"Even if you're not Hikaru... I still want to stay by your side"

It has a certain type of horror which does not depend on blood, jump scares, and monsters in darkness. It is the worst thing the acknowledgment of the fact that you still stand in one place near something you love, yet something wrong. The Summer Hikaru Died exists purely in that awkwardness, and it does so with a disturbing vapour of composure which renders it difficult to stop watching.

The thing that I found most interesting about this adaptation is that it is tender. The anime is not hasty as every moment is allowed to breathe. The camera is lingering over the streets when they are not busy, over the grass, and the humming of cicadae, all that makes summer so nostalgic and so short. This peaceful environment turns out to be the ideal background of the emotional conflict of Yoshiki. The Hikaru we observe is not a monster, in the classic sense of this word. It is somehow more human, than situation permits. It appears to take care of Yoshiki, want to be near him, and there is where the horror, indeed, is.

The love here is not articulated but cannot be ignored. Yoshiki is not only afraid or in denial by remaining with Hikaru but rather loving him. He is aware that something has gone wrong, that the actual Hikaru is gone, but he opts to hold onto this new him, however, uncanny it is. This is best portrayed in the anime with little glances, little touches, and long silences that can communicate more than words could ever communicate. This is not a love story in the usual sense of the word, it is more complex, more hurtful. It poses the question of whether love is able to endure when the person that you are in love with has essentially changed.

The sound design takes everything to a new level, the natural environment makes the silence itself so heavy, the music does not appear much, but it is so gentle and almost sorrowful, like a memory that you cannot keep. The plotting maintains a slow and intimate pace giving attention to the inner world of Yoshiki instead of jump scares and flashy horror. It is not attempting to frighten you off the chair, it is attempting to sink into your flesh, to make you wonder what you would do in the position of Yoshiki.

This anime isn't for everyone. You may get frustrated going in and expecting a fast-paced action and a classic supernatural fight. However, when you need something spooky, silent and very human, this is one of the most emotionally resonant series of recent years. It is a tale of sorrow, romance and suffering of not letting go of something that is already lost.

Towards the end, I was both cold and empty, like I experienced the summer of Yoshiki with him. The Summer Hikaru Died is not merely horror it is a reflection on maturing, losing a loved one, and making a decision to love despite the pain. And that is why it is one of the most beautiful - and heartbreaking - anime of the year.