Tamon's B-Side

Episode 10

We did it! Just as I was starting to think we wouldn't, we got to meet the real Natsuki before the end of the show! And wow, was this reveal worth the wait. Hilariously, it turns out that everyone's “happy, pretty angel” is a drinking, smoking, pachinko player. While it's left unclear whether it's because they believe in his talent or if F/ACE's management is just too cheap to outsource this (personally, I lean toward the former; F/ACE is obviously very successful, and I have a difficult time believing that they couldn't afford to hire a songwriter if they wanted to), we also learn that Natsuki is the begrudging creative force behind a number of their songs.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was betting Natsuki and/or Rintarou, but probably Natsuki, was going to have the starkest contrast between their onstage persona and their real self. And while it can't be said definitively until we've had a proper introduction to Rintarou, at least so far, I'd say that's the case. The B-sides of all the F/ACE boys are pretty unrecognizable as, well, the boys of F/ACE. But sweet, angelic Natsuki—who doesn't feel out-of-place in a pachinko parlor, and has a home cluttered with cigarette butts and empty beer cans—is wholly unrecognizable. In some ways, he feels more like a burnt-out, middle-aged man than he does a young pop idol. In a more serious, Oshi no Ko-like show, Natsuki would definitely be the one that everyone's worried will absolutely be the one to blow the big secret(s) about their personalities—and given how this show has taken a few steps into a darker direction, I still wouldn't completely put it past it to still maybe do this later anyways.

Natsuki obviously has some level of awareness that the boys' real personalities should be kept a secret—after all, we see him in idol-mode when he runs into Utage at the store (yes, he does so because he remembered her from the beach trip, but remember: Even among the show's staff, their personalities were largely kept secret. And even if he did know that she knows, the fact is he still went idol mode anyways—one presumes out of caution since they're in a public area). Still, he also seems the least motivated to keep up the farce. He doesn't want to write songs, he wants Keito (and everyone else) to rely on him less, and he doesn't seem particularly interested in being an idol—let alone F/ACE's upcoming new flagship show, for which he's supposed to be writing the songs for. If anyone was an obvious candidate for a potential bean spiller—whether on purpose or accident—it's definitely him. And yet, that doesn't seem to be a particular worry for Keito, who usually tends to be concerned about these types of things more than the other F/ACE boys. Instead, Keito seems more angry at the fact that Natsuki doesn't work when he needs to, nor has Natsuki paid Keito back the money Keito lent him. I have a feeling that he's not worried because he knows Natsuki has some form of motivation, and we're just not privy to it yet.

In fact, that motivation could potentially have something to do with his ex-girlfriend, Asuka, who's also Utage's new teacher—and a self-proclaimed F/ACE (and in particular, Natsuki) fan. Right off the bat, I'm going to predict that Natsuki was the broke friend she mentioned, for whom her parents made the cheese-takoyaki (cheese-yaki?). I say this not just because it would make narrative sense, but also because she mentioned the friend didn't have much money—and we know Keito lent Natsuki money, which he hasn't paid back yet. So, there's an obvious shared element here that I think is trying to point us in that direction. Perhaps Natsuki comes from a poor background and is trying to help out his loved ones (including, but not limited to, Asuka and her family)? Or maybe, there's something in Natsuki's life or his family's life that's caused them to be in a tremendous amount of debt that he's trying to help pay off? At least for the time being, we're being primed to think it's something along those lines—which is to say, not unlike Keito, Natsuki is (probably) doing this for the money. But alas, from what we've seen so far, Natsuki also just lacks Keito's cheapness and work ethic.

It's so easy to get lost in the gravitational pull of finally getting to see the real Natsuki that one almost forgets that we also saw some major steps being taken in Utage and Tamon's romance. Which is to say, we're finally seeing Utage start to acknowledge—even if she's not quite all the way there yet—that there's a chance that she might have developed feelings for Tamon, and not just when he's in (in fact, maybe even especially if he's not in) Hottiehara-mode. And what's more, Tamon has fully taken notice of this. It took a moment, but the rom in this com might finally be starting to take centerstage. And given how lovable these characters have proven to be, I'm all the way here for it.

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Tamon’s B-Side is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.