Crunchyroll has started streaming the English dub for Tamon’s B-Side, the anime adaptation of Yuki Shiwasu’s shōjo manga Tamon-kun Ima Docchi!?.
For Malaysian and SEA anime fans who follow seasonal shows through Crunchyroll, this is a nice little catch-up option — especially if you prefer watching rom-coms and idol anime without keeping your eyes glued to subtitles 24/7. Not every show needs full tournament-focus mode, bro. Sometimes you just want drama, comedy, and idol chaos while makan or chilling after work.
The English dub features a cast that includes Abigail Blythe, Conner Allison, Brandon Acosta, Cody Savoie, Kevin D. Thelwell, Alex Horn, and more. Behind the dub, Helena Walstrom serves as voice director, with Samantha Herek producing. Jessica Sluys handled the English script adaptation, while Zachary Davis worked as engineer.
The anime itself first premiered on January 1, with Crunchyroll streaming it alongside its Japanese broadcast.
What is Tamon’s B-Side about?
The series follows Utage Kinoshita, a high school girl who works part-time as a housekeeper to support her fangirl life. Her favourite idol is Tamon Fukuhara, a member of the boy band F/ACE — the kind of performer who looks confident, wild, and charismatic on stage.
Then Utage’s job unexpectedly sends her to Tamon’s home, and reality hits different.
Off-stage, Tamon is not the untouchable idol she imagined. He is insecure, struggling, and even thinking about quitting. Instead of backing away, Utage decides she is going to support her favourite singer properly — even if the person standing in Tamon’s way is Tamon himself.
That setup is very shōjo, but in a fun way. It plays with the gap between idol image and real personality, which is something SEA fandoms understand very well. Whether you follow J-pop idols, K-pop groups, VTubers, seiyuu, or local performers, the whole “stage persona vs actual human being” thing is familiar territory.
The team behind the anime
The anime is directed by Chika Nagaoka, whose credits include Uta no Prince Sama Maji Love Kingdom and Utano☆Princesama Maji LOVE ST☆RISH Tours. That idol-anime background makes sense here, because Tamon’s B-Side is very much playing in the fan culture and performer-image space.
Series scripts were written and supervised by Chiaki Nagai, known for work on Utano☆Princesama Legend Star and The IDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls. Character designs and chief animation direction are by Yōko Itō, whose credits include Delico’s Nursery, Love Stage!!, and Skate-Leading Stars.
Animation production is handled by J.C. Staff, while Shochiku, King Records, and Hakusensha are producing the anime.
The manga has solid shōjo credentials
Yuki Shiwasu, also known for Takane & Hana, launched the Tamon’s B-Side manga in Hakusensha’s Hana to Yume magazine in October 2021. The series grew out of Shiwasu’s earlier one-shot manga of the same name.
The manga has already earned some recognition in Japan. It was nominated for Best Shōjo Manga at the 47th annual Kodansha Manga Awards in 2023. It also ranked #9 on the list of manga for female readers in the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha’s Kono Manga ga Sugoi! guidebook.
For SEA viewers, the English dub is basically a lower-barrier entry point into a shōjo idol rom-com that already has manga buzz behind it. If you skipped it during the January simulcast rush, this is probably the easier time to give it a shot.
Source: Anime News Network