ADVANCED REVIEW: ‘Summertime Rendering,’ Volume 1

Manga publisher Udon Entertainment has its first shonen license and it’s one of the most intriguing and best out there: Summertime Rendering. A story about grief and regret wrapped in thrilling science fiction, Summertime Rendering is created, written, and illustrated by Yasuki Tanaka. The English edition is translated by Jocelyn Allen, lettered by Janice Leung, and features sound effects & clean-up by Phil Christie. Summertime Rendering Volume 1 features full-colored pages and a brand new English translation, and is a part of Udon’s simultaneous release of the first three omnibus editions of the series, each capturing two volumes in one.

Summertime Rendering centers around tragedy. After hearing about his childhood friend Ushio’s passing, Shinpei returns to his hometown, the remote island of Hitogashima, for the first time in two years. Ready to attend the funeral but not ready to handle the grief and regret of not returning sooner, Shinpei reunites with the people who loved Ushio and who love him. But instead of attending the funeral and working on moving forward through his sadness, July 22nd happens again. And then it happens again. With a time-twisting murder-groundhog day revealing an anomaly growing on the island, Shinpei has to swallow his grief to get to the bottom of it.

Summertime Rendering Volume 1 is a stunning debut volume that will push readers to the edge of their seats and get them excited for when the anime makes its way to the United States. Filled with unrelenting twists and beautifully illustrated violence and otherworldly moments, this series is one to watch. There is mystery and action, but there is also a deep emotional core to it all. Fast-paced, Tanaka uses the speed of the story to keep the audience unsettled. But it isn’t just the pacing that pumps up the tension, Tanaka also uses the uncanny valley—the small things that make something not human or push you into a space, like a child becoming a killer.

While I’m deeply in love with both the emotion and the science fiction, Summertime Rendering also features moments of fanservice that feel forced into the story. We don’t need to see a middle schooler’s underwear to highlight dejavu and we definitely don’t need to see them in the shower, and neither does Shinpei. Those moments are difficult to swallow when the rest of the series excels at leaning so hard into genre. It’s because of the setting, art, and narrative that I can look beyond the forced fanservice, but I’ll have to see how this works for the rest of the series as well.

Overall, Summertime Rendering Volume 1 (and two and three for that matter) is something you should run to the bookstore for or at least pre-order online. Filled with intrigue and thrilling elements that build on each other repeatedly, this is a series that is well worth the hype. For a first shonen foray, the editors at Udon Entertainment have struck gold.

Summertime Rendering Volume 1 (Volume 2 & Volume 3) are available wherever books are sold in hardcover omnibus on June 14, 2022 and single-volume paperback later this year.