Content Warning: Sexual harassment, self-harm, stalking
How We Begin
The Idol’s Escape has a solid start. Its fairly nondescript beginning opens in Tokyo with an aimless young man named Ainosuke. Ainosuke left home after high school because his father couldn’t handle that he’s gay and is interested in things like makeup. He once tried to confess his feelings to a crush at school, but feels like he was rejected because he’s not beautiful enough. Now working at a love hotel, he dreams of someday being beautiful and loved like his favorite idol, Karen Asahina.
One day, out of nowhere, a beautiful woman asks Ainosuke to help hide her from a man. He agrees, but is shocked to learn that the person needing help is Karen! He hides her for three days in his apartment, and the pair strike up a friendship until it’s time to part ways. That should be it. Ainosuke sees them as coming from two different worlds that should never have crossed paths. When Ainosuke sees Karen being abused by her father, however, it starts a series of unfortunate events that leave her father dead and the two young people (known in the news as an idol and her obsessed fan) on the run from the law.
From here, the story heads in several directions. Ainosuke and Karen aren’t stupid about their situation. They’re both fully aware that because of her celebrity status, they’re eventually going to get caught and arrested for murder. Before that can happen, Ainosuke wants to repay Karen for her kindness by showing her what it feels like to be an average person. So, he withdraws all his money, and the two set off on a travel spree around Japan with the intention of giving Karen some happy memories before it all comes crashing down on them.
Back in Tokyo, however, we meet Ainosuke’s father, who is a high-ranking police officer. Removed from the murder investigation for obvious conflict of interest reasons, he begins his own private search and investigation for his son to find out the truth.
The Chase Is On…
This story started off so promisingly. In the first four chapters, we have a solid foundation and gripping buildup. The characters feel three-dimensional and interesting, especially considering that Ainosuke’s sexual orientation is never treated as a gag. It’s just a matter of fact; part of who he is as a character. A few pages later, we meet Karen, his shining beacon of beauty and light, who is having just as hard a life as he is, just in different ways.
It doesn’t even enter his mind that she might hate the life that was forced upon her, which includes casting couch treatment and regular physical and emotional abuse. This is why, when the main characters meet and spend three days bonding, it feels genuine. Ainosuke is a relatable character for anyone who has ever felt like they aren’t good enough. But once readers get past this initial setup and the chase begins, the plot gets away from the author.
It’s not that the choices the characters make aren’t understandable. Ainosuke wants to repay the kindness shown to him by someone he never should’ve met. However, as the chapters progress, both Karen and Ainosuke make choices on the other’s behalf that were slightly bothersome. First, after Karen learns of her friend’s tragic backstory, she practically forces him to go confront his first crush and find out why exactly he was turned down. This leads directly into an awkward scene (which I initially thought was a flashback) where Ainosuke gets his closure. To repay this kindness, Ainosuke takes Karen to Enoshima, where she remembers having a vacation with her family as a child. This pursuit of closure for both main characters makes for a wonderful story, but the execution is a bit ham-fisted.
Choices, Choices…
However, the biggest issue with the story isn’t the characters. It’s some of the perspective choices made by the author, Ito Kira. One example is the scene featuring Ainosuke and the popular college guy he had a crush on. As mentioned, I initially took this entire chapter as a flashback. The perspective and writing felt shoehorned in, and it wasn’t until I read the end of the chapter that I realized it was happening in the present. Additionally, every time Ainosuke’s father and the subject of his investigation came up, the transition was quite jarring, and there were no natural segues.
While I won’t go into how the story wraps up, it’s easy to say that some elements worked, and some didn’t. The ultimate source of Ainosuke’s father’s homophobia is a little forced, and the closing chapter, which reveals the fates of Karen and Ainosuke, isn’t exactly realistic.
Closing Thoughts
Overall, I’m happy I read The Idol’s Mistake. It wasn’t perfect by any stretch, but it was enjoyable. The drama in the first half was powerful enough that I had to take constant breaks between chapters to wrap my brain around what I had just read. While not fantastic, it is still a fun, short story that will entertain the drama fans in your life.
The Idol’s Mistake is available in print and digitally from: Amazon, Books-A-Million, Kinokuniya, Barnes & Noble, and Bookshop
Credits
Author: Ito Kira
Translation: Matthew Alberts
Lettering: Dietrich Premier
Publisher: Yen Press
Thank you to Yen Press for providing a review copy. Receiving this copy had no effect on the reviewer’s opinions, as expressed here.
Article edited by: Anne Estrada
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