TV-Series
Description
Fū Sawatari, nicknamed Potte and Fuu-nyon, is a high school girl whose profound passion for photography centers on a Rollei 35S camera inherited from her late father. She is particularly drawn to capturing specks of light she calls “Tamayura,” a practice deeply intertwined with her father’s memory and her own process of grief and healing.
Her family moved to Takehara in Hiroshima for her first year of high school, as it was her late father’s hometown and a place she had not visited in five years. The move followed her expressed desire to return, supported by her mother Tamae, who works in her grandmother’s café; her younger brother Kou, who is sometimes mistaken for a girl; and her grandmother, who runs the café. Her father, Kazuma Sawatari, died about five years before the story begins, and his absence shapes much of her background. It was Kou who helped rekindle her love for photography after their father’s death.
She is curious, happy, somewhat weird, and notably clumsy, often tripping while pursuing the perfect shot—a trait that earned her the nickname Potte, an onomatopoeia for the sound of her falling. Initially shy and lacking in social skills, her speech becomes an incoherent stream when meeting new people. She frequently adds the phrase “na no de” to her sentences, a verbal tic inherited from her father. She is pensive and prone to odd mental wanderings, sometimes becoming so engrossed in photography that she overlooks her own safety. Despite her shyness, she is determined to make friends and displays open-mindedness and resilience.
Her journey involves coming to terms with her father’s death and forging her own path. Photography serves as both a hobby and a means of preserving precious moments and connecting with his memory. She often attempts to photograph a local cat called Momoneko, resulting in comedic failure and becoming a running gag.
After her first year in Takehara, she resolves to become more assertive and starts a photography club at school, eventually becoming its president. This marks a shift from passivity to initiative. She meets Kanae Mitani, a senior and fellow photographer, and gradually grows more confident in communicating and guiding others, though she remains nervous in new situations. Her friend Chihiro Miyoshi encourages her to be more confident, assertive, and decisive.
Her photographic philosophy involves capturing the people around her and keeping all shots from her film camera, both successful and mistaken, symbolizing her acceptance of life’s experiences. This contrasts with Kanae’s digital approach, where failed images are deleted, and ultimately inspires Kanae to explore new perspectives. Club excursions and time with friends become invaluable for creating memories and learning about herself and her father’s past.
She learns more about her father through encounters with his old friends, like Nozomu Natsume, and through exploring the town he loved. These moments blend love and acceptance with loss and grief. She also confronts the difficulty of change and parting, as when Kanae prepares to graduate, learning that farewells are painful but memories endure, and the future holds new experiences. By the story’s end, she has made peace with the past, found joy in life, and become a more confident individual actively shaping her future.
Her relationships are central to her life. Childhood friends include Kaoru Hanawa, who has a keen interest in smells and potpourri, and Chihiro Miyoshi, skilled at making stuffed animals, who gave her the nickname Fuu-nyon. In Takehara, her close friends are Kaoru, Norie Okazaki—an excitable aspiring patissiere infatuated with Kou—and Maon Sakurada, a quiet girl who often communicates through whistling. She also has a supportive family and is mentored by Riho Shihomi, a professional photographer interested in her work.
Her family moved to Takehara in Hiroshima for her first year of high school, as it was her late father’s hometown and a place she had not visited in five years. The move followed her expressed desire to return, supported by her mother Tamae, who works in her grandmother’s café; her younger brother Kou, who is sometimes mistaken for a girl; and her grandmother, who runs the café. Her father, Kazuma Sawatari, died about five years before the story begins, and his absence shapes much of her background. It was Kou who helped rekindle her love for photography after their father’s death.
She is curious, happy, somewhat weird, and notably clumsy, often tripping while pursuing the perfect shot—a trait that earned her the nickname Potte, an onomatopoeia for the sound of her falling. Initially shy and lacking in social skills, her speech becomes an incoherent stream when meeting new people. She frequently adds the phrase “na no de” to her sentences, a verbal tic inherited from her father. She is pensive and prone to odd mental wanderings, sometimes becoming so engrossed in photography that she overlooks her own safety. Despite her shyness, she is determined to make friends and displays open-mindedness and resilience.
Her journey involves coming to terms with her father’s death and forging her own path. Photography serves as both a hobby and a means of preserving precious moments and connecting with his memory. She often attempts to photograph a local cat called Momoneko, resulting in comedic failure and becoming a running gag.
After her first year in Takehara, she resolves to become more assertive and starts a photography club at school, eventually becoming its president. This marks a shift from passivity to initiative. She meets Kanae Mitani, a senior and fellow photographer, and gradually grows more confident in communicating and guiding others, though she remains nervous in new situations. Her friend Chihiro Miyoshi encourages her to be more confident, assertive, and decisive.
Her photographic philosophy involves capturing the people around her and keeping all shots from her film camera, both successful and mistaken, symbolizing her acceptance of life’s experiences. This contrasts with Kanae’s digital approach, where failed images are deleted, and ultimately inspires Kanae to explore new perspectives. Club excursions and time with friends become invaluable for creating memories and learning about herself and her father’s past.
She learns more about her father through encounters with his old friends, like Nozomu Natsume, and through exploring the town he loved. These moments blend love and acceptance with loss and grief. She also confronts the difficulty of change and parting, as when Kanae prepares to graduate, learning that farewells are painful but memories endure, and the future holds new experiences. By the story’s end, she has made peace with the past, found joy in life, and become a more confident individual actively shaping her future.
Her relationships are central to her life. Childhood friends include Kaoru Hanawa, who has a keen interest in smells and potpourri, and Chihiro Miyoshi, skilled at making stuffed animals, who gave her the nickname Fuu-nyon. In Takehara, her close friends are Kaoru, Norie Okazaki—an excitable aspiring patissiere infatuated with Kou—and Maon Sakurada, a quiet girl who often communicates through whistling. She also has a supportive family and is mentored by Riho Shihomi, a professional photographer interested in her work.