In Summer Time Render Episode 9, we revisit the situation which led to Ushio’s death and Ushio’s shadow forgetting everything about the incident. Things get really hairy out here, so let’s get right into the review.
Summer Time Render Episode 9 Overview
Summer Time Render is the latest anime by the Anime Studio OLM, previously known for producing critically and commercially acclaimed anime like Komi Can’t Communicate and Odd Taxi. Ayumu Watanabe directs the series, a director whose career so far has been intrinsically linked with OLM, having previously directed Komi Can’t Communicate and Space Brothers for the studio. The anime is based on a manga written by Yasunori Tanaka.
The series is also referred to as Summertime Rendering or Summertime Render, making this episode’s name also be Summertime Rendering Episode 9 and Summertime Render Episode 9. You can read our review of the previous episode of this show right here!
– Summer Time Rendering Episode 9 Review does not contain spoilers –
Summer Time Render Episode 9 Review- Memories
There have been nine episodes of the series, and it feels like we have travelled several light-years from when we started already. However far we travel, the destination looks even further away each time. New things are uncovered, and new secrets are revealed at a frightening pace in this show, giving it a manic tone that contrasts sharply with the island summer aesthetic that usually engulfs it. The surroundings greatly enhance this show’s experience, and the animation and music have to be thanked for that.
Read More- Trapped In A Dating Sim Episode 11 Review: I Love You
However, this episode was all about the sheer horror this concept has been building towards for this entire time. We might look over it from time to time because of the other, slightly more horrible things happening on the island, but this all started when someone died saving a little girl from drowning. Not only that, but that little girl was almost certainly a monster by that point who killed not just the original little girl, but her entire family ruthlessly. Murder, in general, has been a common theme of the show.
Thus, when Summer Time Render Episode 9 took us back to remind us of the human cost of this entire tragedy, it helped put our minds straight and clarify what the true objective of this show is supposed to be. Time travel and looping come second to the shadows, literally murdering everyone they can find. This was an essential episode for the show’s lore and will be one that’s referenced as we move much further in the show’s 24-episode runtime.
Read More- Spy x Family Episode 10 Review: The Great Dodgeball Massacre
This one was also more about the characters than any episode before this one, save for the Hizuru-Nagumo episode. The character being explored this time was Ushio, and it was a perfect outing for a character such as her. We needed a reason to miss her in the show, having only seen her as either dead or a shadow, and this gave us one. She has a very fun personality and is perhaps the only one in the show that would have the reaction to meeting her shadow that she did. This episode gave her a lot to do and showcased what actually happened before she was brutally murdered.
And brutal it most certainly was. The show has never been an easy watch that you can just put on to have a good time, and there was always a sense of danger involved, but no episode before this one had involved violence and threats of this level. Seeing Ushio die the way she did was a mortifying experience in many ways and demonstrated the level of threat that our protagonists had to overcome to achieve their goals. The path to ridding the world of shadows isn’t going to be as easy as they once thought, despite how much confidence they have in their abilities.
Verdict
Summer Time Render Episode 9 was a heartwrenching episode that showcased the true capabilities of the show’s villains, alongside showing us what we are fighting for. It was a fantastic watch, as has been the entire series so far.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!