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Damn. Yoshiki is in some for major lifelong trauma after this episode of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’. As if the poor boy wasn’t suffering enough! Like seriously, he sees some stuff no kid his age should be witness to. But again, this is a horror anime after all.
Quick Recap of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 8:
Yoshiki and Hikaru dig deeper into “Nonuki-sama” and its ties to Kubitachi Village, hoping to uncover the truth about the entity inside Hikaru. At school, they witness a horrific suicide, clearly the result of possession. Later, at a restaurant, Hikaru reveals that the fragment of himself he entrusted to Yoshiki is crucial, that if it’s harmed, so is he. The episode ends on a chilling note when a dark ghost suddenly attacks Yoshiki.
Titled ‘Old Man Takeda’ Episode 9 of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’, the edition begins with a childhood memory of Hikaru and Yoshiki visiting a grave, before the story snaps back to the present. At the restaurant, the vicious spirit attack is cut short when Kurebayashi Rie intervenes, the same maternal figure who meets Yoshiki in episode 3 and warns about the peril of staying too close to an entity like Hikaru.
Most of the chapter focuses on the boys’ continued efforts to find out more about Hikaru and the ghostly events happening in their village. Rie gives them some helpful insights, and flashbacks reveal her own dark experience.
If you remember, she had told Yoshiki about how her husband had come back changed into something sinister. But with Rie finally meeting Hikaru, she realizes (and even admits) that Hikaru is something completely different.
Overall, this episode of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ isn’t as emotionally charged as some of the earlier chapters; however, it does emphasize the growing symbiotic relationship between Yoshiki and the new Hikaru. The more Yoshiki learns about the entity that has descended from the mountains, the more he is unwilling to let go.
The episode’s climax unfolds at old man Takeda’s home, where the search for “Nonuki-sama” turns into a descent into pure horror. The events are terrifying, and far beyond anything Yoshiki was prepared for. What he witnesses is the stuff of nightmares, trauma so deep it could haunt him for the rest of his life.
Watch ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ on Netflix.
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