The final day of school has finally arrived for Yoshiki and his classmates! However, Hikaru can’t seem to enjoy it. Melancholy and anxiety seem to eat away at him until it all finally blows up in a confrontation with Yoshiki. Both boys can’t seem to agree, until a confession unites them. Here is the twelfth and final episode review of season 1 of The Summer Hikaru Died.
Overview
As summer break approaches, a melancholy Hikaru roams around the school grounds. Found by Asako, she asks if he’s the real Hikaru. Hikaru confirms that he isn’t and mentions that the real Hikaru’s body is long dead. Heartbroken, Asako starts to cry and Hikaru comforts her. Hikaru and Yoshiki spend the first day of summer break together. Hikaru confides in Yoshiki that the real Hikaru’s wish was that he didn’t want to make anyone sad, hence his return. Hikaru tells Yoshiki that he’s going to return to the mountain, which makes Yoshiki panic. The boys argue, which ends with Hikaru confessing his love for Yoshiki. Yoshiki is stunned, but ultimately begs for Hikaru to stay, saying that Hikaru was never just a replacement for him.
Final Thoughts
This episode felt like a parallel to episode 8, with the theme of making sure the other party has a great day despite the emotional turmoil. It made me anxious seeing Hikaru’s personality so dimmed one moment and then ecstatic the next. Watching Hikaru list the differences he has with the real Hikaru, and Yoshiki begging Hikaru to stay, felt like such a gut punch. Throughout this 12-episode series, we’ve seen both boys fall down this hole of co-dependency that they both know they shouldn’t. And yet they can’t stay away from one another. It’s a beautifully tragic story about grief and I cannot wait for Netflix to release more episodes of this story in season 2.
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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