uchiha in Naruto: Shippuuden, and Chitoge Kirisaki in Nisekoi, who plays the popular idol Asahi Mogami.
The protagonist, Yuya Niyodo, is voiced by Fumiya Imai, who played Hiiragi Kashima in the Given series, while his band partner Kazuki Yoshino is voiced by Shun Horie, who played Asta in the Black Clover: Jump Festa 2016 Special.
The Official English Dub Cast
Kiba Walker, the voice of Makio Tanihara in Horimiya, as Yuya Niyodo, the lazy member of ZINGS.
Shanae’a Moore, the voice of Erika Kano in Shirobako, as, the ghost of a famous idol.
Ry McKeand, the voice of Belaf in Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun, as Kazuki Yoshino, the other half of ZINGS.
- Shelley Calene-Black as Shinano
- Christina Kelly as Kasenjiki
- Alyssa Marek as Tsugiko
- Annie Wild as Shigutaro
- Jack Ivy as Narrator
- Carli Mosier as Yayoi
- Elissa Cuellar as Maririka
- Bobby Haworth as Setouchi
- Jack Stansbury as Uchihama
- Nathan Wilson as Hakata
- Cole Feuchter as Misaki
- Jeran Ugakwe as Nada
- Cat Thomas as Yuno
- Chaney Moore as Miharu
- Savanna Menzel as Takaki
- Cole Feuchter as Shitake
- Kyle Colby Jones as Inugasaki, Makki
- Crystal Ruiz as Setouchi’s Mom
- Savanna Menzel as Tamaki
The English dub staff also includes Colby Jones as ADR Director, who also serves as scriptwriter with Holly Segarra, along with Patrick Marrero and Jonathan Rodriguez as the ADR engineers, and Brent Marshall as the audio mix and sound design engineer.
