BL will continue to take over anime seasons in 2025. This time, it’s with The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga shinda Natsu), a queer story about grief and belonging that captured praise, awards, and love across countries. A work of genre fiction that utilizes romance, horror, science fiction, and peak young adult drama, the 5 volume series offers a look at how grief manifests. But more importantly, the emotions you bury in it.
CyberAgent, Inc. announced the long-awaited anime adaptation of award-winning author Mokumokuren’s The Summer Hikaru Died. Published by KADOKAWA, with English localization provided by Yen Press, the anime will be produced by CygamesPictures and will be coming exclusively to Netflix globally on July 5, 2025.
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The Summer Hikaru Died is a hit queer horror manga series about an ordinary high school boy, Yoshiki, who experiences various mysterious incidents in his life with Hikaru, a mysterious being who imitates his best friend, Hikaru Indou. The story of “whatever it is” and the boy’s madness is a must-see. Set in rural Japan, the hit manga is focused on two teenage boys after tragedy has hit.
The anime adaptation will be a series, taking place over multiple manga volumes. Ryohei Takeshita, who also directed Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night, will direct the animation. CygamesPictures will handle the animation production for the series.
On directing, Takeshita said, “When I first read the original work, I remember reading the pages with excitement, wondering what kind of expression I should use to express the frames of the original story in the animation. The entire staff has been working earnestly on the original work in order to skillfully animate not only the delicate emotions of Yoshiki and Hikaru, two young boys struggling to understand each other, but also the beautiful and innovative manga structure, so please look forward to the release.”
Credits for The Summer Hikaru Died anime are as follows:
Cast:
- 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
- Shion Wakayama as Yuki Tadokoro
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
In addition to the new teaser visual and trailer featuring the first footage of the anime, we will also reveal cast comments by Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka and Shuichiro Umeda as Hikaru Indou.
Chiaki Kobayashi will play Yoshiki Tsujinaka. About his role in the hotly anticipated anime, Kobayashi said, “From the time of the audition, I was swept up in a jumble of emotions: I shouldn’t be with him, but I want him to be with me; I’m scared but comfortable with him; and I’m not sure what to do.”
He continued, “I will do my best to pull out all Yoshiki’s feelings and melancholy by mobilizing all my blood, flesh, and bones. Since various values are intermingled in today’s society, I hope that many people will watch this anime. Please look forward to its release.”
Shuichiro Umeda plays the titular Hikaru Indou. About his role, he said, “It was a new experience for me to play the role of Hikaru, and at the same time, it was like looking into the darkness. I am uncertain about many things in my mind and body, but I am certain that I want to stay with Yoshiki, so I will play his role with a strong sense of that feeling. I went into the audition with that in mind. I will do my best to play the role.”
The official synopsis released by KADOKAWA and CyberAgent is below in unedited form:
In a certain village
Since their childhood, they have grown up together.
Yoshiki and Hikaru, childhood friends.
the sun shining down on them
the chirping sound of a crypto tympana facialis
Ice cream on the way home
Laughing over trivial things
One day in summer, no different from any other day
…… You’re not Hikaru after all, are you?
Half a year ago, Hikaru went missing in the mountains.
A week later, he came back on a whim.
The voice, the figure, the thing that looked like Hikaru
What was stirring inside…
“Hikaru is no longer with us. …… if that’s the case.”
Starting the days with “something” in the form of a friend,
The “same as usual” everyday life.
But at the same time…
Strange incidents begin to plague the village.
Falling into the unknown “something”
The curtain rises on a coming-of-age horror story.
The Summer Hikaru Died arrives on Netflix on July 5, 2025.
