Idol, Burning

WINNER OF THE AKUTAGAWA PRIZE 'Usami so successfully depicts the consequences of pure obsession' Guardian 'Essential reading for anyone who wants to understand what it is like to be a teenage girl' Catherine Prasifka High-school student Akari has only one passion in her life: her oshi, her idol. His name is Masaki Ueno, best known as one-fifth of Japanese pop group Maza Maza. Akari’s dedication to her oshi consumes her days completely – until he disgraces himself and Akari’s world goes into a tailspin. The International Bestseller Winner Of The 2020 Akutagawa Prize 'my Oshi Was On Fire. Word Was He'd Punched A Fan' High-school Student Akari Has Only One Passion In Her Life: Her Oshi, Her Idol. His Name Is Masaki Ueno, Best Known As One-fifth Of Japanese Pop Group Maza Maza. Akari’s Dedication To Her Oshi Consumes Her Days Completely. She Keeps A Blog Entirely Devoted To Him, Religiously Chronicling And Analysing All His Events. He Is The Spine Of Her Life; She Cannot Survive Without Him. When Masaki Is Rumoured To Have Assaulted A Female Fan, Facing Waves Of Social Media Backlash, Akari’s World Falls Apart. Offering A Vivid Insight Into Otaku Culture And Adolescence, Idol, Burning Is A Brilliantly Gripping Story Of Obsession, Coming Of Age And The Addictive, Relentless Nature Of Fandom Culture. 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. But the organized, knowledgeable persona Akari presents online is totally different from the socially awkward, unfocused teenager she is in real life A bestselling and award-winning Japanese phenomenon - about obsession, pop culture and fandom. Winner of the 2020 Akutagawa Prize and 500,000 copies sold!