Graphic Novel Review: Summertime Rendering Vol. 1

Published by: UDON Entertainment
Written by: Yasuki Tanaka
Illustrated by: Yasuki Tanaka
ISBN: 9781772942385
Ages: 15+

Shinpei returns to his childhood home for the funeral of his friend and foster sister, Ushio. Having left home years ago for Tokyo to study, he hasn’t been back to the small island of Hitogashima since. At the funeral, while taking care of Mio, Ushio’s younger sister, as well as meeting up with some old friends, Shinpei hears about an affliction spreading across the island: Shadow Sickness. Some claim that if you see your “shadow”, a sort of evil clone of yourself, you’ll die soon after.

Could that be what caused Ushio’s death?

Or maybe it was the strangulation marks on her neck that the police ignored?

Or did she simply drown while saving a local girl?

The mystery only thickens from there. Shinpei is about to embark on an epic journey, crossing time, and playing with life and death, that you (nor I) are prepared for.

SUMMERTIME RENDERING has recently been selected to beginning filming for an anime version that will premiere on Disney + in Japan (probably Hulu in the US), which will give it a huge boost in popularity and recognition. I found the story to be an absolute page-turner, and suspect many readers will enjoy it as well. Keep in mind, there are some “fan-service” elements to the story, and the eeriness and violence ramp up quickly once the major twist happens. Recommended 15 and up. I will definitely be continuing this story.

NOTE: This is an Omnibus version, printing the first two original Volumes.

ADAM FISHER, Reference Associate

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Adam Fisher

Adam Fisher has worked for more than a decade at Lane Libraries in Fairfield, Ohio, where he is a Reference Associate. He creates and leads programming for all ages, manages the graphic novel, sci-fi/fantasy, and magazine collections at his branch, and has recently seen great success with his self-created Escape Room programs. He writes reviews for everything he reads and can be found on Goodreads @FisherAd80 and on Twitter @adamreadscomics.

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