The Summer Hikaru Died anime began streaming on bilibili, one of China’s largest video platforms, on July 29, 2025. The series is co-produced by CyberAgent and KADOKAWA, and Netflix streams it worldwide.
The show premiered earlier this summer on Netflix globally and on ABEMA in Japan, with weekly broadcasts also airing on Nippon TV. Two weeks after its premiere, the anime reached the top spot (#1) on both Netflix Japan daily rankings and ABEMA’s anime ranking.
The anime is directed and written by Ryohei Takeshita, with character designs by Yuichi Takahashi. You can see the key visual below.
The voice cast for the anime includes:
- Chiaki Kobayashi as Yoshiki Tsujinaka
- Shuichiro Umeda as Hikaru
- Chikahiro Kobayashi as Tanaka
- Wakana Kowaka as Rie Kurebayashi
- Yumiri Hanamori as Asako Yamagishi
- Yoshiki Nakajima as Yuta Maki
- Shion Wakayama as Yuki Tadokoro
You can also see more of the staff working on the anime below:
- Director/Series Composition: Ryohei Takeshita
- Character Design/Chief Animation Director: Yuichi Takahashi
- Music: Taro Umebayashi
- Sound Director: Koji Kasamatsu
- Art Director: Kohei Honda
- Editing: Kashiko Kimura
- Animation Production: CygamesPictures
Anime Corner previously had the chance to interview the anime’s producer, Manami Kabashima, and discuss the adaptation.
The Summer Hikaru Died is adapted from the manga by Mokumokuren. It follows high school student Yoshiki, whose friend Hikaru disappears and later returns under unexplained circumstances. The story develops as Yoshiki realizes his friend is no longer the real Hikaru.
Source: Press Release, The Summer Hikaru Died Official Website
© Mokumokuren / KADOKAWA / The Summer Hikaru Died Partners
