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ineffableverse 's review for:
Idol, Burning
by Rin Usami
The entire life of 17-year-old Akari revolves around Masaki, a member of a popular J-Pop group. The student works overtime just to spend all her money on tickets and merchandise. Grades are unimportant. Family is unimportant. Future is unimportant. Everything is unimportant, except Masaki. Yet one morning, she wakes up in a world that has gone astray: Masaki is said to have struck a female fan, and thus the idol falls from the sky, having come too close to the sun. But no matter how many fans turn away from him now, Akari refuses to detach herself from her emotional dependency.
Isn't this her chance to prove herself as a true fan? If her idol is burning, shouldn't she surrender to the flames?
Akari appears detached from her own emotional world. Nevertheless, the plot develops an emotional intensity derived from her unconditional obsession. The student reduces herself entirely to the role of Masaki's most loyal fan, thus becoming the perfect symbol of a problematic fan culture that stifles the individuality of its followers.
Her personality hides in the unspoken, the suppressed, in what she sacrifices to her idol, without Masaki even knowing her identity. As a reader, you have to read between the lines, fill in the gaps yourself, so that depth is hinted at rather than elaborated on.Like a haiku, the experience of the reader completes the meaning; not everything is spelled out or named.
Those familiar with the topic of Asian idol culture may not discover much new here. Nevertheless, Rin Usami paints a compelling portrayal of instability and social isolation, using minimalist, austere words. Akari's familial background remains open, further emphasizing her loneliness.
The story invites reflection by casting stones into the water. You have to carefully explore the circles that form on your own; little is explained here.
Isn't this her chance to prove herself as a true fan? If her idol is burning, shouldn't she surrender to the flames?
Akari appears detached from her own emotional world. Nevertheless, the plot develops an emotional intensity derived from her unconditional obsession. The student reduces herself entirely to the role of Masaki's most loyal fan, thus becoming the perfect symbol of a problematic fan culture that stifles the individuality of its followers.
Her personality hides in the unspoken, the suppressed, in what she sacrifices to her idol, without Masaki even knowing her identity. As a reader, you have to read between the lines, fill in the gaps yourself, so that depth is hinted at rather than elaborated on.Like a haiku, the experience of the reader completes the meaning; not everything is spelled out or named.
Those familiar with the topic of Asian idol culture may not discover much new here. Nevertheless, Rin Usami paints a compelling portrayal of instability and social isolation, using minimalist, austere words. Akari's familial background remains open, further emphasizing her loneliness.
The story invites reflection by casting stones into the water. You have to carefully explore the circles that form on your own; little is explained here.