Capturing Precious Kigurumi Moments with Senpai

Who says the cuteness of a kigurumi can't be a serious theme for anyone's passion for film and cinema? 

animal kigurumi photoshoot

"Alright then...I'll film you both!"

Definitely not Sae Nakata of Amagami (アマガミ). This very shy, reserved classmate and friend of Miya is the junior schoolmate of the protagonist, Jun'ichi Tachibana, by one year. Her timid nature is even made more apparent with her soft voice, which, as Jun'ichi perfectly described, makes her feel like "a small adorable animal".

Ultimately in comparison, Sae's plight within her story arc is relatively not as complex as the conflicts of the other main characters. This could make her look somewhat less interesting, especially when her "I just want to be confident enough" issue is placed side by side against more serious story arcs like that of Tsukasa Ayatsuji or Ai Nanasaki.

"Don't worry, they won't eat you. Instead, we shall eat them!" 

That being said though, having a lighter story arc doesn't mean she can't deal with good personal growth and development. Specifically, during the second part of her story, where we finally see a very significant improvement over her personality. This is where her confidence evolves, from being able to do service-type part-time jobs, to challenging the role of the school festival committee president.

As for her love for kigurumi, this wasn't really revealed until much later, although it did become a solid part of her identity right after her first story arc. Her friend Miya would also jump into this action, even convincing another main character, Ai Nanasaki, to join in on the fun.

penguin kigurumi smiling while clapping

And that, is perhaps why the penguin kigurumi is the most iconic, as it was the one she wore during the reveal. Her version features a light blue design, with most of the basic details still fundamentally similar to an original black one.

animal kigurumi getting captured in a video

Another one that she presumably frequently wore in between the story arcs is this bear kigurumi. Not much to explain here, it is exactly just how you would expect it to be.

black cat kigurumi pose

Miya sported a black cat kigurumi during the same reveal. There are quite a number of variants of the same basic design, but it's far closer to this one than all the others.

animal kigurumi talking with a friend

Ai wears a brown version of Miya's kigurumi during the school festival. Quite basic, but unfortunately that color scheme is designated on other styles, though we do make up for it with more colorful ones.

animal kigurumi talking in the camera

"How did I do, director?"

Amagami is set in the late 90's, and that is why we can see Jun'ichi supporting Sae's kigurumi hobby using quaint magnetic film-based recording cameras. Not that we mind, but it is quite interesting to point out, since the original game (2009) and the anime adaptation (2010) were both aired and released in an era where even disc-type data storage media are starting to get less popular.

penguin kigurumi smiling

"Senpai, please film me as the most adorable one from now on!"

Honestly speaking though, regardless of the time period, that vibrant smile is just too precious not to keep, even if there aren't digital cameras yet.