Hybrid Heart

Hybrid Heart is the light novel version of a feminist, Japanese psychological thriller but executed very well and communicates its ideas clearly. Rei is a pop idol whose life has become a nightmare and it’s making her crazy. Always smiling and hyper cheerful, she does the choreography, and hits the......more

Hybrid Heart explores themes of fame, autonomy, and abuse through the lens of the Japanese idol industry in the near future. Despite the small page count, Kusano does an excellent job of fleshing out the world for the reader. It is just the right amount of detail to picture exactly what is going on......more

An excellent examination of a human being struggling to maintain a glittering persona and the career it gives her. Having lost her best friend and singing partner to scandal, Rei lives a horrifically lonely and micromanaged life; neural implants ping her company to rat her out for sleeping too littl......more

picked this up because of the quote on the back that said “this book fucks extremely,” and i simply must agree. i really liked how it felt like it reflected what i know of modern idol culture, enhanced by the sci fi elements like the main character’s neuro implants that monitored her calorie intake......more