The Summer Hikaru Died

Episode 12

Let me start at the end: that is an evil cliffhanger, and the staff evidently knew as much, wasting no time to confirm that a second season will be happening. I'm relieved, but to be honest, my heart is still racing. It's not that I'm worried about what Tanaka's intentions are (although to be clear, I most definitely am). It's the fact that Yoshiki and Hikaru finally punched through a communication barrier that's been suffocating them all season, and I'm dying to see how their relationship develops beyond this point. This was a tremendous breakthrough—even if it might spell the end of everything.

The bulk of this finale feels like a cathartic splash in the ocean that nevertheless leaves you shivering—a bittersweet respite from oppressive summer heat. Well before the tremendous conclusion, though, I found myself getting emotional throughout the full runtime. At the beginning, Yoshiki and his dad share only a few words, but that's a huge improvement borne of their heart-to-heart last week. While his relationship with his extended relatives remains strained, as he is all too eager to escape with Hikaru later on, this shows us that he does care about his immediate family. Despite their issues, there is a path forward for the Tsujinakas.

Hikaru also demonstrates remarkable growth. He tactfully waits until the rest of the student body is busy with the end-of-the-semester function before he says a silent and ritualistic goodbye to the school. He's committed to not disturbing or harming anybody else. Asako, of course, is too perceptive to let him leave without talking to him, and their brief conversation is the second most important scene this week. As heartbreaking as it is to watch Asako finally grieve over the original Hikaru, it's just as crushing to watch Hikaru conclude that everyone would have been better off if he'd never come down the mountain. It is functionally suicidal ideation. And it hits extra hard when the same scene exhibits how much gentleness and emotional intelligence Hikaru has cultivated in his short time in the village. Instead of instinctively attacking Asako like he did the first time she confronted him, Hikaru instead follows his instinct to comfort her when she cries.

Still, Hikaru has made up his mind, and he takes Yoshiki on a date that recapitulates and reverses the kindness Yoshiki showed him right before the stabbing incident. Hikaru wants one final set of shimmering memories before he leaves for the mountains. The adaptation, however, doesn't let the audience forget the unease brewing beneath the boys' fun. The soundtrack is sparse and melancholy, and the use of live-action train footage adds a surreal layer on top of their exodus from the mountains. While I don't doubt this was, in part, a time-saving maneuver by the production, the staff again proves their adeptness at turning corner-cutting into smart and effective aesthetic embellishments. I will never look at raw chicken the same way thanks to this adaptation, and I think that's all the proof you need that they know what they're doing.

This ocean visit was foreshadowed a while ago (and, in fact, this train trip has been in the ED the whole time), and it is front-to-back an incredible scene. Note, too, that they had to physically remove themselves from their village to have such a conversation. This is the essence of The Summer Hikaru Died laid bare: far removed from any of the external terrors that have been haunting them, Yoshiki instead confronts the horrors within. From our seats in the audience, we can see that Yoshiki is just a confused queer teenager wrestling with his desires, but trapped inside his brain, Yoshiki perceives himself as the true monster. It was bad enough when he harbored unrequited feelings for his best friend. He now, at long last, accepts that he's become even more attracted to the lump of flesh that has been puppeting Hikaru's corpse since winter. Hikaru loves him back. That excites him. These are truths he needs to reconcile before anything further can develop, and unfortunately, it might be too late for Yoshiki to do so.

Speaking of affection, I especially love the uncanny way that the anime depicts Yoshiki's inner dialogue, which is a bizarre intersection of Evangelion with Clutch Cargo. I don't know how you come up with that and assert the confidence to follow through, but that's the mark of an exemplary adaptation. As mass audiences increasingly demand panel-accurate faithfulness when it comes to translating manga onto the screen, it's more important than ever to laud series that value creative and conversational approaches to their sources. And that's it for my obligatory soapboxing.

To properly understand the richness of The Summer Hikaru Died, it's worth digging into how complicated the emotional landscape of a paltry few seconds can be. Let's take it from the moment that Hikaru points out the inflatable salamander floating away. Hikaru is copying Yoshiki's usual M.O. of ignoring the elephant in the room. Hikaru knows he can't stay with Yoshiki, but he can't bring himself to reaffirm it with Yoshiki kneeling and crying in front of him. He's too soft for that. Yoshiki, in response, tells him to forget about the salamander, affirming that he is willing to abandon the rest of his family for Hikaru's sake. Before he does so, though, Yoshiki looks up at Hikaru, who doesn't meet his gaze. With his vision obstructed by his bangs, Yoshiki yet again chooses not to look at what's in front of him, and he fully closes his eyes. When we see them back on the beach, sitting far apart from each other, it's a devastating punctuation mark. Thankfully, though, it's not a period. Their story continues.

While The Summer Hikaru Died is an easy pick for one of the summer's best series (and I'm not alone in thinking that), I don't believe it's perfect. The mystery could be better integrated into the rest of the plot, and some of the scares fall back on familiar territory when they're supposed to be shocking. Ultimately, however, the facet I care most about is the connection between Yoshiki and Hikaru. As both a compelling metaphor and a literal gay relationship, their twisted bond kept me invested week after week. I'm glad that the anime recognized the importance of concluding this season by focusing on them, and I can't wait to see if Yoshiki can truly accept and share in Hikaru's monstrousness. You know I'm rooting for these lads.

Rating:

The Summer Hikaru Died is currently streaming on Netflix.