Posted in: Netflix, TV | Tagged: anime, The Summer Hikaru Died

The Summer Hikaru Died: Zombie Best Friend Horror Anime Gets Teaser

The Summer Hikaru Died, the long-awaited anime adaptation of award-winning author Mokumokuren’s hit manga, has a teaser trailer from Netflix.

Netflix released a teaser trailer for The Summer Hikaru Died, the long-awaited anime adaptation of award-winning author Mokumokuren's hit manga published by KADOKAWA. A chilling blend of slice-of-life and the supernatural, Yoshiki's life is thrown upside down when his best friend Hikaru is replaced by "something" that looks and acts just like him. The newly released teaser trailer offers a glimpse into Yoshiki and Hikaru's eerie world.

Yoshiki and Hikaru are best friends in a rural Japanese village. They grew up together and were inseparable… until he died. Then, the day came when Hikaru came back from the mountains and was no longer himself. "Something" has taken over Hikaru's body, memories, feelings… and everything they know begins to unravel. Is it really Hikaru? He knows and remembers Yoshiki and wants to hang out with him like they usually do, but there's something off about him, like the way he gets up to some seriously nasty Body Horror shenanigans when Yoshiki isn't looking. Don't you hate it when that happens? Can't anyone quietly mourn the death of their best friend in peace anymore without said best friend coming back as a scary zombie that still wants to hang out? Teenage life is so complicated!

The Summer Hikaru Died is directed by Ryohei Takeshita, who is known for Jellyfish Can't Swim in the Night. The animation is produced by CygamesPictures and stars Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka and Shuichiro Umeda as Hikaru Indou.

Chiaki Kobayashi expressed his excitement about playing Yoshiki and the complex emotions involved: "I'm thrilled to voice Yoshiki. From the audition, I felt a whirlwind of emotions — fear, comfort, and uncertainty. My goal was to capture all of Yoshiki's feelings and melancholy."

Shuichiro Umeda, who voices the undead and no-longer-human Hikaru, described the role as a new experience: "Playing Hikaru was like peering into the darkness. Despite uncertainties, my desire to stay connected with Yoshiki was clear, and I approached the role with that strong feeling."

"Reading the original work was exciting," said director Ryohei Takeshit, "And I pondered how to express its frames in animation. Our team was very dedicated to capturing the delicate emotions of Yoshiki and Hikaru, as well as the manga's beautiful and innovative structure. We look forward to sharing it with you."

The Summer Hikaru Died, where the boundaries between friendship and fear blur with gloopy body horror, will premiere on Netflix.

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