The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1

光が死んだ夏 [Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu] (Light Novel) #1

by Mio Nukaga, Mokumokuren (Original Author), Ajani Oloye (Translator)

The bond between Yoshiki and Hikaru is a welcome escape from their isolated village. But one fateful day when the two boys meet up, Yoshiki can immediately tell something is off. Though the person standing before him wears Hikaru's face, Yoshiki knows that his friend is...gone. It is then that Yoshiki makes a decision. Although things will never be as they once were, he would prefer this Hikaru to no Hikaru at all.

Genres: Horror, Light Novel, Manga, LGBT, Fantasy, Queer, Mystery

162 pages, Paperback

First published December 4, 2023

About the author

額賀澪

Reviews

[Flor ):) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hikaru: gay
Yoshiki: gay
“Hikaru”: also gay

[blackbirds]

It was strictly okay! If you know the manga, then you know this. I was hoping for more, like further insights that would be lacking in a more visual medium like a manga, but there really wasn't anything extra I could sink my teeth into. I also had trouble finding it creepy (starting where it did, for example, kinda ruins the record scratch moment at the very beginning which was done really well before and here, not so much) and the writing was so simple, it didn't really bring much to the imagination nor did it draw me in. But honestly, that's okay! I still have the manga. The novelization just isn't for me.

[Carm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The novelization of “The Summer Hikaru Died” offers more insight into the characters that I’ve grown to know and love over the course of 5 installments of the manga. Inner monologues and additional conversations fit seemingly into the source material. It’s subtle… but it’s there and it’s excellent. The cicadas… the stifling heat… the raw chicken of it all. This is a faithful adaptation that absolutely adds to my enjoyment of the lore presented up to this point. It’s got me wanting to reread the manga. It’s also got me extra hyped for the anime series to debut on Netflix.

[donutdot · Rating 4 out of 5]

this is a nice novelisation of the manga. it definitely does the source material justice, and the creepy atmosphere carries through super well. i love the mentions of the incessant cicada buzzing and Yoshiki's inner monologue actually makes this a whole lot deeper.

Tanaka has made his appearance. looking forward to the next volume!

[Kel · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story itself 1000% gets a 5 stars, the comic and show are such a haunting and amazing depiction of the grief that comes from losing a friend that's been with you since you were small children. The themes of internalized and small town homophobia and judgement are so well done and there's not a moment I'm not invested and haunted by what will come next. I only bumped off a star for the novelization because it felt a little like reading a script rather than a novel in its own right, but I already knew it was probably going to be like that going in since it was written as a novelization instead of being the original piece of work, and for the fact that translations don't always carry the same weight the original language's wording had! :D

[Patricia Macías García · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cualquiera que me conozca sabe que El verano en que Hikaru murió es de mis historias favoritas, que la sigo desde que el manga comenzó a publicarse hace unos años. Como el anime está en emisión ahora mismo, hay mucha más gente de lo normal hablando sobre ella, y creando un montón de fanart, edits, etc. Esto solo ha hecho crecer mi obsesión y, cuando vi que existía la novela ligera y que el primer volumen ya estaba traducido al inglés, solo pude comprarlo y leerlo de inmediato. Siendo completamente objetiva, no estoy segura de que me haya gustado mucho cómo está narrada la novela. Creo que el estilo es muy simple, y no sé si es cosa de la traducción o del original. Por eso, no es la versión con la que recomendaría a nadie empezar. A quien sí se la recomiendo es a todos esos fans que quieren disfrutar de esta historia en todas sus versiones y sacar distintos detalles de cada una.

[kathryn aka swag]

ugh i love this story

[テオちゃん · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Hikaru' my beloved 🥺💖

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars!!

I'm obviously biased, as I adore the manga, but as a novelization, I feel like this light novel adapted the original work well.

It gave me some insights into Yoshiki's mind, which I really enjoyed. I think the writing was very matter-of-fact in some aspects, but it really shined through emotional descriptions, as well as the way it painted the sceneries.

It made me emotional, too, like woow! Chapter 4 was out to get me! Yoshiki's grief and feelings of alienation were terribly well depicted.

While the manga is stronger on the horror aspects, the novel medium managed to clarify some plot elements for me, so that was pretty great. It made it feel like it was adding to my experience of the series, so it wasn't a waste of time at all!

I'll be tuning in when the next volume is out, for sure!

[archivist13 · Rating 3 out of 5]

kinda shit ngl. rounding up from 2.5 stars

[Lanie Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yoshiki's best friend went missing in January five days later he reappeared from what felt like thin air. But the Hikaru that came back was nothing like the Hikaru that left, and when Yoshiki confronts him, he's not shocked to find out that something is wearing his best friend's body.

This is nothing like what I expected, and honestly, I'm okay with that. The mystery of just what Hikaru *is* and whether or not he is this evil thing is genuinely going to keep me reading, not just the light novel series but start the manga as well. And the thing that really gets me is the story is kind of eluding the fact that there was something not good on the mountain so for Hikaru to just willy nilly invite any old thing to take care of his bestie seems wrong. And yeah, I could be way off the mark there, but it's only volume 1.

Yoshiki's reliance on both Hikaru's is interesting as well, and it almost justifies Hikaru's asking *anything* to stay by his side. Yoshiki doesn't want to be alone but it's not just that he doesn't want to be alone he only wants one person and thats Hikaru so as long as it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck he's pretty much able to accept any version of a duck. That's unhealthy, to say the least. Although with all of the talk about his family being just a tad bit dysfunctional, it makes sense. But what I think Yoshiki really needs is a counselor.

Finally, what the heck is up with his sister? Even without the undead bestie and the unhealthy almost obsession Yoshiki has with him, all of the stuff with her not going to school would be enough to keep reading. Is she sick? Just spoiled like the villagers keep saying? Like wth?

Overall, this isn't necessarily even creepy, yup even with Hikaru's weird insides, or at least this volume wasn't it's more like a mystery that just happens to have an undead guy in it and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

As always, thanks to NetGalley and Yen Press for the eArc!

[lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was almost perfectly adapted. it expanded on the things the manga lacked but didn’t stray away. mokumokuren explained it well as if they were experiencing it for the first time all over again. the increased depth was soooo good

[minh · Rating 5 out of 5]

The amount of detail that this book goes into is actually gut wrenching 😓

[Akansha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

I decided to start with the novel instead of the manga for some reason so this was an entire new world for me I was entering into after watching the anime trailer.

As someone who doesn't read a lot of horror I have to say I am kind of obsessed.

I really am the worst, and it’s ’cause I’ve been avoiding the things about me that are weird—the parts I don’t want to see, the inconvenient truths. I tried to not think about them. I ignored them. And it feels like, by doing that, I’ve let myself drift through life pretending that everything’s normal and calm—wishing for it to be that way.

Yoshiki's inner monologues give a certain amount of intensity to his character and his inner turmoil.

And Hikaru in the prologue, If I die, he’ll be alone.
I don’t wanna leave you alone…
Anyone’ll do. As long as they’ll take my place and stay by his side, anyone will do.

next up the manga before we get the anime. 💌

[Kaden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am slightly obsessed with The Summer Hikaru Died and I was so excited when I found out it was getting novellisations.
Volume one so far is very true to the manga, a direct retelling rather than a spin off story as many light novels of existing manga can be.

Ajani Oloye has done a wonderful job with the translation, it reads beautifully.
Mio Nukaga has done a fantastic job of staying true to Mokumokuren's original work while also managing to make it feel like its own work.

We get a deeper exploration of Yoshiki's thoughts and experiences and it has added extra depth to his character. The LGBTQ+ elements feel more clear in this adaptation.

Overall this novellisation has done a fantastic job at adding more depth to an already fantastically gripping story.

[Paula (lovebookscl) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esto es en palabras simples una narración del manga. No explora en mayor profundidad la historias, los personajes o sus monologos internos. Es bastante directo en interpretar el manga, no se toma libertades creativas. Lo cuál es esperable considerando que quien escribió la novela ligera no es la misma persona que creó el manga.

Hay unas pequeñas frases nuevas, pero nada waos. De todas formas fue entretenido releer la historia en este formato.

[Aiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good!!

After watching the anime I was very excited when I saw this novel in a bookshop. I was unsure whether to pick up the novel or manga but ultimately went with the novel. (Will most likely pick up the manga aswell in the future) The novel gave such insight to how the characters were feeling internally and physically. This is such a unique story that gives that eerie feel to it without the gore.

[cloud · Rating 5 out of 5]

bought this entirely by accident (didn't even know there WAS a light novel) but i found it to be so incredibly well-written!!! it expanded so much on what i'd seen in the anime adaptation (i still have yet to read the manga) in a very satisfactory way. i will definitely continue reading these as they come out!!

[Bambi 🍀 · Rating 5 out of 5]

my doomed babies😔

this novel is indeed very light, I finished it in one sitting and I didn't even realize I was getting to the end. I've watched the show so I totally know what's going on but the excitement is somehow still there every time I flipped the pages and let's appreciate the beautiful gorgeous magnificent illustrations omg (yes I'm going to consume every media of tshd)

[Sunny ☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of the The Summer Hikaru Died series, and reading this light novel was an enjoyable experience even if it didn’t live up to the manga and anime adaptation. The prose was often very repetitive, and was a bit awkward in its simplicity. Still, it gave some inner-dialogue and smaller details that readers do not get in the manga/anime, and so (in my opinion) was worth the short read :)

[Krislo · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just can't get enough of The Summer Hikaru Died. I'm caught up with both the manga and the anime. When I heard that there was a light novel coming out, I knew I HAD to read it. It's so interesting how different forms of media can add different layers of depth to a story. I loved getting more insight into Yoshiki and Hikaru's thoughts. I also enjoyed the descriptions of the different sensations Yoshiki experienced, from the smell of yummy food to the feeling of Hikaru's insides. This light novel is a great adaptation that added to the source material without overwriting it.

[alex ★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

“anyone’ll do. as long as they’ll take my place and stay by his side, anyone will do.”

hikaru, you hurt me too much.. truly, this was a perfect adaptation to the manga. can’t wait for more

[maelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

i support my sad gay son<3

[Ella rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

i wanted all the mangas to be novelized

[нявчик (❁´◡`❁) · Rating 5 out of 5]

По суті та ж історія, тільки від обличчя Йошікі разом з його тривогами, страхами та бажаннями. Ідеально 🥹

[★ · Rating 5 out of 5]

mention tshd around me and i will start crying

[Skunky's Corner · Rating 4 out of 5]

So peak

[Mahan Air · Rating 5 out of 5]

thanks shak <3

[Blu · Rating 3 out of 5]

As someone who REALLY LOVES the entire The Summer Hikaru Died series, I do not recommend reading this light novel immediately after finishing a marathon reading of volumes 1-6.

Why? Because it feels repetitive and boring due to the very simple writing style.

My expectation for this light novel was that its content would be similar to other light novels inspired by manga series. I thought it would consist of stories about the characters' lives outside of the main storyline. Like moments when they go to school, summer vacations, or even just what the characters think about before going to sleep. Imagine my disappointment when I first found out that this was just a version where the speech bubbles had been turned into complete sentences, repeating what we already knew from reading the manga itself.

But once again, I liked The Summer Hikaru Died, so I gave it a chance. I lowered my expectations and hoped that at least the writing style would be beautiful and poetic, like how the manga perfectly depicts each character's emotions without needing to explain them through speech bubbles. And again, imagine my disappointment when I finished reading and got nothing. It was literally a translation from images to words. There was no deeper way to at least broaden our understanding of the characters and the plot, beyond what we already knew from the beginning. The overly simplistic writing style makes it even more boring because the storyline was still fresh in my head since I just finished reading the whole manga volume.

So, yeah. Just read it if you're a die-hard collector like me who feels the need to own all media produced by this series. But if you're looking for something else that's still canon but doesn't interfere the main storyline? You know the answer.

I gave it 3/5 because I really do love The Summer Hikaru Died. Actually, it is a 1/5.

[Lanvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

You know what's kind of impressive? The way this novelization reads almost exactly like the manga, a bit detrimentally so. I think it's a little awkward how many breaks in the text there are in addition to all the subchapters that already slice the story up.

There is an ambiance you get from reading the descriptions of everything, which I did enjoy. The prose was pretty well-written, but also repetitive at times.

I can't say I got any more out of this than what I got from the manga, which is pretty good in general. I mostly found this amusing to read, since it's not exactly typical for graphic novels to get prose adaptations.