Being A Disney+ Exclusive Ruined This Anime’s Popularity

WARNING: The following article contains minor spoilers for Summer Time Rendering.

Having anime exclusive to a streaming service can make or break its popularity. When it comes to streaming platforms like Netflix, anime tends to do very well; anime like Dandadan, Beastars, and Dorohedoro are only a small fraction of the Netflix exclusives that exploded in popularity due to their accessibility and quality content. History has shown, however, that anime chained behind the bars of exclusivity on a streaming service tend to falter in obscurity. This, unfortunately, is the case for the supernatural crime drama Summer Time Rendering.

Despite inspiring a manga spin-off, live-action adaptation, video game, and escape room in Japan, American audiences seem to have completely missed Summer Time Rendering despite it’s release during the peak of true crime content’s own popularity, which the anime shares similar themes with. So how did this gritty, beautifully animated anime get looked over? The culprit is its exclusivity to Disney+, a new platform at the time in Japan, who only had rights to stream Summer Time Rendering in a few select countries that did not include the US until a year after the show’s actual release. This article why anime fans should go back in time to watch the anime, before it is lost to obscurity.

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What Is Summer Time Rendering About?

Doctor Who Has Nothing On These Time Loops

Summer Time Rendering follows the story of Shinpei Ajiro, a protagonist who has returned to his hometown to attend the funeral of a childhood friend, Ushio. While the reported cause of death is drowning, Shinpei hears rumors of strange marks around her neck that indicate death by strangulation, rather than drowning. This leads him down a path of secrets, strange occurrences, and old folklore that may be more than myths Shinpei heard as a child. The plot launches forward into intricate space as Shinpei dies and is revived at the beginning of the day, trapping himself in a time loop that starts his day over each time he dies, similarly to Re;Zero, without the isekai slant.

“Shadows”, creatures that can disguise themselves as humans they’ve ‘scanned’ with their energy as well as download their memories to better mimic the person, are a large part of Summer Time Rendering‘s main instigator. They leave us wondering who are real people, who are merely Shadows, and what that means for the characters of the series. No character is safe from being mimicked by a Shadow, and the Shadow’s cold-hearted leader who is slowly gathering power to control the island Shinpei calls his childhood home.

So Why Should You Watch It?

This Time-Traveling Crime Drama Is Worth the 24-episode Run

Summer Time Rendering is by far one of the most unique crime dramas out there. Simply looking at the genre, you might think this is a fairly similar experience to Erased, another crime drama with time-bending elements. However, where that anime focuses more on the crime at hand, Summer Time Rendering focuses on time travel and sci-fi elements to drive the story’s main plotlines and craft a unique world built through the antagonists of the series. We get to see an intricately-crafted world fusing small-town folklore with aliens and battles creating a unique atmosphere you can’t find in much other anime.

Another selling point is the animation. Colorful, detailed, and reminiscent of the season it’s named after, Summer Time Rendering has a crisp and captivating style similar to Violet Evergarden that is maintained with high quality throughout the show’s run. The unique visuals only a supernatural time loop crime drama can bring add to this, giving you have a unique visual experience that keeps the slow parts from feeling slow, and helps flesh out the world the anime takes place in. Coupled with the imagery of the dreamy Japanese countryside in the background, Summer Time Rendering could be watched for the animation alone. But of course, there are plenty of other reasons to enjoy the show.

The story itself is truly good enough to watch more than once, but for a unique reason. Twists and turns are almost guaranteed in any time-travel media, but combined with the realistic crime drama, the initial premise creates a new depth to the surprises and directions the story takes us through. It is nearly impossible to predict what will happen next, with even the most unsuspected of plot twists having nuggets of foreshadowing intricately woven throughout the show that, upon rewatch, are glaringly obvious despite how much of a shock they were the first time watching.

Most anime don’t offer rewatch-ability as a feature; once you experience a plot, a great anime is typically relegated to nostalgia or comfort watches at most, but typically fondly remembered or recommended to other anime fans. Summer Time Rendering, however, provides a unique experience on the second watch that makes the show more enjoyable as a whole.

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Summer Time Rendering

Summer Time Rendering is an anime series based on Yasuki Tanaka’s manga. The story follows Shinpei Ajiro as he returns to his hometown for the funeral of a childhood friend, only to uncover mysterious and supernatural events. As Shinpei digs deeper, he realizes that the island and its inhabitants are caught in a perilous loop of time and fate. The show blends elements of suspense, horror, and science fiction.

Release Date

April 15, 2022

Seasons

1

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu

MyAnimeList Score

8.50