t1z4l

Different adaptations of stories can each become an opportunity to enhance the tale or offer new insights into actions. With The Summer Hikaru Died light novel, I’ve noticed more thought and explanation put into characters’ thoughts and ing cast. However, at the same time, some moments and situations don’t hit the same in the book as they do in the manga. 

Editor’s Note: There will be some light spoilers for the first volume of the light novel adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died. 1kc4p

Going in to the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died light novel, it is important to note that it basically covers the same part of the story as volume 1 of the manga. Yoshiki is aware his friend Hikaru died, and the being known as “Hikaru” who’s been around for a while isn’t really him. It starts with a confrontation about this fact, which leads to Yoshiki being the secret keeper and one closest to an entity basically wearing the skin of his best friend and crush. What follows is a look at life with such a being by your side and the danger and consequences that come from that. 

The biggest takeaway I have is that the light novel features a lot more asides with the ing characters. Things start out with Hikaru, rather than “Hikaru” getting a moment. Then in a nod to things going wrong in town, we get a little more time with Mrs. Matsuura in a critical moment. When Yuuki and Asako, Hikaru and Yoshiki’s classmates, are introduced, there is far more effort put into their introduction, defining them as characters, and setting up their friendship. There’s also a little bit of insight into the personality of Kaoru, Yoshiki’s sister, as a result. 

While this is generally a good thing, there are also times when I feel like the light novel adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died loses some of its punch with this new approach. For example, the introduction begins with us seeing the actual Hikaru’s last moments. I felt this lessened the effect and introduction of “Hikaru” in the first chapter of the book. That moment is perfect in the manga and so notable because of that jolt. It also doesn’t feel as well written and executed as that moment in the manga when it happened as well. 

There are also some moments when the extra internal insight from Yoshiki feels like a bit much. Some of his reactions and deterioration throughout the manga version of The Summer Hikaru Died is effective because we’re inferring or actually seeing the strain through the art. The bags under his eyes. His hair. His injury that just doesn’t heal. That doesn’t come across the same in text. There’s a point at which Yoshiki thinks, after “Hikaru” says something notable, “Hikaru never said a thing like that before.” I didn’t like how it came across, and appreciated the nuance in the manga when you could tell from the art that Yoshiki realized a response or behavior was off, but didn’t say anything about it. 

I feel like The Summer Hikaru Died light novel is an interesting option, but not the ideal adaptation. There is so much nuance to the manga, and that doesn’t always come through here. Yes, we do get some extra ing character insights. That’s fun. However, I’d recommend the first volume of the manga over the first volume of the light novel any time. 

The first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died light novel is available now through Yen Press, and the company handles the manga as well. The anime will air on Netflix in July 2025.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Light Novel Gives ing Characters More Time appeared first on Siliconera.

In The Summer Hikaru Died, we’re constantly learning about the new “Hikaru” who stepped into Hikaru Indou’s life. However, a lot of this is based on interactions with other people and observations from Yoshiki Tsujinaka, his love interest and our primary protagonist. It makes sense, since “Hikaru” is an entity beyond our understanding. What I love about volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga is that it really gives a fantastic chance to see things more from that character’s perspective, and it makes me hope this volume and some of those moments will make the cut-off for the anime adaptation.

Editor’s Note: There will be some mild spoilers for the volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga below. 1s6u44

After the incident and events of volume 4, we get a stark reminder of exactly how inhuman “Hikaru” is when The Summer HIkaru Died volume 5 begins. This means when the entity wakes a chapter into things, we get a rather unusual peek into its thought process. It’s in an incredibly primal state after being incapacitated. This means it goes on instinct. 

Which… is a bad thing. Because prior to inhabiting Hikaru, the entity “Hikaru” didn’t really possess a sense of self, awareness of others’ needs and safety, and necessary inhibitions to keep people safe. If Rie Kurebayashi wasn’t with Yoshiki, odds are what would have happened would have disastrous. But she is, and things are okay.

However, in this moment now, Mokumokuren provides an opportunity. There are new insights into “Hikaru” because the character is no longer at their best. We see that impulse from the being upon waking up. We witness them feeling weak when rehashing what happened with Yoshiki and Rie. After talking with their school friends and Yoshiki, bringing up what would happen with an entity among them, and discussing taking the piece of themselves back from Yoshiki, there’s a whole new level of introspection. “Hikaru” is questioning themself and their “life,” and in so doing we as the readers learn more about them.

Which I also love, as it emphasizes “Hikaru’s” unpredictability in The Summer Hikaru Died manga. Up until this point, a lot of people pointed out how the entity getting involved with Yoshiki changed the human teen. He’s got a scar that won’t go away. Impurities are drawn to him. He’s getting too comfortable with the supernatural. But this volume feels like the first that really gets into how much Yoshiki changed “Hikaru” too. The being willingly weakened itself for the person they care about and gave them a piece of themself. They’re able to feel pain and be in danger because of it. The being is more unstable, unexpectedly lashing out. 

Mokumokuren’s narrative decisions regarding an increased focus on “Hikaru” in this volume are also pretty perfect for two other reasons. One is that it provides an opportunity for the being to tap into Hikaru’s memories and us as readers to witness that firsthand. It’s such a boon in helping to better understand the history and situation, as well as decipher what supernatural things are actually happening in this town. Because the original Hikaru is kind of “telling” us. 

But it’s also great as we pretty much only saw “Hikaru” in situations with Yoshiki, which influence our depictions and understanding of him. The being gets so many more moments alone and with important ing cast in this volume. Because of that, we see others who know what the individual is react and respond. There are more insights into relationships. It helps better inform us about this being. 

The Summer Hikaru Died volume 5 is essentially Mokumokuren helping us better understand “Hikaru,” just as it seems like the entity is starting to do more questioning of themself. The increased focus on the character and opportunities to see both from their perspective or moments when Yoshiki isn’t around is fascinating and enlightening. I think it even helps a bit with the mystery surrounding everything that’s happening.

Volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died is available now via Yen Press, and there’s no release date for volume 6 yet. 

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 Digs More Into ‘Hikaru’ appeared first on Siliconera.

Netflix and Cygames shared a new trailer for The Summer Hikaru Died anime adaptation, and we can now see Yoshiki and Hikaru’s early reveal in Japanese with English subtitles. The show is set to debut on the service in 2025, following the manga and light novel’s debut.

The story in The Summer Hikaru Died follows two young high school students living in a rural town. However, Yoshiki realized that the “Hikaru” that came back after his friend went into the woods on a task for his family isn’t the Hikaru he knew and loved. It’s something/someone else. These series begins as he confronts this entity about their identity, and we see that moment captured in this new trailer for the show. What follows is an exploration into the relationship between Yoshiki and “Hikaru,” which includes insights into his past with Hikaru. The trailer hints at some of this by showing ing characters and flashes of some notable situations.

Here’s the new The Summer Hikaru Died anime trailer:

We will need to wait to see the anime adaptation of the series. However, new physical releases are on the way. The first volume of the light novel take on the series launches on April 15, 2025. Before that, we’ll see the fifth volume of the manga. That debuts on March 25, 2025.

The Summer Hikaru Died anime is in development ahead of a 2025 streaming debut on Netflix. Yen Press handles both the manga and light novel releases outside Japan.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died English Anime Trailer Appears appeared first on Siliconera.

CyberAgent ed a new key visual for the anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died, as well as visuals and descriptions of the two main characters. The show will start airing in Summer 2025. [Thanks, PR Times!]

The key visual for the anime depicts Yoshiki and Hikaru standing in a field together. Hikaru is smiling at Yoshiki, who has the image of a red-eyed Hikaru whose face is half-covered in something bizarrely inhuman on his back. As for the character visuals, Yoshiki looks kind of sad while Hikaru is striking a cheery pose.

The cast for The Summer Hikaru Died so far consists of:

• Hikaru: Shuichiro Umeda (Akira in Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Kazuhiko in Too Many Losing Heroines!)
• Yoshiki: Chiaki Kobayashi (Mash in Mashle, Gabimaru in Hell’s Paradise: Jigokuraku)

The Summer Hikaru Died is a BL horror and slice-of-life series that focuses on two teenagers in rural Japan. Yoshiki discovers that an eldritch being had consumed and taken over the body of his best friend Hikaru after Hikaru’s death. Though this version of Hikaru has the same personalities and memory as the original, he’s a completely different creature. Yoshiki opts to stay with this Hikaru nonetheless, despite other eldritch beings and hunters make it difficult.

The anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died will start airing in Summer 2025 on Netflix.

The post New The Summer Hikaru Died Anime Key Visuals Shared appeared first on Siliconera.

Back in May 2024, we learned there would be a The Summer Hikaru Died anime adaptation, and now there’s a teaser trailer for the Netflix show. However, while that and the key art are available, there’s still no release window for it yet. The announcement only said it is “coming soon” in Summer 2025. It comes after the release of the fifth volume of the manga and the novelization.

Here’s the first teaser trailer for The Summer Hikaru Died anime adaptation. We get to hear Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka and Shuichiro Umeda as “Hikaru” for the first time in it. It starts just as the manga does, with Yoshiki and Hikaru outside a store talking about the future. It’s then that Yoshiki brings up the fact that the “Hikaru” next to him isn’t really the Hikaru he knew.

As for the latest piece of key art, it features “Hikaru” and hints at the character’s nature:

The last volume of the manga to appear is the fourth, and that showed up in August 2024. The series is still running in Japan. The fifth installment will launch in English on March 25, 2025. It follows what happens when a young man named Hikaru is replaced with an entity that isn’t him, and the ensuing relationship between “Hikaru” and Yoshiki. However, the town around them is affected by the fact that a being that isn’t human is suddenly living among them.

The Summer Hikaru Died manga is running in Japan, with Yen Press handling the English release, and the anime will air on Netflix in Summer 2025.

The post Netflix Shares The Summer Hikaru Died Anime Teaser Trailer appeared first on Siliconera.

A lot of the earlier volumes of The Summer Hikaru Died manga are about developing characters and relationships. The first one sets up the premise and really helps us get to know Yoshiki as he grieves Hikaru and gets to know “Hikaru.” The second volume deals with him coming to with the situation and accepting what’s going on. The third installment started to ramp up the tension and danger. However, what’s fantastic about volume 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died is that now that we do know all of these things and are getting familiar, Mokumokuren can finally use the manga to start giving us answers and bring characters together.

Editor’s Note: There will be minor spoilers for part of volume 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga. 5q6e16

In all of the volumes leading up to volume 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga, we’ve seen characters discuss or hint at the role the Indou family performs in the Kubitachi Mountains. We know the original Hikaru died while doing this task. However, “Hikaru” doesn’t know what it is, Kouhei Indou is dead, and Hikaru’s grandfather doesn’t seem to recall. This installment begins with the two realizing that discovering what that job was and the truth about their hometown could also lead to understanding what “Hikaru” is and helping with the things coming down from the mountain and causing impurities.

Honestly, I loved the fact that now we see Yoshiki and “Hikaru” bonding over a goal. There’s a sense of greater acceptance about what “Hikaru” is and what’s going on, and a decision to finally stop reacting or trying to ignore things. They’re facing it and ready to come to with what that knowledge might mean for them. While this doesn’t mean immediate answers for them or us, it does offer some fascinating hints. For example, the relation of their town of Kubitachi to a handful of other towns in the area is fascinating and offered a hint about what’s going on. 

Likewise, this investigation is acting as the impetus for characters to interact in The Summer Hikaru Died. Following the events of volume 3, Asako is being more vocal in her interactions with Yoshiki. We’re more aware of what she can do and what happened, especially as another incident happened near the school. We see Tanaka, the investigator summoned to Kubitachi, meet and interact with Yoshiki. The reaction of his “hunting dog” to things going on and people he meets offers more insight into his purpose. I was concerned about what his appearance might mean for Yoshiki and “Hikaru,” and now these even more definitive interactions make it better.

But perhaps the best part is seeing the housewife who could tell Yoshiki was dealing with something otherworldly at a glance meet “Hikaru.” Because we not only get more insight into him, but learn about her history and how she might get involved in events as they continue. We learn why she’s so aware of the impurities and supernatural entities around her. Plus, it’s also just fun to see someone who looks so typical and motherly be such a strong and imposing individual. 

We don’t have all the answers as volume 4 of The Summer Hikaru Died comes to a close, but everything that does come up as we watch Yoshiki and “Hikaru”’s interactions with other characters is incredibly helpful. For the first time since the series started, I felt like I was finally getting answers. By the time I got to the cliffhanger at the end, I felt confident about who Yoshiki could and couldn’t trust for the first time. In fact, even though “Hikaru” is still quite a mystery, I also felt like maybe I could believe in that character a bit more too.

Volumes 1-4 of The Summer Hikaru Died are available now via Yen Press, and there’s no release date for volume 5 yet.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Manga Volume 4 Unites Characters appeared first on Siliconera.

An anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died is in the works. The official announcement also mentioned that the new volume will come out on June 4, 2024.

There is no information on when the show will come out, as the studio is still working on it. The voice actors for Hikaru and Yoshiki changed for every trailer, so it’s unknown if any of them will reprise their roles or if there will be new ones. For example, the second trailer had Hiro Shimono as Hikaru and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as Yoshiki. But the fourth trailer had Junya Enoki as Hikaru and Koki Uchiyama as Yoshiki.

The Summer Hikaru Died is a slice-of-life horror series, with the first volume selling over 200,000 copies in its first three months. The story follows Yoshiki and the titular Hikaru, who are close friends in a rural Japanese town. One day, Hikaru was hiking alone when he was fatally injured. An eldritch being comes across him as he’s dying and consumes him, becoming him in the process. Despite having all of the same memories as the original Hikaru, as well as the same emotions, “Hikaru” is a decidedly separate entity from the original. It follows on Yoshiki wanting to be with “Hikaru” still, but “Hikaru”’s nature, similar eldritch beings, and hunters threaten their life together.

The anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died is in production and the official English localization of the manga is available via Yen Press.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Anime Announced appeared first on Siliconera.

The Summer Hikaru Died is one of those manga series that sticks with you, especially as we learn more about situations and characters. It’s always unnerving, and we keep seeing Mokumokuren add these little details indicating things could be getting worse. However, with the third volume it’s clearer than ever that things are wrong, and it may leave someone wondering if it’s possible for the characters to accept and live with everything going on.

Editor’s Note: There will be spoilers for the first two volumes of The Summer Hikaru Died manga. 291e4f

The first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died involved Yoshiki discovering his friend “Hikaru” isn’t Hikaru anymore. When the real person was going on the mountain to complete a supernatural ritual left to his family to protect the town, he died. An entity took over his being, became “Hikaru,” and resumed his life. We see Yoshiki dealing with his grief, especially due to his love for his friend, and coming to with this new being that seems utterly devoted to him. 

With the second volume, we saw the effects of “Hikaru” leaving the mountain and coming to town. Things aren’t right. More supernatural elements are being drawn to their world. We start to see people, like Yoshiki’s family, in danger because of it. The second volume even ends with Yoshiki, after being more receptive to a new relationship with “Hikaru,” succumbing to another entity’s attack in some way. All of this is interspersed with more insights into what Hikaru and his family were involved in. 

As a result, volume 3 of The Summer Hikaru Died already starts out fraught with anxiety and danger. We see the after effects of Yoshiki’s encounter with the entity in the previous volume. It put not only him, but perhaps even “Hikaru” in danger. We see Asako, who’d already been shown to have a sixth sense of sorts, hinting that more beings are creeping around and potentially causing trouble for fellow friends like their classmate Yuuki. Rie, a housewife who warned Yoshiki about encounters with the supernatural, is shown dealing with another incident.

More chilling are the encounters involving “Hikaru.” I felt like the second volume of The Summer Hikaru Died lulled me into a false sense of security. It seemed like Yoshiki and “Hikaru” came to an understanding of sorts. The fact the two were working together at the end of the volume for the sake of Kaoru was also reassuring. And then, we have this… incident. It’s this shocking reminder of how otherworldly everything is. That even if a bunch of apparent teenagers are getting along, enjoying time with friends, things aren’t normal. They’ll never be normal again. It ramps things up, especially given the responses of characters like Yoshiki and “Hikaru” to the incident.

But I feel like what really makes volume 3 of The Summer Hikaru Died show the manga is ramping up is the introduction of Tanaka. More people are aware of what’s happening, especially after the Indou family’s incidents. A professional is being called in. We’re already seeing him make some revelations as a result. Given what we have seen throughout the first two volumes and this third one, it may leave the reader feeling conflicted. He’s not the villain, but he could end up being a villain for Yoshiki and “Hikaru.” More importantly, his appearance and actions further bring things to a boiling point.

It genuinely feels like things are coming to a head in volume 3 of The Summer Hikaru Died, and the characters in the manga can no longer ignore the effects of “Hikaru” coming to town. Yoshiki is starting to realize the danger everyone is in, even though this being cares for him and shares the face of someone he loves. The people in the community are starting to encounter dangers both directly and indirectly caused by “Hikaru’s” presence. Mokumokuren knows how to leave a reader wanting more, and I can’t wait to see what happens in volume 4 and 5 as this arc builds up to what’s next. 

Volume 3 of The Summer Hikaru Died is available via Yen Press, and volume 4 of the manga arrives on August 20, 2024. 

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 3 Amps Up the Tension appeared first on Siliconera.

While the first volume of the manga The Summer Hikaru Died dealt with grief, it feels like much of the second is based on the idea of acceptance. From Yoshiki accepting “Hikaru,” learning about “Hikaru” accepting his new life, and even the people in the village accepting things are starting to go wrong after what happened to the real Hikaru. Everyone is learning to deal with life as it is now and, in turn, reacting to it, and Mokumokuren does a fantastic job of showing the results of this. 

The introduction of this volume picks up right where the first left off. Yoshiki got a better idea of exactly what “Hikaru” is, and Hikaru is coming to with letting go like that in front of the person he’s most connected to. Both of them are still reeling from the experience and information. However, even with Yoshiki knowing getting involved with whatever Hikaru is could lead to bad things not only for him, but the village, he’s willing to do so. The two make up, and we see an opportunity for them to engage in normal activities. Yoshiki helps Hikaru attempt to befriend a cat that didn’t even really care for the real Hikaru. The two of them take Yoshiki’s sister Kaoru to a festival. We even learn more about the death that set every event in motion. 

It’s around then that we start to see the acceptance of other people. A number of older gentlemen from the village are talking about the role Hikaru’s family played. They discuss how Kouhei, his father, handled a certain ritual. They’re coming to accept that Kouhei was right and they should have listened before things got to this point. As a result, they accept that now they need to call in someone else, another authority, to handle things. 

However, what I also really loved about volume 2 of The Summer Hikaru Died is that the manga shows the price of that acceptance. We’re seeing the price that people have to pay because of that. Tanaka being called in seems like something of a “last resort.” That person even suggests how challenging the situation is. We’re seeing Yoshiki and “Hikaru” taking new steps in their relationship as they accept each other, which leaves him concerned about the nature of these interactions as he sees the certain result of one such moment carrying over from the first volume. We’re even seeing Yoshiki’s family affected by this relationship, with Kaoru nearly caught up in it.

This means that the second volume of The Summer Hikaru Died manga ends with a fantastic cliffhanger. We’ve seen Yoshiki start to deal with the supernatural. We also had a moment in the first volume where “Hikaru” noticed that something was aware of Yoshiki and dealt with the situation. But with this latest circumstance, it’s our first experience with a truly hostile force encountering both of them. It really makes me wish we had a release date for volume three.

The Summer Hikaru Died remains this atmospheric manga where the relationship between Yoshiki and Hikaru, both the original and the new entity, is the crux of the whole series. Seeing the development and growth as they help each other adapt to the world as it is now is so critical, and in this second volume we’re seeing both start to accept new things about their relationship and life. However, this means throughout the volume Mokumokuren drops hints and clues about the cost of them getting comfortable.

Volume 2 of The Summer Hikaru Died is available now, and the third volume of the manga appeared in Japan in June 2023. 

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 2 Deals with Acceptance appeared first on Siliconera.

The first volume of the The Summer Hikaru Died manga slaps readers in the face with its premise. Hikaru, the dear friend and person Yoshiki loved most died. However, “Hikaru” is still there. We’re immediately confronted with not only how wrong this is, but how devastating this is for a young man grieving and trying to reconcile a life with this new entity.

It’s incredibly how quickly The Summer Hikaru Died forces us as readers to face Yoshiki’s new reality. We get six pages that feel incredibly ordinary. Two high school kids hanging outside a corner store, enjoying snacks while dealing with the heat. One of them, “Hikaru,” mispronounces a word. But it’s such that it could be no big deal. People mess up. Except Yoshiki then brings up how Hikaru went missing in the mountains near the town for a week. All the while, his eyes are hidden.

It’s on that sixth page that The Summer Hikaru Died manga hits us with the line. We finally see Yoshiki’s eyes, which are vacant with evident bags beneath them. He, the person who grew up alongside Hikaru, who loves him, and knows him better than anyone, asks, “You ain’t the real Hikaru, are ya?”
[gallery columns="1" size="full" ids="977485" link="file"]
I feel it hits us, or at least me, as hard as it does “Hikaru.” A full page is dedicated to his shock, before reality unravels. Mokumokuren’s execution is flawless, especially as the art bleeds to reveal and hint at what might have happened and who this new “Hikaru” is. Yoshiki watches in horror, but at the same time we can sense his grief and desperation as he takes in what he already knew.

But at the same time, there’s the sense of sympathy for whoever this new Hikaru is. This is a being that inherited the young man’s memories and form to become a flawless copy. He’s spent six months with Yoshiki, relishing life as a human. Likewise, Yoshiki’s spent six months knowing something isn’t right, with the manga’s first volume showing in this first chapter how its eaten away at him. So, it ends with a sense of possible acceptance. Of the new Hikaru living the lie and Yoshiki going along with it because it means “a” Hikaru is still there.

The rest of the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died manga deals with Yoshiki coming to with this newfound knowledge. We see how it shapes his relationship with Hikaru. Especially since this being he’s spending time with is now showing no qualms about its nature due to knowing this is one person it doesn’t need to wear a mask around. It also means watching Hikaru’s actions more closely now that we, like Yoshiki, are privy to the truth. Examining every action. Wondering what he’s capable of. Especially since it also means looking closer at how he influences those around him.

It’s the beginnings of an incredible story. The things happening her feel so offputting and wrong, especially when we happen upon moments in the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died that would be heartwarming or normal if, well, both of the people involved were actually human. The glimpses of what’s going on and building tension are so satisfying, and they left me wishing we didn’t need to wait until October 2023 for more.

The Summer Hikaru Died volume 1 is available now, and Yen Press will publish volume 2 of the manga on October 17, 2023.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Manga Mixes Grief with Horror appeared first on Siliconera.