Tamon’s B-Side: The Romance Anime to Watch This Season

For years, romance anime fans have been complaining about cancelled adaptations, lackluster animation, and a lack of appreciation for the genre in the anime industry. With fast-paced, action-packed shows dominating releases, romance series get pushed to the back, and fans are left wondering if their favorite show will ever get a second season. At the beginning of this year, however, an idol-fan romance titled Tamon’s B Side surprised viewers with its unique concept, relatable characters, and high-quality soundtrack and animation. Let’s talk about why it’s become so popular!

What is Tamon’s B-Side?

Tamon’s B-Side is an ongoing manga series by Yuki Shiwasu, published by Hakusensha in the shōjo magazine Hana to Yume, with 13 volumes currently available. The series is also licensed in English by Viz Media. In January 2026, an anime adaptation produced by J.C. Staff began airing, delighting many fans.

The story follows Utage Kinoshita, a high school girl who works part-time as a housekeeper to support her favorite music idol, Tamon Fukuhara, a member of the boy group F/ACE. Everything changes when she is assigned a new client at work, who turns out to be Tamon himself. Utage quickly learns that, unlike his radiant, confident public image, Tamon is actually pessimistic and insecure. He is constantly doubting himself and struggling to make friends among his fellow F/ACE members.

In learning this, Utage makes it her mission to encourage and uplift him, just as he did for her. As the show progresses, the two form a close bond, supporting and helping each other through different hardships. Tamon’s B-Side is an endearing mix of comedy and romance that has deeply resonated with its audience. 

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Success of the Manga and Anime

Even before the anime adaptation, Tamon’s B-Side had enormous success for a romance manga. In 2023, the series ranked ninth on Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! (This Manga is Amazing!) ranking of the best manga for female readers. Additionally, the series had over 1.75 million copies in circulation as of December 2025.

However, after the adaptation aired, this number shot up to 2.6 million. This success even contributed to a major emergency reprint for all volumes of the manga due to overwhelming demand!  Anime adaptations are frequently produced for the purpose of promoting a manga. However, the success of Tamon’s B-Side may be in part due to the sheer quality of its adaptation and its already established presence as a manga series. 

What Makes This Adaptation so Unique?

The ‘fan-girl’ archetype has been portrayed across all forms of media, though almost always in a negative light. In these cases, the fan-girl is obsessed, crazy, etc. However, in Tamon’s B-Side, Utage’s admiration, love, and support for her favorite idol give her motivation and happiness in her daily life, and are depicted as a positive force in her life.

Despite the criticism she faces from others, she decides to live true to herself and to what gives her joy. This fresh, entertaining, and heartfelt take on fan and idol culture features humorous and heartfelt interactions between characters. This is part of what makes the story resonate with viewers, particularly with those who have felt that other portrayals of fan culture were belittling. 

In addition to the series’s content, the animation quality has also been widely praised by fans online, with fun-to-watch, smooth, and vibrant sequences. Compared to action anime, the animation budget of romance adaptations is unfortunately not prioritized by studios. For example, the series A Condition Called Love, which aired in April 2024, was the subject of online discourse during its run. Some claimed the rushed adaptation was disappointing, particularly to fans of the manga and original story.

Future Romance Anime Adaptations

There are many cases of discontinued romance anime adaptations, of those with only one short season produced despite vast amounts of manga source material. One example of this is Ouran High School Host Club, a show still beloved today, even after airing in 2006. The series never received a second season, only running for 26 episodes. Though this is quite common, we are seeing some gradual changes within the industry. 

In August of 2024, season three of the series Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You aired on Netflix, over 13 years after season two ended. This greatly excited fans of the show, who called it nostalgic and heartwarming. On top of this, with much of the original cast and staff returned for the new season. Many also hope that it sets a precedent for other series to be revived. 

The success of Kimi ni Todoke: From Me to You and Tamon’s B-Side may push publishers and animation studios to shine more visibility on the romance genre and on stories targeted towards women. Tamon’s B-Side is a charming series that anyone who looks up to their favorite idol is sure to relate to! The show is currently streaming on both Crunchyroll and Netflix Japan. Have you watched the series yet? Let us know in the comments below!