This wasn't entirely what I expected, but it was intriguing and interesting nonetheless! I would love to see more explorations of fandom and fan culture in literature.

The concept behind "Idol, Burning" by Rin Usami reminded me of the anime series "Oshi no Ko," which aired earlier this year. In "Oshi no Ko," there is a character called Kurokawa Akane, described as a capable actress who can flawlessly portray various personalities, making her one of the prominent actresses from the Lala Lai Theatrical Company. Together with the main character, Hoshino Aqua, Akane takes part in the reality dating show "LoveNow." Instead of adopting an alternative persona, as she often does during her theatrical performances, Akane decides to express her true self, revealing that she is a shy and quiet girl, which doesn't conform to the common stereotypes of reality shows. Unfortunately, her genuine approach leads to online backlash, with anonymous individuals criticizing her and even sending death threats, ultimately causing her to become more reclusive and leading her to attempt suicide.

Akane's experience in "Oshi no Ko" mirrors what Masaki Ueno, the oshi in Rin Usami’s story, goes through. One day, Masaki appears in the news for allegedly punching one of his fans. However, there is no confirmation about the truth behind the news, whether the action was intentional or even happened at all. The internet shows no mercy to Masaki, and his career starts to decline, eventually leading to the breakup of the idol group he belongs to, Maza Maza. The story is narrated from the perspective of Akari, a super fan who has been following Masaki's every move even before he started his career as an idol.

For Akari, worshipping her oshi, or idol, is the purpose of her life, something that not all people in her life can comprehend. To her, it is akin to worshipping a god-like figure in religious terms, without expecting anything in return. Akari finds contentment in collecting merchandise and DVDs, while constantly blogging to share her views with fellow fans. Her life revolves around what her oshi does (and does not do), and she becomes part of the toxic fandom. The eventual disbanding of Maza Maza and the departure of her oshi from the stage represent an existential threat to her life.

Fans who passionately worship their oshi often pour their hearts into supporting and promoting their favorite performers. This dedication can lead to increased engagement and success for the oshi, as the fans' enthusiasm drives interest and attendance at events. They also tend to develop emotional connections with the oshi and fellow fans, finding joy and a sense of belonging in a supportive community of like-minded individuals who share similar interests. However, in toxic fandoms, unhealthy competition among fans can emerge, resulting in aggressive behavior, such as online harassment, aimed at defending their oshi or tearing down others, as exemplified by the downfall of Masaki Ueno in this story. It also leads to a loss of perspective in Akari’s part as a fan, causing her to prioritize her oshi’s success over her well-being and other important aspects of her life.

"Idol, Burning" brings forth two important perspectives. Firstly, online backlash can be unforgiving and may lead to irreversible consequences for its victims. Secondly, toxic fandom can foster an unhealthy obsession with an idol at the expense of someone’s well-being. These two factors, combined with the richness of Usami Rin’s internet vocabularies (which is nicely rendered in the English translation by Asa Yoneda), describe the phenomenon of the unhealthy consequences of worshipping an oshi.

3.5 stars.

Idol, Burning is a story about a young girl who is immersed in fandom, and explores the dangers of parasocial relationships and social media. This book deals with themes that I’m always fascinated by and, its portrayal of obsession and pop culture was very well done. The main character was a highlight of this book and her narrative made for a fascinating coming-of-age story.

However, although this raised some very interesting points, none of them were examined in much depth. The prose is fairly distant, which I wasn’t particularly a fan of in this book, and it made for a slightly unsatisfying experience at times.

Overall, an insightful look into fandom and its culture, but one that I wished provided a deeper understanding of some of the themes it deals with.

Idol, Burning is one of the best depictions of idol culture and obsession I have had the joy to read. Many Thanks to NetGalley and Canongate for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

So I have had Jpop, Kpop and asian drama phases, i'm aware of some parts of idol culture you can see on the internet (take kpop band BTS as an example), and i'm aware of the otaku culture of japan especially within the anime community, but this book opened me up to a more intriguing and detailed view of what it truly is like to be in that world.

I have heard the stories of the fact that in Japan it is considerably more invested when it comes to Idol worship than where I live, especially with the difference in culture and reading this I saw the true depths of devotion and love for an idol can go via Akari and it was eye-opening. I honestly was left completely speechless after this, it is by far one of the best books representing the idol culture and how it does indeed take over people's lives to the point it could ruin their existence. The plot was sublime, the writing style a delight and fresh, the pacing was amazing and I was enamoured and intrigued by Akari and her development throughout the book.

The one thing nearly every teenager, regardless of upbringing, will relate to in this book is the growing pains teenage drama and angst and obsession with something, be it a famous person, show or book and this genuinely shows this in a poignant way that left me amazed.

3.5 stars
I should probably preface this by saying that I'm not massively into K-pop or J-pop. However, I enjoyed gaining an insight into that world and also fandoms. Celebrity obsessions have always been something that fascinates me, so it was really insightful to read and learn about the lengths that people will go to and the extent they can encompass their lives. For such a short book it tackles a lot of themes but I didn't particularly like the end as it felt too abrupt.
It was refreshing to read about a new topic and I did enjoy how thought-provoking the story was.

Many thanks to the author, publisher, and Netgalley for sending me a copy of this book in return for an honest review.

A very strange little novella, wasn’t sure what to expect but this wasn’t it. Enjoyable but not my favourite

Idol, Burning is a sharp and swift read, getting to the heart of fandom and the blurred lines of obsession and dedication, the connections we feel we have with those we admire. Really, really recommend.

Akari has one passion, her oshi, her idol. Masaki Ueno is one fifth of the boyband Maza Maza and Akari's whole world. When rumours abound that Masaki is rumoured to have assaulted a fan his popularity plummets with the social media backlash and Akari's world begins to fall apart.

This novel was a gripping look into coming of age for Akari as well as the obsessive nature of fan culture.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

4.5/5
This was absolutely stunning. Such a thoughtful, tender and intricate exploration of fandom and what it means to throw all your energy and passion outside of yourself when you find it difficult to sustain your own experience. I always enjoy reading about fandom from authors who are willing to offer their characters not only criticism, but grace and understanding, and this was one of those beautiful and rare experiences. Between the writer and translator, this iteration had me stopping and rereading passages many times simply because I found the writing to put such grand things into simple words so well that it took my breath away. This also does one of those difficult to pull off things in which the story is as much about the information you are being denied as it is about what you are being offerred, both unsettling the reader and challenging them to approach the feeling at the story's core the way the author intended them to without the distraction and noise of clearer answers that mean little from our perspective.
As a final note, I will say that I LOVED the addition of translator's and illustrators' notes alongside the author's t the end and I'd love seeing more of this in the future!
A treat.

This isn't my usual sort of book, but I am aware of otaku culture and I wanted to give it a go. The prose (and the translation) did an amazing job of making an unfamiliar context come to life for me. I couldn't put it down.

I wanted to like this novella so badly, but just couldn't really relate to the characters or the narrative.

Idol, Burning is about a young girl's obsession with a member of a boy band. She dedicates her life to her "oshi", writing a blog about him and thinking about him constantly. Overall, the book discusses contemporary society's tendency to idolize celebrities, taking that to the extreme.

As with a lot of Japanese books, this novella focused on a character who is an outsider in society and makes a lot of social commentaries, in this case on celebrity culture.

I didn't really like the writing style of the book, but I can understand its merit and success.

I felt as if this book was something and I just was not clicking with it? Perhaps due to the trajectory, I was expecting some form of horror or thriller or just accumulation of plot points ending in some big episode regarding our protagonist and idol. I was pretty underwhelmed, but did enjoy the language surrounding mania and hyper fixating on idols and celebrities etc. It made a strong case for submerging readers into this obsession and then undoes this whirlpool effect in the last chapter?
Feelings of obsession aren't quite as easy to just move on from, am unconvinced

Thank you to Netgalley and Harper Collins for this ARC!

This book is such a difficult one to rate so I gravitate towards 3 stars. The protagonist is a teenager who has an obsession with a member of a boy band who hits a fan and ruins his career. It doesn't go particularly deep into him as a character, nor the protagonist who is possibly neurodivergent (alluded to). She's a struggling young adult and doesn't really get the help and support she needs, becoming increasingly isolated from the real world and living online.

I can't say I enjoyed the book but it was interesting.

I decided to pick this book up as it reminded me several times of my own k-pop idolising in my teens, maybe not to the same extent, but it was something I could relate too. I also enjoyed the topics of obsession, fandom and cancel culture - then alongside this Rin Usami touches upon grief and what kind of toll this can take on a person, let alone a young easily influenced person. Although the plot of the story does not ever come to some resolution from the ‘did he’ or ‘didn’t he’ it was a great look into perception of someone you idolise that changes basically overnight and how you can deal with those emotions. I really enjoyed this book and thought it was a really good short read for someone looking for something a little different.

This book had a lot of potential but it failed to live up to expectation for me.. It was well written but the storyline fell a bit flat towards the endof the book. The last few years the topic of "fandom" seems to be everywhere, and the premise of the book was really exciting, however for me it failed to live up to expectation,

A subject which is very timely….. The story is tense and thrilling and keeps you turning the pages until the end. Recommended! Gift yourself a copy, because you'll probably read the whole thing in one sitting.

an interesting look at idol culture and fan obsession! however i did feel like there was still more that could have been explored & it fell short of being fully engaging.

This is such a great look into fandom. If you are fascinated by people who build their lives around celebrities, this is a great book to read.

A timely novella that should be read by all. An important our for our times. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for a review.

Fascinating look at idol culture and the intensity of parasocial relationships. Feels more timely now than ever before!