The Summer Hikaru Died manga gets anime adaptation

Modified May 24, 2024 11:51 GMT

The Summer Hikaru Died manga gets anime adaptation (Image via Kadokawa)

On May 24, 2024, the anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died manga series was announced through the X account of the author, Mokumokuren. No further details were revealed about the project, so it remains to be seen if it will be a TV series or OVA series or a movie.

The Summer Hikaru Died manga started its serialization in August 2021 and has five volumes in publication, so far. The manga series has enjoyed various accolades throughout the years and has even inspired a light novel adaptation by a different author.

The Summer Hikaru Died manga series receives an anime adaptation

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The tweet made by the series' author consisted of a small video in which the main cast of the series is sitting around a table. The video transforms from a monotone display to a colorful one with the announcement of the manga's anime adaptation. The tweet was titled:

"'The Summer Hikaru Died' is being made into an anime. Thank you for your coorporation."

The anime adaptation is based on a manga series of the same name, written and illustrated by Mokumokuren. Besides this series, the author has also written a one-shot manga, titled Period.

The manga also inspired a light novel adaptation written by Mio Nukaga, which will be her first project in the industry. The original author of the manga series will act as the illustrator for the light novel adaptation.

The manga started its journey on Kadokawa's Young Ace Up website as a web manga in August 2021. The series was later published as physical volumes and has five volumes in publication (Japanese) as of this article's publication.

Yen Press later got the rights to publish the series and has so far published three volumes in English with its fourth one set to be released on August 20, 2024.

The series won the Traditional Chinese Global Special Prize at the Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Awards 2022. Moreover, it was also nominated for the Manga Taisho Awards in 2023.

The manga series has enjoyed sales of 2.1 million copies between volumes 1-4. More information about the anime project will be released in the future.

The Summer Hikaru Died synopsis

Hikaru as seen in the manga (Image via Kadokawa)

The Summer Hikaru Died manga series is a horror-mystery series centered around its two male protagonists, Yoshiki and Hikaru. These two are best buddies and always stay together in a small village where they find comfort in each other's company.

With their friendship having no bounds, people often mistake their friendship for each other as fake.

Unfortunately, this could be the case for Yoshiki who started to see some changes in Hikaru after an incident that happened one summer in the past.

After this incident, Hikaru's personality changed such that even his appearance seemed different to his best friend who was used to the usual Hikaru.

Moreover, whenever Yoshiki brings up the topic of a changed Hikaru, the latter's personality takes a 180-degree shift and Hikaru threatens to kill Yoshiki to accept things as they are, while also claiming that 'it' loves Yoshiki.

Yoshiki, now stuck with the body of his friend possessed by another being, spends his life in fear pretending to be the best friend of someone who he once considered as close as a brother.

Is Hikaru actually the boy Yoshiki considered a friend or something sinister beyond Yoshiki's imagination?

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Edited by Prem Deshpande