Netflix’s New Horror Hit With 81% IMDb Rating Faces Release Delay

Netflix’s hit horror anime, The Summer Hikaru Died, is taking a brief pause in its broadcast and streaming schedule. The series has built momentum with strong audience reception and an 81% IMDb rating, but its run will skip August 30, with Episode 9 now airing on September 9.

This one-week delay is due to Nippon TV’s annual “24-Hour Television: Love Saves the Earth” telethon, which will occupy programming on both August 30 and August 31. This long-standing event, which began in 1978 on Nippon TV’s 25th anniversary, takes temporary priority over regular broadcasts. Once the telethon concludes, The Summer Hikaru Died will resume as scheduled.

The Summer Hikaru Died Is One of the Summer’s Best Anime

The Summer Hikaru Died is based on Mokumokuren’s acclaimed manga, blending horror, mystery, and drama into one of the most talked-about anime releases of the season. Set in an isolated rural town, the series begins with a chilling premise: a boy named Hikaru disappears, only to return as a completely different entity.

The only one who notices is his best friend, Yoshiki. He struggles to accept the chilling reality that his childhood friend is gone, and that he is now hiding something inhuman from everyone. The series builds its sense of unease through subtle shifts in the town’s atmosphere and a growing feeling of dread. Rather than relying on jump scares or gore like many Western horror shows, The Summer Hikaru Died draws on Japanese-style horror that prioritizes atmospheric dread and psychological impact. With striking visuals and haunting supernatural phenomena, the anime captures something truly bone-chilling.

Beyond its horror elements, the series explores powerful themes of grief, identity, connection, and queer experiences. Yoshiki’s complex feelings for Hikaru create a tense atmosphere as the emotional toll consumes him. At the same time, the entity possessing Hikaru also struggles with Hikaru’s memories and the bond he shares with Yoshiki.

The Summer Hikaru Died Becomes More Intense

Episode 8 of The Summer Hikaru Died raised the stakes to a new level of intensity and is arguably the series’s most disturbing episode yet. The supernatural corruption consuming the village steadily increases, culminating in a violent and unsettling incident at the school that leaves viewers questioning the mysterious events.

At the same time, Yoshiki and Hikaru confront the new reality that they’ve put themselves in even greater danger. The self-inflicted wound Hikaru made in the previous episode was intended as a gesture of good faith but has left him unable to protect Yoshiki as he once did.

This all culminates in the most terrifying sequence in the anime so far, where Yoshiki and Hikaru are left defenseless against a grotesque, nightmarish entity. The chilling scene left viewers shaken and questioning the true nature of Hikaru and the events in the village. With the story reaching its darkest point yet, anticipation for Episode 9 is higher than ever.