Kakeru Hatano Talks About His Character Preparation for "Tamon's B-Side"! He Shows Embarrassment at Praise from Saori Hayami

On Friday, February 27, 2026, at 9:00 PM, episode #77 of "SHIBUYA ANIME BASE (#ShibuAni)" was broadcast live on ABEMA.

This episode welcomed Kakeru Hatano as a studio guest and delivered plenty of new anime information. In addition, the show's "Kapu Kapu Talk" segment, where the program pairs two anime industry professionals for a conversation over a meal, featured a passionate discussion between Shōtarō Morikubo and Reiji Kawashima.

First, the show featured the anime "Tamon's B-Side," which is currently streaming on ABEMA every Saturday at 1:00 AM, and in which guest Hatano plays the role of the extremely popular idol Tamon Fukuhara. This work is a high-tension oshi-katsu (fan activity) romantic comedy woven between Utage Kinoshita, a high school girl who puts her all into oshi-katsu played by Saori Hayami, and Tamon Fukuhara. The story begins when Utage, while working a part-time housekeeping job, accidentally visits the home of Tamon, her oshi, and witnesses the real Tamon, who is completely opposite to his "sexy & wild" stage persona, being gloomy and damp.

When asked about preparing for the role of Tamon, who has such extreme on-and-off modes, Hatano revealed his sincere approach to the character, saying, "Of course there's a switch, but he's still one person. When emotions become negative, he gets gloomy, and when he stands on stage wanting to make people smile, he becomes bright. I portray him through emotional switching." When fellow voice actor Sora Tokui asked, "I think there are lots of signature lines, so when you practice at home, do you practice while striking poses?" Hatano surprised the studio by saying, "I recorded myself on my smartphone several times and studied my breathing (lol)." Shugo Nakamura then revealed, "I'm the type who does that kind of thing too."

The program also introduced a questionnaire response from Hayami, who plays the heroine Utage Kinoshita. Regarding "difficult aspects of character preparation," Hayami responded, "When expressing love for my oshi, I shout and speak rapidly, which consumes tremendous energy. It was like after intense exercise. It became fun and gradually became a habit," conveying how she portrayed the "oshi-katsu girl" with her whole heart and soul.

A message from Hayami to Hatano also arrived. To the praise comment emphasized in red text that said, "Hatano is always just like Tamon-kun himself. Recording next to him, there were times when my heart skipped a beat (lol). I thought he was amazing," Hatano made the studio burst into laughter with his embarrassed retort, "That's a perfect score (lol). No, no, please don't interpret it in a suggestive way." Hatano, for whom this work was his first anime with a main character role, reflected, "I was desperately trying to keep up with Hayami's energy level," and shared a heartwarming behind-the-scenes recording story of being supported by his senior Hayami, saying, "After the test (rehearsal), I was unconsciously muttering 'I could have done it a bit better like this,' and Hayami next to me said, 'I thought what you just did was good.' That really energized me."