In terms of dark horses and critical darlings, Netflix has had a strong year, with the gorgeous horror anime The Summer Hikaru Died reaping the rewards. The series sports a chilling element otherwise missing in other great original anime on the platform, unsurprisingly sparking demand for renewal. It didn’t take long for season 2 to be confirmed.
The Summer Hikaru Died season 2 was announced on the anime’s official X account, alongside a commemorative poster and manga illustrations. For those still craving more, the anime also released a small teaser video hinting at what comes next after the season finale’s last fateful scene. For fans of Netflix’s darkest new anime, this only signifies greater things to come.
Netflix’s Best New Horror Anime Is Coming Back for Season 2
The Summer Hikaru Died season 2 will continue the Young Ace UP series, adapting beyond the pages of chapter #26, where season 1 ended. This rapid confirmation beats season finales like My Dress-Up Darling, where a lack of announcements hurts the finale’s delivery. Despite being a niche seinen BL horror anime, The Summer Hikaru Died garnered great viewer attention quickly.
The anime got a positive reception thanks to faithfully adapting the source material and carefully conveying themes of loss, processing grief, and the ramifications of not being true to oneself. It doesn’t hurt that The Summer Hikaru Died is visually spectacular thanks to CyGamesPictures’ gorgeously grotesque monster visuals. But fans might wonder where the anime goes from here.
The Summer Hikaru Died season 1 ends on a dark note, with brutal truths about Hikaru Indo’s passing, and Yoshiki pleading with the creature mimicking Hikaru not to leave. Yoshiki sees his demand as selfish, but the two ultimately don’t part. The subsequent teaser directly follows the finale’s scene, with the two walking along the shore, and season 2’s confirmation.
The Summer Hikaru Died Fans May Need to Wait a While for Season 2
Season 1 adapts chapters #1-26, with chapter #39 only just having been released, and new singular installments staggered out each month. To enable the same pacing as the first season, fans should reasonably expect to wait for longer than a year from now before a new season drops, if not longer. This puts the likely release window closer to 2027.
A relatively newer studio, CyGamesPictures handles a combination of manga adaptations like The Summer Hikaru Died and other projects, including anime for CyGames properties, most notably Umamusume. With its impressive output so far, and a possible Kagurabachi anime on the way, CyGamesPictures has left a strong, lasting impression. The studio can realistically take as much time as it needs.
With its impressive output so far, and a possible Kagurabachi anime on the way, CyGamesPictures has left a strong, lasting impression. The studio can realistically take as much time as it needs.
The Summer Hikaru Died season 2 will unveil even darker truths about “Hikaru” and the creature’s true origin, and the start of the Hole Closing Arc that’s still ongoing in the manga. Due to a growing rift allowing more impurities in, a crisis begins to unfold while “Hikaru” and Yoshiki process their possible reconciliation following season 1’s finale.
