Netflixhas long been one of the go-to streamers for horror. Whether it’s original horror movies likeBird Box,The Babysitter,His House, andFear Street,or horror of the episodic variety, likeThe Haunting of Bly Manor,Midnight Mass, andKingdom. But it’s the streamer’s latest release that has taken viewers by storm. The first episode of the hotly anticipated new horror series recently dropped on Netflix, and users immediately rushed to social media to sing its praises, with some going so far as to call it “a masterpiece” and “absolute cinema.”
Netflix’s new original horror series is based on the acclaimed manga by Mokumokuren, which blends John Carpenter-esque body horror with the oppressively bright visuals of Jordan Peele’sNope. Produced by CygamesPictures and directed by Ryohei Takeshita,The Summer Hikaru Diedis Netflix’s newest original horror series,and it’s not one to miss. The first episode dropped on July 5th, with new episodes being released every Tuesday. The show is expected to run for a total of 12 episodes in its first season.
Netflix Unleashes First Trailer for Long-Awaited Sequel to Their 90% RT Rated Monster Hit
The sequel picks up following the first action adventure, which went on to become one of the most popular movies on the streamer.
Social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) have been ablaze with reactions toThe Summer Hikaru Died’s debut episode.@Aleczandxrhailed it as “a masterpiece,” continuing, “Visuals, sound design, direction, background art, character writing, intrigue, atmosphere, EVERYTHING! I’ll be hooked on this one for sure."@AwayOnMarss00__had similarly high praise for the show, writing:
“Holy sh*t this episode was incredible. I felt myself sucked into the atmosphere that’s created here and it was so eerie especially the end scene. You can’t help but feel bad for Yoshiki. He’s trying to convince himself it’s okay.”
What Is ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ About?
Mokumokuren’sThe Summer Hikaru Diedhas already taken the manga world by storm. The work was first seralized in Kadokawa’sYoung Ace Upseinen magazine in 2021 and is still ongoing. The first episode of the new horror anime shifted some of the story’s chronology around, but it is widely regarded as a faithful adaptation of the story so far. But what isThe Summer Hikarudied actually about?
The story takes place in a small Japanese village and follows two high school best friends, Hikaru and Yoshiki. Over the previous summer, Hikaru went into the mountains and was missing for two weeks. When he returned, Yoshiki suspected that the being that came back wasn’t the real Hikaru. As dark entities begin appearing in the village, being drawn to “Hikaru,” Yoshiki contends with his own grief and feelings for his deceased best friend, as he attempts to accept the being as a replacement. The story isdark, emotional, and incredibly tense.
The Summer Hikaru Diedis now streaming on Netflix. The next episode is released on July 12th.
