The surprise viral hit of the Winter 2026 anime season (though not a surprise to longtime believers of the Church of Tamon), Tamon’s B-Side follows Utage, a J-pop idol fangirl who’s entire existence (and bank account) revolves around supporting her absolute favorite idol, until she accidentally discovers the wild and sexy object of her admiration hides a secret side: he’s actually a socially anxious, reclusive shut-in who thinks he’s lower than industrial waste for tricking his fans into loving him! This sweet, and sometimes painfully relatable, rom-com is pretty easy to watch even if you aren’t deep into J-Pop or idol culture, especially to any anime fan who maybe cares a little too much about a fictional character who doesn’t even know you exist. But for those of you watching along who’d like to get the most out of the experience of watching a show about Japanese fandom culture, we have a handy guide for understanding some of the terms and concepts introduced in the show. We hope you can enjoy stanning your faves from a new perspective! Tamon's B-Side Idol Terms to Know oshi lottery (chuusen) fan name uchiwa riako penlight oshi fave, bias, stan, object of one’s emotional and financial commitment You may recognize this term from anime like [OSHI NO KO] . Oshi (推し), which comes from a Japanese word that loosely means “to push” or “support,” refers to your favorite – your favorite member in an idol group, your favorite anime character, etc. Unlike English words like fave or bias , the word oshi implies supporting your favorite – not just liking them, but donating every last yen to the noble cause of buying their merch to support their smile, as Utage does. Japanese fandom slang and concepts can be very capitalistic. You can use this in a sentence both to refer to your favorite (“Tamon-kun is my number one oshi!”) or to refer to yourself as a fan (“I’m totally a Tamon-kun oshi!”) There are also variant terms, such as ichioshi (“one oshi” – my number one oshi), oshihen (“oshi change” – to scandalously change your oshi to someone else), hakookoshi (“box oshi” – to support an entire group as a unit, rather than singling out one member), and oshikatsu (“oshi activity” – the activities one takes to support and enjoy one’s oshi). lottery (chuusen) raffle, drawing, chance Every up-and-coming idol and their fan dreams of a dome live (see If My Favorite Pop Idol Made It to the Budokan, I Would Die for more), a concert at one of Japan’s massive stadium arenas. But when an artist gets too popular, the number of fans who want to attend far outstrips the number of seats available, even for a multi-day appearance. Instead of the ticket sale bloodbaths and website crashes associated with concert tickets in many countries, many Japanese concerts often use a lottery system (chuusen): you submit an entry to attend, wait agonizingly for your fate, and either reach ecstatic nirvana or absolute despair at the hands of the RNG gods, when the results come out and a select number of lucky entrants receive tickets. In some cases, even when you receive the results, you may only know what seat you have secured once you enter the venue, a common anti-scalping measure that also adds to the thrill of putting your happiness in the hands of fate. fan name Everybody's got one! K-pop stans may also be familiar with this one: a fan name is what you call the fans of a particular idol group. These often connect cleverly to the group’s name or branding. In Tamon’s B-Side , the idol group is called F/ACE, and if you pay attention, you’ll notice that in Episode 1, Natsuki refers to the fans by the fan name that was chosen offscreen: E/YES. uchiwa Fan signs to show your absolute dedication An uchiwa is a Japanese hand fan made of paper or fabric on bamboo, as you might see at a Japanese festival; however, idol and anime fans have co-opted these as basically a portable billboard of their devotion. At concerts and events, by carrying a hand fan emblazoned with your oshi’s name or representative color, you can declare your support for them as one out of a sea of thousands of fans. During certain songs at a dome live, idols may move closer to the fans all over the arena, using secondary stages or riding on rolling cart platforms, and fans can put some kind of request for fanservice on their uchiwa, hoping an idol will see it and single them out for a special moment. This can range from something simple like “do a peace sign” or “blow an air kiss,” to strange and creative ones like asking them to mime a traditional Japanese dance (or do a triple axel). If you catch your idol’s eye in a concert AND manage to get some special exclusive fanservice just for you, then you’re absolutely winning your life. Nowadays, Japanese general goods stores like Daiso often stock the materials to make uchiwa, from the fan itself (usually way bigger than what you might see for a traditional fan at a festival), to glittery cutout words or decorations to make your fan stand out. Concerts may also sell official uchiwa, perhaps of the idol’s face. Alternatively, you can also carry around something nontraditional within reason, like Utage’s immediately recognizable Church of Tamon sign. riako “No, I’m different!” idol fans The term here is a combination of riaru (real) and koi (love) and refers to fans who are actually, genuinely, possibly delusionally, romantically in love with an idol (or an anime character), as if they were a real-life partner. (The term “gachikoi” is also used similarly, but riako skews more feminine.) Basically, riako have some desire, even if unspoken, to be singled out as special to the idol, like some kind of unicorn. While many riako fans can be harmless, the fear among greater fandom, as with any parasocial relationship, is that fans who become too obsessive and unhinged risk hurting the object of their love or making the fandom look bad. Because of this, fans like Utage can be wary of these riako fans, and this explains Utage’s intense guilt and paranoia about her connection to Tamon. penlight Get those glow sticks up! In K-pop fandom, these may be referred to more as lightsticks. A penlight is not your average disposable color glowstick, as you may see at a rock concert, but a battery-powered light that lets you change the color to show support for your oshi or the current performer. The result is that each fan becomes one pixel in a sea of lights in the crowd. Many idol groups release exclusive penlights for each concert tour, often branded with the group's name or the tour's name. Designs often reflect the feel of the artist and range from simple and cute (like a crown or star design) to bizarre (like a dumbbell or a banana). The technology for penlights has continued to advance, and some premium idol group concerts even sync penlights to the venue system, causing all of the penlights in the arena to change color in unison during specific songs. It’s visually stunning and a reminder that the fans are part of the performance, too. For many concerts, you can bring a generic penlight that you buy outside the venue (for example, at a Don Quijote store), but some events may mandate that you use the performer’s official penlight. Of course, for the most intense fans, supporting your oshi by buying the official penlight is the only choice. J-pop idol fandom is a deliciously layered subculture: a loud, unapologetically commercial, emotional and deeply sincere world of flowers and dreams, even when the fans know there’s a hidden B-side to every performer and performance. It’s about supporting the object of your devotion, even if you’re only one anonymous face in a massive crowd, just for the privilege of drinking in the air your favorite breathes, and still believing that your support matters. You support your oshi’s dreams, and your oshi enriches your life – not unlike anime fandom.
