This anime has a well-crafted story from beginning to end, interesting mysteries, thrilling battles based on logic, tactics, and strategies; and likable characters.

It is not perfect though, the story is an amalgamation of popular classic movies, which if I were going to mention the name I will be giving you spoilers, so I won't. But still, it's a good iteration of those stories and the plot combines the elements in creative and innovative ways. 

The other issue is the dumb & bubbly personality of one of the main protagonists, which is fun to watch but also comes off as a generic trope, followed by the brother/sister complex that is so prevalent in animes.

There are also some plot conveniences taken towards the end, but overall, it's one of the best animes I have seen in recent years, since Covid.

"Summer Time Rendering is definitely one of the hits of this season's anime. It won't win any awards but the story is intriguing and will keep your attention through. The premise itself is enticing. Comparing it to the manga, this adaptation is a one to one. The story does have a few holes, but it makes enough sense and will keep you watching. The characters, while intriguing and have interesting character designs, aren't exceptional. The main selling point is the production and it is very polished. You would be hard pressed to find any other seasonal anime with far better production. Overall, highly recommend if you're into the mystery genre.

7.8/10 (Good) 5 is average on this rating scale." -closetneet

The dub is good.

A perfect example of what anime as a medium does best; visual storytelling that is capable of manifesting the imagination into our reality. In this case, creating a dreamlike world (or perhaps recreating the mystic memories of a distant past). And does this, through the use of different art styles, colors & contrast, that help convey the emotions that the story is telling at each point of time.

The story is simple but very good, it may be a little hard to understand if you don't pay attention to the details (in which case I rather recommend you watch this a second time). There is a lot of mysticism, I have no idea if this is based on Japanese or Chinese folklore that may make it easier to understand what's going on, but you can definitely figure out how this world works by observing carefully and the mysteries keep the story interesting.

The characters are very likable, and most of the story is about learning about them and the world they live in.

The music and sound are excellent too, there is little dialog and the most important parts of the story are conveyed visually.

Overall, if you enjoy fantasies, mysteries, and/or slice of life with a sense of danger; then this is for you. If none of those genres interest you, then you may still want to give it a try just for the visuals alone.

This is the full-length version of the 2019 Short OVA of the same name, which served as a promo short to fund this project. If you want to watch both I recommend you leave the 2019 Short to the end, in order to understand it better.

This anime deserves a Dub!

Despite being a typical 'Coming of Age' story, the way is presented is quite unique, think of the originality of FLCL, with its own unique vampire twist, and the execution is just flawless. The anime really captures the fun & beauty of hanging out at night, you know, when you are all alone while the city sleeps and you feel it belongs only to you and your friends. 

I'm not fond of episodic animes, but I didn't mind this one at all, each episode serves to introduce you to different aspects of the night. And it's a laid-back show, the one you want to take your time to flavor each episode on its own. 

'the night is depicted as beautiful and captivating. It hits several feelings one would have about the night. Imagine being alone at night maybe at a gas station or perhaps in the middle of the road no cars coming. You have that little space all to yourself, a sanctuary. It is breathtakingly intoxicating.' -AustinDR

'absolutely awesome atmosphere threw the entire anime the retro/synth wave lighting in some scene are supper good lookin the soundtrack is a banger along with the opening and outro the voice acting is some of my favorite from any recent anime [sub]

overall a really chill romance comedy with fun characters and sometimes some more serious topics its honestly my favorite romance in a while definitely a watch' -Shotoxx

The dub is great!

I was not really expecting much of this anime, and although I'm not a fan of idol shows, nor do I care much about the music (It's just not my genre of music, I prefer rock!), but what entices me, in the end, was how the story shows examples on how to apply proven old strategies & tactics of war to your own personal goals, even if that is acquiring fans for your music career!

This is done marvelously, with each episode showing you a new strategy/tactic that was previously used in a historical event from the time of The Three Kingdoms in Ancient China.

Despite the ridiculous premise, being full of cliches, and having a generic idol story, the execution of the show is flawless, and the addition of the strategies/tactics gives enough of a push to raise the show above average.

'From the beginning this show takes an interesting premise and rolls with it, but never turns it into a hardcore gimic or goes for jokes in reference to that premise at the cost of what the show is at it's core. One thing in particular I loved about this show was that at no point did it feel like the 'masterful tactician Kongming' was the CAUSE of the success of these people he supports, but rather the ENABLER of their success. His plans and strategies never take away the feeling of acomplishment and growth, they simply provide the catylist for those to be shown.

Overall, it's a fun show with good quality and interesting enough characters. They don't ever feel the need to dump bucketloads of emotional backstory or tough times to get you to care for the characters, they just tell a good and honest story from beginning to end.' -Glasletter

'The concept of the series is pretty unique and could have been explored a bit more, it's kind of a shame Kongming completely adapted to modern era Japan by the end of the first chapter, there could have been more funny shenanigans related to that, but that's just my opinion.

Nevertheless it still has a lot of funny moments, and the cast of characters is pretty good and well balanced, even though there's a bunch of really convenient moments everywhere, like the owner casually being a romance of the three kingdoms fan and a lot of other deus ex machina convenient stuff all around.' -Heirou

The dub was very good.

The latest movie from Science SARU, plagued with their usual crazy antics & iconic animation style bursting with imagination.

Is perhaps an unofficial sequel to The Heike Story, and is created by the same author and directed by Masaaki Yuasa. Although is not necessary to watch The Heike, it will definitely help you understand everything better. Or at least, to know about the historical Heike, as it's set sometime shortly after those events. For me at least, The Heike Story was average, so it will be up to you if you want to give it a try or not.

Both The Heike & this movie are historical tragedies that have been revamped with the imagination of their creators in a style similar to Alice in Wonderland with some comedy. But it's here where I also find some of the problems with the story, as it attempts to tell a horrible and serious story in a light comedic way, something that I have only seen succeed in Life Is Beautiful. This was a good attempt until the end, which leaves you with a bad taste, while their attempts to fix that are clumsy at best.

The story is what usually Science SARU always gets wrong, this is at least one of their better ones, at least until that end. I wish they use their talents in good stories that are more within their style. In the meantime, you should give this one a try.

The dub is good.

This is a good assassins type of tale with a twist of romantic comedy and the blend of genres turn out to be much better than what I was expecting thanks to the chemistry of the characters, but still not perfect. My major criticism will be the ridiculous and unrealistic naivete of the female protagonist. Still, is a lot better than most of the anime shows of this year (but that may be due to the lower level of quality in the anime industry overall in the past years).

The dub is good.

The main thing about this anime is the setting. Would you like to jump tremendous heights to fall into bubbles that bounce you back in the air? If you answer yes, then you may give this a try. The story is generic, the characters are bland; this is just about the setting and the animation, and it really doesn't have any more value.

The dub is ok.