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We are left without a satisfying conclusion - which is frustrating - to the Masaki story; however, when you remember it's Akari's story, it's more satisfying. Usami's writing is thrilling and deft, and her novel illuminates the shadows cloaking our digital lives, leaving us with honesty and grace in equal measures. A key influencer via her dedicated blog, she’s carved out a significant space for herself within Masaki’s fan community.
I had the impression Usami was a follower of idols herself as she deftly portrays the positives of the culture as well as how it can get ugly.
Her devotion never wavers, but Usami nevertheless paints a compelling picture of a huge celebrity becoming cancelled by the wider world; Akari is the exception to this rule, her Devotion never wavering.
As accusations pile up and the singer’s star wanes, Akari has to find a new sense in life – one that does not rely on her obsession as a crutch. Idol, Burning is a novella exploring stan culture, mental health and identity against a backdrop of the stressful high-performance culture of the Japanese education system. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. 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. The author also doesn’t really go into cancel culture or death of the author (or in this case singer).I was torn on the rating here; if I’m not sure I tend to lean towards generosity, but there are many ways in which Idol, Burning is unsatisfying, and I felt some of its potential was wasted. And in this book, Akari, being someone that felt outcasted from what she's dealing with, finds solace in stanning her oshi, in which she took what I did to the next level. Yet, her understanding of Masaki is incredibly skewed, as she fails to see him as a human, an entertainer, but endows him with divine qualities.