‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Set to Bring Eerie Anime Thrills on July 5

The long-awaited anime adaptation of award-winning author Mokumokuren’s hit manga “The Summer Hikaru Died” (published by KADOKAWA) is set to premiere on July 5. A chilling blend of slice of life and the supernatural, Yoshiki’s life is thrown upside down when his best friend Hikaru Indou is replaced by “something” that looks and acts just like him. The key art and main trailer offer a glimpse into Yoshiki and Hikaru’s eerie world.

Directed by Ryohei Takeshita, known for Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night, the animation is produced by CygamesPictures.

The series stars Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka, Shuichiro Umeda as Hikaru,Yumiri Hanamori as Asako Yamagishi, Wakana Kowaka as Rie Kurebayashi, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Tanaka, Yoshiki Nakajima as Yuta Maki, and Shion Wakayama as Yuki Tadokoro.

Chiaki Kobayashi expresses his excitement about playing Yoshiki and the complex emotions involved: "I'm thrilled to voice Yoshiki. From the audition, I felt a whirlwind of emotions — fear, comfort, and uncertainty. My goal was to capture all of Yoshiki’s feelings and melancholy."

Shuichiro Umeda, voicing Hikaru, describes the role as a new experience: "Playing Hikaru was like peering into darkness. Despite uncertainties, my desire to stay connected with Yoshiki was clear, and I approached the role with that strong feeling."

Director Ryohei Takeshita reflects on the adaptation process: "Reading the original work was exciting, and I pondered how to express its frames in animation. Our team was very dedicated to capturing the delicate emotions of Yoshiki and Hikaru, as well as the manga's beautiful and innovative structure. We look forward to sharing it with you."

Explore a world where the boundaries between friendship and fear blur in this anime adaptation. The Summer Hikaru Died streams on July 5, only on Netflix.

STORY: Two best friends living in a rural Japanese village: Yoshiki and Hikaru. Growing up together, they were inseparable… until the day Hikaru came back from the mountains, and was no longer himself. “Something” has taken over Hikaru’s body, memories, feelings… and everything they know begins to unravel.

About The Summer Hikaru Died Cast: Yoshiki Tsujinaka: Chiaki Kobayashi Hikaru: Shuichiro Umeda Asako Yamagishi: Yumiri Hanamori Rie Kurebayashi: Wakana Kowaka Tanaka: Chikahiro Kobayashi Yuta Maki: Yoshiki Nakajima Yuki Tadokoro: Shion Wakayama

Staff: Original story: Based on the comic “The Summer Hikaru Died” by Mokumokuren, originally serialized in the YOUNG ACE UP published by KADOKAWA Director/Series Composition: Ryohei Takeshita Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Yuichi Takahashi DORODORO Animator: Masanobu Hiraoka Prop Design: Ryunosuke Oji Sub Character Design: Mai Watanabe, Hiroko Seigan, Shoko Nagasawa Art Setting: Shuhei Tada, Takeshi Takahashi, Yoshihiro Sono Art Director: Kohei Honda Color Design: Naomi Nakano Assistant Color Design: Yuko Koshida 3D Supervisor: Yoshinori Nakano Director of Photography: Tomohiro Maeda 2D Design: Yusuke Nagara, Yuri Tsue Editing: Kashiko Kimura Sound Direction: Koji Kasamatsu Sound Production: dugout Music: Taro Umebayashi Opening Theme Song "saikai" by Vaundy Ending Theme Song "Anata wa Kaibutsu(you are my monster)" by TOOBOE Animation Production: CygamesPictures

©Mokumokuren/KADOKAWA/The Summer Hikaru Died Partners *Copyrights must be indicated when posting or using the image materials.

Original Work Information Title: 'The Summer Hikaru Died'　 Author: Mokumokuren Previously published: Volumes 1-5 (Kadokawa Comics A) Available on YenPress: https://yenpress.com/series/the-summer-hikaru-died