As its broadcast approaches, the animated adaptation of Mokumokuren‘s best-selling manga, The Summer Hikaru Died, gets a new trailer. The anime will be available in Japan on Nippon TV and internationally on Netflix and will offer a clever mix of slice-of-life and horror.
The story follows Yoshiki and Hikaru, two childhood friends from a peaceful rural Japanese village who share an unbreakable bond until Hikaru returns from the mountains changed. Or rather, replaced, because he’s not quite the same person — even though he looks, sounds, and remembers the same. Something has taken over his body, leaving Yoshiki helpless in the face of this new version of Hikaru.
Directed by Ryohei Takeshita (Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night) and produced by CygamesPictures, the series promises to capture the essence of the original manga. The director confides: “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.” The series will be available on Netflix starting July 5, 2025.
The original version of The Summer Hikaru Died features Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki while Shuichiro Umeda lends his voice to Hikaru. They will be joined by Yumiri Hanamori as Asako, Wakana Kowaka as Rie Kurebayashi, Chikahiro Kobayashi as Tanaka, Yoshiki Nakajima as Yuta Maki, and Shion Wakayama as Yuki Tadokoro.
Mokumokuren will be a guest of honor at Anime Expo 2025, which will take place in Los Angeles from July 3 to 6, 2025. This is a unique opportunity to meet the author of The Summer Hikaru Died at the same time that the animated adaptation debuts on Netflix.
