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A review by thatdecembergirl
Summertime Rendering Volume 1 by Yasuki Tanaka
5.0
The premise is this: Ajiro Shinpei's childhood friend (and is also his love interest), Kofune Ushio, is dead so he returns to an island he calls home, Hitogashima, to attend her funeral. But actually, there is a LOT more going on behind her death.
"Summertime Rendering" is like a perfect blend of Sakurazaka Hiroshi's "All You Need is Kill"―or, you know, Tom Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" movie―and Jordan Peele's "Us" movie. The way it takes place on a secluded island also gives an isolated, claustrophobic feel. For me, it's 10 out of 10.
Oh, and if you're scrolling to see these white people complain about two things: nudity or 'sexualizing' teenagers AND 'incest implications', let me as an Asian person get things straight:
ONE: Summertime Rendering is published in a media targeted at YOUNG BOYS. Even the protagonist is in his TEENS. What's so abnormal about teenagers seeing things from teenagers' perspective??? I swear to god, you Gregs and Karens can't understand context anymore. "But the author is an adult", you say??? YES DUH OF COURSE BECAUSE MOST TEENAGERS ARE AT SCHOOL TRYING TO FINISH THEIR EDUCATION.
TWO: There are no 'incest-implications-with-the stepsibling' in this story. Shinpei is just living together with the girls, no legal paperwork whatsoever. He keeps his family name. He does NOT call the man taking care of him "Dad" or "Father". He is basically, simply, another person living under the same roof (like a freeloader) and growing up together. Just because one says "He's like my brother" or "She's my sister" doesn't immediately lump things into an incestual relationship. (sigh) This is why English is a lost cause in many cultural contexts, and here, people are mad over pretty much nothing.
That being said, Summertime Rendering is easily my best read in 2022-2023. The author does not afraid to leave crumbs behind and foreshadow things, so when a new mystery emerged, the readers already have the answer to the previous mysteries and can use it as a weapon to help them understand things to come. The manga version has special, extra chapters named "Record" and they contain additional detailed information about what's going on in the story.
I'm losing so much sleep since finding this manga series at the end of 2022. I couldn't stop reading until the last chapter (there are 139 of them) because it's very well-written and complex, and the relationship between characters are absolutely adorable. I love how the romance aspect does NOT hinder the progress of the characters, at all. If anything, it's because they care deeply and love each other that they make it so far in such a bleak situation.
Again, for me, it's 10 out of 10.
"Summertime Rendering" is like a perfect blend of Sakurazaka Hiroshi's "All You Need is Kill"―or, you know, Tom Cruise's "Edge of Tomorrow" movie―and Jordan Peele's "Us" movie. The way it takes place on a secluded island also gives an isolated, claustrophobic feel. For me, it's 10 out of 10.
Oh, and if you're scrolling to see these white people complain about two things: nudity or 'sexualizing' teenagers AND 'incest implications', let me as an Asian person get things straight:
ONE: Summertime Rendering is published in a media targeted at YOUNG BOYS. Even the protagonist is in his TEENS. What's so abnormal about teenagers seeing things from teenagers' perspective??? I swear to god, you Gregs and Karens can't understand context anymore. "But the author is an adult", you say??? YES DUH OF COURSE BECAUSE MOST TEENAGERS ARE AT SCHOOL TRYING TO FINISH THEIR EDUCATION.
TWO: There are no 'incest-implications-with-the stepsibling' in this story. Shinpei is just living together with the girls, no legal paperwork whatsoever. He keeps his family name. He does NOT call the man taking care of him "Dad" or "Father". He is basically, simply, another person living under the same roof (like a freeloader) and growing up together. Just because one says "He's like my brother" or "She's my sister" doesn't immediately lump things into an incestual relationship. (sigh) This is why English is a lost cause in many cultural contexts, and here, people are mad over pretty much nothing.
That being said, Summertime Rendering is easily my best read in 2022-2023. The author does not afraid to leave crumbs behind and foreshadow things, so when a new mystery emerged, the readers already have the answer to the previous mysteries and can use it as a weapon to help them understand things to come. The manga version has special, extra chapters named "Record" and they contain additional detailed information about what's going on in the story.
I'm losing so much sleep since finding this manga series at the end of 2022. I couldn't stop reading until the last chapter (there are 139 of them) because it's very well-written and complex, and the relationship between characters are absolutely adorable. I love how the romance aspect does NOT hinder the progress of the characters, at all. If anything, it's because they care deeply and love each other that they make it so far in such a bleak situation.
Again, for me, it's 10 out of 10.