The Summer Hikaru Died | | Anime Review
I don't even know how to start talking about this particular beautiful piece.
So, I decided to watch The Summer Hikaru Died yesterday after having read tons of reviews on the anime in Theanimerealm community here on Hive. I really wasn't sure what to expect from the anime when I started it and the title seemed a little emotional to me, and I thought it would be a story about friendship or something like a boys love movie. It was definitely not BL, or at least it didn't seem that way to me, which I am actually glad for.
The anime was calm and strange in a beautiful way.
The story follows two boys, Hikaru and his friend Yoshiki. They've been best friends since like forever, the kind that know each other's habits, expressions and all that. Their friendship was natural, deep, and it sort of reminded me of how simple childhood bonds can be until life - or in this case, death - changes everything.
One summer, Hikaru dies. But what is more unsettling than his death is that something, something that is not human, takes over Hikaru's body. Yoshiki comes to realise this quickly, but even knowing the truth, he could not bring himself to let go of the thing that was just wearing Hikaru's face. The thing that replaced Hikaru tries to act like him but yeah, some people around him were able to notice that he wasn't the real Hikaru. Some things were off, like the way he looks at people and the emotions that doesn't quite fit.
What's heartbreaking is watching Yoshiki struggle between what he knows and what he felt. He knows Hikaru is gone but his heart refuses to accept it. I believe that is what touched me, the anime addresses love and grief, especially the painful space in between when you know something is over, but you are not able to let go yet.
https://img.leopedia.io/DQmewE93wK9Eh4rfpEdVZSTywxmHG1vms5heaRvFi26PhZm/Hikaru-and-Yoshiki-wrestling-in-The-Summer-Hikaru-Died-episode-3.webp
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I really liked Hikaru and Yoshiki's friendship. While there wasn't drama in their friendship, it was real. I felt Yoshiki's pain in every almost episodes, and I could see how much he sought the real Hikaru, even as he was trying to hold on to what was left. I thought it would be a BL story at first but it wasn't. It was simply a profound emotional bond and I liked that it remained like this. The entire series had this peaceful but eerie vibe, the kind that made me think like something's wrong meanwhile everything else looks peaceful.
The series is beautiful in a sad and haunting way. It stays with its audience, not for any big moments, but simply for how much it hurts.
I simply sighed and sat up in my bed after completing the last episode. It didn't have a happy ending, or an ending at all - just the realisation that nothing lasts forever, not even the people that we love the most.
https://img.leopedia.io/DQmdvDQzmVkpZDFcL9YRf4jskq4zpTB5HSkwoHo1aTPqPQ2/MV5BYTliMDhjMDItNmEwNC00M2NiLThlYTgtZjdlNTRiNzM2YzEwXkEyXkFqcGc@.V1.jpg
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Rating The Summer Hikaru Died, I would give it an 8 out of 10. The characters, emotions, and pacing worked so well together.
The Summer Hikaru Died isn't just sad, it's the kind of sad that feels human and it was a beautiful story.
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Thanks for putting this one on my radar, I added it to my already long backlog of things to pick from.
I watched this anime as it aired last season expecting it to be horror, but it turned out not to be. Even so, I didn't completely dislike the story. It has some really good suspense elements and a few interesting jump scares. The theme of Hikaru's death and whatever is controlling his body is also compelling. But I think what's most striking is the relationship this supposed Hikaru has with Yoshiki.
Good review.
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This was fascinating, despite everything that happens in the plot, one thing that always comes to mind is that the actual Hikaru is gone and dead permanently, quite tragic, that fact always hangs subtly over everyone's head, at least for us and the characters aware, more so for the former, it's already obvious but a shadow is constantly around that presses you in the face, so haunting.