The Summer Hikaru Died – Anime Review & Episode Guide

Yoshiki is a teenager who lives in a small rural town with his parents and younger sister. He is close to Hikaru Indo, his childhood best friend for years. They grew up together, attended the same school, and hung out at each other's houses. With a funny and energetic personality, Hikaru can bring the quiet Yoshiki out of his shell. Over time, Yoshiki has developed romantic feelings for his friend. Yet, he doesn't dare to reveal his secret crush to Hikaru.

One day, Hikaru goes hiking alone in a nearby mountain and suffers a deadly accident. When he doesn't come home, the village organizes a search party to find him. Yoshiki is too young to join, so he sneaks out to look on his own. There, he discovers Hikaru's lifeless body with a fatal injury. Days later, Yoshiki is stunned when Hikaru suddenly shows up alive. He's fully healed and acts like his usual energetic self. Hikaru appears to have the same personality, same mannerisms, and same memories, so all the villagers believe he's fine. Only Yoshiki suspects this "Hikaru" isn't who he pretends to be.

"Hikaru" behaves the same way he did before the accident. He still spends time with Yoshiki, acting friendly and recalling their memories. However, Yoshiki feels uneasy and senses he's speaking to an impostor. Finally, he confronts "Hikaru" and asks about his real identity. This "Hikaru" never expected anyone to know he's an impersonation. He clings to Yoshiki in tears, saying he doesn't want to kill him. Finally, "Hikaru" explains his identity. He's a mysterious creature with supernatural abilities. After living in the mountains for years, he entered Hikaru's dying body and claimed it as a host.

"Hikaru" never kills Yoshiki, although there are close encounters. When the creature loses control, its monstrous instinct urges it to consume Yoshiki. At one point, "Hikaru" lets Yoshiki touch the inside of his body. Yoshiki inserts his whole hand into this creature, touching all the mushy parts without hurting him. Despite looking exactly the same as his dead friend, Yoshiki realizes this creature is just borrowing his friend's body. Yet, Yoshiki is so devastated by Hikaru's death that he accepts the imitation. This is his only way of keeping Hikaru alive, even if it's a fake version of him.

Although this "Hikaru" tries not to hurt Yoshiki, he can be dangerous. He doesn't quite grasp the value of human life and ends up killing Matsuura, an elderly villager. His presence also draws other threatening entities around him. Yoshiki and his loved ones soon encounter bizarre events, such as his sister seeing a hairy monster in the bathroom. Yoshiki also meets Kurebayashi, a housewife, and Tanaka, a man in sunglasses. Both are familiar with the supernatural and become involved with "Hikaru".

The Summer Hikaru Died was on my radar for the past few years. This anime is based on a popular manga that generated a lot of hype everywhere. It has earned countless awards, critical acclaim, online recommendations, and, most importantly, the attention of BL fans. The gay subtext in this story is noticeable enough to catch the interest of yaoi enthusiasts. With so many promising signals, I watched the anime adaptation with high expectations. I can confirm The Summer Hikaru Died is as enjoyable as everyone says!

The Summer Hikaru Died begins with a super compelling premise. The protagonist's best friend dies in a sudden accident. BAM! And then, he gets replaced by a monster that can copy his behaviour perfectly. DOUBLE WHAMMY! This twist pulls the viewers into an unpredictable story filled with complex emotions. Poor Yoshiki mourns his friend's tragedy, fears the creature's strange abilities, feels confused about the impostor's existence, and despite everything… he still reaches out to Fake Hikaru for comfort. Each episode adds new layers to a beautifully intriguing story, so unlike anything I've experienced.

As a supernatural horror series, the story deals with a lot of weirdness. Creepy creatures wander through a small village, causing chaos and destruction. The paranormal stuff is what I find least interesting about The Summer Hikaru Died. The weakest episodes try too hard to explain the lore, especially when Yoshiki rambles on with his conspiracy theories. My favourite plots involve the intimate moments. The story shines when it focuses on Yoshiki's feelings, his odd friendship with the monster, and the question of whether Fake Hikaru's humanity is real or performative.

Is this BL??? The people working at the labels factory want to know if they can put those two letters on this anime. The BL content in The Summer Hikaru Died is hard to define. Yes, Yoshiki is attracted to Hikaru. The story reveals his one-sided crush, which explains why he can't move on after the death. Yet, the story only teases a few intimate moments and never turns this connection into a romance. Despite their close bond, they don't become a couple. His relationship with "Hikaru" is also unclear, but shipping the lead with a monster that nearly kills him feels freaky!

The Summer Hikaru Died looks as polished as any modern anime. The visuals are crisp and filled with vivid detail. This series excels at building its atmosphere, especially during scary scenes. It uses rapid cuts and sudden flashes of disturbing imagery to create tension. Some moments are gruesome, so BL fans who prefer gentler content may feel uneasy about the headless bodies. Hikaru appears human on the outside, yet a monster lives inside him. There are moments when he tries to "consume" Yoshiki. I don't know how to describe this, but it looks creepy as fuck!

The first and last episodes are the strongest, stirring up a wave of emotions within me. What I like about this series isn't the supernatural lore or solving the creature's identity, even though I have theories about it as a gay-adjacent metaphor. I'm more drawn to the psychological journey as the story follows Yoshiki's grief, confusion, regrets, and self-loathing. It also raises interesting questions about humanity. What makes "Hikaru" a monster? As a BL reviewer, I lower the score for the lack of romance, but The Summer Hikaru Died is a thoughtful anime that deserves the hype.