Who Do You Worship?

Tamon's B-Side and turning away from idols

Happy Friday, fellow otaku!

I hope you’re enjoying this season’s anime, whether it be Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End season 2, Jujutsu Kaisen season 3, or any of the other wonderful anime from this season. One I personally stumbled upon is an unusual romcom called Tamon’s B-Side.

This anime features Utage Kinoshita, an obsessive fangirl of the boys’ pop group, F/ACE OFF. She is so passionate that she literally worships the main lead, Tamon Fukuhara. Because she needs to collect everything Tamon has ever done, she works as a housekeeper to earn cash. One day, she is called to the home of the very idol that she worships—only to discover that Tamon acts very differently at home than he does on stage! Thus begins a series of funny circumstances, heartfelt moments, and the ardent devotion of someone who doesn’t mind that her idol has a “B-side.”

However, in so passionately pursuing her hobby, Kinoshita has gotten off track. In fact, she’s breaking the first two of the Ten Commandments to not have any other gods before the Lord and to not make any idols. Because Kinoshita literally builds a church of fangirls around Tamon, she does not abide by these commands. While we may not go to that extreme, we may fall into a similar trap by obsessing over a show, character, or actor more than we do over God. We may not build any shrines to these obsessions, but anything that takes more priority in our hearts than God is an idol.

Yet, it is not Kinoshita’s “church” that inspired me to write this devotional—it is her worship. She is a passionate defender of Tamon, even reminding his self-abasing “B-side” that degrading himself does not accomplish his goal of making everyone happy. In some humorous moments, she holds a sign that says “Church of Tamon” and lectures him about the importance of treating both his fans and himself well. She believes in Tamon so much that she supports him through the various trials he experiences, and Tamon comes to realize he needs Kinoshita to help him continue to be the Tamon everyone admires.

When I finished the latest episode, I found myself asking: how often are we this passionate about Jesus? Do we defend him to his critics? Do we correct others with loving enthusiasm about His truth? Through Kinoshita’s actions, I realized how much more I need to worship the one true God—and defend him with even more enthusiasm than I would my favorite celebrity, anime, or “idol.”

Weekly Mission: Take some time this week to sit in the quiet and worship the Lord. Think of all he has done for you and how much he means to you. Thank him for what he has done, and then list out all of his attributes that are meaningful to you.

Memory Verse: Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;

worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

~ Psalms 29:2 (ESV)

BtT in Review

AniMarch Madness is fully underway, and round one is complete! Here’s the updated bracket—you, our dear readers, get to see it before anyone else!

Come join us to vote for heavy-hitters like Naruto Shippuden, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, The Apothecary Diaries—or try to help your lesser-known favorites make it through—in round two, starting next week! All voting takes place on Discord and Instagram. If you haven’t followed us there, make sure you do so!

Episode five of Something Genuine dropped this week! Check out our interview with Miss Wisconsin, Willow Newell, who talks about her OCD diagnosis, why she advocates for the arts, and why anime storytelling hits on a different level.

Then, Twwk shared one of his inspirations for Beneath the Tangles on his Grace Notes column, linking to a new article about Wuwa’s Aemeath and parenting from the Anime Diet site, and recalling the start of our ministry.

In the Reader’s Corner this week, Twwk reviews a range of stories, including the mysterious Magical Girl Dandelion Volume 1, the humorous The Way of the Househusband Volume 15, the warmhearted romance of Insomniacs After School Volume 13, and a manhwa with potential in From a Knight to a Lady Volume 1. Other reviews include two by WacOtaku, who explores more psychological and political manga in Tower Dungeon Volume 4 and Steel of Celestial Shadows Volume 9.

Pokémon celebrated its thirtieth anniversary this past week, and we celebrated with a watercolor retro rendition honoring Red and Green.

See you next week, everyone!