Recent Reading: Idol, Burning
Sep. 1st, 2024 09:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rocky41_7This was the second read of the Women In Translation rec list. It's called Idol, Burning by Japanese author Rin Usami, translated into English by Asa Yoneda. The book description is:
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.
Final verdict: Thumbs up
Another big win for this rec list. This novel is quite short, about 115 pages, and I finished it in a few hours, but it packs a punch into what's there. Reading the book from Akari's perspective makes you almost understand her obsession, when this idol is the only thing in her life that brings her any joy. And I don't think it's just about him either, even if it feels that way to her: it's the sense of purpose she gets from trying to boost his popularity by buying up merch, and the role in the online community she has as a respected blogger. Both these things stand in such contrast to her role in real life, where she's viewed generally as a fuck-up by her family and teachers. But then you look at what her fixation is doing to her life and are reminded how unhealthy it all is.
It really captures how certain fans end up clinging to a celebrity long after that person has been revealed as a jerk. For Akari, there's no life without her idol, and she sacrifices everything else she has at his altar, knowing he'll never even know her name.
The novel drifts around here in and there in a somewhat confused way--it's often unclear how much time has gone by, or what exactly is going on in Akari's life, but this sort of cerebral narration suits her mindset. At one point, she mentions having been diagnosed with something, but she never mentions what it is, and her family obvious don't know or want to know how to manage whatever condition she has.The absence of detail about her own life relative to the minute detail she gives about her idol and her "idol work" perfectly shows her mindset.
On the one hand, you find yourself wanting something to pry Akari away from this obsession, but on the other, you worry that without it, she'll simply have nothing. It's like watching a trainwreck as Akari systematically gives up everything else in some perverse act of worship to this young man who was simply lucky enough to make his way into a pop group. I really enjoyed the journey and I was fascinated with Akari's story and I downed this entire book in one sitting. Short and punchy, I think it sticks around just as long as it needs to.
Full marks from me, I absolutely see why this made the list and why it made such a splash in Japan when it was first published!
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.
Final verdict: Thumbs up
Another big win for this rec list. This novel is quite short, about 115 pages, and I finished it in a few hours, but it packs a punch into what's there. Reading the book from Akari's perspective makes you almost understand her obsession, when this idol is the only thing in her life that brings her any joy. And I don't think it's just about him either, even if it feels that way to her: it's the sense of purpose she gets from trying to boost his popularity by buying up merch, and the role in the online community she has as a respected blogger. Both these things stand in such contrast to her role in real life, where she's viewed generally as a fuck-up by her family and teachers. But then you look at what her fixation is doing to her life and are reminded how unhealthy it all is.
It really captures how certain fans end up clinging to a celebrity long after that person has been revealed as a jerk. For Akari, there's no life without her idol, and she sacrifices everything else she has at his altar, knowing he'll never even know her name.
The novel drifts around here in and there in a somewhat confused way--it's often unclear how much time has gone by, or what exactly is going on in Akari's life, but this sort of cerebral narration suits her mindset. At one point, she mentions having been diagnosed with something, but she never mentions what it is, and her family obvious don't know or want to know how to manage whatever condition she has.The absence of detail about her own life relative to the minute detail she gives about her idol and her "idol work" perfectly shows her mindset.
On the one hand, you find yourself wanting something to pry Akari away from this obsession, but on the other, you worry that without it, she'll simply have nothing. It's like watching a trainwreck as Akari systematically gives up everything else in some perverse act of worship to this young man who was simply lucky enough to make his way into a pop group. I really enjoyed the journey and I was fascinated with Akari's story and I downed this entire book in one sitting. Short and punchy, I think it sticks around just as long as it needs to.
Full marks from me, I absolutely see why this made the list and why it made such a splash in Japan when it was first published!
no subject
Date: 2024-09-02 05:46 am (UTC)Oh THIS seems like an interesting read. I do like stories that call out the awfulness of stan culture and how exploitive the entertainment industries can be, though I try not to read books that just happen to echo my own sentiments since I don't want to praise something just because it agrees with me (that just seems anti intellectual and like I'm looking for something to affirm me, not be art), but from the way you describe it sounds like the book has some interesting things to say and some nuance to share–Like the way it's certainly easy/tempting to imagine every creepy, obsessive fan as an older adult who's just rotten, when sometimes it's a lonely, mentally ill young person. Sure that still doesn't make their behavior not creepy or ever okay, but it does mean you have to have some pity and a willingness to not just condemn them but actually sit down and talk to them about it. But considering our protagonist is in a country where mental health is very stigmatized, it's fair to say she may not even be hearing the RIGHT kind of advice/support that could actually help her. Again, actual nuance. But I guess I'll just have to read the book to see how it goes :D
no subject
Date: 2024-09-02 03:52 pm (UTC)I thought it was a very interesting read!