Specs
Reviews
(3.82/5)Evocative and Engaging
This was an engaging but rather depressing exploration of idol culture from the lens of a teenage girl. It drifts through time and space, with evocative writing (and some challenging vocabulary). I listened to the audiobook while reading and thought that it was well done. Recommended.
ruby's review already has an excellent synopsis, so I'll skip that here. I was really impressed by the author's depictions of Akari's thoughts and emotions through the whole book. Akari's mind often drifts during stressful times, and the imagery used in these moments is very meaningful and memorable. The book does a great job representing the emotions of idol fan culture, even before they're taken to the extreme.
Language wise, I found this book fairly challenging. I had to look up words more often than I usually do, and not just idol/otaku terms. The vocab used in the frequent extended metaphors describing Akari's feelings is quite extensive, and the structure of these segments also confused me several times. I often read a whole page to the end without really understanding it, then went back and slowly worked my way through until I could grasp the comparison being made. Once I got them, these parts were some of my favorite moments, but they also make the prose very challenging. At the same time, I think that makes for great experience from a language learning perspective if you're up for it!
An exploration of idol culture and the way that idol culture affects the fans themselves. Focuses primarily on the protagonist Akari, a high-school girl fan of an idol who was cancelled online after allegedly hitting a fan. Despite this, her life still essentially revolves around him - she works part-time for as many hours as she can to buy merch and tickets. Akari's obsession with her idol comes through very clearly in every aspect of her life, as she surrounds herself with blue - his image colour - and does everything in life for him, only feeling alive when he's in the picture.
The language was a bit difficult for me, but the content kept me hooked. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in idol culture. I especially enjoyed the more "modern" elements, such as Akari's blog posts and the details about her relationship with her online friends.
Content Warnings (off the top of my head) for depression, something akin to bulimia/vomiting from over-eating, the death of a family member
The difficulty of this book is interesting. There's words I hadn't encountered before due to not being into idols and not really that tuned into the Japanese internet / pop culture, but honestly there aren't that many of them - they just are often a crucial word to understand the sentence.
The larger difficulty is with the writing style which darts around in time, place, topic, and speaker. It's always narrated by Akari, but sometimes you have to pause for a second to determine if she's quoting herself in a conversation or someone else. Time and place are sometimes determined only by sentences that are dropped midway through the scene you're reading.
The story has no chapters, no plot, no arch but is is interesting.
I found this book depressing to read, honestly. I thought the writing style was brilliant, but I ached for Akari and I found her Oshi's life to be sad as well, even filtered through her adoring lens.
A book I'm glad I've read even while not enjoying it
A vivid portrayal and you can easily see why it won the Akutagawa prize. I'm really glad I read it but it's so heavy and I think the heaviness bled through the pages. A bit like War and Peace - a masterwork but there's a sense of relief when it's finished. I do work with people in similar situations in my professional life and I think some of it hot a bit too close to home. Highly recommend!