I’m watching Tamon’s B-Side on Crunchyroll right now. It’s the story of Tamon, an idol in the group F/ACE, whose real-life persona doesn’t match what’s on stage. Tamon is actually timid, insecure, gloomy, and filled with self-doubt. We learn about this through Utage, a high schooler with a part-time job as a housekeeper. When her coworker has to miss work, Utage substitutes for her and finds herself at the disastrous home of Tamon, her favorite idol. She is shocked by Tamon’s real nature and the state of his home, but she stays bright and encouraging and offers Tamon real support. Later she becomes his fully official personal housekeeper, and the two keep meeting up and having little adventures together.

It’s clear Tamon likes Utage, though sometimes I wonder if it’s more of an emotional dependency thing than real love (although he does say some swoonworthy lines that make me think he desires romance). Utage, though, is completely oblivious to this and desperately tries to draw a line between herself and Tamon as FAN and IDOL. So she rebuffs or deflates a lot of stuff of his.

I just finished episode 9 and there are a total of 13 episodes, so I’m almost done. And as much as I am adoring this show, I have a little bone to pick with it.

To me, it’s clear Tamon has some kind of mental health issue. He strikes me as someone with depression and perhaps a generalized anxiety disorder. However, his gloominess and tumultuous emotions are most often played for laughs. Utage divides Tamon into two personalities: Gloomyhara and Hottiehara, and it’s disappointing that she doesn’t seem to acknowledge that both are the real Tamon, not one or the other (however, this might change as I finish the show). She also cheers Tamon up not by encouraging him to explore his feelings or seek help or therapy of some kind, but simply complimenting him on his perfect face or his idol personality. She only butters him up as a fan to an idol, not a regular person to a regular person.

The biggest event to happen for Tamon is a TV show F/ACE is put on for the members to compete with each other for the “center” role. Tamon has always been the center of the group, but for some reason their producer/manager wants to shake things up. Tamon loses his role as center and is relegated to more of a background position, despite his popularity with the fans.

In episode 6, Tamon is actually suicidal. Utage discovers him standing over the ledge (in front of the safety fence) ready to jump, but she knocks him back on his feet on the roof, and the two talk.

Tamon is clearly deeply troubled. He says he doesn’t want Utage to become someone else’s fan, or he’ll die. (!!) Utage does react to that part in confusion, and she tells herself essentially that this Tamon is different from Gloomyhara and Hottiehara, and that perhaps this is Tamon’s B-Side. She is disturbed by Tamon’s attempt and emotions but tries to comfort him saying idol-related stuff, like he has thousands of fans who love him, that she’ll always be his fan, etc. She keeps resorting to his idol identity when that’s not the problem. Tamon is good at being an idol. He is having trouble being himself. The suicide attempt and Utage’s reaction to it is downplayed considerably and we’re meant to laugh at a lot of what happens.

Friends, I was kind of disturbed by this. This scene really bothered me, and I couldn’t help but feel that Tamon’s B-Side missed a great opportunity to address mental health. Utage should’ve taken Tamon far more seriously and had him go to a therapist at the least. Sure, Tamon can’t be seen doing this because it would hurt his idol reputation, but they could hire a therapist to come to his apartment. Same thing with a psychiatrist.

Maybe that would “ruin” the comedy of the series, but I feel like there needed to be some responsibility there when it came to how serious Tamon’s mental state is, and the fact that he wanted to kill himself or will die if Utage leaves his side. These actions and statements are meant to be taken seriously.

I only have a few episodes left of the series, and I wonder if they’re ever going to talk about mental health in the show at all. So far everything that happened in episode 6 has never really come up again, even though Tamon still has his gloomy episodes. I’m kind of leaning toward it being left by the wayside, which is disappointing.

Overall I really enjoy this show and will probably start reading the manga (and I hope there’s a season 2!). But I can’t help but feel some disappointment at this missed opportunity.