IDOL, BURNING by Rin Usami

“𝙈𝙮 𝙔𝙤𝙨𝙝𝙞 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙚. 𝙒𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚’𝙙 𝙥𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙛𝙖𝙣“

Akari is a high school student and has an obsession, her one true passion in life; her oshi her idol.
His name is Masaki Ueno and he is a member of J-pop group Maza Maza.
Everything that Akari does is for one reason and one reason only - Masaki.
She updates her blog devoted to him constantly, chatting and conspiring with other fans. Her part time job is solely for the purpose to fuel her purchases of merchandise, music and concert tickets.
When rumours spread that Masaki has assaulted a female fan, media start to turn against him and he confirms the worst possible news for Akari. Her life literally falls apart. What on Earth will she do now?

This short story certainly packs a punch! Being a fan of k-pop group BTS, I have seen these obsessions and how they can take over a young person’s life. Similar to the hysteria that surrounded Elvis, Tge Beatles and One Direction, it can completely consume someone. Akari feels completely adrift by the end of the book and I really felt for her. We all get those teenage obsessions, mine was Brother Beyond.
I love Japanese fiction as it is always so intense to read and I love learning about the culture.
Perfect for any Japanese fiction fans, parents of teenage obsessives and k-pop/J-pop fans in general.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Thank you to canongate books and Netgalley my proof copy 💜

An unusual novella from a young Japanese author about a teenage girl who worships a member of a pop band.

It's interesting to get into the skin of 16-year-old Akari, who has learning difficulties and maybe some physical disorder too. We can have a glimpse into her life for a very short period: she tells us in her own words what fandom means to her and how overwhelming her obsession could be. A gripping narrative of a troubled young girl. A unique read - that Prize is well-deserved!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for an Advance Review Copy.

Rin Usami’s novella, Idol, Burning is a fine balance of fame, obsession, heartbreak, disillusion, and adulation. Revolving around the extremely toxic fandom prevalent in the Japanese Pop industry, Usami explores the influence of idols, idol worship, the impact of social media on the lives of today’s teens and youngsters, and the associated heartbreak when an idol falls from a high pedestal.

Originally written in Japanese, the translation is by Asa Yoneda. Manga artist Leslie Hung has created perfectly suited illustrations. They capture the essence of Akari’s feelings.

Akari’s character sketch reminded me of Keiko from Sayaka Murata’s Convenience Store Woman. Usami portrays her with a lot of compassion and warmth.

Akari lives fantasizing about her idol and remains oblivious to the turmoil and despair her mother and sister undergo. However, their behaviour and attitude towards Akari leave one with a lot to ponder upon. Both mother and sister are important characters and lend strength to the narrative.

The novel is in first person POV, and it helps us to see the events unfolding through Akari. But the readers are not stuck in her head. Usami gives the readers the freedom and scope to analyse and interpret the events and people from their perspective, too.

It’s a short novella, so there isn’t much scope for detailed plot development. The remarkable ending is optimistic and symbolic in depiction.

“I started picking up the cotton swabs. On my knees, head down, as carefully as if I were gathering the bones out of somebody’s ashes, I picked up the cotton swabs I had cast on the floor.”

Usami’s depiction of stan culture, and the related obsession, is bang-on-point and feels authentic. She has covered fandom from both ends of the spectrum. Apart from exploring the crazy obsession of fans, Usami also examines the loneliness in the idol’s life. These aspects make the novel more real and relatable.
The narration feels deeply personal and touches a chord. When I read the acknowledgment section, I understood the author has drawn inspiration from her brother’s life, his struggle with the Japanese education system, and her attitude towards him.

Idol, Burning is heart-breaking, yet hopeful.

Wordsopedia Rating 4.2/5


Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

As someone whose got some idea of idol culture and also being let down by people who you looked up to (not idols, see the pop punk scene in the last five years) I was curious as to how this book would deal with the complexities of putting people on pedestals and parasocial relationships.

The characterisation of the our lead is excellent throughout this book, the mind of a teenage girl here is really explored and felt like in moments someone I knew when I was younger, I really appreciated how it felt like it was a young woman too - often characterisation in young women is lost and I feel the portrayal is real here if not a little lost sometimes.

The story feels like a hyperfixation for someone, which I can admit I've had however it never feels really touched upon that side of her mind, however I do feel like the final moments of this book are really momentous and make for a real sign of growth for Akari as she picks up the pieces of the life she built around Masaki.

A good read.

(Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC).

Albeit being timely in its exploration of fandoms, fangirl mentality and social media, Usami's novel did not live up to my expectations, as it didn't delve that deep into stan culture the way it promised.

I must admit I didn't know about the "oshi culture" before reading this novella, so I've found it very interesting and extremely unsettling at the same time. It is very well written and it perfectly portrays obsession and fandom that literally consumes one's life.
Having a brother who has never been diagnosed, but probably has a learning disability, I especially appreciated the acknowledgments at the end of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Teenage girl Akari is obsessed with Maskai Ueno, best known as one-fifth of Japanese pop group Maza Maza.

She spends her days dedicating her entire life to her ‘oshi’, working all the time in order to be able to buy concert tickets and merchandise and then spending her nights writing about him online with other fans.

When Maskai is accused of assaulting a fan, Akari’s world she knows it begins to crumble.

This is a very short (just over 100 pages) but all consuming book exploring fan culture and how it can turn into a full blown obsession. It also touches on cancel culture and how social media policing can destroy careers and lives.

It’s a very interesting but strange little
book - part of me enjoyed it but the other part was unsure about what I just read… but the best books always leave us questioning ourselves.

First of all, thanks to @netgalley for giving me access to an advanced reader copy of Idol, Burning by Rin Usami.

The protagonist ‘Akari has only one passion in her life: her oshi, her idol’. Her passion is obsessive and becomes all-consuming to the point where it has a detrimental effect.

It’s an unusual read which is a commentary on influencer and celebrity culture.

This book reminded me of Sakaya Murata’s books Earthlings and Convenience Store Woman which cover complex issues experienced living in modern day Japan.

A short book at 144 pages, I powered through it in a matter of hours. It was quite an easy read, with a refreshing style and very cute illustrations at the begging of each chapter.

After reading the book, I found out that the author was only 19 when she wrote it, which blew my mind.

My thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of this novella in return for an honest review.

The story is told in the first person by a teenager describing her obsession with her idol - a boy band member. It is also an exploration of the storyteller's psychological struggles with life around her.

I liked the topic a lot. I don't think it is explored sufficiently often in literature, and it was great to see a solid book taking this issue seriously, and tackling not just the celebrity obsession but rather the causes that underpin in, and what happens when this idol worshipping starts being challenges by the idol's behaviour. The description of the deep loneliness and disengagement with family, friends, and life as a whole is at the core of this story. In some ways it is a story of escapism and addiction, rather then plain celebrity worship.

That being said, I didn't like it much. The writing was rather weak and immature - the descriptions were just a tad shallow, and the dialogues did not come across as genuine. I also didn't find some parts of the story plausible (will avoid describing these due to spoilers, but let's just say that some scenes between the protagonist and her family beggar belief). I also felt the psychological issues were perhaps touched upon, but not really explored with sufficient depth for me to start caring.

So all in all an OK read, especially for a novella. Shocking that it won awards.

Idol, Burning - Rin Usami, Asa Yoneda (translator)

🌟🌟🌟/5

Idol, Burning is a short novel centred around Akari, a high school students who's like revolves around Masaki, a male singer of a Japanese pop group. The story starts at a time where Masaki seems to have had an altercation with a fan, igniting a scandal.
Having been a directioner, I found this story quite interesting as I did find certain parts quite relatable (although I was definitely not as obsessive) and it did manage to bring back certain feelings (for example, when one direction split up). It meant that I was able to understand certain situations discussed in the book such as how all the fans were quick to point the finger at Masaki when he announced the band splitting up.
I do think the author perfectly depicted the world of those under the eye of the public from both perspectives (the 'idol' and the fan). However, I do believe the book didn't reach its full potential and that the author could have explored more with its story. I found the book to be a lot shorter than I expected, meaning certain aspects weren't thoroughly explored as I would have liked - for example Akari's mental health.
Overall I did find the book was a good read with quite a bit to think about once finished reading.
Thanks to Netgalley and publisher canongate for an ARC.

I really enjoyed this read and I found it to be both better than I originally thought it would be and also very thought provoking, We live in a society and culture where the "celebrity" is king and actually these days you dont have to do much to become famous and have idolatry and all the good and often bad things that come with this.
It was a brutally honest and real look at this and I really enjoyed it.

Idol, Burning
⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4 out of 5 stars

Akari, a high school student, is an author of a popular blog about Masaki Ueno, a member of the J-Pop band Maza Maza. Her interest verges on obsession, as she spends hours looking for information about her idol and trying to understand him. When rumours emerge about his assault on a female fan, social media becomes divided between his defence and condemnation. The situation profoundly affects the lives of his loyal fans...

Idol, Burning is a short and fast read. Written by a young author, only a few years older than her characters, the novel sheds light on the darker side of fandom— the obsession, unreasonably strong emotional involvement, manipulative marketing or toxicity of social media. It is a harrowing portrait of the emotional void in teenagers’ lives and how easily it is filled up with admiration for their idols. I would recommend it to all those involved in any form of fandom.

A book dealing with one girls obsession with celeb culture and her fangirl obsession with her idol, after the fall out and repercussions of a a serious incident that has happened involving her celeb idol.

I really wish this was much more darker and delved into more… but it just seemed to fall flat and sadly for me it just didn’t work

this book has to go on my non-existent list of books that have an interesting concept but a failed execution. it’s such a pity, as fandom is such an interesting and complex part of female teenagehood.

i understand that this is a novella and that they’re not supposed to go in-depth into things, yet the issue here lies in the fact that everything feels so superficial. nothing here is properly explored or explained except how the main character navigates her day to day after her oshi (what you would call a bias or favorite member) allegedly punches a female fan. we are made aware of certain aspects that should be important, such as how she feels like she isn’t normal, that something’s wrong with herself on a molecular level, but then it stops right there. just things being mentioned one time and then we go to the next part.

to write a book about a female fan’s obsession and keeping it above the surface feels somewhat obsolete. you know she’s obsessed because she spends her paychecks on merch and spirals into a frenzy when things start going wrong for her idol, but we don’t get too much besides that.

Stunning, stand out read.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publishers for letting me read this book in exchange for my review.

Idol, Burning is a short, thought-provoking novella about identity, fandom and idol culture.

Akari is a fascinating protagonist - she might be consumed by obsession, but she also has a relatively mature self-awareness and is more astute than her family take her for. Her relationship with her oshi is more nuanced than straightforward adoration, and she continues to pour her time, energy and money into supporting him even though she's aware of his flaws.

There might not be all that much plot, but I still found narrative and characters compelling. There were threads here and there I wished Usami picked at a little more (Akari's friendship with fellow-fan Narumi, for instance), but overall I think the succint form suited this story well.

When Masaki Ueno, a member of high-schooler Akari’s favourite group, hits a fan Akari’s world is put on standstill. Akari looks to Masaki Ueno as the idol he is and wishes to simply be a part of the same world as him.

Akari is the writer of a blog dedicated to her oshi and is consumed by all aspects of him. From an outsider view you can see this as obsession, but, to a teenage girl finding love in an idol, someone she looks up to, it is merely finding perfection. But, Masaki Ueno must be anything but perfect, he is normal.

I definitely related to this book, as a teenager myself once I have had my fair share of obsessions. But, seeing it all written on paper made it feel really really creepy. I wouldn’t have labelled this book as adult fiction as the writing style was very similar to that of a young adult novel, especially as the protagonist was a teenager herself.

The language used was very clever as it read like a teenagers mind, you really did feel as though you were Akari going through the world through her eyes. Akari lets her love of Masaki Ueno consume her entire world leaving her with very little else.

I enjoyed this book, it was very well written and true to the character. Akari was very well developed and concisely planned, meaning everything within this book had meaning and a purpose. This was also a shorter read which I always appreciate.

The layout of this book was also a treat! Small charming illustrations at the start of the chapters were delightful and the snippets of Akari’s blog posts were interesting to read. A well structured book is always something I look for and this was delivered.

I would recommend this book to anyone whose had a crush on a celebrity as a teenager. It was fun and quirky yet with a very important message!

“A bestselling and award-winning Japanese phenomenon – about obsession, pop culture and fandom.”

Idol, burning offers a vivid insight into otaku culture that left me wanting to learn more. The novel is so short I managed to finish this in half a day. I loved the descriptor nature of the characters and found myself relating to Akari & her Oshi. (My 15 year old self was a huge Gareth Gates fan!) the story did fall a little short for me, however overall a nice way to pass a couple of hours.

Thank you to NetGalley, Rin Usami, and CannonGate Books for this ARC.

Oh my goodness. First of all, thank you so much for giving me access to this novel. I honestly can't put to words what I just read but I absolutely loved it. Also, this novel has shown me that you can do anything on a page if you're good enough!

This short novella is narrated by Akari, a 16-year-old, high-school student, who’s obsessed with a member of J-pop band. Akari tries to understand her idol as a person, but when she hears rumours about him assaulting a fan, she struggles with the news.

About fandom and identity in contemporary Japan. This book explores fandom, adolescence, social media, chat groups, PR marketing of celebrities, and mental illness. It helps us understand how the obsession helped Akari in her desperate moments in life. But I wished Akari’s mental health was explored in greater detail. We are introduced to her struggles in learning, doing a task, being motivated etc, but I would've loved to have a deeper understanding.