The first volume of the The Summer Hikaru Died manga slaps readers in the face with its premise. Hikaru, the dear friend and person Yoshiki loved most died. However, “Hikaru” is still there. We’re immediately confronted with not only how wrong this is, but how devastating this is for a young man grieving and trying to reconcile a life with this new entity.
It’s incredibly how quickly The Summer Hikaru Died forces us as readers to face Yoshiki’s new reality. We get six pages that feel incredibly ordinary. Two high school kids hanging outside a corner store, enjoying snacks while dealing with the heat. One of them, “Hikaru,” mispronounces a word. But it’s such that it could be no big deal. People mess up. Except Yoshiki then brings up how Hikaru went missing in the mountains near the town for a week. All the while, his eyes are hidden.
It’s on that sixth page that The Summer Hikaru Died manga hits us with the line. We finally see Yoshiki’s eyes, which are vacant with evident bags beneath them. He, the person who grew up alongside Hikaru, who loves him, and knows him better than anyone, asks, “You ain’t the real Hikaru, are ya?”
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- Image via Yen Press
I feel it hits us, or at least me, as hard as it does “Hikaru.” A full page is dedicated to his shock, before reality unravels. Mokumokuren’s execution is flawless, especially as the art bleeds to reveal and hint at what might have happened and who this new “Hikaru” is. Yoshiki watches in horror, but at the same time we can sense his grief and desperation as he takes in what he already knew.
But at the same time, there’s the sense of sympathy for whoever this new Hikaru is. This is a being that inherited the young man’s memories and form to become a flawless copy. He’s spent six months with Yoshiki, relishing life as a human. Likewise, Yoshiki’s spent six months knowing something isn’t right, with the manga’s first volume showing in this first chapter how its eaten away at him. So, it ends with a sense of possible acceptance. Of the new Hikaru living the lie and Yoshiki going along with it because it means “a” Hikaru is still there.
The rest of the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died manga deals with Yoshiki coming to terms with this newfound knowledge. We see how it shapes his relationship with Hikaru. Especially since this being he’s spending time with is now showing no qualms about its nature due to knowing this is one person it doesn’t need to wear a mask around. It also means watching Hikaru’s actions more closely now that we, like Yoshiki, are privy to the truth. Examining every action. Wondering what he’s capable of. Especially since it also means looking closer at how he influences those around him.
It’s the beginnings of an incredible story. The things happening her feel so offputting and wrong, especially when we happen upon moments in the first volume of The Summer Hikaru Died that would be heartwarming or normal if, well, both of the people involved were actually human. The glimpses of what’s going on and building tension are so satisfying, and they left me wishing we didn’t need to wait until October 2023 for more.
The Summer Hikaru Died volume 1 is available now, and Yen Press will publish volume 2 of the manga on October 17, 2023.
