A review by hoiyan
光が死んだ夏 by Mokumokuren

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

"Your voice, your appearance, and way of speaking are all exactly the same as his... but you aren't Hikaru!"

hikaru ga shinda natsu uses eldrich horror, doppelganger, and familial religious roles as an allegory of grief and queer adolescent awakening--which can be equally complex and scary. 

it just absolutely gut-wrenching in the way where it pushes and pulls with your emotions as yoshiki fumbles with his own stages of grief for hikaru and navigating his own nuanced emotions whilst having to directly stare and interact with his late friend's body being used as a vessel as if he were alive. the part that personally wrecks me the most is seeing everyone around yoshiki not being aware of hikaru's death, and yoshiki being the sole griever while putting on a facade.

i'm equally terrified and excited for vol 3 to see where the story progresses. currently trying (and failing) to recover from this emotional punch to the gut.

"It's time to move on... To move on... To move on..."
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