Characters are an essential component of any story. The audience experiences everything the story has to offer through the characters’ struggles, growth and their emotional journey. And Summer Time Rendering has some of the most well-written characters. I had a great time while watching these people through the show, and I can’t help but write about them.
These characters are not only well-developed, but they also behave believably. Well, as believable as this supernatural world can get. After all, the anime forces the characters to experience or at least witness their own deaths over and over again. But the characters’ uniqueness and the excellent writing helps us suspend our disbelief and relate with their experiences.
10. Tokiko Hishigata
There is a lot about Tokiko that we don’t know, and perhaps the mystery of it is what draws us to her. She appears to be a very harmless girl with a friendly smile and eyes that are almost always closed. These are features that usually convey a feeling of ease and a laid-back personality.
The truth couldn’t lie any further. Behind her gentle demeanor is a determined individual carrying a heavy burden. She’s a cultist who has been secretly serving the Mother of Shadows for a long time. While she believed that she was doing all that for a good cause, she is well aware that her hands are dirty.
But the gentle and caring Tokiko we first meet is not a facade. When she realizes what Hiruko’s true plan is, she switches sides despite knowing that it was essentially suicide. She pulls her weight too in the fights. We see her observing and noticing the people around her so she can take care of them. One example is when she was the first to notice that Shin had been awake through the loops and needed to get some sleep.
9. Ryunosuke Minakata
Ryunosuke is a pretty chill guy. We always get that vibe from him. But with all the stress of fighting and dying over and over, we don’t get to meet that side of him until the final battle. It makes his premature death and circumstance throughout the show all the more depressing.
Ryu has the curse of being trapped as a ghost-of-a-sort in his sister’s body. On the flip side, he has the strength of a shadow and can put up a formidable fight against the shadows. In fact, he’s one of the earliest ‘fighters’ on the side of the good guys.
While none of us can relate to being a ghost, we all want to protect those we care about. His warm and friendly personality is almost a contrast to his immense strength and his sister’s personality. Ryu’s just a lovable kid, and it’s nice to get a glimpse of him in the good ending.
8. Sou Hishigata
Sou’s most notable trait is his sincerity. Unlike his sister, he doesn’t even seem to have the capacity to hide a secret and dirty his hands. In fact, that’s the reason why his father didn’t entrusted their family work to him.
In a way, he’s a lot like many other Shonen protagonists. He’s genuine, passionate and relentless. He’s one of the first people to support Shin, despite knowing what they were up against. Part of the reason might have been to protect the endangered Mio, but that only shows how far he is willing to go for the person he loves.
Speaking of love and relentlessness, this guy has apparently been asking Mio out for a while. Even though she’s not interested and he’s taken multiple rejections, he just keeps going. While that’s not something I’d recommend, I have to hand it to him for being persistent.
7. Mio Kofuku’s Shadow
In some ways, Mio’s Shadow is just a tool for creating suspense and providing exposition. When the show starts, she’s the shadow that kills Shin over and over again. The show sets her up as the poster-child of antagonists. Until Ushio reprograms her.
In some ways, she’s the opposite of Mio. She’s cold, much more direct and can be abrasive to her original. But she is also Mio, and we see that one of her motivations is to force the real Mio to express her suppressed desires. And because of their interactions, we get to see sides of Mio that we didn’t know of.
Let’s not forget her role as a fighter. She’s a formidable foe and a game-changing ally. Her calm and strategic approach contrasts with Ushio’s hotheaded nature, giving the team balance. We all can agree that without her, our favorite characters would have long since been dead.
6. Hiruko
Hiruko, the goddess of the island, the Mother of Shadows. Since her first reveal in episode 5, we’ve been wondering who she is and how she fits into the picture. And the show takes its sweet time revealing her backstory while throwing in some surprises.
Hers is a lonely and confusing existence. I’m going with Hizuru’s theory of her arriving from outer space and then transforming into a creature. After being adrift and alone for so long, she found companionship in Shide. Underneath all that murderous and evil grime, she’s like a little girl who wants to return home and live forever with her family.
While you might argue that she gets a lot of that from Haine, her desire is unchanged no matter which personality she adopts. When she is defeated at the end, betrayed and alone, all she wanted was to have her suffering ended. And while I can’t argue that she is evil, her merciful end felt very fitting.
5. Nezu Ginjirou
There’s many ways to go about when writing old characters. Sometimes they’re written as adorable, sometimes mean, or other times as stern mentors. Nezu manages to be all of the above. While he does seem strange and intimidating, he’s nothing but protective of the kids.
We see more layers to him as the story progresses. Despite his mistrust of shadows, he is open to Ushio and then Mio's Shadow as they prove to be trustworthy. His advice comes from age and experience, often proving invaluable to the team. One noteworthy example of this is when he comments that prey doesn’t always behave as the hunter expects, and he is proven right moments later.
And let’s not forget his integrity and realism. This man could have had his wife’s shadow reprogrammed to become his companion. But he recognizes that unlike the good ones, this one killed his wife. That would be a betrayal to the memory of his wife, and it’s respectable that he sticks to it.
4. Shidehiko Hishigata
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t like this guy. He is undeniably creepy. Let’s not forget his secret to youth and immortality. Or the way he steps all over Hiruko once she becomes useless. But his writing is interesting, and that’s what we’re taking a close look at.
He makes a remarkable entrance, with his four-armed form and strange way of talking. The way he relates things in video game terms is almost comical. Or would be if he wasn’t so terrifying. Throughout the entire show, he is a pain in the neck, always managing to outmatch the good guys in strength and intelligence.
The best perspective to understand Shide would be to consider what the power of a god does to a mere mortal. His entire world-view changed, and likely did not consider himself bound by the laws of society. Whether he was sick to begin with or was corrupted by power, we’ll never know. But it opens up interesting avenues of philosophical thought.
3. Hizuru Minakata
Hizuru is one of the first characters we meet, although the introduction isn’t pleasant. While her initial portrayal appears cold, we know soon enough that she’s one of the good guys. More importantly, the show never pretends that she’s an emotionless robot, or is just suppressing it. She genuinely cares, and it shows.
She could have ignored that voice message, but she came back to Hitogashima to save everyone. And let’s not forget that as a child, she befriended that strange ghostly kid in the abandoned hospital. Even though that ended in a disaster, she couldn’t have known how that would have turned out.
Even though her main process seems to be intuitive, it is rooted in rationality and systematic approaches. This practicality is evident when she explains to Shin her true reason for not wanting Ryu to fight. It puts too much strain on her body. We also see glimpses of her more chill side at the ending, when the imminent threat is lifted.
2. Ushio Kofuku
Everyone loves Ushio, and it’s easy to see why. She’s a free-spirited, compassionate soul. She’s loud and impulsive and sometimes lacking tack, but everything about her is heartfelt. It's easy to understand why Shin fell in love with her.
Unlike Mio and her shadow, the two Ushios are identical so I’m not making any distinction. Where Sou is similar to Shonen protagonists, Ushio is one. Even with the threats of the shadows, she puts her own life at risk to try and save Shiori’s. She even trusts her own shadow, taking a risk and putting her faith on the doppelganger.
While Ushio can be quick to act, she’s definitely not stupid. In fact, her signature quick thinking and action gets the group out of many tight spots. One example is when she decapitates Shin when Shide captures him. Even at the darkest moment of the show, she makes us smile. And that is why we love her.
1. Shinpei Ajiro
At the top of the list is the protagonist of the show, Shin himself. One of his most noticeable characteristics is detachment, which he frequently confuses with objectivity. He calmly observes his surroundings, emerging patterns, and acts with a plan. But the downside is that he uses it to suppress his emotions, fooling himself. But his insight reaches inwards too, as we see him recognize this very flaw.
That is just one example of his character's balanced nature and growth. Despite his attempts at detachment,we see many instances of emotional outbursts on his part. He admits his own feelings for Ushio, and his immaturity at handling their goodbye. It’s this self-awareness that helps them reconnect in the end.
We also see his weaknesses many times. The most notable example is when his empathy and curiosity gives Shide a window to kill Ushio. Another is when he sees Hizuru dying and tries to reset the loop, despite knowing that it would change nothing. These emotional outbursts may be unreasonable, but they make him human and believable. And his willingness to learn from his mistakes make his character arc so enjoyable.
