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多聞くん今どっち!? [Tamon-kun Ima Docchi!?] #2
Echt jetzt, Tamon? 02
Eine neue Show mit der Idolgruppe F/ACE?! Utages Fan-Herz schlägt höher – doch ihr Lieblingssänger Tamon wird von Versagensängsten geplagt. Der strahlende Star schaltet in den Deprimon-Modus! Kann Utage ihn noch vor dem Showstart von seinen Selbstzweifeln befreien? Der Kampf um den Top-Spot für den neuen F/ACE-Song beginnt!
Kindle Edition
First published May 20, 2022
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263 people want to read
About the author
Yuki Shiwasu
50 books117 followersName (in native language) : 師走ゆき
Associated Names:
СИВАСУ Юки
师走ゆき
Associated Names:
СИВАСУ Юки
师走ゆき
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 114 reviews
January 10, 2026
3.5 stars because tamon is still annoying and i can already tell our second idol introduced, ori, is going to be obsessed with uta because she refuses to acknowledge him.
i really hope tamon goes through some sort of character development
i really hope tamon goes through some sort of character development
January 11, 2024
I do appreciate Utage and her maturity. Which might be a weird thing to say about such an extreme fan, but she is really trying not to be delusion, recognizing her fangirling and love for Tamon (the star) is separate from Tamon (the person). While some of this might be her not wanting to fall in love with her idol because her idol is for everyone it is suuuuch a great path for this story to go. We are now 2 volumes in and IF this is a romance these kids are only in the friend-stage and getting past ultra-fan and her idol dynamics to caring for who the other actually is will be absolutely fascinating and so fun to read.
Also, I do hope we get to meet more of the band members ^_^
Also, I do hope we get to meet more of the band members ^_^
January 17, 2024
Tamon continues to be a snivelling shell of a pop star, but he’s not the only member of F/ACE who’s hiding a secret side. Utage tries to help things out, but only a ridiculous wager can truly solve any problem in manga.
Phew, this series just has no off switch. It has one throttle and it’s broken in the ‘most extreme’ position. Everything is exaggerated to beyond the believable point, which does track with Yuki Shiwasu’s usual style. It feels like how Mountain Dew would read.
And it needs that energy, honestly, because it would be absolutely insufferable otherwise. Hell, it’s entirely possible that it’ll be too much for people anyway, but it just squeaks under my line where I would jettison the whole thing. This time anyway.
Utage and her female friends are the absolute worst when they get together, moving the needle from fangirl to ‘escaped from psychological care and in urgent need of sedation’ depending on what’s coming out of their mouths.
When it’s just Utage it works, but compounding it to where these three are about one bad day for Tamon shy of a suicide pact and, well, the less time spent with them the better. It’s partially funny, but in this era of toxic fanbases and ‘oh, look, it’s the internet, I should be an asshole’ it does hit different.
Tamon is not quite as funny this time with his daft proclamations of how useless he is, although he does get a few decent lines. Utage plays off him really well and her nonsense often matches up with his in a complimentary fashion, so that aspect remains solid.
Once Ori, Tamon’s bandmate, comes on the scene, he turns out to be an obnoxious ass, which then turns out to work surprisingly well with a cast that’s running this wild. He’s one of the strangest rival characters ever - he wants Utage because she treats him like dirt and loves Tamon, even knowing that he’s rubbish.
And you have to give props of a sort to a manga that has already baked in the long game for its leads getting together. Tamon has no idea what love is and Utage only knows fan worship, plus she shoots him down hard. Also, she thinks she’s his substitute mother.
It’s all wildly odd. The story is having a blast portraying Utage as the strong one in the series and Tamon’s levels of useless moping are exaggerated beyond belief. This is a series where people fill pans with tears and cause mushrooms to grow from depression, so don’t expect much. It makes Takane & Hana look as grounded as Fodor’s Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West.
After the breath of fresh air that was the very bizarre first volume, this just keeps going along with its nonsense, just not quite as well. Partly because the gag has worn off a little, partly because it’s just not as sharp, and also partly because every single person in the story needs dramatic amounts of therapy.
Everything devolves into a series of contests to see who will take over from Tamon as the chair of F/ACE, which thus far involves looking like a music video for some reason. It’s satirical, but not nearly as biting as I’d want.
It’s not bad, not amazing, but it fills a void of especially nonsensical shojo that I haven’t had in a while. That counts for something, but I suspect that, like its predecessor, this will become entirely too much for me at some point and I’ll just toss the whole thing.
3 stars - Still, away we go, for now. If you need to know why an idol is running across the water, well, you only have one way to find out.
Phew, this series just has no off switch. It has one throttle and it’s broken in the ‘most extreme’ position. Everything is exaggerated to beyond the believable point, which does track with Yuki Shiwasu’s usual style. It feels like how Mountain Dew would read.
And it needs that energy, honestly, because it would be absolutely insufferable otherwise. Hell, it’s entirely possible that it’ll be too much for people anyway, but it just squeaks under my line where I would jettison the whole thing. This time anyway.
Utage and her female friends are the absolute worst when they get together, moving the needle from fangirl to ‘escaped from psychological care and in urgent need of sedation’ depending on what’s coming out of their mouths.
When it’s just Utage it works, but compounding it to where these three are about one bad day for Tamon shy of a suicide pact and, well, the less time spent with them the better. It’s partially funny, but in this era of toxic fanbases and ‘oh, look, it’s the internet, I should be an asshole’ it does hit different.
Tamon is not quite as funny this time with his daft proclamations of how useless he is, although he does get a few decent lines. Utage plays off him really well and her nonsense often matches up with his in a complimentary fashion, so that aspect remains solid.
Once Ori, Tamon’s bandmate, comes on the scene, he turns out to be an obnoxious ass, which then turns out to work surprisingly well with a cast that’s running this wild. He’s one of the strangest rival characters ever - he wants Utage because she treats him like dirt and loves Tamon, even knowing that he’s rubbish.
And you have to give props of a sort to a manga that has already baked in the long game for its leads getting together. Tamon has no idea what love is and Utage only knows fan worship, plus she shoots him down hard. Also, she thinks she’s his substitute mother.
It’s all wildly odd. The story is having a blast portraying Utage as the strong one in the series and Tamon’s levels of useless moping are exaggerated beyond belief. This is a series where people fill pans with tears and cause mushrooms to grow from depression, so don’t expect much. It makes Takane & Hana look as grounded as Fodor’s Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West.
After the breath of fresh air that was the very bizarre first volume, this just keeps going along with its nonsense, just not quite as well. Partly because the gag has worn off a little, partly because it’s just not as sharp, and also partly because every single person in the story needs dramatic amounts of therapy.
Everything devolves into a series of contests to see who will take over from Tamon as the chair of F/ACE, which thus far involves looking like a music video for some reason. It’s satirical, but not nearly as biting as I’d want.
It’s not bad, not amazing, but it fills a void of especially nonsensical shojo that I haven’t had in a while. That counts for something, but I suspect that, like its predecessor, this will become entirely too much for me at some point and I’ll just toss the whole thing.
3 stars - Still, away we go, for now. If you need to know why an idol is running across the water, well, you only have one way to find out.
March 2, 2024
The characters are all incredibly OTT caricatures and they never met a drama they didn't like, but it's fun. I like how Utage sticks up for Tamon, but his teammate who is trying to usurp his spot is just MEAN. I enjoyed each time Uta put him in his place. Which was under her HEEL, HA!
I really just want all of my precious babies from this series to end up happy.
4, I'm in it for the long haul, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.
I really just want all of my precious babies from this series to end up happy.
4, I'm in it for the long haul, stars.
My thanks to NetGalley and VIZ Media LLC for an eARC of this book to read and review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2024
Things are feeling kind of the same as the first volume flow-wise, but we get a new character introduction in Ori who is just the perfect asshole and opposite to Tamon. Uta is loyal as all ever and we don't start to see the crack in her armor until very late un the vol.
Looking forward to 3!
Looking forward to 3!
January 3, 2026
gonna try to catch up on this series since the anime’s finally airing!
December 8, 2025
That’s why people say to never trust your idol’s persona on-stage. Exhibit A: Ori Sakaguchi ( •̀⤙•́ ) Boy was so domestic and cute in the F/ace Off music video but in reality, he’s rude and pretty violent (I still love him tho). How dare he drag Tamon around 💢💢 he better have a character development soon or else ୧(๑•̀ᗝ•́)૭💢
I loved the friendship developing between Tamon and Utage (ㅅ´ ˘ `)⋆˙⟡♡ Utage was so sweet with handling Tamon’s feelings, although it’s so funny how when Tamon questioned if he’s actually in love with her, girlie said no with a straight-face. It’s adorable how protective she is over him and how she drew her own boundary between being a fan and a friend. And then Tamon calling her Uta? TOO PRECIOUS ｡°(°¯᷄◠¯᷅°)°｡♡♡♡ I LOVE THEM SM
I loved the friendship developing between Tamon and Utage (ㅅ´ ˘ `)⋆˙⟡♡ Utage was so sweet with handling Tamon’s feelings, although it’s so funny how when Tamon questioned if he’s actually in love with her, girlie said no with a straight-face. It’s adorable how protective she is over him and how she drew her own boundary between being a fan and a friend. And then Tamon calling her Uta? TOO PRECIOUS ｡°(°¯᷄◠¯᷅°)°｡♡♡♡ I LOVE THEM SM
April 6, 2025
Deciding whether or not a 4.5 should be branded with a 4 or a 5 is a job that can only be measured in vibes, and by god, this installation of the series has vibes. Here was my review of volume one, points of which I'll be covering here. Lots of spoilers ahead, also, more-so than the previous review!
Read this volume directly after posting my review (so, like, forty minutes after finishing volume one) but saved this review for way later as it was gone midnight. After this I'll be diving right into volume three.
Firstly, to address my dread over the second guy on the cover being a second love interest: No he is not! Kinda...
So far, no, Ori is not a love interest. He's another F/ACE member, the youngest in fact, and born into a family of A-list celebrities. He's challenging Tamon's position as centre, and to the public he's humble and chivalrous... his "b-side", however, is an inflated arrogance... think, Bakugo Katsuki from MHA, if he had the gall to be so two-faced to those other than Deku and Uraraka. The reveal of his "b-side" literally comes with him beating Tamon with a fan over not finishing an interview(?) script for the two of them and calling him names... yeah, it's sort of - though not wholly, due to Kino's reaction over her beloved idol being berated - played for laughs. WHy? Because, well, anime rules.
Also, I don't think I remembered to mention this in the last review, but you can easily deduce from the title of this series alone that this series is just silly. For you that don't know what a b-side is, it's essentially the opposite side to a CD disc that plays a different track, either as a bonus feature or a "hidden" one. It's funny that it's being applied to celebrity personalities, and sort of, if you could even say so, clever.
Ori's inclusion as well as his own secret nature makes me excited for the other three members of F/ACE to appear and show their true colours. I can't imagine how their personalities will flip from what are seen from them publicly... but, we'll see. Also, yes, there's five members of F/ACE, Tamon and Ori included. That surprised me, because the illustrations in chapter one sort of made it seem like it was only three? I know the series stemmed from chapter one being a one-shot, so maybe they changed it to better expand into a full-fledged series? Am unsure, there, because I could have just misinterpreted the panel.
Ori is horrible, by the way. To Tamon, and sort of to Kino? Mostly due to her knowing of Gloomyhara and still supporting him and now completely disliking Ori because of the abuse and facetiousness.
(ETA: Forgot to add the cute moment where Gloomy says she can't leave when, in the heat of the moment, she makes a bet with Ori where if Tamon loses as centre of F/ACE, she has to go work for him as his housekeeper and lose her position as Tamon/Gloomy's. It was super cute. Had to add it.)
I said in the last review that I hope they don't do the whole mutual in denial "oh they're too good enough for me, we're just friends!" bullshit, and... sort of spoke too soon. I'd say that having a female creator behind this series (especially one who has another romance series under their belt) sort of helps the writing, though that may not always be the case.
The moment this volume starts - picking up from where the other started instead of leaving Kino thinking about what Gloomy/Tamon meant when he said she's special to him - and Kino immediately jumps to the conclusion he sees her as a mother. And, I don't know if this is goading the audience for mommy kink validation, or is an insinuation or nod to such, but the characters don't see it like this. Kino takes it seriously and bites down her own feelings. and when she vaguely mentions it - her being like a mother to him - Tamon is obviously fucking confused, but it's not dwelled upon or brought back up upon. In my opinion, this sort of mars the clean-cut romance a bit, and I hope that when this gets resolved, the two characters both deny feeling like this. At least, for Kino to deny, because I don't think Tamon has a flying fucking clue what she's on about, LMAO.
And remember when I said last review that I was looking forward to the fanfics of this series? Yeah, well, there's only three total on AO3. For any fanfiction readers reading this review, as of today's date, there is only three fucking fics of these two dorks' franchise. FML, that needs fixing.
Now, I'm just going to jump ahead to what makes me give this a 5/5: chapter 9.
Oh, it's so cute. The two go to the summer festival for Tamon to try to fathom love to act out heartbreak to keep his spot as centre (it's muddy, but that's the context). It's basically a date, he has no clue what he's doing. He's a hermit who's acting like he doesn't know that oxygen isn't there to hurt him, he's in disguise.
Here's the thing. Ori is also in disguise and finds them and questions to himself if they're dating. Not getting a conclusive answer from afar, he pulls his mask down and decides to hit on Kino to see if she'll say if she has a boyfriend or not. She says 'not', but also says there's much cuter girls around for him to ask. Ori compliments her outfit; it's a traditional piece for the festival. To me, it doesn't read as Ori liking Kino even when he comments to himself about her humility over being complimented, but a part of me does think it might end up being the case. If not now, then later.
And, to be honest, I don't mind this though do hope they don't make it into a triangle (meaning, Kino's head doesn't get turned). I know what I said last chapter about expanding the primary cast, but this expands the story and it's not an immediate new love interest, so I'm cool with it. Ori's a dickhead, and his damn dickery suits the story well.
Tamon comes back (he'd been getting food for them both) and realises he's upset that a man is talkiing to her, so says she's his girlfriend to take her away from the disguised Ori. This is obviously Tamon/Gloomy semi-realising his feelings for Kino, but it could be interpreted as him not wantng her to be unwantedly hit on by guys. Ori is also befuddled by their relationship status because of Tamon's actions.
They picnic somewhere secluded after this and Gloomy very abashedly compliments Kino's traditional dress, and apologises for not saying sooner. They conclude that they are in fact friends (elevating their relationship status) and drop calling each other 'Mr Gloomyhara' and 'Miss Kinoshita' in favour of 'Gloomyhara(-senpai)' and 'Uta' (short for Utage - I'll still be calling her Kino in my reviews though, though if "Uta" does slip through the cracks in the future, just know I mean Kino).
The two step forwards one step back quota is met when Gloomy (cluelessly) asks if they're in love, and Kino says no, very abruptly. He accepts it, but I wish she'd said yes, and then the next 7 volumes is just them being cute together and kicking Ori's ass.
Yeah - this volume is worth it for chapter 9 alone, though the rest is also great. I know it probably won't be the case because they'reslaves to the denial trope idiots. Cute, though. I love the dynamic and can't wait to read more. Tamon has been on the covers as Tamon so far and I see that volume three has Gloomyhara on the front, so I feel something drastic is going to go down in this one to make his sorrowful side come to light over his idol-sona.
We love angst here, so I can't wait.
Read this volume directly after posting my review (so, like, forty minutes after finishing volume one) but saved this review for way later as it was gone midnight. After this I'll be diving right into volume three.
Firstly, to address my dread over the second guy on the cover being a second love interest: No he is not! Kinda...
So far, no, Ori is not a love interest. He's another F/ACE member, the youngest in fact, and born into a family of A-list celebrities. He's challenging Tamon's position as centre, and to the public he's humble and chivalrous... his "b-side", however, is an inflated arrogance... think, Bakugo Katsuki from MHA, if he had the gall to be so two-faced to those other than Deku and Uraraka. The reveal of his "b-side" literally comes with him beating Tamon with a fan over not finishing an interview(?) script for the two of them and calling him names... yeah, it's sort of - though not wholly, due to Kino's reaction over her beloved idol being berated - played for laughs. WHy? Because, well, anime rules.
Also, I don't think I remembered to mention this in the last review, but you can easily deduce from the title of this series alone that this series is just silly. For you that don't know what a b-side is, it's essentially the opposite side to a CD disc that plays a different track, either as a bonus feature or a "hidden" one. It's funny that it's being applied to celebrity personalities, and sort of, if you could even say so, clever.
Ori's inclusion as well as his own secret nature makes me excited for the other three members of F/ACE to appear and show their true colours. I can't imagine how their personalities will flip from what are seen from them publicly... but, we'll see. Also, yes, there's five members of F/ACE, Tamon and Ori included. That surprised me, because the illustrations in chapter one sort of made it seem like it was only three? I know the series stemmed from chapter one being a one-shot, so maybe they changed it to better expand into a full-fledged series? Am unsure, there, because I could have just misinterpreted the panel.
Ori is horrible, by the way. To Tamon, and sort of to Kino? Mostly due to her knowing of Gloomyhara and still supporting him and now completely disliking Ori because of the abuse and facetiousness.
(ETA: Forgot to add the cute moment where Gloomy says she can't leave when, in the heat of the moment, she makes a bet with Ori where if Tamon loses as centre of F/ACE, she has to go work for him as his housekeeper and lose her position as Tamon/Gloomy's. It was super cute. Had to add it.)
I said in the last review that I hope they don't do the whole mutual in denial "oh they're too good enough for me, we're just friends!" bullshit, and... sort of spoke too soon. I'd say that having a female creator behind this series (especially one who has another romance series under their belt) sort of helps the writing, though that may not always be the case.
The moment this volume starts - picking up from where the other started instead of leaving Kino thinking about what Gloomy/Tamon meant when he said she's special to him - and Kino immediately jumps to the conclusion he sees her as a mother. And, I don't know if this is goading the audience for mommy kink validation, or is an insinuation or nod to such, but the characters don't see it like this. Kino takes it seriously and bites down her own feelings. and when she vaguely mentions it - her being like a mother to him - Tamon is obviously fucking confused, but it's not dwelled upon or brought back up upon. In my opinion, this sort of mars the clean-cut romance a bit, and I hope that when this gets resolved, the two characters both deny feeling like this. At least, for Kino to deny, because I don't think Tamon has a flying fucking clue what she's on about, LMAO.
And remember when I said last review that I was looking forward to the fanfics of this series? Yeah, well, there's only three total on AO3. For any fanfiction readers reading this review, as of today's date, there is only three fucking fics of these two dorks' franchise. FML, that needs fixing.
Now, I'm just going to jump ahead to what makes me give this a 5/5: chapter 9.
Oh, it's so cute. The two go to the summer festival for Tamon to try to fathom love to act out heartbreak to keep his spot as centre (it's muddy, but that's the context). It's basically a date, he has no clue what he's doing. He's a hermit who's acting like he doesn't know that oxygen isn't there to hurt him, he's in disguise.
Here's the thing. Ori is also in disguise and finds them and questions to himself if they're dating. Not getting a conclusive answer from afar, he pulls his mask down and decides to hit on Kino to see if she'll say if she has a boyfriend or not. She says 'not', but also says there's much cuter girls around for him to ask. Ori compliments her outfit; it's a traditional piece for the festival. To me, it doesn't read as Ori liking Kino even when he comments to himself about her humility over being complimented, but a part of me does think it might end up being the case. If not now, then later.
And, to be honest, I don't mind this though do hope they don't make it into a triangle (meaning, Kino's head doesn't get turned). I know what I said last chapter about expanding the primary cast, but this expands the story and it's not an immediate new love interest, so I'm cool with it. Ori's a dickhead, and his damn dickery suits the story well.
Tamon comes back (he'd been getting food for them both) and realises he's upset that a man is talkiing to her, so says she's his girlfriend to take her away from the disguised Ori. This is obviously Tamon/Gloomy semi-realising his feelings for Kino, but it could be interpreted as him not wantng her to be unwantedly hit on by guys. Ori is also befuddled by their relationship status because of Tamon's actions.
They picnic somewhere secluded after this and Gloomy very abashedly compliments Kino's traditional dress, and apologises for not saying sooner. They conclude that they are in fact friends (elevating their relationship status) and drop calling each other 'Mr Gloomyhara' and 'Miss Kinoshita' in favour of 'Gloomyhara(-senpai)' and 'Uta' (short for Utage - I'll still be calling her Kino in my reviews though, though if "Uta" does slip through the cracks in the future, just know I mean Kino).
The two step forwards one step back quota is met when Gloomy (cluelessly) asks if they're in love, and Kino says no, very abruptly. He accepts it, but I wish she'd said yes, and then the next 7 volumes is just them being cute together and kicking Ori's ass.
Yeah - this volume is worth it for chapter 9 alone, though the rest is also great. I know it probably won't be the case because they're
We love angst here, so I can't wait.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2025
VIDEO REVIEW HERE: https://youtu.be/HTi6ADNKLbA
I shouldn't start a review negatively, but I do NOT like Ori. I get the young man has always felt pushed aside, but treating Tamon so meanly was ruffling my own feathers!
Yet Utage…she was amazing! I LOVED how she would not put up with anything negative that Ori said! I know she is mainly a Tamon-only fan, but she also DOES like F/ACE, and for her to treat another member differently because of their lack of disrespect to Tamon I found admirable. I don't know if I would have been able to do the same in her position honestly.
I really love how Mr. Gloomyhara is slowly growing as a character because you can see Utage's words and how they are slowly changing him! Eeeepp! Yes, he's still really over-the-top negative, but seeing him speak up on behalf of Utage really made me happy.
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next volume!
I shouldn't start a review negatively, but I do NOT like Ori. I get the young man has always felt pushed aside, but treating Tamon so meanly was ruffling my own feathers!
Yet Utage…she was amazing! I LOVED how she would not put up with anything negative that Ori said! I know she is mainly a Tamon-only fan, but she also DOES like F/ACE, and for her to treat another member differently because of their lack of disrespect to Tamon I found admirable. I don't know if I would have been able to do the same in her position honestly.
I really love how Mr. Gloomyhara is slowly growing as a character because you can see Utage's words and how they are slowly changing him! Eeeepp! Yes, he's still really over-the-top negative, but seeing him speak up on behalf of Utage really made me happy.
I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in the next volume!
April 3, 2024
I'm going to start by saying that this is 100% a personal opinion about the tropes in this manga and probably not an accurate description of it's actual worth. I'm not an idol manga fan, and while I do like manga about bands - idols just don't hit me in the same way. I didn't really dislike the first volume, but I wasn't really interested in it either. I can say that it feels a little different from other idol manga I've read in the past - mostly due to the way the characters are depicted and the way the relationships are forming. As much as I want to enjoy the series though, I'm just not. I've tried to give all sorts of idol manga a chance and it's just not something I'm in to. In no way is this manga bad, the author still does a really great job - its just not for me.
Thanks to #NetGalley for an e-copy of #TamonsBSideVol2 by Yuki Shiwasu to read and review.
Thanks to #NetGalley for an e-copy of #TamonsBSideVol2 by Yuki Shiwasu to read and review.
January 11, 2026
A good follow up volume, and I like that they're taking their time reintroducing each member of face volume by volume so we aren't crushed under 20,000 side characters at once like some manga. Ori is an interesting character, and he makes himself totally dislikable in this volume, though he's a little more sympathetic toward the end. When I read the first volume, I was glad that Tamon's B-Side wasn't just "asshole" so it's interesting that Ori's is lol.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2025
Another cute volume! It was heartwarming to see how Tamon and Utage are starting to bond and rely on each other. As a fan of K-pop, it's fun to see a behind-the-scenes look at an idol's life. It was cheesy at times, but I'm still looking forward to the next volume.
January 14, 2024
Tamon is a dream boat and I love him!
January 16, 2024
This series is absolutely ridiculous in the best way possible.
June 15, 2024
Questo secondo volume si fa decisamente più movimentato ma per questo non meno divertente e piacevole.
July 21, 2025
This series is sweet and fun!
December 23, 2025
“This… is love?”
“No, that’s takoyaki.”
“No, that’s takoyaki.”
December 29, 2025
Ohhhh you know you're a good writer when you make an antagonist that I mortally despise! And I love it!!! 💞
April 2, 2025
one thing, TAMON GAVE UTAGE A NICKNAME?! AAAAAAAAAAA😭‼️😭‼️😭‼️😭‼️😭‼️😭‼️😭‼️ and when he saved her from ori?!🥹
hopping right to the next volume!😼
hopping right to the next volume!😼
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2024
4 stars. Cute and fun. And, silly. Loads of exaggerated silliness.
May 2, 2025
Cute. Der dritte Band im Mai wird gekauft.
January 1, 2026
Cinco estrellitas me encanta
August 26, 2024
I want to be a trampoline. To exist as nothing but a springboard bouncing these boys to stardom.Please tell me no one actually thinks like this! (pained laughter)
Utage's parasocial-to-RL relationship with GloomyTamon continues. As I'd hoped at the end of v. 1, one of Tamon's band mates is introduced early in v. 2. Ori lives upstairs from Tamon, and has an ongoing rivalry with him. Like Tamon, Ori has a RL personality that's nothing like his princely stage persona. He picks on Tamon, immediately incurring Utage's ire!
A national superstar suffering from crippling self-esteem problems is somewhat unbelievable, or is it? Performers are human, too, and performance has a kind of magic where you can become someone else for a little while, as long as you have an appreciative audience.
Although it's pretty obvious where Utage and Tamon's relationship will end up eventually, in the meantime I'm enjoying Utage's attempts to prop Tamon up as he continually falls apart. She's a kind person who supports him both during his star performances, and those frequent times when he's nowhere close to being Mr. Perfect, wallowing in impostor syndrome and self-loathing.
I usually balk at a FL devoting all her mental and emotional energy toward one boy, to the point of thinking of literally nothing else. In Utage's case, those energies are devoted to a guy whose apartment is full of cute little mushrooms because he's cried so much his apartment is perennially damp. He even has a mushroom growing on his head sometimes. It's so ridiculous her perverse level of fannish devotion is easier to tolerate.
On his side, IdolTamon wants all his fans to smile, not just Utage, so at least for now this manga isn't feeling like the usual red-thread love story.
December 19, 2023
Thank you Viz and Netgalley for this egalley in exchange for review.
We are back at it again with Utage & Tamon! Their friendship continues to develop from the first volume, but readers are introduced to another member of F/ACE: Ori! Ori makes a lasting first impression when Utage comes to learn that he is not his idol persona either, just like Tamon. Utage begins to question the true personalities of the other F/ACE members as she develops a disliking to Ori, who treats Tamon like a personal punching bag off camera. However, Utage finds herself once again being Tamon's #1 fan as it is revealed that Ori wants to replace Tamon as the groups center. The competition is set, and the idols in the group go through some serious tasks to prove themselves worthy of the center spot. Who will win? Will Tamon keep his place as the group's center? Or will Ori, the son of two popular actors that's been in the game since birth, step up as the new face of F/ACE? Utage finds herself struggling with gloomy Tamon to determine how to win the competition, including answering the question: "What is love?"
This second volume follows the first: Hilarious, likeable characters, and great art. I love that we get to see more of the fangirl side of Utage. Her happy place being a Tamon vlog is so real, reminding me of myself and my love of kpop. I laughed a lot reading this, enjoying moments of Utage leading her fangirl group with an iron fist, as well as Tamon's struggle with his persona, going as far to telling Utage to call him "Garbage-Hara" instead of his name. 😭 We also meet Ori, who seems to be changing the dynamic of Utage and Tamon's relationship. Can't wait to read the next one! 5/5.
We are back at it again with Utage & Tamon! Their friendship continues to develop from the first volume, but readers are introduced to another member of F/ACE: Ori! Ori makes a lasting first impression when Utage comes to learn that he is not his idol persona either, just like Tamon. Utage begins to question the true personalities of the other F/ACE members as she develops a disliking to Ori, who treats Tamon like a personal punching bag off camera. However, Utage finds herself once again being Tamon's #1 fan as it is revealed that Ori wants to replace Tamon as the groups center. The competition is set, and the idols in the group go through some serious tasks to prove themselves worthy of the center spot. Who will win? Will Tamon keep his place as the group's center? Or will Ori, the son of two popular actors that's been in the game since birth, step up as the new face of F/ACE? Utage finds herself struggling with gloomy Tamon to determine how to win the competition, including answering the question: "What is love?"
This second volume follows the first: Hilarious, likeable characters, and great art. I love that we get to see more of the fangirl side of Utage. Her happy place being a Tamon vlog is so real, reminding me of myself and my love of kpop. I laughed a lot reading this, enjoying moments of Utage leading her fangirl group with an iron fist, as well as Tamon's struggle with his persona, going as far to telling Utage to call him "Garbage-Hara" instead of his name. 😭 We also meet Ori, who seems to be changing the dynamic of Utage and Tamon's relationship. Can't wait to read the next one! 5/5.
December 1, 2024
Either aware or unaware, Utage and Tamon are breaking the barrier between fandom fangirls and idol “gods”. While Utage won’t allow herself to feel close to Tamon as a fellow person, Tamon is trying to grapple with the human emotions he was never given the opportunity to feel, either for lack of opportunities or for lack of courage to put himself out there. It’s a miracle that someone like him made it so big in the idol industry. It must be that his dream is so strong that it fueled him in everywhere he lacked, helping him put in that 110% effort and hard work that Utage mentions. Despite all of that, Tamon has not been kind to himself for a very long time, if ever. But he’s slowly forming habits to cope with his self-loathing, his constant self blame and apologizing, all the rest too.
Sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you for you to see the sky beyond the stormcloud you’ve created for yourself. Tamon might not see the sky yet, but he’s receiving the comfort of the clouds when he’s with Utage. Perhaps in time, his fans he loves so much can help him see the sky for himself, as someone neither Hottiehara nor Gloomyhara, but simply Tamon. But that is likely a far ways off from here. For now, I love to see the really realistic but cartoonized journey that is Tamon’s healing and survival and rise in the idol industry.
P.S. I want to clarify something that I’ve been seeing in reviews on here.
Utage is not mature. This is idol culture. Utage has a very Japanese mindset about idols and Japanese idol culture, which is something Westerners typically aren’t too familiar with. From how I see it, Utage is about the same as Tamon in terms of maturity, it’s just that both her circumstances and personality are wildly different from Tamon’s.
Sometimes all you need is someone to believe in you for you to see the sky beyond the stormcloud you’ve created for yourself. Tamon might not see the sky yet, but he’s receiving the comfort of the clouds when he’s with Utage. Perhaps in time, his fans he loves so much can help him see the sky for himself, as someone neither Hottiehara nor Gloomyhara, but simply Tamon. But that is likely a far ways off from here. For now, I love to see the really realistic but cartoonized journey that is Tamon’s healing and survival and rise in the idol industry.
P.S. I want to clarify something that I’ve been seeing in reviews on here.
Utage is not mature. This is idol culture. Utage has a very Japanese mindset about idols and Japanese idol culture, which is something Westerners typically aren’t too familiar with. From how I see it, Utage is about the same as Tamon in terms of maturity, it’s just that both her circumstances and personality are wildly different from Tamon’s.
December 23, 2023
*I received an eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5/5
Tamon’s B-Side starts us off with Utage continuing to support Tamon is both sides of his life. Ever the faithful fan, she doesn’t even bat an eye when Tamon’s group mate Ori tries to charm her. Everything seems to be going well until suddenly, after years of being the face of F/ACE, a new competition begins to choose the face going forward. Will Tamon cave in to his deprecating thoughts, or will he fight to continue being the centre? And why does falling in love have to do with winning the competition?!
Okay okay. I see you. This series is starting to ramp up both in plot and romance. I like the foil character Ori. There’s starting to be layers in this story. I’m excited to see how Ori plays into the plot in the future.
Utage is our typical loyal FM. She is kind,
strong and unwavering in her support for Tamon. I hope in the next volume we get more character development for her because she’s quite static right now. Tamon is also static but I can see him starting to change. I feel like this volume was heavily focused on his growth.
I really liked the last chapter. It gives me hope for the upcoming story.
I’m looking forward to volume 3! Can’t wait for the drama~
3.5/5
Tamon’s B-Side starts us off with Utage continuing to support Tamon is both sides of his life. Ever the faithful fan, she doesn’t even bat an eye when Tamon’s group mate Ori tries to charm her. Everything seems to be going well until suddenly, after years of being the face of F/ACE, a new competition begins to choose the face going forward. Will Tamon cave in to his deprecating thoughts, or will he fight to continue being the centre? And why does falling in love have to do with winning the competition?!
Okay okay. I see you. This series is starting to ramp up both in plot and romance. I like the foil character Ori. There’s starting to be layers in this story. I’m excited to see how Ori plays into the plot in the future.
Utage is our typical loyal FM. She is kind,
strong and unwavering in her support for Tamon. I hope in the next volume we get more character development for her because she’s quite static right now. Tamon is also static but I can see him starting to change. I feel like this volume was heavily focused on his growth.
I really liked the last chapter. It gives me hope for the upcoming story.
I’m looking forward to volume 3! Can’t wait for the drama~
April 23, 2024
I received an Advanced Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Utage and Tamon are back at it again. I genuinely delight in reading this series. The author writes the Tamon and Utage very authentically. The author could have played into the tropes too heavily and accidentally created super annoying characters, but instead we've been given very heart-warming and human characters to latch on to, and I am enthusiastically grateful.
This is a great continuation of the previous volume. The plot get's more fleshed out, and more characters (who want to cause trouble) are thrown into the mix!
My only complaint is the font. I know it's the same font used for most, if not all, manga published in English, but it plays havoc on the name of Tamon's idol group. F/ACE is all well and good in this font, and in some of the scenes where the group name is printed on a poster or something, but whenever they mention F/ACE in the dialogue, due to the italics and the font, it looks like FlACE or FIACE. It's... distracting.
But that's such a minor thing and doesn't affect my opinion on the characters, the plot, or the illustrations (all positive). I can't wait to read volume 3!
Utage and Tamon are back at it again. I genuinely delight in reading this series. The author writes the Tamon and Utage very authentically. The author could have played into the tropes too heavily and accidentally created super annoying characters, but instead we've been given very heart-warming and human characters to latch on to, and I am enthusiastically grateful.
This is a great continuation of the previous volume. The plot get's more fleshed out, and more characters (who want to cause trouble) are thrown into the mix!
My only complaint is the font. I know it's the same font used for most, if not all, manga published in English, but it plays havoc on the name of Tamon's idol group. F/ACE is all well and good in this font, and in some of the scenes where the group name is printed on a poster or something, but whenever they mention F/ACE in the dialogue, due to the italics and the font, it looks like FlACE or FIACE. It's... distracting.
But that's such a minor thing and doesn't affect my opinion on the characters, the plot, or the illustrations (all positive). I can't wait to read volume 3!
June 7, 2024
Rather funny interpretation of an idol with a severe anxiety disorder and a stalker fan who wants to protect him. The art is clean and sharp (it’s a VIZ comic) and the translation seems good. (I don’t have the Japanese version of this to compare) but VIZ usually does a good job of translating. This doesn’t have too much in the way of outright objectionable material but the idea of a teen girl inside an idol’s rooms as a housekeeper/morality booster does make me uncomfortable. I mean it’s fiction and nothing bad happens, but yikes. There are some truly hilarious moments of slapstick over the top humor, exaggerated “damage” from touches and glances, and funny fan signs that scream super stan. (It helps if you are into the Jpop or Kpop Idol scene and have been to some concerts because the jokes make more sense then.)
The biggest concern other than the proximity of a minor to an idol is the outright lack of mental support Tamon has. It makes it seem like severe anxiety and depression is something you can turn “on and off”. It also doesn’t handle the other members bullying him well, or show management caring much beyond ability to show up and perform. So because of the unhealthy treatment of mental health I knock off one giant star.
The biggest concern other than the proximity of a minor to an idol is the outright lack of mental support Tamon has. It makes it seem like severe anxiety and depression is something you can turn “on and off”. It also doesn’t handle the other members bullying him well, or show management caring much beyond ability to show up and perform. So because of the unhealthy treatment of mental health I knock off one giant star.
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