New Anime “The Summer Hikaru Died” Features Intense Horror Elements: “Scarier Than the Original,” “The Visuals and Sound Are Incredible”

The new anime “The Summer Hikaru Died” began airing on July 5. Building on the highly acclaimed youth horror story of the original manga, the anime amplifies the horror through sound and color—techniques unique to animation. As a result, viewers have been left trembling, with comments such as “It’s scarier than the original…” and “Wow, it’s even scarier than I imagined…”

In Episode 1, “Replacement,” high school student Yoshiki Tsujinaka (voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi) discovers that his childhood friend has been replaced by a being that looks and sounds just like him, but is something altogether different. Though Yoshiki feels an overwhelming sense of unease, he reluctantly accepts the imitation Hikaru (voiced by Shūichirō Umeda), all while struggling with intense fear inside.

The show’s depiction of Yoshiki’s inner turmoil is particularly striking. As his internal monologue repeats “Scary, scary, scary!” and “What the hell is that? Please, give me a break!”, the scenery around him pulses in brilliant, ominous red. There is also an eerie scene where an elderly woman—who may have discovered Hikaru’s true nature—is visited by some unknown entity, heightening the sense of dread.

The effective use of sound and color has led to a flood of reactions from viewers: “It’s scarier than the original!”, “The visuals and sound are amazing”, and “Wow, the anime is way scarier than I expected…”