Review by Ian Keogh

Hikaru returned from the dead and for five volumes he and Yoshiki, best friend of his former incarnation, have gradually come to the conclusion that Hikaru is now an ancient and powerful spirit from the local woods. The bombshell dropped to end Vol. 5 is that he’s not Nounuki-Sama.

It’s all rather clever. Just as an entity that’s bled from a breach between death and life now resides within Hikaru’s body, it previously adopted the identity of a fiction created by 16^th century villagers. More smart plotting follows, also based on misconceptions Mokumokuren has planted earlier. Do spirits grant wishes? Yes, they do, but with a very limited concept of what wishing humans actually desire. Did the ancestors of Kubitachi’s residents need to placate the spirits? Find that out for yourself. As seen on the sample art it’s Tanaka who’s the source of the truth. That is, if you believe him. Hikaru and Yoshiki are convinced, and Mokumokuren neatly incorporates the bonus legend with which he ended the previous volume. As a rug-pulling exercise slaughtering expectations, the opening chapter as about as accomplished as they come, yet it’s also just three guys sitting around talking.

With more information on hand, a new imperative comes into focus, one recommended by two separate trusted sources. This volume’s cover star, however, is Maki, because before any action can be taken on the bigger picture, he has a pretty irritating problem in his house.

For all that The Summer Hikaru Died is primarily a horror series, it’s also an aggregation of wonderful small moments. We’ve never actually seen Maki’s older brother, but his delight on the phone transmits, the paper dolls are magnificently designed, and two illustrations of Asako in the rain are beautiful. It’s all within thirty pages or so, with so much more to admire overall. The pseudo-religious myths Mokumokuren makes up are also delightful, but then beautifully subverted with the grim truth.

By the end of the volume we’ve seen Asako and Maki endangered, yet also a possible solution to an ongoing problem. Will it work? We’ll see in Vol. 7.