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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
hopeful
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
emotional
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unexpected 5 star read, want to gather my thoughts for more
— 3.5 stars ✰
Idol, Burning is an exploration of Japanese fandom culture and celebrity worship. It is told through the perspective of a teenage girl as she recites her days, revolving around her oshi, a former child actor, who is now part of a band. Akari centers her schedule around his concerts and his lives on social media, making sure she is always available whenever he is performing or interacting with his followers. He is the the central pillar of her life and helps her move past many difficulties she encounters both in school and with day to day activities. It is never explicitly mentioned whether Akari suffers from a disability, although her doctors tell her she 'is different', which means she easily forgets things and struggles with school work. Akari’s devotion to her oshi never sways, despite him falling under criticism from many other supporters of the band. The obsession becomes so deep routed that Akari builds a shrine to her oshi in her room, consisting of merch and posters, which she ends up spending all of her money on. She loses interest in anything else in life, which leads to her having to face her parents and sister, who are not happy with the lifestyle she is leading.
Whilst this novella provides an insight into the obsession pertaining the fandom culture, I feel like there was potential for a more deeply rooted exploration. I wish we would also get more focus on her learning difficulties and how that impacted her life and relationships with others (whilst we do get a glimpse into this, there is not quite enough to satisfy my cravings). Going into the downfall and cancelation of a well-loved public figure would also have been an interesting angle.
I did really enjoy the prose and the flowery language used for descriptions of incredibly mundane things like how messy a room is. I find that a lot of Japanese literature focuses on these seemingly unimportant things, but they act together to make up the characters personality and showcase more of their life, whilst also painting an aesthetic scene. This is a very unique read, which talks about themes I don’t see often mentioned in literary fiction, but at the same time, the story is lacking in several of the departments. Nevertheless, it makes for a short and enjoyable read.
"In the same way that a night of sleep put wrinkles in a bed-sheet, just being alive took a toll. To talk to someone you had to move the flesh on your face. You bathed to get rid of the grime that built up on your skin and clipped your nails because they kept growing. I exhausted myself trying to achieve the bare minimum, but it had never been enough. My will and my body would always disengage before I got there."
Idol, Burning is an exploration of Japanese fandom culture and celebrity worship. It is told through the perspective of a teenage girl as she recites her days, revolving around her oshi, a former child actor, who is now part of a band. Akari centers her schedule around his concerts and his lives on social media, making sure she is always available whenever he is performing or interacting with his followers. He is the the central pillar of her life and helps her move past many difficulties she encounters both in school and with day to day activities. It is never explicitly mentioned whether Akari suffers from a disability, although her doctors tell her she 'is different', which means she easily forgets things and struggles with school work. Akari’s devotion to her oshi never sways, despite him falling under criticism from many other supporters of the band. The obsession becomes so deep routed that Akari builds a shrine to her oshi in her room, consisting of merch and posters, which she ends up spending all of her money on. She loses interest in anything else in life, which leads to her having to face her parents and sister, who are not happy with the lifestyle she is leading.
Whilst this novella provides an insight into the obsession pertaining the fandom culture, I feel like there was potential for a more deeply rooted exploration. I wish we would also get more focus on her learning difficulties and how that impacted her life and relationships with others (whilst we do get a glimpse into this, there is not quite enough to satisfy my cravings). Going into the downfall and cancelation of a well-loved public figure would also have been an interesting angle.
I did really enjoy the prose and the flowery language used for descriptions of incredibly mundane things like how messy a room is. I find that a lot of Japanese literature focuses on these seemingly unimportant things, but they act together to make up the characters personality and showcase more of their life, whilst also painting an aesthetic scene. This is a very unique read, which talks about themes I don’t see often mentioned in literary fiction, but at the same time, the story is lacking in several of the departments. Nevertheless, it makes for a short and enjoyable read.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This was definitely a better time than Y/N by Esther Yi in terms of encapsulating the feel of fandom. I didn’t really see the book as a hot take on cancel culture even though the authors note implies that there was supposed to be some overarching message. The book just ends without really rounding things off and as a result it’s rather unsatisfying. I think it needed to be longer but honestly if it was any longer then I would probably really dislike it. I will say that I really felt for her when she was working because customer service is so goddamn hard in a restaurant. Overall, pretty okay for a short read and if you’ve been in fandom spaces then you’ll feel a comfortable sense of familiarity.
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Weiß ja nicht, irgendwie blieb es mir zu oberflächlich und konnte mich nicht richtig fesseln.