Yoshiki and Hikaru’s hunt for answers seems to be never-ending as their investigation into Hikaru’s origins lands both boys in the hospital. The search for answers leads them to more secrets involving Hikaru’s father and the generational curse that plagues their family. Time is ticking and the looming questions around the village are slowly brought to light. Here is the tenth episode review of The Summer Hikaru Died.
Overview
Yoshiki suddenly wakes up in the hospital with his mother and sister at his bedside. Yoshiki’s Mom asks if it’s true that Old Man Takeda attacked him and asks what he and Hikaru were doing at Old Man Takeda’s house. Yoshiki deflects the question and asks if Hikaru’s okay. The situation isn’t looking good; Hikaru has been asleep for two days now. Hikaru finally wakes up and Yoshiki blames himself, saying that he shouldn’t have been so trusting of Tanaka. The boys go back to school, and their classmates are relieved to see that they’re okay. A friend asks if Yoshiki is researching Nonuki and explains that back then, they didn’t have enough food, so they had to reduce the population. He also mentions that his older brother studies folklore, and Yoshiki asks if he could pass on a message with questions about Nonuki.
Later that night, the boys go to the Indo temple that Old Man Takeda mentioned. Hikaru knows this place from the original Hikaru’s memories, as both boys discover the multiple wooden heads on the walls. In the memory, Hikaru’s father explained that the heads are offerings made to Nonuki, as the area has been plagued by disaster. Hikaru notices that Hichi has gone missing, an item that was brought to the mountain for the ritual as an offering to Nonuki. Hikaru can’t remember what the Indo family sin was, and Yoshiki mentions that they need to get answers from someone close to Hikaru’s father; Yoshiki’s own Dad.
Final Thoughts
This episode feels like a setup for something bigger than Yoshiki, Hikaru and even the audience is ready to handle. We’ve had little snippets of Hikaru’s father here and there, so to get a deeper dive into him will be an interesting take, along with knowing Yoshiki’s father as well. I also wonder about the Indo family curse and what tragic event occurred that the family is still paying for all these generations later. It makes me curious to see if Yoshiki’s question to his father about Hikaru’s father will bring their bond closer, along with slowly unraveling the secrets of their village.
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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