Even though the fourth episode of The Summer Hikaru Died was less eventful, it did reveal the burden that Yoshiki had been carrying, which had turned his nights sleepless ever since Hikaru went missing. The truth was, on the night of Hikaru’s disappearance, Yoshiki ran to the mountains to find his best friend, and he found him lying in the mud with heavy rain slowly washing away the blood on his forehead. Yoshiki took a closer look and figured that Hikaru wasn’t breathing anymore. However, for some strange reason, his body was less damaged than expected? He thought maybe it was because of the winter, but the new Hikaru, the one possessed by Nonuki-sama, told Yoshiki that he might still have been repairing Hikaru’s body when Yoshiki found the corpse in the woods.
Spoiler Alert
Yoshiki wanted to inform others about Hikaru’s death, but as soon as he came down off the mountains, he zoned out. Maybe he had a panic attack or was still in shock, which was why he couldn’t share the news with anyone. According to Yoshiki, he was in bed for days, and when he finally woke up, he heard that Hikaru had been found and was very much alive. Yoshiki couldn’t believe it, because he had seen Hikaru’s corpse with his own eyes. This was the reason why he struggled with the confusion of whether he’d actually witnessed Hikaru’s death or if the one who had returned from the mountains was nothing but an imposter. For six months, Yoshiki started noticing the small details about the new Hikaru, only to come to the conclusion that he wasn’t his best friend but someone else. That was when he confronted Hikaru, and Nonuki-sama told him that it took over Hikaru’s body moments before his death. It seemed like Hikaru’s dying wish was to see best friend again, and maybe the supernatural spirits heard his cries and came to his aid. Hikaru wanted to protect Yoshiki at all costs, and this could be the reason why the new Hikaru told Yoshiki that he would always protect him and do whatever Yoshiki would ask for. Well, this piece of dialogue is important, because in the upcoming episodes, Yoshiki will indeed make a demand of Hikaru, and ask him to leave the village for the safety of the people. The question here: will Hikaru fulfill his wish? There are few other developments in the show and a post-credit scene in the end that clears out the mystery around Hikaru’s death. So, without any further ado, allow me to shed more light on it.
The Ritual
A discussion between Takeda, Mikasa, and Matsushima revealed that the village’ elders had put the Indos (Hikaru’ family) in charge of performing a ritual to confine the evil spirits to the mountain and keep them away from their village, Kubitachi. It was Hikaru’s father, Kouhei, who last performed the ritual, which Takeda and his friend believe failed, because of which the Mountain God had descended and started haunting their people. They also pointed out that if they wanted to redo the ritual, then only the men of the Indo family could do it. However, Kouhei was dead, and his son was too young to carry the burden, which meant they had to find an alternative to lock the powerful spirit. Soon, Tanaka, the mysterious exorcist, joined their conversation, and once again brought up the head-shaped wooden totem he had found in the mountains. It was the same totem Hikaru had been carrying in his pouch when he went to the mountains on the day of his death. Tanaka explained that this object not only warded off powerful spirits but was also used by the members of the Indo family to perform the ritual. With this totem in their pocket, one could easily access the mountains without exposing themselves to the spirits, and if I remember correctly, Hikaru lost this item before hitting his head on the stone. It was only after this happened that Nonuki-sama was able to enter his body and take over.
Coming back to Tanaka, he was still a bit confused about the villagers and their customs. He couldn’t understand why they had been worshipping such a powerful spirit, whom they called the Mountain God, for 300 years. He found it strange that all the nearby regions have churches, but Kubitachi village only had this Nisayama Shrine. Even Yoshiki looked surprised when he saw a cross on a vendor’s necklace during the summer festival. It was apparent that the folks of Kubitachi village had their own god, but what was it exactly, and what deal had they made with it? It is indeed all related to Nonuki-sama. I believe Nonuki-sama was some kind of protector who stopped other spirits from descending the mountains, but the moment it itself left, there was nothing keeping the other spirits from haunting the villagers in the nearby areas. Well, whatever the case might be, I am sure Tanaka would figure out the truth eventually. Because the villagers would have no choice but to spill their secrets if they really wanted the man’s help to stop the powerful spirits.
Tanaka Set Up A Barrier
The fourth episode revealed that Tanaka had set up a barrier near the shrine, which the new Hikaru accidentally touched. This quickly alerted Tanaka, who ran to the shrine’s gate to investigate further. Tanaka surmised that the festival crowd might have attracted the spirit, as they fancy human beings. He could be correct, because Hikaru got a lot more excited as soon as he heard about the summer festival. Tanaka further pointed out that the spirit might not be in its actual form, as such a mammoth would have scared the hell out of everyone present at the festival. He finally came to the conclusion that it might have morphed into something. This information is important, because if Tanaka believes that the spirit he’s dealing with is a shapeshifter, then he will start suspecting every face he would encounter in the village, and maybe that’s how he will finally end up catching Hikaru.
Yoshiki Wants To Leave The Village
This episode finally explored the real reason Yoshiki was so hell-bent on leaving the village as soon as he finished school. One of the reasons was his parents, who had been constantly fighting with each other over trivial affairs. It seemed like no one really liked Yoshiki’s family much, as he told Hikaru that everyone in the village kept bad-mouthing them. During this conversation, Hikaru also brought up the Yasaburo family, whose heir everyone believed was diseased. Well, he was actually homosexual, but the orthodox villagefolk, who still worshipped a 300-year-old deity, didn’t know any better. So, this was the second reason why Yoshiki wanted to leave such a suffocating space as soon as possible, so he could be who he was and live on his own terms, without being labeled as “diseased.” There’s also something going on with Yoshiki’s sister, Kaoru, but I think the later episodes of The Summer Hikaru Died will reveal more. And yes, I hope you did notice the “blue” and the “red” shaved ice that Yoshiki and the new Hikaru were eating near the shrine. It was a “The Matrix” reference, where Yoshiki, more grounded in reality, was holding a shaved ice with red syrup over it, while Hikaru, a supernatural being, was holding the blue one. Throughout the show, these are the two choices Yoshiki had been in conflict with. Whether he should accept Hikaru’s death or keep living the dream by choosing to ignore reality. The new Hikaru had become a comfort to him and symbolized his blissful ignorance.
The Post-Credits Scene
I really didn’t expect that there would be a post-credit scene in the episode, yet I accidentally came across it while scrolling the credits. This scene revealed that Hikaru went to the mountains to carry out the duty of the Indo Family, that is, to perform the ritual for the Mountain God. In the previous episode, there was a flashback, if you remember, where his father, Kouhei, told him that they had made an agreement with Unuki-sama, according to which the powerful spirits couldn’t directly harm them, but they could hurt the people closest to them. I guess Hikaru feared the powerful spirit might try to hurt Yoshiki, the boy he loved, and that was the only reason he went to the mountains, but before he could perform the ritual, he slipped on the muddy ground and hit his head on a stone, losing his life. And you know the rest of the story.
There’s A New Spirit In Town
I am sure you might have heard that the evil spirits target the anxious and the guilt-ridden individuals because they are often the most vulnerable prey. The episode’s beginning had suggested that there was some powerful spirit lurking near the railway crossing, and in the end, we saw Rie Kurebayashi, the same woman who had warned Yoshiki of Nonuki-sama, standing near the spot. I believe she was struggling with the loss of her husband and how he returned from the dead, harming their kid, from which the kid never really recovered. So, there’s some kind of guilt that makes Rie vulnerable to these spirits, making her a perfect target, if she is indeed a target.
But you may ask, why would the spirit want to hurt Rie? Well, if you remember, the new Hikaru had noticed Rie’s name on Yoshiki’s phone and sensed something was going on. He might have figured out that Rie was trying to turn Yoshiki against him, which was why he planned revenge. In the episode, when Hikaru accidentally touched the barrier, his demeanor changed completely, implying that he was well aware of the things happening around him and had just been playing dumb to fool Yoshiki. And if that’s true, then it could be possible that Nonuki-sama was a vengeful lonely spirit who would do anything in its power to stay out of its cage and to be with Yoshiki. It’s likely that he had sent another powerful spirit to get Rie out of the picture so she could no longer poison Yoshiki’s ear. But I am still not sure if this malevolent spirit is going to hurt Rie or just scare her off so she stays away from Yoshiki. There’s also a possibility that it will kill Rie, just like some evil spirit killed the old woman in the first episode who tried to expose Hikaru. I think we’ll have to wait for the next episode to find out what exactly this new spirit wants.
