Haunting Anime ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Kicks Off Behind-the-Scenes Series

In the wake of the show’s worldwide debut on Netflix — where it launched at No. 8 on the global Top 10 TV list with 2 million views — the new horror-tinged coming-of-age anime The Summer Hikaru Died is revealing more secrets with a new behind-the-scenes YouTube series. The first episode debuted this weekend, alongside new series artwork and the launch of the anime’s seventh episode, “Resolution,” on streaming.

Part one of the behind-the-scenes series, “Horror,” dives deep into the chilling side of the show’s production, featuring exclusive interviews with director Ryohei Takeshita and key staff, plus never-before-seen production materials you won’t find anywhere else.

Based on the manga created by Mokumokuren (originally serialized in Young Ace Up and published by Kadokawa), The Summer Hikaru Died centers on an ordinary high school boy, Yoshiki (voiced by Chiaki Kobayashi), who experiences various mysterious incidents in his daily life with his best friend, Hikaru (Shuichiro Umeda) — or rather, a mysterious entity who is imitating him.

The voice cast also features Chikahiro Kobayashi (Tanaka), Wakana Kowaka (Rie), Yumiri Hanamori (Asako), Yoshiki Nakajima (Yuta) and Shion Wakayama (Yuki). Takeshiata handled directing and series composition duties, with key creative roles filled by Yuichi Takahash (character design/chief animation director), Masanobu Hiraoka (dorodoro animator), Kohei Honda (art director), Naomi Nakano of stella (color design) and Taro Umebayashi (music). The opening theme song is “Saikai” by Vaundy, the ending theme is “Anata wa Kaibutsu (you are my monster)” by TOOBOE.

Produced by CyberAgent and Kadokawa and animated by CygamesPictures, The Summer Hikaru Died is now streaming worldwide exclusively on Netflix. Watch it here.