(L) Summertime Render

[Dextro]

Originally Posted by Kanon

They ended the episode at the perfect spot. You can make your own loop if you wish by never watching the final episode and starting over with the first one. The animation mistake they made even helps. It'd be a shame to miss the epilogue though. Really looking forward to it since they're probably going to expend on it.

Spoiler for Animation Mistake:

Do you mean Shinpei's eye?

Originally Posted by j4c06

It is funny how the guy is 300+ years old but explains his actions in terms of a game console. What age group is it aimed at?

Remember a couple of episodes ago when he was talking about Final Fantasy VII? Clearly the dude had plenty of time to get up to date with modern stuff like video games.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Dextro

Spoiler for Animation Mistake:

Do you mean Shinpei's eye?

Yes. Even went back and checked the manga to make sure.

[Dextro]

I did find that bit strange. Glad to know. Thanks!

[Last Sinner]

Game will have some original story content and original ending

[EroKing]

What an absolute treat this show has been for the past 6 months. Gonna miss seeing the characters but a beautiful and nice end nonetheless.

[serenade_beta]

Spoiler for final thoughts:

It's kinda like a modernized version of Shiki/Parasyte
A little more stupider, a little more fanservice, and super happy end

To be honest, compared to similar "vs. alien" anime, it lacks. It's more like a fantasy battle anime than mystery in that area, even constantly revealing new powers throughout the entire story.
By the end, the power of shadows is... anything. We thought we knew what Shadows could do, but then we get people wearing Shadow Suits, going into different dimensions, summoning planes, going into the past (not just the loop), etc. etc. Whatever.
And yeah, they remember in the end because... happy!

Up until that point, I really liked the ending. It was cool seeing all of the characters being the way they would be if Shadows didn't exist, especially the stupid boring last boss being a normal old man, but then, they remember because they do.
And the thing is that the BGM is so... creepy, that I am not sure if they just magically remembered or if the old Ushio/Shinpei possessed the new Ushio/Shinpei's bodies and drove out the new ones' souls, which is a pretty creepy thought.

Anyhow, although it has shortcomings, it was still an enjoyable ride and had enjoyable fanservice and production quality was stable, so hey, compared to most anime in the two seasons it ran, it was actually enjoyable to watch instead of leaving me with a flat expression.

So 9/10

[j4c06]

Cute!

By the way, how did the island inhabitants survive the hunger 300 years ago, if there were no shadows to help them out? Am I missing something here?

[Kanon]

As expected, they expanded the epilogue. Really liked what they did with the scene at the beach. It's so nice to see everyone get a happy ending after everything that happened. Ryunosuke is alive, Haine has been reincarnated as his daughter, Haine and Shiori are best friends, Nezu's wife is alive, Hizuru is alive, and of course Ushio is also alive and has vague memories of her Shadow to boot. It's nice to know the Ushio we've been following all this time didn't completely disappear.

Probably the third best anime this year. Such a shame it was in Disney+ jail and most people ignored it as a result.

[j4c06]

Originally Posted by Kanon

Ryunosuke is alive, Haine has been reincarnated as his daughter, Haine and Shiori are best friends, Nezu's wife is alive, Hizuru is alive, and of course Ushio is also alive

Shinpei's parents are alive, which was also a nice touch.

PS. Can someone please tell me what is written on the wooden thingy which is shown close up while Shinpei is talking to the priest and his son?

[Nachtwandler]

I am not a fan of this "total reset happy endings". Also, the show got a bit to battle-shoneny by the end. But it was still great overall. Good thing I picked it up.

[grecefar]

Well I'll be... a 24 minutes happy ending, this was the best.

In my head, mio said yes to sou.

9/10

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by j4c06

Shinpei's parents are alive, which was also a nice touch.

PS. Can someone please tell me what is written on the wooden thingy which is shown close up while Shinpei is talking to the priest and his son?

They were killed by Shide so that makes sense. I still find it weird they didn't show up in either the anime or the manga. I actually thought the anime would include them.

I found out today there's a one-shot sequel/spin-off featuring Haine and Hizuru as the protagonists. Summertime Rendering 2026. Will read it when I have time, would be nice if they could make it into an OVA.

[Kismet-chan]

I really enjoyed the ending to this. (The little bit of anime original content in there is also actually something I'm glad they included and felt sensible to add.) There's a slight tinge of bittersweetness to the vast majority of folks not remembering things, but that sacrifice yielding this outcome feels like a worthy exchange.

Great character writing where even the side characters got to shine is what really cemented my love for this, I think. Hizuru in particular was probably my favorite character and I really see her as the third protagonist. I also think this anime was one of my favorite uses of a time loop that I've ever seen. (Not the best use, necessarily. Just one I really enjoyed.)

Everyone got what they wanted, and... most importantly? This is a happy ending that feels genuinely deserved. I'm not really the sort of person who has a preference for a certain style of ending. (I know some people hate downer endings, some hate overly happy ones, etc. Normally, a reset ending like this wouldn't be my favorite because I find that in most other stories, such an ending trivializes/invalidates the character development that took place. Here, I feel that was properly avoided.) I just want them to make sense and fit the damned narrative. I find that is rarely found in a LOT of anime/manga/LNs. But this series genuinely achieved that, in my eyes. Sure, there were times where it got a little cheesy or the animation quality dipped or explanations either weren't super tight or given at all... But, ultimately? A well-earned ending. For everyone involved.

8.5/10

[scififan]

Originally Posted by Kanon

They were killed by Shide so that makes sense. I still find it weird they didn't show up in either the anime or the manga. I actually thought the anime would include them.

I found out today there's a one-shot sequel/spin-off featuring Haine and Hizuru as the protagonists. Summertime Rendering 2026. Will read it when I have time, would be nice if they could make it into an OVA.

Yes, the central theme of the show hints the quantum theory, where observed future can change current events. The haunted house and murder mystery turns out to be a warning from the future.

Originally Posted by j4c06

PS. Can someone please tell me what is written on the wooden thingy which is shown close up while Shinpei is talking to the priest and his son?

In short explanation, the writing is sun goddess, the deity of the shrine.


In lengthy explanation, the writing has double meaning. When the ET was washed shore, the villagers referred it as Hiruko, better known as Ebisu. Ebisu story also appears in other anime: Noragami and In/Spectre.

So, the shrine's previous deity was Hirume, and the kanji writing is sun(female form). In contrast, another kanji writing of Hiruko is also sun(male form). The underground surgery room also implies light vs shadow. In the novel Hakkenden, shadow is the opposite of light. So, sun light and shadow are used as Japanese dualism.

[Cosmic Eagle]

Originally Posted by Kanon

I found out today there's a one-shot sequel/spin-off featuring Haine and Hizuru as the protagonists. Summertime Rendering 2026. Will read it when I have time, would be nice if they could make it into an OVA.

Manga? How did I not notice this....

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by Cosmic Eagle

Manga? How did I not notice this....

Apparently it came out around the time the anime started. I read it, it's very good. It's a must read for fans of Hizuru.

[Mad Pierrot]

This one caught me by surprise due to the sudden violence in the first episode's last minute. Reminded of how scary was Hei in the second season of Darker than Black despite appearing in the first episode for less than 2 minutes. I liked the story but like with Resident Evil I also felt that the story was better when it was more horror focused and action. The reference to Final Fantasy VII really feels like the author likes that game considering the villain and his past are quite similar to Sephiroth and the alien mother Jenova. Even a death reminded of Aerith.

[stray]

Oh shit its finally up on Hulu and Disney + globally. Maybe they were waiting for the BD revisions? Who knows.

[SeijiSensei]

I see no evidence this is appearing on US Disney+. A name search brings up nothing.

There's really no place to put shows like this on the Disney+ service. Most of it consists of its major franchises like Marvel and Star Wars. There is no "anime" category that I can find.

Some people have responded to my comments on Twitter that this reflects Bob Eger's decision to limit the Disney+ service to at worst PG-13. I would think Summertime Render falls clearly in that category. Shows like Andor push the envelope a bit, but not very far.

[MCAL]

Originally Posted by SeijiSensei

I see no evidence this is appearing on US Disney+. A name search brings up nothing.

Hulu is where it seems Disney has been putting all its anime so far on in regards to the US at least.