Rin Usami

Asa Yoneda

Idol, Burning

推し、燃ゆ

The novel that lit the Japanese publishing world on fire: From a breathtaking up-and-coming writer, a twenty-first century "Catcher in the Rye" that brilliantly explores toxic fandom, social media, and alienated adolescence.

Akari is a high school junior obsessed with "oshi" Masaki Ueno, a member of the popular J-Pop group Maza Maza. She writes a blog devoted to him, and spends hours addictively scrolling for information about him and his life. Desperate to analyze and understand him, Akari hopes to eventually see the world through his eyes. It is a devotion that borders on the religious: Masaki is her savior, her backbone, someone she believes she cannot survive without--even though she's never actually met him.

When rumors surface that her idol assaulted a female fan, social media explodes. Akari immediately begins sifting through everything she can find about the scandal, and shares every detail to her blog--including Masaki's denials and pleas to his fans--drawing numerous readers eager for her updates.

But the organized, knowledgeable persona Akari presents online is totally different from the socially awkward, unfocused teenager she is in real life. As Masaki's situation spirals, his troubles threaten to tear apart her life too. Instead of finding a way to break free to save herself, Akari becomes even more fanatical about Masaki, still believing her idol is the only person who understands her.

A blistering novel of fame, disconnection, obsession, and disillusion by a young writer not much older than the novel's heroine, Idol, Burning shines a white-hot spotlight on fandom and "stan" culture, the money-making schemes of the pop idol industry, the seductive power of social media, and the powerful emotional void that opens when an idol falls from grace, only to become a real--and very flawed--person.

Sashi

But this world where I showed up with my half-made-up persona was a kinder place.

Helen 

Sometimes it was harder to be doing nothing than it was to do something.

This was a very interesting insight to standom and the lengths that people go to justify their faves

Alex

As a life-long fangirl, I really wanted this book to work for me, but it just didn't. The writing style was so dry and the pacing was very off. I understand what point the author was trying to make, but there seemed to be very little grace and empathy given to the main character, despite her mental illness being a main theme. Overall, disappointing because I think fan culture is so fascinating and there is so much that can be explored there, just not like this. 

Lorelei Petcu

Marz 

Super interesting and fun read which looks into fandom and fan/idol relationships. A quick and satisfying read

ephe

Malia

this is a study on fandom culture and the obsession that comes with it. its told from the pov of Akari, a high school student who finds it hard to fit in and finds comfort in worshipping a certain celebrity, who then falls from grace when he physically assaulted a fan. while the topic is very interesting (since i am still deep in fandom culture dari jaman smp), kayanya ceritanya kurang nampol deh... entah apa lost in translation apa gimana, tapi ada bagian-bagian yang kurasa kurang aja? agak sayang, i was excited... it does remind me of Convenience Store Woman, the way Akari is written as being "different" and struggles very hard to fit in. tapi sayang the mental health and or the neurodivergence aspect are never properly discussed... salah satu alasan kurang nampol... tapi ya its was okay. kaya lagi nontonin salah satu mutual di fan account descending into the point of loneliness where she cant ever return consumed by the unhealthy obsession she has ke idolnya ini. its quite dark. its darker for me personally, so.

i mostly listened to the audiobook of this (while doing other tasks... the only way to do it tbh) bc i was hearing abt y/n and this book in the same convos and this one was available on libby + only 3 hours, so... i spent a good portion of this book rather enraged, though i still need to interrogate how much of that is defensiveness as a person who has spent the majority of her life a fan of k-pop idols. that being said, it did kind of feel like the way akari's problems were written about was like. kind of bullying this poor depressed girl for not being able to get her life together. as someone who has done some of the things akari has done and who has thought some of the things akari has thought, it felt kind of like i was being called stupid and jobless and also insane for like 2.5 hours. by the end, i understood the point the author was going for, but i did feel like the point being made about the ways masaki consumed akari's life was beaten to death despite the book being so short in the first place. i also kept thinking that it would have been much more interesting to look at the systems that construct akari's reliance on masaki — the capitalist nature of the idol industry, the unreasonable pressure from educational institutions, etc., and although i know some of these were touched upon, i think more pointed metaphors would have helped make this book feel less like a pity party for akari and more of a sharper critique of the idol industry / society as a whole. in usami's acknowledgements (which i thought were very moving), it was clear that she understands there are systems and institutions that deserve critique far more than her brother as well as akari, but i just felt like that could have come across a bit clearer in the actual novel. that being said, i continue to absolutely love afterwords/acknowledgements/translator notes, and listening to them after the conclusion of the story appeased my rage and introduced me to a new perspective that made me appreciate the story more. the translator's note made me wonder how much of my interpretation of the book might have been due to subtle nuances in language that might have been lost in translation. one last thought: i use the red exclamation point emoji literally all the time i'm crying am i boomer???? 

lucia

Cait🪼

This book was exactly what I wanted when reading Astral Season, Beastly Season!
As someone who's never been into an 'idol', I feel as though I understand the emotional connection involved for fans - the way Rin Usami depicts Akari's absolute devotion to her idol is breathtaking.

The novel that lit the Japanese publishing world on fire: From a breathtaking up-and-coming writer, a twenty-first century "Catcher in the Rye" that brilliantly explores toxic fandom, social media, and alienated adolescence.

Akari is a high school junior obsessed with “oshi” Masaki Ueno, a member of the popular J-Pop group Maza Maza. She writes a blog devoted to him, and spends hours addictively scrolling for information about him and his life. Desperate to analyze and understand him, Akari hopes to eventually see the world through his eyes. It is a devotion that borders on the religious: Masaki is her savior, her backbone, someone she believes she cannot survive without—even though she’s never actually met him.

When rumors surface that her idol assaulted a female fan, social media explodes. Akari immediately begins sifting through everything she can find about the scandal, and shares every detail to her blog—including Masaki’s denials and pleas to his fans—drawing numerous readers eager for her updates.

But the organized, knowledgeable persona Akari presents online is totally different from the socially awkward, unfocused teenager she is in real life. As Masaki's situation spirals, his troubles threaten to tear apart her life too. Instead of finding a way to break free to save herself, Akari becomes even more fanatical about Masaki, still believing her idol is the only person who understands her.

A blistering novel of fame, disconnection, obsession, and disillusion by a young writer not much older than the novel’s heroine, "Idol, Burning" shines a white-hot spotlight on fandom and “stan” culture, the money-making schemes of the pop idol industry, the seductive power of social media, and the powerful emotional void that opens when an idol falls from grace, only to become a real—and very flawed—person.

fatru tamzil

This book is for stantwt girlies and stantwt girlies ONLY/hj

Selkie

Not a very bad read but not groundbreaking either. The subject was interesting but the writing style got confusing at times, not making any sense unless I had to read the same sentence at least 3 times.
I will probably reread it to see if it was just me who was not ready to read it.

You know, I am sure there is a benefit to what this book is trying to say but I am sort of starting to get a little disappointed by the genre. The novel tries to speak on cancel culture to a degree but never quite grasps the more interesting aspects of it - the fan dilemma of YFIP (especially interesting for idol fans where the entertainer personality comes before the art), the disproportionate reaction to innocuous matters that would not be an issue for a normal person (for example, dating news) or the doubling-down on idols saying or committing outrageous things. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction when you have had idols shaving their heads for being caught leaving their boyfriend's apartment (and even if a band no longer has or did not have a no-dating rule, idols can still receive hate for years to no end for getting married or dating), but also fans defending war-crime memorabilia, and it is to the detriment of the novella when one has this context.

Regardless, the novel has a good concept that would have benefited from a little more development. I would not necessarily say that it needed to be weirder but it seems like it does not necessarily really focus on what it states it wanted to focus on. 

You know, I am sure there is a benefit to what this book is trying to say but I am sort of starting to get a little disappointed by the genre. The novel tries to speak on cancel culture to a degree but never quite grasps the more interesting aspects of it - the fan dilemma of YFIP (especially interesting for idol fans where the entertainer personality comes before the art), the disproportionate reaction to innocuous matters that would not be an issue for a normal person (for example, dating news) or the doubling-down on idols saying or committing outrageous things. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction when you have had idols shaving their heads for being caught leaving their boyfriend's apartment (and even if a band no longer has or did not have a no-dating rule, idols can still receive hate for years to no end for getting married or dating), but also fans defending war-crime memorabilia, and it is to the detriment of the novella when one has this context.

Regardless, the novel has a good concept that would have benefited from a little more development. I would not necessarily say that it needed to be weirder but it seems like it does not necessarily really focus on what it states it wanted to focus on. 

Morgan Thomas

** spoiler alert **
           A bit disappointed with this book. I had hoped for something a bit different in how the premise was executed. The story focuses on a teenage girl, Akari and the idol she is obsessed with who ends up punching a fan. I thought the premise sounded great and could have taken an interesting approach to fandom and obsession, especially considering our main character is depressed and struggles in her everyday life. Why do we cling to something that could be awful in the face of our own pain? We see why she loves and devotes so much time to her idol. Much of the book I think fails to properly address the very real pain her idol inflicts on someone else while failing to adequately reconcile her devotion. Instead the story focuses on her everyday life and the struggles she herself faces as she tries to live a meaningful and functioning life. I was ultimately disappointed to see what was an interesting premise go to waste.
Also a quit note. A problem with translation in which this story felt a bit clunky, but I wondered if that was more the authors prose? That bothered me a bit and took me out of the story.

Inez

I don't think I am able to put all the right words to describe the way this book makes me feel. Some parts feel raw that I need to step back for a moment, some parts really feel like they burn you into the flames. It was beautiful, painful, and brutal.

Stef

Selesai baca ini ngerasain de javu selesai baca kobini ningen. Mungkin karena karakter Akari disini agak tidak normal mengingatkan karakter Keiko. Aku mengerti apa yang dilakukan Akari with her Oshi, why she is so obsessed and dedicated with her Oshi, and Oshi become someone special that driving her life, because I've been there too. Sedikit kurang panjang ceritanya dan masih sedikit agak gantung dgn kondisi psikologi nya Akari.



  "Without my oshi, I couldn’t be me. My life without him was only an afterlife."

amy isabella

Harriet Langan

Isabel 

Marion

Leila

Mario Menti 

Rosie Sawrey

Joy Salo

宇佐見りん

推しが炎上した。ままならない人生を引きずり、祈るように推しを推す。そんなある日、推しがファンを殴った。

Idol, Burning

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