As everybody else on this planet, I have an opinion. As many people do too, I like to write about it. Share it generously. And I am excellent at keeping score (mentally), so I will try tallying up my fondness of things according to balance.

Tamon’s B Side

This is such a cute series. It takes a pretty boilerplate story in an over the top direction but also manages to make it genuinely touching. The fangirl and idol love story is of course a romantic classic, but by playing into alter egos, something especially prevalent in the idol industry, and by taking the fangirl seriously instead of infantilizing her, the series works wonders.

Utage Kinoshita is a normal high school girl who is a superfan of the idol group F/ACE. To make it somewhat believable she can spend many resources making merch and going to concerts, she has a side job as a cleaning lady. One day she is asked to substitute a colleague in cleaning a certain appartment. This turns out to be THE Tamon Fukuhara, her most beloved idolboy, but instead of his confident and slightly mischievous personality, he turns out to be totally lacking in self-esteem and confidence.

Throughout the series we meet more two-faced people and it’s honestly a joy to see them interact and learn more about their backgrounds. Throughout it all Utage never gives up and firmly believes in Tamon no matter what happens. And even though you can see actual feelings developing from miles away, the series manages to take things slow without it feeling to frustrating.

In the end, this is one of those series where you’d just like to see and know more. Because the characters are well-developed, you just start wondering more about those that are not. Also, the singing is also surprisingly limited for an idol-themed show, so a bit more of that in a next season wouldn’t be bad either. I rate it while watching I can’t wait for the full album and a new season to come out.