Anime Expo 2025: ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ is just as much about grief as it is about the supernatural

During its North American premiere at Anime Expo, I was sold on “The Summer Hikaru Died” by the second scene of the show. As Hikaru (Shūichirō Umeda, “The Dawn of the Witch”) and Yoshiki (Chiaki Kobayashi, “Jigokurraku”) banter on a sweltering summer day, Yoshiki works up the courage to ask, “You ain’t the real Hikaru, are you?” Hikaru’s human guise slips, revealing a grotesque monster underneath, and he tearfully begs Yoshiki not to tell anyone else about his true identity. Shockingly, Yoshiki accepts, deciding that even if the person in front of him isn’t really Hikaru, Yoshiki still needs Hikaru by his side. What could be the dramatic climax of one or multiple episodes is instead the inciting incident of the pilot. In the first few minutes, this scene perfectly conveys the major the