I've heard many excellent things about Summer Time Rendering and decided to finally take the plunge. Having no concrete idea of what this show is really all about, I wasn't sure what to expect from its opening episode. But it certainly wasn't this.
'Goodbye, Summer Days' starts with an odd scene at the very beginning that may or may not prove indicative of the entire show. It certainly is enigmatic enough to count as the first -- and certainly not the last -- mystery that pops up within this one episode.
What follows afterwards seems slice of life: a young man returning home for the funeral of his childhood friend, reconnecting with his friends and family. There are uncountable novels and series and movies with a similar premise, typically with a heavy undertone of nostalgia, perhaps some developing romance. I prepared myself for a philosphical and emotional series. But then, the story shifts gears towards a murder mystery, and then it switches genres again, and -- at the very end -- once more.
I'm left with no idea of what's going on but the certainty that I need to find out. I'm not sure if I've ever seen an opening episode as compelling as this one; nothing comes to mind. And I'm not even talking about anime. If the rest of the series holds up what the opening promises, I wouldn't be surprised by this being adapted as a Hollywood script (though most likely in a horribly americanised version).
Besides the fantastic storyboard, the production value is also fantastic. The visuals are crisp, the soundtrack subtle until it isn't, the direction odd but not unpleasently so.
Even if the rest of series disappointed, this one episode would be one of the best things I've watched in quite a while. I have high hopes for the rest of the show!