The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 3

光が死んだ夏 [Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu] #3

by Mokumokuren, Abigail Blackman (Letterer), Ajani Oloye (Translator)

“Hikaru’s” sudden disappearance from the mountain has not gone unnoticed...and his presence in town has begun to raise suspicions as well. Spirits from the other side grow restless, while the people sensitive to them begin taking steps to uncover the truth. As Yoshiki continues to struggle with the true identity of “Hikaru,” he is reminded once again that his friend no longer shares his understanding of life and death―and that if you play with fire, someone is sure to get burned eventually...

Genres: Manga, Horror, LGBT, Queer, Comics, Mystery, Graphic Novels

180 pages, Paperback

First published June 2, 2023

About the author

モクモクれん

Reviews

[jay · Rating 4 out of 5]

fellas, is it gay to give your best friend a part of your “soul”?


read as part of 202-Queer 🌈✨

[Ricarda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a slow story and not much is happening, but honestly: this series is such a vibe. And by vibe I mean gay, summertime Junji Ito. (It's impossible to convince me that they are not gay. They were literally inside each other in the very first volume.)

[Gabby · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars
This volume is kind of losing me. I’m losing interest in the story, and some of it is hard to follow what’s even happening. This volume had less romance than the other two and that’s easily my favorite part about this whole series 😭

[rory (jess' version) · Rating 5 out of 5]

the way this has some scenes where it feels youthful but then it drops village lore about some curse, sacrifice, or tradition, whatever might lie in the history of their town, rendered me speechless

[toast · Rating 5 out of 5]

that one panel of hikaru that has ‘how does she know?’ written all over it may be one of my favorite manga panels of all time

[Xandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

The constant fear that something has replaced a loved one, the claustrophobia of living in a small rural town, the urge to kiss an eldritch monster you have a crush on; all of the tension in the story works well and builds such a dreary, suspenseful atmosphere. The glimmers of hope through relationships and community get snuffed out as the tension rips them to pieces before your very eyes.
With a story this engaging, the biggest crime would be to let down the intense atmosphere before it really gets going, and thankfully the story continues drudging through the mire it created. I love horror stories with messy queer relationships/undertones, and The Summer Hikaru Died is easily my new favorite. The end of this volume could easily serve as an ending to the series, but I'm incredibly grateful to see this story continue.

[tig :3 · Rating 5 out of 5]

“take this. it’s half of my insides, i just ripped it out.”
“for whatever reason, the place i belonged to became you… and that…meant so incredibly much… to me.”

*gunshots*

[Krysta ꕤ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ★

[Saranya ⋆☕︎ ˖ (hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

TW: LGBTQ+/horror

This is sooo spooky! I got so scared that I almost through away my laptop...

Where do I even begin with this delightful descent into the rural uncanny? It's like a warm, comforting blanket woven from dread, with just enough lingering questions to keep me up tonight.

The author isn't just turning up the dial on the is my best friend a shapeshifting entity? meter, they're practically smashing it with a sledgehammer made of ancient curses and lingering grief!!! Yoshiki, continues his unwavering devotion to Hikaru (or whatever it is that wears Hikaru's skin)... a devotion that swings wildly between heartwarming loyalty and deeply concerning codependency.

This volume excels at the slow burn. It's about the insidious creep of the unknown, the subtle shift in the familiar and the chilling realization that some things are far better left undisturbed.

The artwork is exquisitely detailed, capturing the idyllic yet somehow sinister, beauty of the Japanese countryside. Every shadow seems to hold a secret, every wide-eyed stare from the villagers suggests a shared, unspoken dread.

And the plot? Well, it unravels just enough to give you a sliver of understanding, only to snatch it away and replace it with more chilling implications...

My favourite comic series!

[Bookishrealm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Naw because that last little bit was wild. There's layers to this story and I feel like with each volume, readers are given just a little more access to the wild lore behind this community.

[L Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This story just keeps getting darker and darker. With the introduction of Tanaka and the village leaders' determination to find out what has entered the village from the mountain, it's hard to envision anything other than trauma and disappointment in Hikaru and Yoshiki's future. The art style remains exquisite and definitely gives Junjo Ito vibes; very atmospheric and dark. That final scene almost killed me. It could've taken the story into an even darker level, but the love these boys have for each other kept the insanity in check...cause for a moment there, I really thought Yoshiki was gonna lose it. 5 stars

"For whatever reason you became the place where I belong. And for me that's incredibly important."

"I'll be with you no matter where you go. Even if something in me breaks."

[Sarah (menace mode) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it gay to reach inside your soul and give your bro a piece of it?

[Brigi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Immaculate gay horror vibes!!!

[r ꨄ︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

+ 1⭐️ for the yuri subplot that i caught a whiff of 💗

#winnerslovewinning

[sarah سارة ꫂ᭪ · Rating 5 out of 5]

❝ for whatever reason... you became the place where i belong.❞

I love tanaka 😛
also this seemed like such a filler volume but thats perfectly fine

5/5 🌟

[❀boa · Rating 4 out of 5]

oh boy she knows

[Gohnar23 · Rating 4 out of 5]

#️⃣5️⃣7️⃣8️⃣ Read & Reviewed in 2025 🍩🧁
Date : 🗓️ Saturday, October 18, 2025 🎁💐🍝
Word Count📃: (Graphic novel, no word count) 🎉🍬✨

— !! 𖦹「 ✦ 🍪 Happy Birthday🎂 ✦ 」✮ ⋆ ˚｡𖦹 ⋆｡°✩

My 53th read in "IT'S MY BIRTHDAY MONTH!!! :DDDD 👏🍭🍨" October.

4️⃣🌟, not as good as the last two books in this series but good nonetheless.
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➕➖0️⃣1️⃣2️⃣3️⃣4️⃣5️⃣6️⃣7️⃣8️⃣9️⃣🔟✖️➗

Read for a goodreads group BOTM :DDD

Now in this book, we now talk about Hikaru & Yoshiki less and eow focuses on the ither characters. I mean its not bad but like.....can we just get more Hikaru & Yoshiki??? :(((((((((((( Maki is cool and all, Asako is sooooo fun, Yuuko is forgettable but like where'd Hikaru & Yoshiki go? The two of them are still there but the book now focuses in other's lives and the external thengs happening outside Hikaru & Yoshiki's 'relationship' hehe

[jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing as always. SO excited to see where the story goes

[˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚HIATUS˚ ༘♡ ⋆｡˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peak??? peak??? did somebody say peak???

I said peak.

[achilles · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is exactly what i mean when i say "gay boy summer" and now if you'll excuse me i am going to rip out a piece of my insides and hand 'em to my partner cause i too didn't know what feelings really were and got to understand it with them

[Salem ☥ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lesbians... I've won!

[Peppa · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets sadder with every volume🥹💔

[fulcrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

really liked this one, a little bittersweet and very gay

[Steph ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[fatema ! · Rating 4 out of 5]

"he is half my soul, as the poets say" tsoa daughter or "take this. it's half of my insides" tshd son?

[metempsicoso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Negli ultimi tempi, anche se non lo ho segnalato qui perché per certi versi ho la sensazione sballerebbe le mie statistiche di lettura, sto avendo questo ritorno adolescenziale per cui i manga mi intrippano (ammetto che ne ho letti pochi, in passato, ma con una certa devozione).
Questi primi tre volumi mi sono bruciati tra le mani, anche grazie a quell’inizio in medias res davvero ben riuscito. Belli i disegni, bella l’idea di fondo, interessante sia l’ambientazione che i due protagonisti. Il potenziale è enorme – e, quindi, anche la possibilità che tutto viri verso una mega supercazzola.
Che l’horror sia il genere che meglio si presta all’esplorazione della queerness non devono essere io a ribadirlo qui.
Unica pecca, la lentezza dell’uscita dei volumi – due all’anno. L’impressione è che ci sia ancora molto da dire, quindi temo sarò vecchio e obsoleto ben prima della conclusione di questo manga.
[Credo che valutarlo così presto sia una mezza idiozia, motivo per cui mi esprimerò con tre stelline che sono più un’astensione]

[Alec Costa · Rating 5 out of 5]

fRANCAMENTE A MINHA VIDA ACABOU EU NAO SEI MAIS O Q FAZER NAO HA MAIS MOTIVOS PRA RESPIRAR HIKARU VC Eͪ MT PRECIOSO EU DEIXO VC ME MATAR

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 💫

[kiara ✾ ·˚ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’ll be with you no matter where you go. Even if something in me breaks.”

the concept of weakening yourself by giving up half of your entire being for your significant other in order to stand on equal footing… what loving a man does to you i fear 😭

[everybookadoorway · Rating 4 out of 5]

hannibal vibes i’m foaming at the mouth