Anime Review: The Summer Hikaru Died

Creepy, artistic, poignant, coming of age, horror

The Summer Hikaru Died is a unique, hypnotic, creepy horror series with lots of coming of age angst addressing the stress of social and family pressures. The series is a perfect addition to the list of cerebral horror stories for those who don’t always like horror, but enjoy solid, mind-bending storytelling. High school age Yoshiki is devastated when his best friend Hikaru goes missing in the creepy mountains in their rural village. Hikaru is cheerful, funny, outgoing, and popular, whereas Yoshiki is more serious and reserved. The boys have been close friends since childhood, growing up in a small town where everyone knows each other. Hikaru is found safe a week later and his family and friends rejoice but Yoshiki is the only one who realizes this returned person is not the same Hikaru. When Yoshiki confronts the returned Hikaru, Hikaru admits the deception and quickly reveals his inhuman nature but states he wants to live as a human in Hikaru’s body. Hikaru asks Yoshiki to keep his secret because he doesn’t want to have to kill Yoshiki, (but he will). Yoshiki, in a moment of grief, decides that he would rather have this monster version of Hikaru instead of truly facing his loss. However, Hikaru’s presence begins to attract grotesque spirits and a mercenary demon hunter. All of this leads to disturbing revelations about the town’s dark past and danger for Yoshiki and his friends and family.

The Summer Hikaru Died is a clever combination of horror, coming of age, and friendship that artistically addresses deep questions about grief, identity, and the value of human life. Most of these themes are explored through Hikaru himself. The returned Hikaru has the face and persona and memories of the original young, fun-loving boy. But he is also lethal, physically monstrous, and comfortable killing innocent people. Through their strange friendship Yoshiki tries to teach Hikaru to respect life and understand emotional connection to others. Over time we also learn the secret backstory of the real Hikaru and the troubling history hidden by his family. This mix of slice of life, horror, and coming of age is vaguely reminiscent of the first two seasons of Stranger Things. However, the result is much more subtle and hypnotic.

The art design of the show is highly unique and captures the quiet horror aesthetic by contrasting normal slice of life vibes with sudden terror. The characters are drawn in soft lines with flowing movements that exude the soft fluid vibe of Studio Ghibli. However, that softness is dramatically contrasted with jump scares of shadowy, grotesque humanoid monsters with fearful faces. Additionally, the animated scenes are sometimes interrupted with abrupt real-live photographs, jarringly interposed on an intense moment. Even ordinary moments are given a creepy vibe by using unusual “camera” angles. For example, in one passing scene, Yoshiki is buying items at a small grocery store while the middle aged cashier gossips non-stop about the problems she perceives in Yoshiki’s family. We see the cashier from various angles including an odd view looking up at her face from below and close ups of her mouth. The criticism filled conversation is punctuated by the incessant beeping of the scanner and strange views of a cat shaped speaker near the register. All of this happens while Yoshiki stressfully absorbs the cheerily delivered comments about how messed up his family is. That small scene is filled with as much macabre tension as another scene where a very creepy monster directly attacks Yoshiki in the woods.

While the art design and the primary plot emphasize, and solidly deliver, traditional horror, the series is, fortunately, not oppressively grim. The creatures who haunt the town are more creepy than horrific and the violence is mostly off camera. In fact, much of the show is focused on Hikaru moving from faking an understanding of society (through his acquired memories) to actually seeking to truly understand his community. Through Yoshiki, Hikaru is encouraged to develop a taste for treats and to bond with their fellow classmates, Asaka, Maki, and Yuki. However, the show deliberately chooses genuine and terrifying complexity in the boys’ relationship rather than a happy linear redemption story. Hikaru and Yoshiki’s interactions becomes more fraught as Hikaru fails to maintain control and Yoshiki realizes how dangerous Hikaru is and is forced to make an upsetting choice. Against this backdrop, the series explores larger life themes of sexuality as well as societal and family pressures. Hikaru openly teases Yoshiki about possibly being attracted to him and the two have highly unusual and terrifying symbolic intimate moments in the form of body horror. It’s all so well done that it feels both hypnotic and horrifying at the same time.

The only disappointing element of the series is the subplot about the hired demon hunter, Tanaka. After a promising introduction in the early episodes, the character mostly just lurks and doesn’t offer up any helpful content to build the story. The other old men who hire him (and constantly yell at him) are equally problematic in their lack of usefulness to the story. Every monster movie needs a stereotypical monster hunter to explain the monster and to add tension. However, this character, despite periodic encounters with Hikaru and Yoshiki, ends up not really contributing anything in either of those regards—at least not in the current season.

The Summer Hikaru Died offers an unusual story in a gorgeously intellectual and artistic horror palette. Although I’m not primarily a horror fan, I do enjoy a well-executed, low gore, cerebral horror. The Summer Hikaru Died is fascinating, engaging, creepy, and disturbing, and is definitely the kind of show that is worth a re-watch to catch the subtle hints and one of a kind art design. The quiet storytelling and fluid art style stand out from most other anime and deliver an engaging experience on multiple levels. If you are in the mood for something creepy and emotionally fascinating, this story of a boy and a monster navigating life and death in rural Japan is definitely worth watching.

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The Math

Nerd Coefficient: 8/10

Highlights:

• Engaging, cerebral horror
• Thoughtfully presented themes of sexuality as well as societal and family pressures
• Unique animation elements

POSTED BY: Ann Michelle Harris – Multitasking, fiction writing Trekkie currently dreaming of her next beach vacation.