‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 8 Review: Contact With Evil
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Episode eight of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ wastes no time setting the tone: Yoshiki kicks things off by frantically typing on the internet: ‘How to get blood stains out of a white shirt’.
Quick Recap of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 7The gravity of how dangerous the entity inside Hikaru truly is hits Yoshiki after he prevents Hikaru from attacking their classmate Asako. The following day, the boys skip school together, watching a movie, wandering the mall, playing claw games, and later relaxing at Yoshiki’s house. In a shocking turn, Yoshiki drives a large kitchen knife into the entity, only to realize it cannot be killed. His plan had been to give Hikaru some happy last memories before ending things. Covered in blood and shaken, he breaks down and pleads with Hikaru to end his life instead. But Hikaru resists violence; instead, he tears off a piece of his own body and offers it to Yoshiki, claiming the act will weaken him and keep his power in check. “Let’s figure out what the hell you are,” Yoshiki says to Hikaru as episode seven closes.
Titled ‘Contact’, Episode 8 of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ follows Yoshiki and Hikaru as they team up to research and uncover what this new version of Hikaru really is. Their search begins with trying to learn more about ‘Nonuki-sama’ and its ties to Kubitachi Village. But first, of course, Yoshiki has to deal with all the blood he spilled in his failed attempt to kill his friend.
From speaking with village elders to digging through the library, the boys devote their time to uncovering Hikaru’s origins. All their efforts lead them to some interesting trivia and discoveries about the region. Meanwhile, eerie incidents, including a shockingly violent event on their school campus, confirm the fears of those who believe something evil has descended from the mountains.
Supporting character Tanaka, who was largely absent in the last two episodes of ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’, returns in this edition. While he doesn’t do much, he is a lot closer to cracking his investigation into the supernatural events than before. He is already started wondering if an evil entity is disguising itself as an human and living among the locals.
The opening minutes of the episode are tense and eerie, with Hikaru and Yoshiki facing off against a malevolent spirit. But with Hikaru no longer as powerful as before, confronting such beings isn’t as easy. At the same time, this shows the entity’s sincerity and loyalty to Yoshiki, the very reason it sacrificed part of itself was to avoid recklessly harming humans, even though doing so also means weakening its ability to fight spirits.
Overall, this a fast-paced, gritty edition, which packs in a lot of elements, including a few brief comedic scenes.
Watch ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ on Netflix.
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