Yoshiki and Hikaru’s investigation drives them to their biggest lead: Old Man Takeda. Their inquiry brings up more questions than answers, however, revealing bits and pieces about Hikaru’s family history that span across generations. Danger looms as their investigation leads both Yoshiki and Hikaru to a fate that will change the course of their relationship. Here is the ninth episode review of The Summer Hikaru Died.
Overview
Rei takes Hikaru and Yoshiki back to her home, scolding Yoshiki about not heeding her warning about getting mixed up with Hikaru. She asks what Hikaru is, however, Hikaru doesn’t seem to know. She mentions that more spirits and impurities are popping up around the village and that if nothing is done about them, a lot of people will die as a result. Hikaru says that he finally found somewhere he belongs, so he wants to stay and protect it. Yoshiki agrees, mentioning that he doesn’t want people to die and that he’ll stick by Hikaru’s side.
The next day, the boys head to Old Man Takeda’s house. Old Man Takeda refuses to speak to them. However, Hikaru mentions that Rei asked them to come. Old Man Takeda immediately demands that they call Rei. He’s been looking for a medium and says that he’s next on the chopping block. He says that the Indo family is to blame for the village’s curse because of a disgraceful request many years ago. Hikaru questions what the request was, and Old Man Takeda angrily exclaims that Hikaru’s lack of knowledge caused the ritual to fail. Suddenly, Takeda becomes possessed by an evil spirit and tries to attack Hikaru. Thankfully, Tanaka shows up just in time and defeats the spirit. However, both boys are barely able to relax before Tanaka apologizes to Hikaru and slices Hikaru’s head off his body.
Final Thoughts
This episode was everything I wanted and more. From learning bits and pieces of the village’s history to watching Tanaka discover and attack Hikaru, it felt like everything was finally building up to this moment. It makes me wonder that, since Hikaru gave Yoshiki a piece of him, how he’ll recover from Tanaka’s assault. It also provides more questions: what exactly did the Indo family request all that time ago? And why does every person seem to know about it, but not answer the question? With Tanaka’s discovery of Hikaru and so many questions left unanswered, I wonder how long it’ll take for Yoshiki to reveal the secrets of the village, and what will become of his relationship with Hikaru.
The Summer Hikaru Died anime is available to stream on Netflix, and the manga is available for purchase on Amazon and at Barnes and Noble.
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