ANIME REVIEW | Big Laughs and Stressful Lifestyles in "Tamon’s B-Side"
I’ll admit: I’m not the biggest boy band fan out there. Sure, there was a time when I had a Jonathan Knight poster on my wall when New Kids on the Block were a thing. But I was four, and my tastes wouldn’t evolve towards better music until Snoop Dogg dropped his debut album, Doggystyle, in 1993. Nevertheless, it’s hard to avoid the boy band and idol scene these days, especially now that I live in Tokyo. So when I kept getting bombarded with recommendations to check out the new J.C. Staff anime series Tamon’s B-Side, needless to say I was a bit hesitant.
Thankfully, those who kept pushing me to watch Tamon’s B-Side knew that there was something about this show that I would like. And boy, do I like shows where the confident dude in front of the cameras is really a shy mess of a human being behind the scenes! Even better when that flaw is played for laughs, as it is for the show’s titular character (Kakeru Hotaru). Tamon is the center of idol group F/ACE, and is touted as the wild boy of the group. But in real life, that could be further from the truth!
The one who discovers Tamon’s true nature is Utage Kinoshita (Saori Hayami), a big fan of F/ACE and an even bigger fan of its center. So much so, that she spends every penny she has on Tamon merchandise, forcing her to get a job cleaning apartments to make ends meet. When another cleaner falls ill and Utage takes her job, she finds herself face to face with Tamon in his apartment, only it’s not the Tamon she knows, loves, and supports with the almighty yen. Nay, the real Tamon is a super pessimistic introvert who can’t even leave his apartment without putting a bag over his head.
This chance meeting gives Utage a new purpose in life. She not only throws all of her cash to buy anything with Tamon’s face on it, but now she’s helping the idol singer become the person he is behind the camera as he is in front of it. The end result is a whiplash of emotions, exercises, and motivational speeches that take Tamon and Utage on a whirlwind journey. But she’s not alone when it comes to helping Tamon find his can-do attitude; Utage’s got the other boys in F/ACE, erm, “helping”.
Having the other members there also shows the flaws they have to go through in order to become F/ACE. The prince of the group, Ouri (Shoya Chiba), is a hothead whose famous parents have pushed him down a similar path of pop culture greatness. Keito (Tasuku Hatanaka), the F/ACE leader, pretends to be kind and gentle, only to be the most money-grubbing member of the group. Cutie pie Natsuki (Kohei Amasaki) smokes and drinks his way through life when the spotlight’s not on him, while rapper Rintaro (Ryuho Nagaoka) is a hardcore otaku. And they have the nerve to push around Tamon when they’ve got their own baggage to deal with?!
Where the best source of humor in Tamon’s B-Side comes from is the fangirl Utage. In one instance, she’s amping Tamon up like she’s General Patton giving a major speech to his troops. But in the next, after seeing Tamon’s idol side peek through, Utage turns into a melting puddle of ooze. She is the best and worst kind of fan, one that supports her favorite with all of her might, and also attempts to mold him into the impossibly perfect version of himself when the cameras aren’t rolling.
Another source of humor comes from F/ACE themselves. It is both hilarious and cringe seeing how F/ACE acts when in idol mode. As someone who’s been subjected to many Snow Man music videos and SixTONES variety shows, how Tamon and the others are portrayed is so on-point with how real boy idols act. Not only do they capture these idols’ personalities perfectly, but these on-screen versions are just as obviously fake as real Japanese boy bands. It doesn’t go the dark path like Oshi no Ko does, but the eye roll-inducing moments are just as effective.
There’s one big question regarding Tamon’s B-Side: is Utage falling in love with the pink-haired singer? This is where the biggest part of the comedy is found. With Utage knowing how brutal the idol fanbase can be, she knows that falling in love with Tamon is as grave of a sin as first-degree murder. And yet, anytime Tamon brings out a tiny bit of charm, her heart and brain have a fight to the death over how she should be feeling. As for Tamon falling for Utage, well, that’s still something even I can’t quite figure out. I guess we wait and see, eh?
Since this show’s main focus is an idol band, how are the songs on the show? Honestly, they’re fine. F/ACE sounds exactly like the hundreds of other boy idol groups I’ve come across in my lifetime, and there’s nothing really unique about them. Idol music is the one weak spot in the Japanese music scene, as the K-POP idols run circles around them. For every Broken By the Scream or The Rampage from Exile Tribe, there are hundreds of copycats that lack anything remotely special.
But even if I don’t really enjoy idol music, Tamon’s B-Side still has a lot that entertains me as a viewer. The comedy is well done, and the characters themselves are fun to watch interact with one another. I may never buy a F/ACE album, nor would I go to a concert if/when they decide to put one on. But I will still watch Tamon’s B-Side, as the things I like about it still outweigh the parts that make me lose focus.
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Tamon’s B-Side can be viewed on Crunchyroll and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-11 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
