The chilling supernatural horror anime, ‘The Summer Hikaru Died,’ is officially getting a second season! This exciting news comes right after the broadcast of its first season finale in Japan. While an exact return date is yet to be revealed, the announcement was accompanied by a captivating new video and visual, building anticipation for what’s next.
To celebrate the upcoming second season, a new announcement video, a striking visual, and a collection of beautiful illustrations have been released. These include stunning artwork by Mokumokuren, the original manga artist, and Yuichi Takahashi, the anime’s character designer.
The story originates from Mokumokuren’s acclaimed manga, which began serialization on Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace Up web imprint in August 2021. With seven collected volumes to date, the series has garnered significant recognition. It topped Kono Manga ga Sugoi!’s list for male readers in 2023 and has been nominated for prestigious awards such as the Manga Taisho award, the Tsutaya Comic Awards, an Eisner Award, and the Next Manga Award.
The anime adaptation is brought to life by studio CygamesPictures. Ryohei Takeshita, known for ‘Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night,’ directs the anime and serves as the series composer. Yuichi Takahashi, celebrated for ‘Vivy -Fluorite Eye’s Song-,’ handles character design and acts as chief animation director, while Masanobu Hiraoka contributes as the unique “Dorodoro” animator, having directed episodes of ‘Chainsaw Man.’
The English version of the manga, published by Yen Press, sets the stage for the eerie narrative: “It has Hikaru’s face. It has Hikaru’s voice. It even has Hikaru’s memories. But whatever came down from the mountains six months ago isn’t Yoshiki’s best friend. Whatever it is, it’s dangerous. Carrying on at school and hanging out as if nothing has changed—as if Hikaru isn’t gone—would be crazy…but when it looks so very like Hikaru…and acts so very like Hikaru…”