If you’re looking for a manga that packs a punch and leaves you questioning your grip on reality, Summertime Rendering is a chilling summer read that will take you on a wild ride of mystery, horror, and a sprinkle of time-warping madness!

Meet our MMC, Shinpei, who’s just trying to navigate the heartbreak of losing his childhood friend Ushio. Returning to the quaint, slightly eerie island of Hitogashima for her funeral seems simple enough, right? Wrong! It turns out that this isn’t just a run-of-the-mill homecoming; it’s the start of a bizarre summer full of twists, turns, and a hefty dose of supernatural horror. Who needs summer vacation when you can have an existential crisis?

From the moment Shinpei sets foot on the island, the atmosphere drips with suspense. The art is beautifully haunting, perfectly capturing the quaint charm of island life and the lurking shadows that hint at the horrors to come. Tanaka’s storytelling is a masterclass in building tension; one moment you’re admiring the waves, and the next, you’re racing to uncover dark secrets that shroud the island. Who knew a funeral could lead to such a whirlwind of time-twisting escapades?

The cast of characters is equally compelling. Each person Shinpei encounters is wrapped in layers of mystery, making you question who can be trusted. Is it the childhood friend who seems a little too eager to help? Or the townsfolk who all have their own secrets? Every interaction feels like a puzzle piece falling into place, and trust me, you’ll want to piece it all together!

As Shinpei unravels the enigma of Ushio’s death, readers are treated to a narrative that flips the script on life and death.

Summertime Rendering Volume 1 is a must-read for fans of psychological thrillers and supernatural mysteries. With a compelling plot, stunning art, and a mix of horror and nostalgia, Yasuki Tanaka has crafted a story that keeps you guessing at every turn.

Summertime Rendering Volume 1 is the first two volumes of the SUMMER TIME RENDER series by Yasuki Tanaka. Despite the cover and the early chapter stereotypical panty shots and "I woke up in her boobs!" tropes (which as someone who's read manga/watched anime a time long enough to get a drivers' license, register to vote, and drink I am SO TIRED of especially somewhere like here where there's no need??) it does fortunately develop into a creepy time loop horror mystery story.

There's a story about people being replaced by their shadows.... but what if it's true? And what if it's happening in this small, semi-isolated island?

Volume 1 ends on a good cliffhanger to lead into volume 2 and I'm interested to read the rest of the story!

The art is good and the characters are really expressive, especially as it gets deeper into the horror of it all, and I appreciated the author notes/memos in the back about while this island isn't real, it's sort of based off of a few things (and where they are -- but shout out to Wakayama Prefecture! Underappreciated) and how and why... love that.

Unfortunately the title expired less than two days after my ARC request was approved so I had to grab this volume from the library as I definitely had not downloaded it quick enough! That's on me. But I appreciate publishers throwing older titles up onto NetGalley sometimes to give us the opportunity to read something we may not have been so aware of, or have not gotten around to reading yet. (So thank you to NetGalley and Udon for the eARC!)

Onto volume 2!

Thank you Udon Entertainment and NetGalley for providing me with this arc in exchange for my honest review.

This was an interesting manga but a little hard to get through and a bit confusing at times. A thriller/horror mystery I enjoyed reading.

Shinpei is back home for the funeral of his best friend Ushino who supposedly died saving someone. Dark folklore gets involved when Shinpei tries to investigate her death. When he’s in the wrong place at the wrong time, he dies but time gets turned back every time he does while his investigation progresses.

I’m curious about how this story will continue in the next volume.

I could only view the first few pages, so I can’t give an informed review. But based on those pages, I’m interested in reading more.

This manga was full of suspense and mystery. The concept of this manga was interesting, and I enjoyed that, but the plot was messy. I am hoping to see good development in the next volume.

This was probably the weirdest manga I've ever read. The cover art seems like it could be very misleading if one goes into the stiry based on the cover without reading the synopsis. The time jumpy deja vu was a bit confusing. The scenes of Ushio in the casket was off putting as thats a phobia of mine This one just didn't work for me. I am curious to watch the anime to see the story in full motion though.

Thank you Netgalley, Udon Entertainment, and Yasuki Tanaka for the eARC

Summer Time Rendering 
-mystery, horror
-completed 

From just the cover, you would not expect this series to be along the lines of a horror/thriller genre. Throughout volume one, there are several twists and mysteries keeping you wondering who is human and who is a “shadow”. I will be honest, at the end, I was a bit shocked (won't say since it would be a spoiler). I look forward to seeing the mysteries unravel- including the reason why Shinpei experiences a time loop. 

Shinpei goes back to his home island for the funeral of Ushino. Soon he discovers some shocking news that Ushino might not have drowned saving a young girl. It does not stop there, the group of them believe it is the “Shadows” told in the folklore of the island. Shinpei did not spend much time on the island before discovering that he keeps going back to July 22 when he dies. Each time he goes back, Shinpei attempts to change the future and grant Ushino’s wish to save Mio- her sister.However, in the process, he discovers the “Shadows” have a plan in the works.

Unfortunately I was not able to properly read this ARC as the file only had the first few pages and the rest were blank. However, I really liked this anime and am very excited to read this. I will be looking forward to reading the complete volume!

Unfortunately, I was not able to read this through NetGalley. The first few pages were available, but after that every page was blank. The pages that were available were also very blurry, so I think there was just a formatting issue. I’m bummed since I was really excited to read this. But I will definitely read it elsewhere once it’s released since I’m still very interested in this story.

I was not expecting the type of story this was, though it was very good. You have our main character who is coming back to his hometown for a not so good reason. His best friend has died. Though things are not what this seems as they investigate her death and a local lore they find themself in the wrong place at the wrong time and get killed. Though our main character gets his time turned back and gets to relive the day over again. As he does this several times more and more things start to click in place.

The concept was good, but I wasn't able to connect with the story. The art was good enough, this particular format was difficult to read (maybe that affected my reading experience) because it was so pixelated. I'll be checking the second volume tho!

Thanks to Netgalley and the Publisher for approving this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

For this and volume two on the Netgalley Shelf app, you can only see the first few pages, so I had to read it via Adobe Digital Editions which worked okay! The pages in this were slightly pixelated but clear enough to read.

There were a few minor issues with slang used in the translation, for example, saying jes' instead of jus' I'm pretty sure as a shortened version of the word "just".

The art style was great throughout, but there was a little too much fan-service for my liking, I felt some was unnecessary.

Overall, it is an interesting story, and I will be checking out the second volume!

So for some reason I couldn’t read it. Like I got the first 4 pages and then the rest of the book was blank /: thank you for the ARC anyway!