I knew there was a reason why The Summer Hikaru Died gave me Summertime Rendering vibes.
The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 1 Review
So I don’t know if I’ve formally mentioned this before (although it’s somewhat reflected in the anime tv shows and movies I’ve reviewed) but I actually really like Japanese folklore. I always have, along with traditional Chinese culture.
For the longest, I’ve gravitated toward shows that talk about yokai, Japanese superstitions, and hidden histories found in tiny little mountainous villages like the one Hikaru and Yoshiki live in. I also really like period dramas (which I’ve mentioned somewhere before) and the warring states era when the Samurai were falling out of power, and there was a huge cultural and power dynamic shift in Japan.
I guess you could say I enjoy Japanese history and culture mainly before 1853, when the Jesuits entered the country and opened its ports. I think both films The Last Samurai, and the tv show Shogun depict this.
Shows that give glimpses into how life used to be – like Natsume Yuujinchou, Mushi-shi, Hotarubi no Mori e, and even Kimi no Na wa and Spirited Away – have always attracted me to their raw, unfiltered stories that depict how rural (dare I say average) life was for the Japanese of old. My Happy Marriage is another show that depicts the decline of exorcist clans as the country made efforts to “modernize” their citizens.
With this in mind, I would like to state that pertaining to this plot, I think Hikaru’s failed ritual to the mountain lord is why his body became possessed, and why there is now a dangerous string of murders unleashed on Kubitachi Village.
Appeasing the Mountain Lord
In most shows depicting Japanese folklore, there are always yokai, and there is always a mountain lord a (small) subset of villagers still pray to and worship in secret.
There are obscure festivals, and those tasked with keeping up traditions through distinct bloodline families and clan relationships. It is usually the elders in the town, and whatever young offspring in the town that has agreed to take up the mantle for the next generation to ensure their peaceful survival.
Japan is, canonically, an island with many gods and spirits to serve. Shinto and Buddhist shrines and temples reflect this all along the chain of islands.
One of Yoshiki’s final memories of (real) Hikaru is him mentioning that he decided to take over his grandfather’s mushroom farm, and that he had to go do something ‘secret’ in the mountains. An elder in the village recognized Lord Nonuki in Hikaru’s body, as did the woman who wanted the tsubuan taiyaki from the storefront. Even the cat Yoshiki and Old Hikaru were caring for knew the difference.
After the death of the old woman who called Lord Nonuki out, three people in the village are speaking about how Indo (Hikaru)’s ritual failed.
So I’m wondering if Hikaru was chosen to complete the summer ritual to the mountain lord, failed somehow, and called out to Lord Unuki on Nisayama mountain because he was worried about his friend Yoshiki being alone after his death, and that is why Lord Nonuki was able to take over his body and “life”.
When Yoshiki was asking Hikaru if he died, he agrees he technically “did”, but the body was still warm and the heart was still beating. I took this to mean that although Hikaru’s spirit was gone, his body was still alive – which allowed Lord Nonuki to “copy” his body and preform a spiritual walk-in like Zhou did to Klein Moretti in Lord of the Mysteries.
I just wonder if Nonuki is a type of fungi or parasite that is associated with the mushrooms the Indo family picks.
Also, I’m really glad occult (“hidden”) topics like this are becoming more mainstream. Japanese folklore is so interesting, and I’m glad shows like this are finally being brought to the forefront in popular anime and manga.
But, tell me your thoughts: Do you think Hikaru performed a ritual that went wrong? Is Kubitachi Village haunted?
Leave your thoughts in the comment section below, we’d love to hear from you! Also be sure to follow us for more The Summer Hikaru Died Reviews!
☆ In Asian Spaces
Leave a Reply