The Summer Hikaru Died, written by Mokumokuren in 2022, is a rather popular horror-comedy manga. Volume one starts off on an incredibly strong note, introducing you to its world and characters without any hand holding. It revolves around a friend group residing in a small town with a series of misfortunes plaguing it. At the forefront of this friend group, are Hikaru and Yoshiki.
If you aren’t a fan of horror manga, perhaps you would prefer to read my review of “Love, that’s an understatement”.
Two best friends
Hikaru?
One day, Hikaru went missing in the forest. He was found safe and sound a week later, but he came back different. While still walking and talking like his usual self, there’s just something different about his overall aura. Animals start reacting poorly to him, overly spiritual people start avoiding him, but most of all, his best friend Yoshiki realises that Hikaru is not Hikaru right away. The story revolves around what not Hikaru actually is, and whether he is dangerous or not.
Yoshiki
Yoshiki is Hikaru’s best friend since childhood. He claimed to notice that Hikaru wasn’t himself from the day he returned from the woods. Even after not Hikaru confesses that he is something different, Yoshiki sticks around, stating that he would rather be together than alone.
Plot summary
The story revolves around Yoshiki trying to figure out exactly what Hikaru has become. While not Hikaru still has all of his memories, he claims that it’s his first time experiencing life as a human, so everything is exciting for him. It’s kind of cute watching him excitedly eating a croquette for the first time, if you can forget about the mystery around him.
By the end of the volume, not much had been revealed, leaving many questions and little answers. Not in a frustrating way, but in a “I really want to read the next volume” way.
Don’t go into the Woods
There are two entangled mysteries encompassing the main storyline: “What is Hikaru?” and “What is in the woods?”. There are a lot of rumors surrounding the woods. When the group of friends find themselves in the woods, they’re warned: “Don’t look into the woods. Keep your eyes on the path”.
I don’t want to spoil too much about the story, as I believe the mystery is the selling point of the story so I won’t spoil anything else.
About the art
I’m rather particular when it comes to art in horror manga. I think the art in this manga matches the intended atmosphere perfectly. The more supernatural parts are drawn wonderfully ambiguously, leaving a lot to interpretation. Yoshiki is drawn as dark and a bit gloomy, while Hikaru is portrayed as cute and child-like. The supernatural bits are also very intriguing to look at. There’s no unnecessary gore or nudity that is often found in horror manga these days, so I find it very refreshing.
My thoughts
I really like this manga and am excited to see where the story goes! There’s a murder mystery, supernatural elements, and a rural backdrop, what’s not to love? I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys darker stories, or to those who want to read a horror story without being exposed to sudden unnecessary nudity (why is that such a trend these days??).
Have you read volume one of The Summer Hikaru Died?
If you like horror manga, why not check out my review of Karada Sagashi?
Maddies Manga 
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