Based on Mokumokuren’s ongoing manga series of the same name, The Summer Hikaru Died is a new Netflix Original anime series out of Japan. This genre-bending title combines horror, slice-of-life, and slight LGBTQ+ elements to create this unique story that pulls viewers in with an overarching supernatural mystery and gives a whole new meaning to unconditional love. Chiaki Kobayashi and Shūichirō Umeda voice main characters Yoshiki and Hikaru, two best friends whose deep bond transcends life itself after Hikaru goes missing, only to return as a mysterious being possessing the teen boy’s face, voice, and memories. Even just the first episode seems to promise an engrossing and intense tale that pulls you in from the start regardless of whether you’re a scare streamer or horror hater.
Opening Shot: It’s a stormy, rainy night in January 2020 at a mountain of Nisayama. A dark-haired boy uses a flashlight as his sole guide while tearing his way through the wet, dark wooded area, only to trip and fall. Unseen people in the background call “Hikaru!” The boy gets up and keeps running through the woods, while other voices suggest giving up their search. Somewhere else in the woods, a boy with white hair sees an almost psychedelic vision before reaching forward and coming back to consciousness… or perhaps, back to life?
The Gist: We jump forward a few months in time to July 2020 in the rural Japanese village called Kubitachi. Cicadas chirp in the background as teen boys Yoshiki Tsujinaka (Chiaki Kobayashi) and Hikaru Indo (Shūichirō Umeda) enjoy the idyllic countryside summer day in the shade outside of a convenience store, but the boys’ conversation reveals the dark fact that Hikaru went missing on Nisayama for a week before he was miraculously found alive. Although half a year has passed, Hikaru still claims to have no memory of the entire incident.
Yoshiki and Hikaru are longtime best friends whose closeness seems to simmer with romantic undertones. While Yoshiki is often visibly exhausted and has a serious, introspective demeanor, Hikaru is carefree, bright, and quick to make a joke or pull a silly voice that will make even Yoshiki laugh. After all of their experiences together, Yoshiki knows Hikaru better than anyone, perhaps better than he even knows himself, and that’s why he can tell that the Hikaru he’s talking to isn’t his HIkaru. When Yoshiki finally puts his suspicion into words, “Hikaru” reveals himself to be an eldritch monster that happened upon a near-dead Hikaru on the mountain and somehow fused with the human boy, thereby taking Hikaru’s appearance, voice, and memories as his own.
Even so, this is “Hikaru’s” first time as a human, so all of his experiences still feel completely fresh, fun, and exciting. He begs Yoshiki not to blow his cover, not only because he enjoys this new life, but also because he doesn’t want to have to kill Yoshiki, whom he seems to love just as much as the real Hikaru did while alive. And Yoshiki, well, he’s torn and disgusted with himself, because as much as he’s heartbroken over the loss of his best friend and frightened by the unknown identity of this creature stealing that friend’s life, he also loves Hikaru too much and too selfishly to completely let him go. Although he struggles with the decision, Yoshiki ultimately decides to keep the being’s secret and proceed as if he really is Hikaru.
Unfortunately, the rest of the world isn’t quite so keen to proceed as usual. While most people seem to treat Hikaru like his old self, there are a few other folks (and even one very disgruntled cat) who notice something is up with him. One old woman sees Hikaru and bursts into tears as she frightfully calls, “Nonuki-sama’s come down from the mountain!”, much to the confusion of both Yoshiki and Hikaru. And despite Hikaru’s seeming desire to live a normal human life at Yoshiki’s side, there’s undoubtedly something sinister about him that just might pose a threat for the entire village of Kubitachi.
In the background of all this, a mysterious blonde, perpetually sunglasses-wearing man known only as Tanaka (Chikahiro Kobayashi) works for an unnamed centuries-old organization that seems to be built around smoking out and destroying supernatural entities. Despite his apparent irreverance, Tanaka seems capable, enough so that his work will likely put him on a collision course with Hikaru and whatever horrors his existence has wrought. Whatever happens to all of our central characters from here is anyone’s guess, but the pieces sure are set up enticingly enough to make you want to find out.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? Shows like Chainsaw Man and Uzumaki echo The Summer Hikaru Died‘s visually-striking animation and body horror elements. Some viewers may also be reminded of the anime series Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun!, which similarly involves a regular human high-school student protagonist forming a unique, deep bond with a supernatural being.
Our Take: The Summer Hikaru Died wastes no time in cutting to the meat of its drama — real Hikaru’s death and subsequent replacement with an unknown, potentially hostile entity — which immediately pulls viewers in from the get-go. We may not know what exactly Hikaru is, but this almost makes everything that much more arresting and interesting as the mysteries pile up, luring us in and making us want to stick around so we can piece them apart. From Yoshiki and Hikaru’s relationship to Yoshiki’s unstable home life to Tanaka’s job, we get fed just enough information and intrigue to whet the appetitie and keep up hungry for more.
Beyond unrelatable phenomenon like alien creatures or supernatural rituals with deadly consequences, there are deeply human and moving themes at play that you can’t help but be affected by. For example, there’s a moment where Yoshiki looks at this new, not-quite-human Hikaru and thinks to himself, “I don’t care what you are. It’s better than not having you here.” It’s such a gut punch, so painfully romantic yet so heavy.
The Summer Hikaru Died does an excellent job towing these lines between conflicting emotions and themes throughout the entire first episode. Sometimes, the gorgeously drawn and animated scenes of pastoral bliss and slice-of-life sweetness will lull you into thinking you’re watching a Hayao Miyazaki movie, only to be juxtaposed by immediate scenes and sounds that will make you unconfortable or get your heart racing. From the art to the audio to the characters, everything in this show contains conflicting multitudes and textures that, much like Yoshiki and Hikaru themselves, seem like they shouldn’t work together, yet strike the perfect balance.
Another interesting aspect of this show for me personally was the horror aspect, especially since it’s a genre I usually am too scared to willingly ingest. Even so, The Summer Hikaru Died is beautiful in its scary moments and compelling in the way that a fear response may cause a person to freeze. Beyond the visual moments of body horror, the true terrors seem to stem from all that goes unseen, including Yoshiki’s existential crisis regarding Hikaru and how keeping this monster in his life elicits both self-disgust and a sense of relief.
You can’t help but feel horrified for Yoshiki as he’s put in this impossible situation, and it also might you wonder what it truly means to love unconditionally. What if our affection makes us want to keep someone in our lives even when they’re no longer fully themselves? Is it better to let someone go, or continue to exist in a fantasy? The Summer Hikaru Died reminds us that, when pushed too far, love can become its own kind of horror, and that perhaps the line between human and monster isn’t as clear-cut as we may like to think.
Sex and Skin: No sex or skin, just some body horror (and likely there’s even more to come in future episodes).
Parting Shot: After an old woman is found murdered in her own home, two alarmed men stand at the side of the crime scene, stating that “Indo’s ritual was a failure.” After contemplating their next steps, one of them calls Tanaka for immediate assistance. Once Tanaka hangs up, he laments having to visit gloomy Kubitachi Village before cryptically stating that the villagers don’t know what they’ve got on their hands, adding “That thing won’t be as easily dealt with as they think.”
Sleeper Star: He may not exactly count as a “sleeper” since his character’s name is in the title, but it feels impossible not to shout out Chiaki Kobayashi’s voice acting work as Hikaru Tsujinaka. In addition to imbuing the character with plenty of personality and vitality, Kobayashi also manages to make alive-Hikaru and monster-Hikaru sound and feel like two different entities, even while they technically inhabit the same body and vocal cords.
Most Pilot-y Line: Early in the episode, Yoshiki says, “I’ve been thinking about this ever since you went missing and came back. You’re… you’re not Hikaru, are you?” It’s a pilot-y line in the sense that it’s expositionary, but it also propels the action throughout the rest of the episode (and presumably the entire show), so we can surely give it a pass.
Our Call: Based on the first episode alone, The Summer Hikaru Died looks to be an eerie, visually-appealing, and complex piece of media that will only grow more gripping and thrilling as it unfolds. It may not be the happiest tale, but it is a heartwrenching and human one (supernatral monsters and all), so if you’re feeling brave and hungry for quality content, do yourselves a favor and STREAM IT!