Ushio is back, and the humans have got one over the shadows in Summer Time Render Episode 22. Let’s see if they were able to maintain this advantage and convert it into a victory in this review!
Summer Time Render Episode 22 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 Summer time Rendering or Summertime Render, making this episode’s name also be Summer Time Rendering Episode 22 and Summertime Render Episode 22. You can read our review of the previous episode of this show right here!
– Summertime Rendering Episode 22 Review does not contain spoilers –
Summer Time Render Episode 22 Review- Confidence
This was one for the good guys. This episode emanated the same energy as the episode where Shinpei and the gang ambushed and almost killed Haine once and for all. This had the same amount of chaotic energy and cast rejuvenation as that one, and seeing how that particular episode is the best episode of the series so far, the latest one also came very close to the same level of quality, which is saying a lot for this show. It can be hard to repeatedly top yourself when you are as consistently good as this.
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The biggest news that came out from the last episode was the rebirth (rediscovery?) of Ushio. Now, something like that can absolutely cheapen a prior moment’s impact when that happens, but that was not the case here. There is a very simple reason as to why- this is an entire show about time loops and rebirths. People die and come back every other episode, and it wasn’t even like the show pulled the Ushio card out again willy-nilly. There was an entire buildup and hints towards doing that with the locket, and when it happened, it was one of the most exciting moments to happen in the show so far.
Speaking of loops and rebirths, the cleverest use of them so far happened in the show in this episode. For the first time, Shinpei had all the tools to get one over on Haine and Shide, and he did so in a way that surprised even the most ardent of his defenders. That guy is scary, a fact which has probably been brought about by him dying and taking his own life so many times. You need a special kind of courage for that and an even more special kind of insanity to have all this happen and still retain your humanity.
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The success of Shinpei’s plan in the previous episode was no fluke, as we got even deeper into the web that he had weaved in this episode. There is a method to his madness that can make someone as innocuous as him into an absolute killer. The presence of Ushio does nothing but empower him further, as she is overpowered in her own way, and they both perfectly complement each other. Come to think of it, the show is yet to tell us how Ushio got to be this way. I have full confidence in its ability to provide a satisfying answer, so it is just a question of when and not if.
Tokiko and Sou have been hugely underrated in the show for a while. Their family dynamic was a major part of the middle of the show and provided a lot of context into Haine as a character and somewhat of a justification for her actions. Since this is the near the end of the series, and Death Flags are being waved around as constantly as the French waved around white ones in the past, but they have made enough of an impact in the show to cause a lot of sadness if they die. That’s the sign of good character writing, which there is a lot of in this show.
Verdict
Summer Time Render Episode 22 was an outing that will quicken your heartbeat while still proving to be extremely satisfactory. The master plan is finally coming together, and the finale can’t be anything but legendary.
Click here to read the review of the next episode!