Based on Mokumokuren’s award-winning manga, the anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died makes its debut on July 6th, 2025, as part of the Summer 2025 lineup. The manga, which debuted in 2021, is currently serializing in the Young Ace UP, a monthly seinen manga magazine published by Kadokawa Shoten. CygamesPictures announced an anime adaptation in May 2024, set to premiere only on Netflix. The second episode, which was released on July 12th, 2025, unveiled the opening and ending themes of the anime. Although both songs were teased in the trailers, we finally get to see the full version with beautiful visuals.
The opening theme, “Saikai” (Restart) by Vaundy, features the juxtaposition of the mundane and eerie themes of the story, highlighting the tension behind the seemingly peaceful summer. We also see brief glimpses of the supporting characters to establish a connection to the protagonists, Hikaru and Yoshiki, without revealing direct plot details. Meanwhile, the ending theme, “You Are My Monster,” by TOOBOE, heavily contrasts the striking visuals of the opening. It features a muted color palette, evoking melancholy as we see the heartwarming moments of the main characters.
What Is the Plot of The Summer Hikaru Died?
The story takes place in a small and peaceful village where Yoshiki Tsujinaka and Hikaru Indou have been practically inseparable since childhood. They have always stuck together until one day, Hikaru disappears for a week. The village went into panic and looked everywhere for him during the time.
While Hikaru returns as if nothing had happened, the reality is far more grim than that. No one except Yoshiki noticed that despite having the same appearance, voice, and even memories, the one standing before him was not Hikaru, but someone else entirely. Yoshiki soon learns that not only has his best friend died during the time he disappeared, but a strange entity has been impersonating him.
Adding to his emotional turmoil, the creature confesses he is unaware of his origins and the only thing he knows is his love for Yoshiki. Since Yoshiki is unable to deal with the grief of losing his best friend, he wonders if he should let things stay the same as they are. However, several strange occurrences start happening around them since Hikaru’s death, bringing unsettling chaos to the once peaceful village. In the latest episode, the duo continues their pretense of being friends. As the episode ends, a woman approaches Yoshiki and warns him about the mountain where Hikaru went missing, as the boy struggles to turn off his thoughts.
The anime is listed for 12 episodes, streaming every Saturday only on Netflix. However, in Japan, it will also be available for free on Abema on the same day. You can purchase the manga volumes from the official website of Yen Press, which has six volumes available. Volume 7 was released on July 4th, 2025, in Japan, so we can expect an English release in about ten months based on the usual schedule of the manga.
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