Shonen Jump’s newest series is Phantom Seer. The artwork is done by Kento Matsuura, who does a fantastic job developing a new world setting. But what is kind of world has he creating? I’ll tell you.
The story begins with an introduction to Riku Aibetsu, a teenage girl who seems to be able to sense when problems come her way. She’s seeking answers, so she tracks down Iori Katanagi, a reclusive boy in school who seems to know how to solve problems.
Turns out Riku has a phantom after her. Not just one, but it seems that all of the phantoms, which ghosts/yokai, are chasing her down. Iori and his sister (who he’s on the phone with the entire time) figure out that it’s not that she has the ability to “predict problems,” but that problems in the form of phantoms are finding Riku and she can partially sense them chasing her.
Iori has the ability to exorcise these phantoms, generally through summoning a more powerful one that can defeat them.
And that’s where Chapter one leaves us. Basically, it’s another boy meets girl with a supernatural exorcism element. Is the art nice? Yea. Are the characters interesting so far? I guess so. Will I keep reading it? I don’t know. I do like me some exorcist stories (see my love for Blue Exorcist), but I don’t feel enough of the plot differentiates itself from the many other exorcist stories out there to read. And Iori feels like a rehash protagonist that aloof and arrogant, but actually cowers to his sister. I mean, that element may keep me coming back.
Ultimately, something needs to happen to differentiate it from Ghost Reaper Girl, Blue Exorcist, and Ayakashi Triangle which already has me hooked. I’ll give it another chapter to reel me in, but for now, I remain unconvinced.
You can read Phantom Seer at Shonen Jump. The most current chapters are always free.
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