The Summer Hikaru Died, Vol. 1 (Light Novel)

The bond between Yoshiki and Hikaru is a welcome escape from their isolated village. But one day when the two boys meet up, Yoshiki can immediately tell something is off. Though the person standing before him looks and acts exactly like Hikaru, Yoshiki knows that his friend is...gone. Someone-no, something has taken Hikaru's place. And with so many eerie incidents happening in town lately, Yoshiki is becoming increasingly conflicted. Although things will never be as they once were, he would prefer this Hikaru to no Hikaru at all.

Mokumokuren is a manga creator who made their serial debut with the series The Summer Hikaru Died. Their compelling work which artistically injects horror into a coming-of-age story has garnered lots of attention on social media, and less than a year after the start of its serialization, it won first place in the male reader’s category of Takarajimasha’s “This Manga is Amazing!” list in 2023 and won 11th place in the Manga Taisho that same year. Mokumokuren’s breathtaking work has been adapted into various media, including a novel and a Netflix-exclusive anime series.