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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 entity that replaced him really is, but there is the lingering malice beneath every single encounter between Yoshiki and the thing that used to be his best friend.

The first encounter we see between them in the anime is when Yoshiki admits he doesn’t think Hikaru is really Hikaru. There is a pause, a hanging silence as the creature that has assumed Hikaru’s identity seems to consider its options before casually saying, “I would hate to have had to kill you.”

That is a messed-up way to begin a friendship but it is the perfect way to set up a horror show. The implication is clear; if Yoshiki messes up or tries to reveal that Hikaru isn’t Hikaru, he – and presumably anyone he has told – will die. Probably in a horrific manner.

Then the episode shifts. We see the-thing-that-was-Hikaru trying their best to be alive and fit in among people, but everything is new to them. They have the memories of seeing a movie, but have never experienced the emotions that the movie brings. They remember how their favorite ice cream tastes, but have never tasted it before. It is such a fascinating concept that explores exactly what makes us who we are that I almost forgot that this all started with a threat on Yoshiki’s life. If this show had been about trying to help this alien creature adapt to life as a teenage boy, I would have been on board with it. That is such a fun concept that I almost forgot that Hikaru eats people now.

There are hints of that menace throughout the episode. Animals are afraid of Hikaru, sensing that he is something not quite right even when no one else does. An old woman screams at him, which seems to cause him some distress. It isn’t until the very end of the opening episode that we’re reminded of the imminent danger everyone is in. Hikaru visits the old woman in her home, making a show that he needs to be invited in before proving that he was inside the house with her all along.

This shift is so important for the tension of the show. Here, the Hikaru entity is toying with its food. We don’t see what he does to her but it is definitely not pleasant and seems gruesome enough to attract the attention of the shadowy hunters that are on his tail. The scene is meant to leave a question in all our minds; is Hikaru toying with Yoshiki the same way? Is he stringing his former friend along to make his eventual death more tragic and shocking?

I don’t know the answer to these questions; I’ve not read the manga and I’m holding off until I’ve seen all of the anime because I love this slow, almost frustrating pacing. It needs the gradual introduction of the horror, the sudden and almost jarring shift in tone to keep us guessing. Every scene after that first episode is laced with tension, even the most casual slice-of-life moments, because we don’t really know who Hikaru is going to kill next.

As I said, horror is something that can’t be rushed. There has to be build-up and tension. It isn’t enough that I learn to care about these characters; I need to not be able to guess what they’re going to do next.

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