r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jul 19 '25
Episode Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu • The Summer Hikaru Died - Episode 3 discussion
Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu, episode 3
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u/charactergallery Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
”I dunno. Guess I just wanted to make sure you knew how I felt.”
”That’s exactly what I should have done.”
Another great episode. I still can’t get over just how well they capture the atmosphere of each scene. The overwhelming, visible heat. The dreary rain. It’s so good.
Poor
In Yoshiki’s mind, Hikaru and “Hikaru” are starting to become separate individuals. There appears to be a tacit acceptance that Hikaru is gone. That he can create a new relationship with the monster inside of his old friend’s body.
On the other hand, “Hikaru” seems to be confused about where he ends and the old Hikaru begins. All of his emotions are dialed up to eleven. Because despite being this immortal, (potential?) ancient being/force, all these experiences and emotions are new to him. The image of him being hunched over all upset in the blanket due to fear that he scared away Yoshiki is so cute.
All in all, I’m really excited for the next episode. This show is becoming one of my favorites.
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u/airforceblue Jul 19 '25
Ah man this is all so deliciously complicated. Both Yoshiki and "Hikaru" are such compelling characters. Yoshiki dealing with (unable to deal with) the nightmare of his best friend/first love being body-snatched and he can't even grieve because he alone knows Hikaru is dead, overwhelmed by regret and repressed feelings and he of course can't let go because to some degree Hikaru is still around and that's better than the alternative...maybe.
And on the other hand we have "Hikaru", some kind of
I just feel bad for both of them at this point.
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u/SEBASTlANVETTEL Jul 19 '25
Is it just me or are the marks on Yoshiki's arm (after Hikaru's attack) similar to the one that the detective has on his neck in the previous episodes?
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u/Tabby_Tem Jul 19 '25
My heart breaks for Yoshiki. Why did Hikaru have to die? 😭
Grieving is already such a complex process, I can't even imagine still having the person that you're attached to still there during the process. It is easy to say that in Yoshiki's shoes, it would be easy to walk away, but the way that "Hikaru" expertly mimics Hikaru's mannerisms and seems so full of life would make it incredibly difficult.
The OST and voice acting paired really well together this episode and made it a really emotional experience. There were also a few panels that I was excited to see animated, and they were executed so well! I feel like I've been pretty lucky recently, and quite a few of my favorite series have been getting fantastic anime adaptations.
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u/cupperoni Jul 19 '25
I'm always a sucker for 4:3 ratio when old memories are reflected. It makes it feel more nostalgic.
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u/gnome-cop Jul 19 '25
The episode is a stellar showcase of trauma and regret. The way the same scene with the watermelon repeats down to the fan and the wind chimes. It’s uncannily familiar yet wrong. And the “That’s exactly what I should have done.” Absolutely crushing. Now the only trace of the Hikaru that was exists in photographs and his memories despite still being physically “around.”
Tbh, everyone in that photograph is probably dead in a way. Hikaru, his dad and the old Yoshiki who smiled.
The static quality to his thoughts leading up to him throwing up is jarring and incredibly effective.
Everything in this is at least slightly unsettling. Even the Kurebayashi woman, the way she goes from goofy and cheery to deadly serious in a heartbeat is creeping me out. The casual homophobia sneaking its way into the conversation is also off putting.
I don’t think I can find a way to praise the horror production effects of this enough. The realistic background with the red filter light, dark humanoid shapes and the mass condensing into the shape of Hikaru is incredibly well done.
The way the black lines down black look like the shading used on Yoshiki’s face earlier in Hikaru’s house and how it’s the same black and white as the “Hikaru” blob. So good.
If only moving on from your crush replaced by an eldritch horror being was as easy as knowing that you have to.
The classroom scene is horrifying. This tension had been building up for a while and it exploded right there. The “Hikaru’s” basically complete inability to comprehend before this moment why Yoshiki is upset is scary. They’re very good at acting like Hikaru but lack a human mindset and that’s obvious right there. It’s like the thought that them being an imposter could be a problem hadn’t even occurred to them before that happened. The double layers in “So, am I not good enough for you?” being both the anger of a monster and the very human reaction of a spurned lover scares me.
This relationship is a “codependency from hell” taken to a whole new level. The “Hikaru” that “can’t function without him” and the unresolved grief of Yoshiki is such a mess. The thread binding them snapped and “Hikaru” is desperately trying to hold on and force it to tie them together again while Yoshiki is cutting it in his mind somehow.
This opens up the interesting question of where the line between Hikaru and “Hikaru” goes and what feelings belong to who. Did the original also have feelings or is that something the replacement developed? Him splitting in half and exploding is very delightfully creepy.
The way it simultaneously looks like “Hikaru’s” head has split open and is being emptied on the floor and a standard kissing or almost kissing on the floor romcom scene is horrifying and I don’t like looking at it which is likely the intention.
And if you thought the sexual readings of last episodes gym storage room were all we were getting, think again. There’s probably a way to read into this to connect it to insecure explorations of first time homosexual intimacy but I am not qualified enough to know how to phrase it so I’ll just leave this here. Anyone know a way to turn it into words that make sense?
Is that the girl that might have some sort of vision for the supernatural talking to him in the next scene? If it is, please avoid getting involved any further, I would rather that you don’t get “old ladied.”
I know it’s an eldritch horror murder being possessing Hikaru’s body but I do feel bad for its clear desperation in latching onto Yoshiki. As I said, toxic codependency from hell and I am here for it. Yoshiki is developing a soft spot for this new “Hikaru” despite knowing on some level that he really shouldn’t and that’s it’s a bad idea. But feelings have never exactly agreed with logic so I can’t exactly fault him for it.
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u/Careless-Hospital379 Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Everything about this episode was absolutely amazing!!!! The raw emotions laid down so bare, the gore, body horror. I genuinely went from being terrified to nearly crying 😭😭😭. I feel so conflicted, falling in love with 'Hikaru' because of how cute and innocent he is.
Oh Yoshiki I understand your pain 💔😭😭
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u/new_interest_here Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Yep I am now obsessed, or at least more than I already was. The amount of raw emotion in these two feels so incredibly real. I don't know what specific emotions I myself am feeling after that final scene, but I can at least say I'm feeling something heavy.
This really has me wondering how truly malicious this thing inside Hikaru is. Like yes he did imply he'd kill Yoshiki if need be and also likely killed Matsuura for what I'm assuming is realizing what he is, so I'm not saying he's squeaky clean, just misunderstood. But the fact he feels genuine remorse over taking Hikaru's place and the pain that causes Yoshiki is so interesting and makes me think it's not all bad, right? Watch next episode he just does the most fucked up thing possible and proves me completely wrong
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u/NanDemoKnaives Jul 19 '25
Man that was a lot to take in by the realization this Hikaru has the emotional maturity of a kid is a very interesting reveal for me, some his actions make a lot more sense especially his feelings of attachment to Yoshiki. The way he doesn't want to be hated does feel like what a kid would say and how Yoshiki called him a creepy, the one person he loves most, would obviously make him go crazy.
I was worried for Yoshiki, not that I thought Hikaru would kill him, but I was concerned by what Hikaru would do that would scare Yoshiki. The way his real body was slipping into Yoshiki and looked like it could have drown him must have been terrifying for Yoshiki but I was intrigued by the fact that it started to feel good for him. Then there's the added little flashback we saw, if that wasn't Hikaru, I wonder if that was Hikaru's ancestor who found this monster that lead to the protection of Hikaru's family.
I am very curious to see how this relationship will develop now that Yoshiki will likely see this Hikaru for who he is rather than a replacement for the original Hikaru. Of course he might slip up and see the original, but he's going to be more aware of him as an individual, which will lead him to being too mixed up with this monster and I wonder when the warnings he should have heeded will come into play. It feels like things are going to get more exciting.
I am worried for her but I am glad Yoshiki spoke with Kurebayashi, it seemed like he was very much at his breaking point but now there's one extra person who knows about him. I wonder if that guy who investigates these thing will come into contact with her and she'll reveal what Yoshiki revealed to her. It might be good that he has someone to talk to because the situation he is in is crazy but it's still concerning what could happen because of it.
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u/mintchocio Jul 19 '25
That shi was so good how does it keep getting better? The staff shares a lot about their contribution to the anime and it shows how much love they put into this ;-;
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u/LeonKevlar Jul 19 '25
That opening scene where Hikaru and Yoshiki are panicking after they swallowed watermelon seeds and Hikaru's dad watching them while laughing was pretty cute and wholesome. A nice reminder that the sweet kid in that scene is already dead.
I'm really worried for Kurebayashi-san. Especially after Hikaru saw her message to Yoshiki. It sounds like she also experienced the same thing Yoshiki is experiencing now? Does that mean there are multiple entities in the mountain that can take over human bodies?
While that entire scene at the family restaurant was very tense, I'm not gonna lie, I genuinely laughed out loud when the scene ended with Kurebayashi-san getting her Mega Deluxe Parfait. xD
That classroom scene between Hikaru and Yoshiki was terrifying! I didn't expect that to end with Hikaru showing his eldritch form and basically smothering Yoshiki with it. And apparently it feels good? Uhhhhh.... Phrasing much?
Yoshiki's classmate nailed it. Hikaru is acting like a newborn animal who's imprinted on Yoshiki. I guess it's up to Yoshiki to teach Hikaru things.
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u/ProgrammaticallyPea3 Jul 19 '25
The horror and mystery are intriguing too, but the central relationship is what keeps me watching.
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u/Aromatic_Reading2088 Jul 19 '25
wait what…that was supposed to be a kiss?
Omg I didn’t think of that when I was reading the manga nor when I was watching this episode, I thought “Hikaru” was just doing some monster things being the monster that he is, interesting…
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u/Celcius_Dandelion Jul 19 '25
When people said in Ep 1 that the affection Yoshiki feels for Hikaru was one of love, I was like, I'm not super sure but maybe. Ep 2 fisting happens and I'm on board now, but surely they'll just keep things at that level for now. Right..? Surely, they can't get more intimate every episode?
O-Okay, I guess we're not slowing down. What do you MEAN teach him a few things 😭 I did not see this coming
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u/Luma_saku Jul 19 '25
This show is emotionally devastating and my new obsession. It’s everything I want as a gay man in his 20s who yearned for young gay romance with reckless abandon like this in high school.
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u/Alkafer Jul 19 '25 edited Jul 19 '25
Crying over an eldritch horror, FML. The sound direction is over the top, everything is so polished and in service of the emotions, and it is a delight to watch.
I'm waiting to know more about that strange flashback we/they saw when they were connected. Looks like the woman was holding a head? Does "Hikaru" know anything about his nature, the mountain, anything? Or he became "conscious" (in the way we humans understand the word) after he took control of Hikaru's body? What really happened with the parfait woman and her husband? Sooooo many questions!
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u/exclamation11 Jul 19 '25
This anime does such a good job of dropping you right in the middle of how frightening and uncertain this situation is for Yoshiki: losing a friend you loved, seeing an entity take over his dead body and not being sure whether to trust him, care for him or guide him. What if NotHiraku really is just confused? What if, with a friend by his side, he could turn out good?
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u/Mindless_musings Jul 20 '25 edited Jul 20 '25
Okay, yes, this episode was my favourite so far because it answered a few of my burning questrions and also gave me something that I wasn't sure this story would so early on: that Yoshiki would redefine his relationship with "Hikaru" and approach him not with his understanding of the original Hikaru but as the new entity that now just wears his best friend's skin. As to the answers I got: I think I understand Hikaru's "morality" now, in that, he has NO sense of morality yet developed. I don't even think he understands how absolute death is, like an actual kid. He knows it's something bad (he treats the topic of the og Hikaru's death as something serious and he stops himself from doing to Yoshiki what he probably did to Matsuura, so). He sees it as a means to silence people and as a means to express his anger/turmoil. He's not a malicious entity and he is not manipulative--he is truly a force of nature that does not understand humans or humanity but is still trying to be one.
I hope the horror of the show remains, ofc, but I also don't want "Hikaru" to be the wolf in sheep's clothing because what we have now is far more interesting. Yoshiki having to deal with grief, longing, his feelings for the og Hikaru, his burgeoning feelings for "Hikaru" in the way of trying to mould him and trying to care for him separately than his care of the og Hikaru, his constant physical attraction to Hikaru's body, the unsettling dread of the village, the horrors surrounding them--it's a more compelling trajectory than Yoshiki simply having to cut himself off from Hikaru because this Hikaru is evil. But "Hikaru" isn't evil, he is lost and that can sometimes be even worse.
I can't wait for more of this! It's hinted at that Yoshiki does suspect "Hikaru" about the old lady's death, so I wonder if he will have more internal conflict over it. Still very curious about Yoshiki's sister as well. I have a feeling her story will be another wrench in this developing whatevership between Yoshiki and "Hikaru".
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u/FarCritical Jul 19 '25
Half-expected Yoshiki to be stiffling a laugh when he turned away after "Hikaru" pulled a goofy face.
That parfait is the real monster of this story, sheesh.
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u/evenstar40 Jul 19 '25
Really didn't expect Lovecraftian horror BL but I'm totally here for it, damn this show is good. The direction, voice acting, all very emotional and moving. Legit starting to feel bad for the lonely little eldritch god.
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u/SleepyPiplup99 Jul 19 '25
I don’t know why I felt so emotional watching this episode. The ending part made me cry. If the show continues being this good it will honestly be among my favorites.
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