It has been announced that the TV anime " The Summer Hikaru Died, " based on the popular manga by Mokumokuren Ren, which was also chosen as the No. 1 manga for men in " This Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023" (Takarajimasha), will be broadcast on the Nippon TV network every Saturday at 12:55 a.m. starting July 5th. It was also announced that singer-songwriter Vaundy will be in charge of the opening theme "Reunion." The second main promotional video was released on YouTube, showcasing the song. "Reunion" will be released digitally on July 13th.
Additional cast members have been announced, including Nakajima Yoshiki as Maki Yuuta, a humorous boy with a shaved head and a classmate of Yoshiki and Hikaru, and Shion Wakayama as Tadokoro Yuki, another classmate.
Vaundy commented, "I wrote the opening theme "Reunion" for ' The Summer Hikaru Died.' I turned the sense of anxiety I felt when reading the original manga, of not knowing what would happen with each turn of the page, into a song. I hope it will be a song that will inspire my future anime music. Who would you want to meet if you could meet someone again?"
Nakajima commented, "Maki destroys the atmosphere of the story in a good way...using every trick in the book...(laughs). The 'everyday life' of Maki, Yuuki and the others that comes even in the midst of the terrifying 'unusual' that clings to your skin like the sticky, unpleasant sweat of summer gives the story a slightly refreshing feeling. I have been drawn to this work ever since the shocking first episode of the original work. I can't wait to share this feeling with everyone. Please look forward to the broadcast!"
Wakayama said, "When I read the original work for the first time, I was drawn in by the unique atmosphere of the abnormality that coexists alongside the normal during summer days, and before I knew it, I was completely absorbed in the story. Even though they live their lives precariously like a tightrope walker, and have long since left normalcy behind, at school, an unchanged 'normal' awaits them. I really, really love this work, which has that kind of atmosphere. I will do my best to help convey this atmosphere to you."
A special program for the series, "TV Anime ' The Summer Hikaru Died' Just Before It Airs! Special Live Broadcast" will be streamed live on ABEMA from 7pm on June 29th. Chiaki Kobayashi, Shuichiro Umeda, who plays Hikaru, and Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Tanaka, will appear.
"The Summer Hikaru Died" is currently being serialized on the manga site "Young Ace UP" (KADOKAWA). It is a "youth horror" about the madness of a boy and "something" that appears to be his best friend. Yoshiki and Hikaru, a boy who lives in a certain village, have grown up together, but one day, what Yoshiki thought was Hikaru has been replaced by another "something"...
The anime will be directed by Ryohei Takeshita, director of "Jellyfish Can't Swim at Night," and produced by Cygames Pictures. Music creator john's solo project "TOOBOE" will be in charge of the ending theme "You Are a Monster."
◇Cast (titles omitted)
Yoshiki Tsujinaka: Chiaki Kobayashi ▽Hikaru: Shuichiro Shuichiro Umeda ▽Tanaka: Chikahiro Kobayashi▽Rie Kurebayashi: Ikuna Kowaka▽Asako Yamagishi: Yumiri Hanamori ▽Yuta Maki: Yoshiki Nakajima▽Yuki Tadokoro: Shion Wakayama
