The Summer Hikaru Died Explained

Ja Kanji:光が死んだ夏
Ja Romaji:Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu
Type:manga
Author:Mokumokuren
Publisher:Kadokawa Shoten
Magazine:Young Ace Up
First:August 31, 2021
Volumes:6
Type:tv series
Director:Ryōhei Takeshita
Studio:CygamesPictures
Licensee:Netflix (streaming rights)
Network:Nippon TV
First:Q3 2025
Last:scheduled
Portal:yes

is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mokumokuren. It began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website in August 2021. As of December 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in six volumes. It follows the story of Yoshiki, a teenager in rural Japan who discovers that his best friend Hikaru has been possessed by an otherworldly entity, forcing him to navigate their changed relationship amid supernatural dangers.

Mokumokuren first conceived of the series while studying for exams and later began posting drawings on Twitter, which led to the Young Ace Up editorial department approaching Mokumokuren to serialize the manga via the Young Ace Up website. An anime television series adaptation produced by CygamesPictures is set to premiere in Q3 2025.

Upon release of the first volume, the series became a critical and commercial success, with the first volume selling 200,000 copies in three months, and received critical praise for story, artwork, and characters.

Plot

Yoshiki and Hikaru are two teenage boys living in a small town in rural Japan. Despite having opposite personalities and different hobbies, the two maintain a close friendship. However, on one winter day, Hikaru is fatally injured while hiking in the mountains alone. Before dying, a mysterious eldritch being comes across him and consumes him, becoming him physically in the process. This "Hikaru" has all the feelings and memories of the original, yet remains a separate being, something Yoshiki realizes rather quickly. Yoshiki still wants to stay with "Hikaru"; however, his alien nature, along with other eldritch beings and hunters of said beings, may make that impossible.

Characters

Shūichirō Umeda (anime)
  • Chiaki Kobayashi (anime)

    • Production

    Mokumokuren first conceived the series while studying for high school entrance exams. After graduating, Mokumokuren began posting drawings on Twitter in their spare time in January 2021. Mokumokuren was later approached by the Young Ace Up editorial department to serialize the manga in Young Ace Up, which they accepted.[1] Mokumokuren is a fan of action manga from Weekly Shōnen Jump and Weekly Young Jump, particularly Tokyo Ghoul.[1]

    While writing the story, Mokumokuren tries to keep the horror to a minimum by trying to appeal to people's emotions rather than just being scary. Mokumokuren also feels the theme of the story adds to the horror based on the suspension bridge effect, which states that it is easier to fall in love when feeling anxious or fearful.[1] For the artwork, Mokumokuren tries to use onomatopoeia that are not often used, while also staying cautious to make sure it works properly in the context of the story.[1]

    Mokumokuren introduced this as a one-shot in 2021 under the Boys' Love genre,[2] but chose not to specify the genre of the official publication in 2022.[3]

    Setting

    Mokumokuren used their grandmother's hometown as model, where the houses were all packed together tightly and normal for the neighbors to come and go without permission. They got the inspiration during their visit to the region. As Mokumokuren wanted the characters to speak in distinctive dialect, they looked up for a dialect that is "slightly different from Kansai dialect" and decided the setting on place that is located in "mountainous area of Tokai region." As the result, a fictional rural town located between mountains in Mie Prefecture became the setting of the series, and some characters are speaking in Mie dialect. [4]

    Media

    Manga

    Written and illustrated by Mokumokuren, the series began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten's Young Ace Up website on August 31, 2021.[5] As of December 2024, the series' individual chapters have been collected in six volumes.

    In September 2022, Yen Press announced that they licensed the series for English publication.[6]

    Volumes

    Novel

    A novelization of the manga series, written by Mio Nukaga, was published by Kadokawa Shoten on December 4, 2023.[7] At New York Comic Con 2024, Yen Press announced that they also licensed the novel for English publication.[8]

    Anime

    An anime adaptation was announced on May 24, 2024.[9] It was later revealed to be a television series produced by CygamesPictures and directed and written by Ryōhei Takeshita, with character designs and chief animation direction handled by Yuichi Takahashi, and "Dorodoro" animation handled by Masanobu Hiraoka. It is set to premiere on Nippon TV in Q3 2025. Netflix will stream the series globally, with Abema streaming it inside Japan for free.[10] [11]

    Reception

    In the 2022 Next Manga Award, The Summer Hikaru Died ranked 11th in the web manga category. It was also the most popular choice among traditional Chinese voters.[12] The series topped the 2023 edition of Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of best manga for male readers.[13] It was also nominated for the 16th Manga Taishō.[14] The series ranked fifth in the Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2023.[15] It also ranked seventh in the seventh Tsutaya Comic Award.[16] In 2023, the series was listed by the New York Public Library among its Best Books for Teens that year.[17] It ranked 29th on the 2023 "Book of the Year" list by Da Vinci magazine.[18] In 2024, the first volume and series author Mokumokuren were nominated for the Eisner Award for Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia and for Best Writer/Artist respectively.[19] The series was also nominated for Harvey Awards in the Best Manga category in the same year.[20]

    The first volume received three times more orders than copies available in the first print run. The volume was reprinted six times in three months, having over 200,000 copies in circulation.[21] By October 2022, the series had 550,000 copies in circulation.[22] By June 2023, the series had 1.4 million copies in circulation.[23] By December 2023, the series had 1.9 million copies in circulation.[24] By May 24, 2024, the series had 2.1 million copies in circulation.[25] By June 4, 2024, the series had 2.3 million copies in circulation.[26] By November 4, 2024, the series had 3 million copies in circulation.[27]

    Chanmei from Real Sound praised the story and characters as emotional. Chanmei also praised the artwork, believing it complemented the story well.[28] Tensako Miura from An An praised the story, main characters, and artwork, positively noting the artwork's use of shades of black.[29]

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: ja:話題の青春ホラー漫画『光が死んだ夏』作者が明かす、"恐怖"を表現するためのこだわり 「記号ではなく、行動で感情を描く」. https://realsound.jp/book/2022/07/post-1067327.html. Real Sound. July 5, 2022. September 24, 2022. ja. September 21, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220921034711/https://realsound.jp/book/2022/07/post-1067327.html. live.
    2. Web site: https://blnews.chil-chil.net/newsDetail/27384/ . ja:ホラーな人外BL『光が死んだ夏』がヤングエースUpにて連載開始！. ちるちる. 2021-09-02. 2024-07-22. ja. 2023-01-15. https://web.archive.org/web/20230115045407/https://blnews.chil-chil.net/newsDetail/27384/.
    3. Web site: https://x.com/mokmok_len/status/1545046872410443777?t=02eqS8qqa_349DYOWr6qzw&s=19. ja:光が死んだ夏は何のジャンルの漫画なのか？と混乱している人をよく見かけるのですが、私もよく分からないで描いています。読んだ人それぞれに好きに受け取って貰えたら嬉しいと思っています。. Twitter. 2022-07-07. 2024-07-22. ja. July 26, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240726070925/https://x.com/mokmok_len/status/1545046872410443777?t=02eqS8qqa_349DYOWr6qzw&s=19. live.
    4. Book: このマンガがすごい！2023 . 2023 . 978-4-299-03737-4 . Japanese . Kono Manga ga Sugoi!.
    5. Web site: ja:山で行方不明になり、戻ってきた少年に友人は違和感が…新連載「光が死んだ夏」. https://natalie.mu/comic/news/443237. Comic Natalie. Natasha, Inc. August 31, 2021. September 24, 2022. ja. September 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922114636/https://natalie.mu/comic/news/443237. live.
    6. Web site: Yen Press Licenses Mokumokuren's The Summer Hikaru Died Manga. Anime News Network. Hazra. Adriana. September 15, 2022. September 24, 2022. September 24, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220924092619/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-09-15/yen-press-licenses-mokumokuren-the-summer-hikaru-died-manga/.189621. live.
    7. ja:人気コミック「光が死んだ夏」ノベライズ 2023年12月発売！. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000013597.000007006.html. Kadokawa Corporation. November 10, 2023. November 11, 2023. Chiyoda, Tokyo. PR Times. ja. November 11, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231111013023/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000013597.000007006.html. live.
    8. Web site: Yen Press Announces 16 Title Licenses, Ize Press Licenses 4 Titles. Anime News Network. Hodgkins. Crystalyn. October 21, 2024. October 21, 2024.
    9. Web site: The Summer Hikaru Died Horror Manga Gets Anime. Anime News Network. Pineda. Rafael. May 23, 2024. May 24, 2024. May 24, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240524035122/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-05-23/the-summer-hikaru-died-horror-manga-gets-anime/.211129. live.
    10. Web site: The Summer Hikaru Died Anime's Teaser Unveils Summer TV Debut, Netflix Streaming, Cast, Staff. Pineda. Rafael. Anime News Network. November 26, 2024. November 26, 2024.
    11. 1861575920156307953 . NetflixJP . 原作 #モクモクれん
      アニメ『#光が死んだ夏』ティザービジュアル
      未知の“ナニカ”へ墜ちていく青春ホラー物語の幕が、今、上がる──
      2025年夏よりNetflixにて独占配信.
    12. Web site: Medalist, WITCH WATCH, Akane-banashi Win Next Manga Awards 2022 Results. Anime News Network. Loveridge. Lynzee. August 31, 2022. September 24, 2022. August 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220831130106/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2022-08-31/medalist-witch-watch-akane-banashi-win-next-manga-awards-2022-results/.188752. live.
    13. Web site: Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Editors Unveil 2023 Rankings. Anime News Network. Pineda. Rafael Antonio. December 12, 2022. December 12, 2022. December 14, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221214161123/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2022-12-12/kono-manga-ga-sugoi-editors-unveil-2023-rankings/.192823. live.
    14. Web site: 16th Manga Taisho Awards Nominate 11 Titles. Anime News Network. Cayanan. Joanna. January 24, 2023. January 24, 2023. January 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230124081846/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-01-24/16th-manga-taisho-awards-nominate-11-titles/.194135. live.
    15. Web site: Harding. Daryl. RuriDragon is Japanese Bookstores No. 1 Manga Recommendation of 2023. Crunchyroll. February 2, 2023. February 2, 2023. February 2, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230202092434/https://www.crunchyroll.com/anime-news/2023/02/01/ruridragon-is-japanese-bookstores-no-1-manga-recommendation-of-2023. live.
    16. Web site: ja:『TSUTAYAコミック大賞』1位は『黄泉のツガイ』 『ハガレン』作者の最新作. https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2296284/full/. Oricon News. September 28, 2023 . September 29, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230928031154/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2296284/full/. September 28, 2023. ja. live.
    17. Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Four Manga Make the NY Public Library's 2023 List of Best Books for Teens. Anime News Network. November 24, 2023. November 24, 2023. November 24, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231124161700/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-11-24/four-manga-make-the-ny-public-library-2023-list-of-best-books-for-teens/.204753. live.
    18. Web site: Tai. Anita. Tomoko Yamashita's Ikoku Nikki Tops Da Vinci Manga Ranking. Anime News Network. December 6, 2023. December 5, 2023. https://archive.today/20231206031031/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2023-12-05/tomoko-yamashita-ikoku-nikki-tops-da-vinci-manga-ranking/.205150. December 6, 2023. live.
    19. Web site: Timothy. Adams. 2024 Eisner Award Nominees Revealed. ComicBook.com. May 17, 2024. May 16, 2024. May 16, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240516221658/https://comicbook.com/comics/news/2024-eisner-award-nominees-revealed/. live.
    20. Web site: Pineda. Rafael Antonio. Harvey Awards Nominate Frieren, Delicious in Dungeon, The Summer Hikaru Died, More Manga. Anime News Network. August 15, 2024. August 15, 2024. August 15, 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240815133354/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-08-15/harvey-awards-nominate-frieren-delicious-in-dungeon-the-summer-hikaru-died-more-manga/.214321. live.
    21. Web site: ja:SNSで話題沸騰中のホラー漫画『光が死んだ夏』、発売後わずか3か月で20万部突破. https://realsound.jp/book/2022/06/post-1048428.html. Real Sound. June 10, 2022. September 24, 2022. ja. September 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922085247/https://realsound.jp/book/2022/06/post-1048428.html. live.
    22. ja:累計55万部（電子含む）突破！ 『光が死んだ夏』待望のコミックス2巻刊行を記念し、池袋に大型交通広告が出現！ さらに、”ヒカル”と”よしき”を異なる4組の声優が演じたコミックスPVを4週連続で公開！. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000011156.000007006.html. Chiyoda, Tokyo. Kadokawa Corporation. October 3, 2022. May 2, 2023. ja. PR Times. March 14, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230314005308/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000011156.000007006.html. live.
    23. June 2, 2023. ja:累計140万部（電子含む）突破！ 今、Z世代が熱狂する青春ホラー漫画『光が死んだ夏』の謎解き特設サイトが登場！ さらに、『光が死んだ夏』の情報がまとめて見れる公式.... https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000012753.000007006.html. June 13, 2023. Kadokawa Corporation. Chiyoda, Tokyo. PR Times. ja. June 13, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230613042131/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000012753.000007006.html. live.
    24. June 2, 2023. ja:『光が死んだ夏』ノベライズを記念して、直筆サイン入りグッズが当たるキャンペーンを実施！. https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000013673.000007006.html. December 15, 2023. Kadokawa Corporation. Chiyoda, Tokyo. PR Times. ja. December 9, 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20231209074105/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000013673.000007006.html. live.
    25. Web site: May 24, 2024 . ja:漫画『光が死んだ夏』アニメ化決定 親友の姿をした”ナニカ”と少年の狂気孕む青春ホラー . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240524042327/https://www.oricon.co.jp/news/2328525/full/ . May 24, 2024 . May 24, 2024 . . ja.
    26. Web site: June 4, 2024 . ja:アニメ化も決定！ 青春ホラー漫画『光が死んだ夏』コミックス5巻刊行を記念し、作品PVを公開！ . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20240605052906/https://prtimes.jp/main/html/rd/p/000014799.000007006.html . June 5, 2024 . October 22, 2024 . プレスリリース・ニュースリリース配信シェアNo.1｜PR TIMES . ja.
    27. Japanese: モクモクれん@mokmok_len. 1853641838986723487. mokmok_len. ja:「光が死んだ夏」⑥巻は12/4発売です！今巻で発行部数が300万部になりました。いつも読んでくださって本当にありがとうございます！アニメも含めて、これからも何卒よろしくおねがいいたします。. November 4, 2024. ja.
    28. Web site: ja:幼馴染が全く別の”ナニカ”にすり替わってしまったら……？ SNSで話題沸騰『光が死んだ夏』の不気味な切なさ. https://realsound.jp/book/2022/03/post-982991.html. Real Sound. Chanmei. March 9, 2022. September 24, 2022. ja. September 22, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220922080104/https://realsound.jp/book/2022/03/post-982991.html. live.
    29. Web site: ja:行方不明の幼なじみが発見されるもその正体は…SNSでも話題の青春ホラーコミック. https://ananweb.jp/news/417090/. An An. Miura. Tensako. May 24, 2022. September 24, 2022. ja. September 23, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220923030342/https://ananweb.jp/news/417090/. live.

    This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "The Summer Hikaru Died".

    Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is © Copyright 2009-2025, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. Cookie policy.