Reviews

On the surface The Summer Hikaru died explores a common fear, and as such it is one that is often explored in horror movies. What if a person you loved changed into something unrecognizable? Do you push them away, or try to connect with the person they've become? Naturally, this fear is twisted into something more threatening in a supernatural horror format. What if they literally died and came back as something else that could potentially harm you and your family? This manga follows teenage boy Yoshiki after his best friend (and one sided crush) Hikaru mysteriously disappears and reappears. Hikaru looks the same as ever, but Yoshiki can tell that something is wrong. Following Yoshiki's confrontation with Hikaru about this, the monster that has replaced Hikaru's appearance changes, and it confesses it's love to him. Yoshiki reluctantly agrees to keep Hikaru's replacement a secret. That is the basic summary, but there are plenty of different directions this could go that you should really experience for yourself. Beyond the body horror seems to be themes of grief and repressed homosexuality, as well as subtext to read into. I won't spoil any explicit plot details, but I'd encourage you to stop reading this and check it out it out if a bl with pretty art, toxic but engaging romance, and body horror sounds appealing to you.

So the first thing you'll notice about this manga is that it looks great. The art is a bit uncanny to be sure, but it's drawn skillfully. The detailed background art and visual horror create an oppressive atmosphere. This detail carries over to the character art as well, so much so that even comedic scenes take on a strange grotesqueness. I'd even criticize this aspect for the tonal dissonace that it creates, but it's a small issue. The author draws facial expressions so skillfully that you can glean lots of information on characters from them. Being a body horror manga, that aspect is of course given extra care. When it gets supernatural, it takes on a surreal quality. Strangely, I'd even say that the transformations of Hikaru take on a strange air of eroticism. That sounds out of place, but the author understands that the line between fear and attraction is thin. This plays a big part in what I think is another strength of the manga: characterization.

One of the most best things about this manga, at least by my estimation, is the confidence the author seems to have in the reader. Yoshiki having had feelings towards the previous Hikaru isn't outright stated, but it is assumed that the reader will pick up on it. It's stated that the village Yoshiki lives in views homosexuality as some kind of curse, and the insecurity this creates in him is shown subtly. The camera's gaze and the little things he says all convey this, like his apparent guilt over staring at Hikaru shown through the shadow on his face. His fear of and attraction to Hikaru's transformations also conveys this idea. He's also coping with grief in an unhealthy manner, and this is shown through the almost experimental way he's sometimes drawn. But Yoshiki is not the only important character, and Hikaru also has some depth. His character is harder to parse, but he does have interiority. He's more delicate than his outgoing demeanor would suggest, understandably since being a literal monster means his position in Yoshiki's life is fragile. He's also adorable in a childish sort of way. Our two main characters form a codependent relationship based on a fear of being alone, something very human and compelling in a messy sort of way. The rest of the cast is pretty barebones, but there are some intriguing side characters like Yoshiki's little sister.

At the moment it is unclear where the story will be going so I'm not going to discuss it in depth, but the strength of the characters and art are enough for me to give it a wholehearted recommendation if you have a stomach for horror and some sad subject matter. Very stong first impressions, I give it a 7.5/10