The following contains major spoilers for Summertime Rendering Episode 5, "Vortex," now streaming on Disney+ (Japan).
Summertime Rendering's fifth episode, titled "Vortex," defines the best horrifying mystery show of this spring season. As the story continues, Shinpei Ajiro and the entire island are engulfed in a vortex of darkness and despair. The entire episode is filled with new characters, more questions to be answered and an unmerciful dark massacre scenario that leaves the audience just as shocked, confused and frustrated as Shinpei is.
Following the previous episode of Summertime Rendering, just after the shadows revealed themselves amid the summer festival, Shinpei is miraculously saved by the unknown agent-looking character. She surprisingly introduces herself as Nagumo Ryuunosuke -- the same name as the author of the Swamp Man story that Shinpei described at the beginning of the series. Unfortunately, their meeting is brief, as they're caught in the midst of this hellish murder nightmare. Just what is going on in this episode?
Nagumo Ryuunosuke and Narezushi?
Nagumo introduces herself just after saving Shinpei. She shares the same name as the author of the book previously mentioned, Swamp Man, and has been looking for Shinpei in order to save him this entire time. She's possibly inspired by Sarah Connor in The Terminator. Nagumo is curiously interested in "narezushi," as she has never eaten it before. Narezushi is what sushi looked like before modern-day sushi rolls and sashimi were created in Japanese cuisine. Described as the "original sushi," it's created with fermented fish, and the recipe dates back thousands of years ago, originally from China.
Nagumo looks to be very experienced with fighting the Shadows. She's able to combat them with confidence and without a sliver of hesitation. She explains to Shinpei the nature of Shadows and how to defeat them. Nagumo also appears to have power related to time or foresight, as she's seen being able to dodge Shadow Mio's attack, and almost dodged shotgun fire from the Shadow version of her later after experiencing what seemed like a vision. However, it seems that Nagumo doesn't know much about the events of the episode aside from knowing the name of the ominous floating, Haine -- also called "Mother" by the Shadows.
Nagumo Sheds Light On The Shadows
Nagumo Ryunosuke sheds light on the nature of the mysterious Shadows. The true form of Shadows in Summertime Rendering is the flat shadow on the ground. The copied portion of a Shadow is flesh-shaped, just like a human being. Nagumo explains that you can tell humans and Shadows apart because they hate when their shadows are stepped on. If you try to step on their shadow cast on the ground, the Shadow will try to move away.
According to her sister's hypothesis, Shadows scan humans with light to absorb their information. Human data is food for the Shadows. When Shadows feed, they completely consume whatever they absorb. This means that every time the Shadows make something disappear, such as Shinpei's phone, they're absorbing it as food.
She explains that due to various circumstances, both she and Shinpei are being targeted by the Shadows. These circumstances are most likely their unique abilities. Shinpei is able to go back in time to a certain save point, while Nagumo appears able to use foresight or have visions just before her death.
The Staircase To Heaven... or Hell
After Nagumo's much-needed details of the Shadows, Shinpei asks for her help and runs to save his friends. He reunites with Toki at the top of the summit and steps onto a pool of blood. Toki suddenly bursts into tears and exclaims that she's sorry; this isn't why she dirtied her hands. This seems very out of character for her -- perhaps she's had a hand in helping the Shadows achieve their goal. The nightmare begins as Toki takes a fatal piercing stab wound to the back of the head from the gigantic four-armed Shadow behind her.
The Meaning Behind "The Hour of Nine Approaches!"
"The hour of nine approaches, the festival is over, now I shall close the curtain on the final day," the horrifying four-armed Shadow says. The hour of nine resembles Christianity's hour of prayer and the ninth hour in The Bible. The ninth hour is when Jesus Christ died, and the story describes that the entire land was covered in darkness when the sun's light failed. Jesus waited for God until the ninth hour on the cross. He despaired, as it didn't seem that God would appear for him. However, suddenly, the curtains of the temple of prayer split in two, symbolizing God opening the heavens and accepting heaven.
This entire episode also takes place in front of a temple. When the four-armed Shadow says, "Now I shall draw the curtains on this final day," it represents him being God opening the world to Haine, who appears from the sky as if from Heaven. Nagumo also asks the Shadow if he's the "Parent" later on, strengthening this connection. It could also represent him being Jesus or the centurions around that time, sacrificing Jesus to summon God, which Haine could represent. The number nine also holds significance in Japanese and Chinese culture. It's an unlucky number in Japan because it means suffering, which is what this episode of Summertime Rendering appears to be about.
Sou's Heroic Death
Shinpei's nightmare continues as he witnesses Sou being murdered with an ax to the head by Sou's own self copied by a Shadow. The Shadow of Sou appears to be genuinely angry at Mio for not reciprocating Sou's love for Mio. This could be an example of Shadows being Carl Jung's definition of the Shadow. When Shadows copy a person, perhaps they become the dark personality of that person.
Shinpei Fails To Save Mio
The huge shadow grabs Shinpei and tells him that his eye belongs to Mother and that it can control time. Shinpei and this powerful larger Shadow have an interesting isekai and time-looping genre talk. Ushio is taken away, confirmed as being a Shadow by Shadow Shinpei due to her arm recovering unnaturally fast. Meanwhile, Shinpei desperately crawls to Mio, attempting to protect her. However, the suffering of this night seems never-ending and he's unable to reach her in time, as Mio becomes absorbed by the huge shadow engulfing the summit grounds.
Haine Appears and the Island Is Engulfed in Shadow
The four-armed Shadow then has all the bodies around the area absorbed, and a mysterious being named Haine appears from the sky. Haine means "hate" in French, but it also has many meanings in Japanese, such as "sound" or "ash." All the residents on the island see Haine in the sky with her red aura, and viewers see the old man with the shotgun again, along with a doctor who seems to have a connection to a Shadow on a wheelchair.
Shinpei's Time Looping Has Limits
After witnessing this horrible event and possibly the end of times, Shinpei asks Nagumo to kill him to send him back in time. He's resolute in fixing all of this and saving everyone. Nagumo tells him to give his name when he sees her again, then kills him with a shotgun blast to the head. On his way back to July 22nd, Shinpei is told by Ushio that there is a limit to his ability. Shinpei learns that every time he returns, time moves forward. He must be cautious about his actions from now on, as there is no changing earlier events that happen. Before the curtains close on this episode, audiences see that Ushio was sent back to July 22nd as well, her eyes overflowing with tears.