If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

The Summer Hikaru Died delivers its cosmic horror at an agonizingly slow pace [Popverse Jump]

Romance with an eldritch horror twist is what makes this Netflix anime so wonderfully hard to watch.

Popverse Jump The Summer Hikaru Died Header
Image credit: Netflix/ Popverse

The thing about great horror is that it cannot be rushed. It needs to simmer, allowing us to stew in our own doubt and loathing for as long as possible before it finally comes to put us out of our misery. That is why the first two episodes of The Summer Hikaru Died play out at such a deliciously slow pace. We need to savor the fact that we know something terrible is coming before we finally get to see it happen.

I’ve been excited to see the anime adaptation of The Summer Hikaru Died for more than a year. It is a beautifully drawn story about the affection two young men share for each other which refuses to die when one of them is replaced by an eldritch horror from beyond time and space. There is the obvious mystery about how Hikaru died and just what the

Subscribe to Popverse to read this article

Become a member and get first access to tickets and badges to our events, photo ops, exclusive content, and more.

Trent Cannon

Trent Cannon: Trent is a freelance writer who has been covering anime, video games, and pop culture for a decade. (He/Him)

Comments

Want to join the discussion? Please activate your account first.
Visit Reedpop ID if you need to resend the confirmation email.

View Comments (0)

Find out how we conduct our review by reading our review policy