‘Tamon’s B-Side’ premiere review: “You Need Money to Support Your Oshi!”

The winter 2026 season is jam-packed with must-watch anime series, many of which are returning. From Hell’s Paradise and My Hero Academia: Vigilantes, to Trigun Stargaze and Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, it’s a true embarrassment of riches. So much so that it’s easy to look over the smaller releases. Or, more accurately, the shojosei and slice-of-life series that are just as engaging as the shonen counterparts. Tamon’s B-Side proves that point immediately, with a charming and brilliantly animated premiere.

Based on the ongoing manga written and illustrated by Yuki Shiwasu and produced by J.C. Staff, Tamon’s B-Side is bursting with infectious, immediate energy. Combining a story about the duality of idols’ lives with a coming-of-age narrative, the series delights in exuberant animation direction.

Written and directed by Chiaki Nagai, the story is fresh despite the seemingly opposites-attract premise, with lovable characters and superb voice work by the two leads, Saori Hayami and Kakeru Hatano, in what seems to be his first leading role.

What is Tamon’s B-Side About?

Utage Kinoshita (Hayami) is a 16-year-old high schooler whose life revolves around her favorite idol group, F/ACE. However, it’s the center of the group, Tamon Fukuhara (Hatano), whose affections lie most deeply. He can do no wrong in her eyes as she watches and rewatches popular clips of his performances and his audition, decorating her room with a shrine to him.

To support her ongoing obsession, Utage works part-time jobs to buy merch and tickets. One day, while working as a part-time housekeeper, she’s assigned to a new client. That client is Tamon himself.

This alone is a fun premise that suggests a will-they/won’t-they narrative, as Utage must struggle with her affections while doing her job. But what amplifies the charm and adds to the clever comedy is the reveal that Tamon at home isn’t the version of Tamon on stage. And it’s a radical shift. While idol Tamon is confident and commanding, poised as the hottest member who uses his looks to appeal to his audience, at home he suffers from crippling anxiety and insecurity.

Utage’s job doubles. Not only is she his housekeeper, but now his own personal cheerleader. She won’t let any “anti” get in the way of his shine, even if it’s Tamon in question, who is his own worst enemy. As she gets more involved in his life, from making him balanced meals and helping him take selfies that don’t result in him vomiting from stress, they grow closer, Tamon dependent on her brand of optimism, and Utage realizing that the real Tamon might be just as appealing – albeit in a different way – than the idol.

Initial Thoughts?

Cute. This show is just really, disarmingly cute. Utage is a formidable protagonist, and Hayami is getting to let loose in a way that her typical, reserved characters don’t allow. Tamon’s B-Side might’ve suffered if Utage had not been such a fantastic character, and yet the premiere immediately gives us a sense of who she is. No nonsense, in so many ways, yet easily swayed by her fanaticism. It’s the perfect blend of a teenage character, someone who, yes, has a good head on their shoulders, but is also a kid.

The same can be said of Tamon. He’s 18 but, having been in the clutches of the idol industry for at least a couple of years now, has already been instructed on how he can and can’t behave – especially in front of his fans, on which the group profits. He isn’t just gloomy but deeply insecure, struggling with the on-and-off switch of being someone in the public eye who has yet to establish his own personality fully.

It gives the two an even standing, even with Tamon being famous. We root for the two of them and their developing dynamic immediately because we see that it’s not just Utage doing things for Tamon that are going overlooked. She’s genuinely helping with his confidence, and their ending scene together, where he asks her to come back, is heartfelt.

But it’s not just the sincerity and hints of potential romance that make the premiere so wholesome. The humor is constant, and the insider, idol fan jokes are on the nose enough to not exclude anyone who hasn’t ever fawned over an idol group. The animation is also superb, even if it relies on Tamon’s rounded, chibi-style animation every so often. Between the shock of colors that invade the story beyond just the stage and the character acting, there’s a jolt of vibrancy and kineticism that helps ground the adaptation. It doesn’t read as flat or, worst still, weightless.

Continue or quit?

The only questionable moment is the use of 3D-style animation in the performance scene where we finally see F/ACE in motion. But even that is easy to overlook. Because it doesn’t take us out of the story, and is closer in style to something like Medalist. It’s a tool to enhance performance moments and create a sense of difference.

There’s no doubt that Tamon’s B-Side is worth continuing. Perhaps the joke will get old and tired. Maybe the character’s charm diminishes. And there’s definitely an argument to be made that more substance will help dig into the ideas introduced.

But, as of now, the series is a lot of fun. And, more than anything, it is grounded by two lead characters – Utage in particular – who feel real and layered without any crazy writing pivots or unnecessary personality details. They both feel like real teenagers who, while in wildly different circumstances, are still just trying to figure themselves out and embrace what they love.

With an abundance of charisma and some strong, personality-fueled animation, Tamon’s B-Side makes a strong case for itself in just the premiere.

Tamon’s B-Side is now streaming on Crunchyroll. Watch the trailer below.

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Images courtesy of Crunchyroll and J.C. Staff.