Title: Summertime Rendering Volumes One and Two
Published by: Udon Entertainment
Written & Illustrated by: Yasuki Tanaka
ISBN: 978-1772942323, 978-1772942330
Ages: 13+
Never look at your shadow the same away again.
In Volumes One and Two of Summertime Rendering, Shinpei returns to his home island to attend the funeral of his foster sister, Ushio. After several strange occurrences, he discovered her death was not an accident and that supernatural creatures are hunting the island inhabitants. Filled with sorrow and regret, Shinpei plunges into an investigation. The narrative spirals into a supernatural conflict that has Shinpei struggling to save his friends and loved ones and stay alive himself. On this island, Shadows are alive, and they are willing to kill.
Fortunately, Shinpei uncovers unlikely allies as he tries to solve the supernatural happenings on his island home. He is armed with a special ability to time travel if his investigations prove fatal. However, his ability has limitations, and his enemies are formidable. Shinpei discovers that this is not the first time the inhabitants of the island have been hunted by their own doppelgangers. Their shadows are coming alive and murdering the original human. Shinpei needs to team up with a knowledgeable pair who have their own secrets and an unlikely hero who may be a spy for the enemy. Shinpei is gifted the ability to time travel, but the power is flawed, and he needs to rely on his memory, pragmatism, and genuine desire to save his friends and family to try and survive. No one on the island is safe, and no one can be trusted.
Volume One captures Shinpei’s and the audience’s naivety to the situation and has two epic twists in tone as Shinpei realizes exactly how dire the situation on the island is and how desperate of a role he has to take to save his friends and family. Volume Two offers a new point-of-view from Hizuru, who has been affected by Shadows before this attack. She offers advice on how to detect and destroy Shadows. As they confront the Shadows, they discover the limitations of Shinpei’s ability and the Shadows’ supernatural powers.
Summertime Rendering Volumes One and Two are brilliantly written. Time travel and doppelgangers could have made this story too confusing to stomach, but the author keeps the tension high and skillfully composes the narrative so the readers know in which repeated day the action is taking place and are shocked about which character is actually trustworthy. This series is a sharp mystery that leaves readers simultaneously unsettled and excited for more. Once readers reach the first plot twist, they will not want to put this manga down. Order as many volumes as are available so your members do not have to wait.
This series is aptly named – Summertime Rendering. The date is significant because Shinpei can time travel to prevent the death of his other adopted sister, Mio, and the rest of the village. The summer festival also is key to the story. The author uses the term, ‘rendering,’ – which is an art process to make an outlined image appear solid – to describe the Shadows’ supernatural abilities. Also, rending means to tear to pieces, which is a likely visual as humans and Shadows attack one another. With these terms, the translation sets the tone for the story.
The Summertime Rendering series is definitely for older teens and adults. The narrative starts naive and hesitant on the idea of murder in a small town and then slams a massive change in tone that shocks the reader and the main character alike. Readers will readily empathize with Shinpei, and they will be rewarded with adrenaline, suspense, and shock. This is primarily a thriller so the attempts at humor sometimes fall flat and rely on crude humor, nudity, and sexual innuendo that some readers may find offensive. Similarly, the violence is shocking, and the supernatural ability Shadows have to take on the human form can be drawn with some gruesome imagery. This series is designed to get readers’ hearts pumping so it is not for the faint of heart.
If you judge a book by its cover, you may liken the Summertime Rendering series to Anohana or A Silent Voice – gentle, sorrowful manga. In fact, Summertime Rendering is a shockingly violent story that seems to start with predictable melancholy and then yanks you by the shirt collar into an adrenaline rush.
Summertime Rendering is a well-written, adrenaline-packed thriller with unpredictable twists. The series will be released in six volumes and will be well-worth the purchase for fans of intense, supernatural action. This series is for fans of Jujutsu Kaisen, Demon Slayer, Tokyo Ghoul, Parasite, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers.
– Angela Dabrowski, Senior Library Assistant
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