“Summer Time Rendering” is a suspense-mystery story set on a remote island in Wakayama.
It was originally serialized by Yasunori Tanaka on the web manga service “Shonen Jump+”, and it became a big hit when it was adapted into an anime in 2022.
The main character is a boy named Shinpei Ajiro, who used to live on Hitogashima, a remote island in Wakayama, when he was little.
But after moving to Tokyo, he didn’t come back to the island much.
The story begins when Shinpei returns to the island after several years, having heard that his childhood friend Ushio Kofune died in an accident.
First off, there are some suspicious points about Ushio’s death, and Shinpei starts to wonder, “Was it really an accident?”
Then, he gets caught up in various strange phenomena happening on the island.
One of these is the mysterious existence called “shadows”.
These “shadows” look exactly like the island’s people, but if someone is taken by a shadow, the real person dies.
In other words, as the shadows increase, more and more islanders become victims.
Surprisingly, Shinpei has a strange ability called “time leap”.
This is the ability to go back in time and redo things, but at first, he doesn’t even realize he has this power.
As he repeats Ushio’s death over and over, he realizes he has the power to time leap.
Shinpei uses this power to try to stop the tragedies happening on the island, but no matter how many times he tries, it doesn’t work out.
So, Shinpei has to face the big mystery of “How can I break out of this loop and save Ushio?”
One of the big charms of this work is the beautiful scenery of Wakayama and its nostalgic atmosphere.
For example, the island’s coastline and sunsets are depicted so realistically that you can feel, “Ah, this is the scenery of Wakayama.”
People who actually live in Wakayama or have visited might find even more relatable parts.
Also, there are scenes where the characters speak in Wakayama dialect, which makes the local feel even stronger.
For instance, there’s a scene where Ushio says to Shinpei, “It’s been so long, what’ve you been up to in Tokyo?” From there, their bond is gradually remembered, and even in such casual daily conversations, you can feel the Wakayama-ness.
The use of Wakayama dialect is done well, feeling natural and not forced.
Ushio’s energetic and bright personality comes across even more through the Wakayama dialect.
As the story progresses from the middle to the latter half, the battle with the shadows intensifies, and Shinpei’s cooperation with his friends deepens.
Mysterious characters like Hizuru Minamikata and Mio Kofune, Ushio’s younger sister, appear as important characters in the story, and they work together to solve the mysteries and fight against the shadows.
Especially, Hizuru is super smart and tries to uncover the true nature of the shadows using scientific knowledge. Her calm character complements Shinpei’s emotional side, making them a good combo.
And Mio throws herself into the battle with the shadows out of a strong desire to save her sister Ushio, and her brave figure makes you really want to cheer for her.
Another charm of this work is that because of the time leap element, Shinpei gradually grows as he repeats the same time over and over.
At first, he was just an ordinary boy caught up in the incidents, but through repeated failures and losses of his friends, his strong desire to somehow save everyone makes him grow more and more.
At the same time, Shinpei himself has to face big mysteries like “Why do I have the ability to time leap?” and “What is the hidden secret of this island?”
As the story progresses, the past of the island, the true nature of the shadows, and the mystery of the time leap power are gradually revealed, which is really exciting.
While this work has strong elements of suspense and mystery, friendship and family love are also big themes.
Of course, there’s Shinpei’s strong desire to save Ushio, but the bonds with his island friends are also carefully depicted, so it’s not just battles and puzzle-solving, there are also many touching scenes.
Finally, because “Summer Time Rendering” is set in Wakayama, it’s packed with charms unique to that place.
You can enjoy a thrilling story while feeling the Wakayama dialect, beautiful nature, and local culture, so definitely give it a read!
(Note.)
This text was something I asked an AI, but the AI’s answers aren’t always necessarily correct, so please make sure to verify important information!
Thank you!
