Production company Kadokawa announced an anime adaptation of Mokumokuren's Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu (The Summer Hikaru Died) horror mystery manga on Friday.

Mokumokuren originally began posting the horror mystery manga on their X (formerly Twitter) account before Kadokawa began serializing the manga on its Young Ace UP website in August 2021. The fourth volume went on sale last December, with the fifth volume scheduled to be released on June 4. The manga series has a cumulative 2.1 million copies of its volumes in print, including electronic versions.

Kadokawa began releasing a light novel adaptation by Mio Nukaga in December 2023.

Yen Press licensed the manga in English in September 2022 and released the third volume on April 16. The fourth volume is scheduled for an August 20 release.

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu placed first in the Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 Rankings in the male readers category and was nominated for the 16th Manga Taisho Award in 2023. The manga also placed 11th in 2022 Next Manga Award in the web manga category.

Synopsis
Best friends Yoshiki and Hikaru have been stuck together like glue for most of their lives. Living in a small village and being the only children their age, the two boys find solace in each other's company. Their friendship seems picturesque at first glance, but Yoshiki has noticed a shift in Hikaru's demeanor ever since one fateful summer.

The "Hikaru" that sits beside him now is nothing like his friend. Despite his physical appearance and memories remaining exactly the same, Yoshiki knows something is amiss and that the Hikaru he once knew is gone. When he brings this up, Hikaru partially transforms into an otherworldly being, threatening to kill Yoshiki if he cannot accept it—while also professing its love for him.

Wracked with grief and unable to let go of his best friend, Yoshiki struggles to move on with his life as he finds himself getting closer to the new Hikaru. At the same time, strange occurrences begin to plague their village, bringing unsettling chaos. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

Manga official site: https://promo.kadokawa.co.jp/hikarugashinda/
Manga official X (Twitter): @hikarugashinda

Source: Press Release

Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu on MAL