The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 Digs More Into ‘Hikaru’

In The Summer Hikaru Died, we’re constantly learning about the new “Hikaru” who stepped into Hikaru Indou’s life. However, a lot of this is based on interactions with other people and observations from Yoshiki Tsujinaka, his love interest and our primary protagonist. It makes sense, since “Hikaru” is an entity beyond our understanding. What I love about volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga is that it really gives a fantastic chance to see things more from that character’s perspective, and it makes me hope this volume and some of those moments will make the cut-off for the anime adaptation. Editor’s Note: There will be some mild spoilers for the volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga below. After the incident and events of volume 4, we get a stark reminder of exactly how inhuman “Hikaru” is when The Summer HIkaru Died volume 5 begins. This means when the entity wakes a chapter into things, we get a rather unusual peek into its thought process. It’s in an incredibly primal state after being incapacitated. This means it goes on instinct. Image via Yen Press Which… is a bad thing. Because prior to inhabiting Hikaru, the entity “Hikaru” didn’t really possess a sense of self, awareness of others’ needs and safety, and necessary inhibitions to keep people safe. If Rie Kurebayashi wasn’t with Yoshiki, odds are what would have happened would have disastrous. But she is, and things are okay. However, in this moment now, Mokumokuren provides an opportunity. There are new insights into “Hikaru” because the character is no longer at their best. We see that impulse from the being upon waking up. We witness them feeling weak when rehashing what happened with Yoshiki and Rie. After talking with their school friends and Yoshiki, bringing up what would happen with an entity among them, and discussing taking the piece of themselves back from Yoshiki, there’s a whole new level of introspection. “Hikaru” is questioning themself and their “life,” and in so doing we as the readers learn more about them. Which I also love, as it emphasizes “Hikaru’s” unpredictability in The Summer Hikaru Died manga. Up until this point, a lot of people pointed out how the entity getting involved with Yoshiki changed the human teen. He’s got a scar that won’t go away. Impurities are drawn to him. He’s getting too comfortable with the supernatural. But this volume feels like the first that really gets into how much Yoshiki changed “Hikaru” too. The being willingly weakened itself for the person they care about and gave them a piece of themself. They’re able to feel pain and be in danger because of it. The being is more unstable, unexpectedly lashing out. Mokumokuren’s narrative decisions regarding an increased focus on “Hikaru” in this volume are also pretty perfect for two other reasons. One is that it provides an opportunity for the being to tap into Hikaru’s memories and us as readers to witness that firsthand. It’s such a boon in helping to better understand the history and situation, as well as decipher what supernatural things are actually happening in this town. Because the original Hikaru is kind of “telling” us. But it’s also great as we pretty much only saw “Hikaru” in situations with Yoshiki, which influence our depictions and understanding of him. The being gets so many more moments alone and with important supporting cast members in this volume. Because of that, we see others who know what the individual is react and respond. There are more insights into relationships. It helps better inform us about this being. The Summer Hikaru Died volume 5 is essentially Mokumokuren helping us better understand “Hikaru,” just as it seems like the entity is starting to do more questioning of themself. The increased focus on the character and opportunities to see both from their perspective or moments when Yoshiki isn’t around is fascinating and enlightening. I think it even helps a bit with the mystery surrounding everything that’s happening. Volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died is available now via Yen Press, and there’s no release date for volume 6 yet. The post The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 Digs More Into ‘Hikaru’ appeared first on Siliconera.

Apr 27, 2025 - 14:16

The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 Digs More Into ‘Hikaru’

In The Summer Hikaru Died, we’re constantly learning about the new “Hikaru” who stepped into Hikaru Indou’s life. However, a lot of this is based on interactions with other people and observations from Yoshiki Tsujinaka, his love interest and our primary protagonist. It makes sense, since “Hikaru” is an entity beyond our understanding. What I love about volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga is that it really gives a fantastic chance to see things more from that character’s perspective, and it makes me hope this volume and some of those moments will make the cut-off for the anime adaptation.

Editor’s Note: There will be some mild spoilers for the volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died manga below.

After the incident and events of volume 4, we get a stark reminder of exactly how inhuman “Hikaru” is when The Summer HIkaru Died volume 5 begins. This means when the entity wakes a chapter into things, we get a rather unusual peek into its thought process. It’s in an incredibly primal state after being incapacitated. This means it goes on instinct.

Which… is a bad thing. Because prior to inhabiting Hikaru, the entity “Hikaru” didn’t really possess a sense of self, awareness of others’ needs and safety, and necessary inhibitions to keep people safe. If Rie Kurebayashi wasn’t with Yoshiki, odds are what would have happened would have disastrous. But she is, and things are okay.

However, in this moment now, Mokumokuren provides an opportunity. There are new insights into “Hikaru” because the character is no longer at their best. We see that impulse from the being upon waking up. We witness them feeling weak when rehashing what happened with Yoshiki and Rie. After talking with their school friends and Yoshiki, bringing up what would happen with an entity among them, and discussing taking the piece of themselves back from Yoshiki, there’s a whole new level of introspection. “Hikaru” is questioning themself and their “life,” and in so doing we as the readers learn more about them.

Which I also love, as it emphasizes “Hikaru’s” unpredictability in The Summer Hikaru Died manga. Up until this point, a lot of people pointed out how the entity getting involved with Yoshiki changed the human teen. He’s got a scar that won’t go away. Impurities are drawn to him. He’s getting too comfortable with the supernatural. But this volume feels like the first that really gets into how much Yoshiki changed “Hikaru” too. The being willingly weakened itself for the person they care about and gave them a piece of themself. They’re able to feel pain and be in danger because of it. The being is more unstable, unexpectedly lashing out.

Mokumokuren’s narrative decisions regarding an increased focus on “Hikaru” in this volume are also pretty perfect for two other reasons. One is that it provides an opportunity for the being to tap into Hikaru’s memories and us as readers to witness that firsthand. It’s such a boon in helping to better understand the history and situation, as well as decipher what supernatural things are actually happening in this town. Because the original Hikaru is kind of “telling” us.

But it’s also great as we pretty much only saw “Hikaru” in situations with Yoshiki, which influence our depictions and understanding of him. The being gets so many more moments alone and with important supporting cast members in this volume. Because of that, we see others who know what the individual is react and respond. There are more insights into relationships. It helps better inform us about this being.

The Summer Hikaru Died volume 5 is essentially Mokumokuren helping us better understand “Hikaru,” just as it seems like the entity is starting to do more questioning of themself. The increased focus on the character and opportunities to see both from their perspective or moments when Yoshiki isn’t around is fascinating and enlightening. I think it even helps a bit with the mystery surrounding everything that’s happening.

Volume 5 of The Summer Hikaru Died is available now via Yen Press, and there’s no release date for volume 6 yet.

The post The Summer Hikaru Died Volume 5 Digs More Into ‘Hikaru’ appeared first on Siliconera.