Anime Review: The Summer Hikaru Died
- Very Average Joe
- Oct 3
- 3 min read
English Title: The Summer Hikaru Died
Japanese Title: 光が死んだ夏
Director(s): Takeshita Ryouhei & others
Screenwriter(s): Takeshita Ryouhei & Maruyama Oki
Studio: CygamesPictures
Released: 2025
Runtime: 12 episodes, ~24m each.
Starring: Kobayashi Chiaki, Umeda Shuuichirou, Hanamori Yumiri, Wakayama Shion, Kobayashi Chikahiro
Based on the ongoing manga of the same name by Mokumokuren that started in 2021, this is a decent psychological horror-mystery even for those who are not typically interested in the genre. I have not read the manga so this review is of the series only.
Set in the fictitious rural village of Kubitachi and neighboring town of Kibogayama in Mie Prefecture, the plot follows high school student Tsujinaka Yoshiki as he deals with the mystery surrounding Indo Hikaru, his best friend.
The series opens with Yoshiki revealing to Hikaru that he knows the latter is not really Hikaru. About six months earlier, Hikaru had disappeared in the nearby mountains for a week.
Despite knowing he is not really Hikaru, Yoshiki decides not to reveal this and is willing to go along with it as long as Yoshiki remains by his side. Yoshiki is obviously lonely and misses his best friend.
This is an intriguing opening because it skips the whole process of Yoshiki trying to work out whether Hikaru is really himself. This kind of mystery has been done many times (in different genres).
Instead, the tension and suspense come from not knowing what this new Hikaru is. The entity is obviously supernatural and he is easily capable of killing. Hikaru is designed to look anything from mischievous to outright threatening since the real Hikaru can be former anyway.
Given that the story is set in Japan, the first suspicion would be something to do with the local deity and/or curses. Indeed, this is hinted quite early on but with other entities appearing, entities that seem very different to Hikaru, this deliberately muddles the possibilities.
Despite the fact that Hikaru is dangerous, he displays some innocence which contributes to the psychological horror. He claims to not know what he is, and neither does the audience. He possesses the real Hikaru’s memories which allows him to convincingly play the role, and he agrees with Yoshiki’s demand to not hurt anyone… but one is never convinced he is trustworthy.
Yoshiki, unlike Hikaru, is the quiet, emo type. He knows the dangers to himself and his village and town but wants a friend, and he finds himself being dragged deeper into the lie he has chosen to live.
Is Yoshiki gay? Given what is shown so far, most likely. Hikaru is presumably not. Fortunately, the narrative does not dwell on or glorify this. There are certainly undertones but this is consistent to the horror genre and, for the purposes of storytelling, is generally managed well. It arguably doesn’t matter either way, at least not so far; the point is that the two were close and it is as if Yoshiki is unwilling to grieve.
The pacing is not bad. What happened to Hikaru and why are signposted early on but the more substantial expositions are a bit slow to come and clumsy when they do. This is partly deliberate as it is meant to be slow, as well as taking a mildly slice-of-life approach. Whatever the issues with pacing, this is mitigated somewhat by the fact that the season is merely 12 episodes.
Consistent to both the (psychological) horror and slice-of-life genres, the visuals, on the one hand, can be gritty with flash cuts to the supernatural elements as well as tight shots of reactions and slow tracking/dolly shots and, on the other hand, have shots of the environment and everyday objects.
The quality can be a little more consistent. Some shots are beautifully rendered, whereas others are a little bare. Nonetheless, the shifting between the gritty and the more normal shots is not jarring. On balance, it looks good. The music composed by Umebayashi Taro matches the visuals well with themes that use very few notes or that single, sustained note for melancholy and tension.
Overall, it is a solidly produced series. The voice acting is good, particularly the two leads, and it is refreshing to hear the Mie dialect or at least attempts thereof. The story is intriguing and captivating enough throughout, even if the pacing and expositions can be better. Obviously, the mystery is not entirely solved, setting up for the next season.
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