Tamon’s B-Side is the latest romantic comedy taking this season’s anime line up by storm.
The idea of meeting your favorite idol and becoming friends is a fantasy that many fans have thought about in passing before laughing to themselves, knowing it’d never happen. Becoming friends with your favorite idol is as likely to happen as it is to be sold to One Direction. This is not Utage’s reality. Utage works as a housekeeper. She earns money to buy merchandise and albums to support her favorite group, F/ACE, but more specifically, her bias, Tamon. When her co-worker is out sick, she’s assigned to one of their apartments. This apartment also happens to belong to Tamon.
Utage never expected to learn that her idol has low self-esteem and is a very gloomy person behind the scenes. This doesn’t bother her. She is quick to knock some sense into him and gives him the strength to continue on his journey. Her complete faith in him works up his confidence, sparking a friendship between the two.
It’s Cute and Silly
The idea of an idol getting caught by a fan being the opposite of who they are on television can be a nightmare. Well, depending on the idol. However, Tamon’s B-Side makes this premise really light-hearted, with both of the leads being older teens who are trying to find their footing in the world by unapologetically chasing their passions.
Utage’s adoration for Tamon comes through in her unwavering support of his career. While the guy in front of her is a depressed and anxious mess, her passionate and earnest nature gets through to Tamon and inspires him to grow as a performer. While she gets extremely carried away doing this, she acts more like his manager than his actual manager. Normally, the super devoted fangirl troupe would be off-putting, but Utage’s earnest nature and dedication to staying professional make her over-the-top fangirl bursts endearing.
A Simple Romantic Drama
The series focuses on Tamon and Utage, but the other members of F/ACE also become main characters at some point. Thus far, the only two band members we’ve officially met are Ouri and Keito, who are like Tamon in the sense that their on-stage and off-stage personalities are complete opposites. The only character Utage has had interactions with is Ouri so far, and their dynamic is interesting. Ouri is loud, entitled, and abrasive, but Utage has no problems calling him out and putting him in his place, especially when he torments Tamon. Despite this, Ouri develops a soft spot for Utage, which leads me to diagnose him with second male lead syndrome. He’s never going to win Utage’s heart, but I hope they develop a strong friendship.
Centers Friendship Before the Romance
Throughout the first five episodes, we watch as Utage and Tamon’s relationship grows. Utage remains committed to keep a professional boundary between her and Tamon as fan and idol. However, Tamon keeps wearing that down and insists on friendship. While Utage agrees, she still does her best to keep him professional. The show is currently 6 episodes in, so we’re at the halfway point of the season. As of now, the show is shaping up to be an episodic story that focuses on how Tamon and Utage lean on each other for moral support.
As a result of Utage’s unwavering support, Tamon has started showing signs of a darker, possessive nature. Where the show will go with this, I don’t know. However, readers of the manga are celebrating the emergence of this persona, so I have to trust in them. I’m not the targeted audience for yandere characters, but maybe Tamon might be an exception. Despite this, I’m looking forward to seeing how Utage handles this side of Tamon and how it will affect their friendship and potential relationship going forward.
Tamon’s B-Side is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
