The Summer Hikaru Died: Season 1 Episode 1 – Recap and Review
A little off-putting, but in the best way, the premiere episode of The Summer Hikaru Died sets the anime up to be one of Netflix’s best.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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Episode 1 “Replacement” Details
- Available On: Netflix
- Public Release Date: July 5, 2025
- Director(s): Ryohei Takeshita
- Writer(s): Ryohei Takeshita
Episode 1 “Replacement” Recap (With Spoilers)
How Are You Really?: Hikaru, Yoshiki
In January 2020, Hikaru went into the mountains, for reasons unknown, and went missing for a week. It’s something he doesn’t talk about, even with his best friend Hikaru, with whom he spends the majority of his time when he isn’t home. He claims he doesn’t remember, which annoys and worries Yoshiki, until he comes to realize something.
Something Is Better Than Nothing: Hikaru, Yoshiki
In July 2020, Yoshiki asks if the Hikaru he is speaking to is really his best friend, and surprisingly, this other being admits he isn’t Hikaru without much pushback. It also notes that it doesn’t want to kill Yoshiki, so it better keep its secret, plus it likes him and wouldn’t want to hurt him.
You may think this reveal would freak out Yoshiki, but it doesn’t. From what it seems, he doesn’t have any other friends and this alien, monster, whatever it is, has all of Hikaru’s memories, talks like him, and while he doesn’t understand the experiences Hikaru had, it still is masquerading as Hikaru well enough for Yoshiki to never mind some of the eccentrities.
So, Yoshiki treats Hikaru’s imposter as he would the real Hikaru, and with the imposter saying he didn’t kill Hikaru, that it just took over his body while he was at the edge of death, this gives some solace.
Trouble On The Horizon: Hikaru, Yoshiki, Ms Matsuura, Tanaka
While Hikaru seemed harmless, it should never be forgotten that he did warn Yoshiki, when he discovered who it was, that he would kill him for revealing his identity. So while Yoshiki commits to secrecy, when an old woman named Ms. Matsuura, potentially the village’s crazy lady, screams and shouts that Hikaru came from the mountains, is a nonuki, this sets off alarms.
What doesn’t help is that Ms. Matsuura doesn’t seem like the type who is able or willing to reassure Hikaru that their secret is safe with her, so it appears it murders her within a day. This triggers a hunter of beings like “Hikaru” named Tanaka to get called in and make his way to Kubitachi Village.
New Cast and Characters
Hikaru (Shūichirō Umeda)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Hikaru is Yoshiki’s best friend who, in January 2020, went missing for a week, and when he returned, he was oddly different. It appears most just write it off as Hikaru being weird, as he was previously, but Yoshiki can see there is a difference, and he would be right. Something supernatural, as the real Hikaru died, took over his body, inherited his memories, and is now masquerading as Hikaru. Which, if anyone threatens this new existence for them, there is a good chance they’ll be warned, if not killed for safety reasons.
Yoshiki (Chiaki Kobayashi)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Quiet and reserved but still capable of socializing, Yoshiki is Hikaru’s best friend, an older brother, and one of the first to realize and confront Hikaru about the changes he went through.
Ms. Matsuura (To Be Determined)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Potentially the village’s crazy lady, Ms. Matsuura is the second person to confront Hikaru about not being who he originally was, and she pays for that with her life.
Tanaka (Chikahiro Kobayashi)
- Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
- Character Summary: Tanaka appears to be someone who works for a company that hunts otherworldly beings without mercy.
Links
- Check out our page for this series, featuring more recaps, reviews, and articles.
- Visit our main page TV Shows we’ve covered.
Review and Commentary
Highlights
The Mystery and Creep Factor [84/100]
One of the big questions that may take a while to get an answer is, why did Hikaru go into the mountains alone, and why was he secretive about it? Could the village have some weird ritual, is there a history of these things happening, and maybe it isn’t just Hikaru who is someone possessed by an otherworldly being? It’s hard to say.
However, there is no denying that, even without the weapons we saw in anime like Parasyte, Hikaru is dangerous, a bit unnerving, and while there is the potential for them to be sweet, especially as they experience being human in a meaningful way, you can’t remove how it threatens, and kills someone, to protect its real identity.
Which leads to the question of, even if someone isn’t as direct as Ms. Matsuura or Yoshiki, and just hints that something is different about Hikaru, are they in danger or will there be nuance and some sense that extreme measures need not always be taken?
The Monster Hunter [81/100]
Seeing Tanaka take out a low-level being, seemingly living as the wood panel in someone’s closet, and brutalizing them, there is a level of intrigue there that is notably high. He doesn’t seem callous or heartless, though he does keep up that usual cool guy look and attitude. But, there isn’t an answer regarding his backstory, the company he works for, or how they discover these beings, which seemingly they believe need to be killed on sight.
Hopefully, details get added later on to flesh him and the organization out.
The Question Of Whether The Monster Is Evil [82/100]
What makes Hikaru’s body’s new owner of note is, they don’t seem inherently evil or emotionless. We see Hikaru experience joy, cry over a movie, and neither of it seems performative to maintain a guise. Yet again, it threatened Yoshiki and killed Ms. Matsuura, so it is hard to say whether we should see it as someone with the decision-making skills of a toddler or as a serial killer who is fine until triggered by something.
In addition, one thing not touched upon in this episode is how Hikaru’s family is handling his return and any changes they have noticed. We only see Yoshiki’s parents and little sister, but Hikaru’s family you’re left to assume exists, assuming he didn’t murder them all and, who knows, could be feeding off them.
There is a lot unanswered here, and the intrigue makes it so the sooner the better regarding what could come next.
Overall
Our Overall Rating [82/100]
The Summer Hikaru Died leaves a lot of questions unanswered, but it is only the first episode, and it feels like the questions you want to know are the type of things which can unravel slowly but surely, and be satisfying. For as of now, there is a level of style and confidence in the anime which builds trust, and the characters presented, whether they deal with the supernatural side of the show or perhaps the more mundane, get and keep your attention.
So here is hoping we haven’t seen the peak but are still climbing when it comes to this show.
Check Out Our Past Coverage Of This Series
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