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[Spoilers] Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu Episode 1 Discussion
Damn, that was a killer first episode. They did a great job of setting up the atmosphere and creating this underlying, disturbing sense of unease. And what an unsettling ending.
I just want these boys to be happy (even if one of them is a monster) but I get the feeling there's going to be a lot of pain in store for us.
Yup, that was creepy.
During that scene, I didn't even notice there was a butterfly getting lured by the light in the foreground. It's kinda ominous if we make the parallel with what's happening to Yoshiki, even though I don't really understand how he feels about "Hikaru" yet.
I'm not sure Yoshiki himself really understands. He seems both relieved that Hikaru survived in some way but also scared shitless about it.The title is a bit weird too since Hikaru died in January. Is it referencing the fact that Yoshiki only just got the confirmation that his friend died?
But seeing that some villagers seem to know the true nature of Hikaru and that blonde exorcist(?) is on the hunt, there might be more death in store for Hikaru before summer is over.
It makes you wonder what you would do in Yoshiki place. If your really close friend gets swapped by a harmless(?) monster while retaining memories, would you accept him/her or disown
it's a very weird situation indeed, honestly though while weird as long as it didn't kill him i think i'd be fine, especially since he genuinely seems to enjoy his time as a human, without the knowledge about the whole him hunting down people who know his secret stuff and just seeing him from Yoshiki's view specifically i think i'd be weirded out but not apposed to making friends with him
great question. but to be honest, it seems that yoshiki doesn’t really have much of a choice given “hikaru” says he doesn’t want to have to kill yoshiki if he doesn’t accept the situation. if dying or accepting a being who looks and acts just like my best friend were my two options, i’d probably have to go with the latter, even though i know it would mess with me psychologically. i feel like the negative psychological effects would build up like water against a dam until it was ready to pop, and then at that point it would be a free-for-all for what would happen next.
The thread ""The summer Hikaru died" Episode 1 Discussion" and its comments have been merged into this thread.
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Finally it's here! My most anticipated horror anime.
It's genuinely a feast for the eyes. The strobing effect, the daring colors and the careful, detail oriented animation. It's so atmospheric and sucks you right in.
Something I might love even more than the visuals, is the sound design. The ear pricing loud cicadas are way creepier than any sort of eerie silence ever could.
The contrast between the ordinary rural school live to this cosmic body horror going on is fantastic. That scene at 6:50 where Yoshiki is lying in bed, just having woken from a dream about the real Hikaru, while his Mom is shouting for him to come down for breakfast, was especially jarring for me. Quietly having to grieve a person who you know is dead while everyone else is being fooled by a sort of skinwalker.
I had been wanting to read the manga for a while, but once the adaptation was confirmed, I decided to wait. I have no idea what’s coming next, I'm going in completely blind and it didn’t disappoint. The animation, soundtrack, VA, and backgrounds are all really well done. It keeps the suspense and gives off this unsettling feeling that something bad could happen. 
Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu #01
SB/ED: Ryouhei Takeshita 竹下良平
AD: Yuuichi Takahashi 高橋裕一It’s scary not because of what unfolds, but because of what doesn’t. The horror creeps in through silence, subtle glances, and that weird tension you can’t shake. Nothing quite feels right; even Hikaru seems almost normal, and that only makes it more unsettling. The first episode doesn’t scream at you; it whispers. And that’s what makes it so hard to look away.
This might just be Takeshita Ryouhei at his absolute peak, a masterful blend of unsettling calm and simmering tension. Every frame lingers with a breathless intensity, pulling you deeper into the story’s eerie atmosphere. It’s clear he’s fully in command of his vision, crafting a haunting experience that stays with you long after the episode ends.
I’ll be glued to my seat for this eco-horror ride for the next 12 weeks.
The way the faces are drawn is very unsettling for a good reason. This was a fantastic premiere. Not gonna lie I had no idea this will have some actual plot and organization hunting down supernatural monsters as the impression I got from people takling about it was just a slice of lice but with monster as your friend. I did feel like it would be horror, however, the supernatural police scenes were completly shocking to me.
It's insane how good this first episode looked, at times I felt like I was watching a movie. I don't know if the same level will be maintained for the rest of the episodes, but God, it looks good. Also the sound is so well done, it completely immerses you in the atmosphere and gives you chills. 
This episode was absolute cinema, possibly one of the best adaptations of a manga I’ve seen
Well, that was a creepy episode all right. It makes very good use of the light, colors and sound to make the whole atmosphere work. Looks promising in the horror department. I haven't read the manga, but I'll follow this series.
I feel like this is the closest that I have seen an anime to replicate the feeling of good live action horror.
What a great first chapter.
This is the type of horror I like, holy moly. I had goosebumps the whole way through; it was so creepy and unnerving. Peak entertainment, honestly.
i know this is a horror show but uh... i can't really think of this as one, i KNOW it is but to me it really doesn't feel like it, i'm not scared of "Hikaru" at all and all the "horror" moments had me intrigued not scared, i'm loving this not because it's a "good horror anime" (i already have Dark Gathering for that), i'm loving this because it's VERY interesting
I agree it gave me vibes of “Higurashj: When they cry: it almost feels like a similar cursed town type of feeling with this anime the visuals were so good as well the animation is extremely good I loved that the horror moments especially when the monster hugs yoshiki and tells him if he tells anyone that he isn’t actually hikaru he will kill him, this anime if going to be one of the best this season I can feel it I was intrigued from beginning to end ph and the camera angles toward hikaru and the menacing energy from him when yoshiki asks him “do you like me” he gives a creepy smile and says “yes…. I do like you” chills that was creepy
i definitely think, this will be a contender but my god this season is unbelievably stacked
I don't think a horror show has to be "scary". It can also be unsettling, disgusting or out of place which is what this is
i suppose that's true, but again i didn't really feel all that unsettled either, just intrigued, like at the end of the ep i didn't feel unsettled at all at him going to kill the granny, i was intrigued thinking "i wonder how Yoshiki will react if he learns what happened", idk it's a weird balance the show went for
ABSOLUTE PEAK FIRST EPISODE!!!
The animation is amazing, the atmosphere, the camera movement, and the shading. For the atmosphere alone, this could be the anime of the season, and the mystery.
By the way, the theme of "a close person who is not the person you know" reminds me of Kowloon, which was in the previous season. Kowloon, Summer Time Rendering, and Higurashi. This mix is killer
I also thought of Kowloon, too! As much as I enjoyed Kowloon Generic Romance, I literally wrote that I wish it leaned more into the psychological horror of that aspect, and now I'm getting to see just that in Hikaru.
It also kind of reminds me of Watashi wo Tabetai, Hitodenashi (anime adaptation coming next season), since they both do "I have a complicated relationship with a monster pretending to be human that might kill/eat me."
I liked it a lot, but as a manga fan, I feel like they could have paced it out and focused on environment, tone, and vibes even more. There’s a very slow building eerie feel to this series I really like and introducing a lot of elements in episode 1 gives it more of a “things will be happening” action feel. I kind of wanted to linger even more
I really like the cinematic effect with the memories. The going from keyframe to keyframe and the different aspect ratio was really good
I don't know how I feel about this one, and I think this was exactly the intention of the first episode, I'm thrilled, way more hyped than I already was. I'm getting a familiar feeling of something like Summer Time Rendering, the vibes and the plot feels similar to it, at least for now and at least to how it makes me feel about the show. As much as I love to come here discuss things and read people's thoughts, this show is making me feel I shouldn't, so I can enjoy the mystery a bit more intently, but I'll read through the threads anyway haha to hell.
I love that it didn't shy away from showing how close the two leads are (Hikaru stating multiple times that he "likes him a lot", his face clearly flushed when responding at the end, and Yoshiki crying because the real Hikaru never expressed those feelings). This story just wouldn't hit the same if their relationship was depicted as anything less, because it really hammers home why Yoshiki was so quick to accept this entity, why he's desperate to have Hikaru back even if it's only an imitation.
