The Summer Hikaru Died Pre-Broadcast Special: Voice Cast Talks Highlights and Behind-the-Scenes Moments

Among the most anticipated titles of the 2025 summer anime season, “The Summer Hikaru Died” held a special live pre-broadcast program on Japanese streaming platform ABEMA. Here's a look at what went down. The program featured voice actors Chiaki Kobayashi (Yoshiki Tsujinaka), Shuuichirou Umeda (Hikaru Indo), and Oyhiro Kobayashi (Tanaka), who shared key highlights, character insights, and behind-the-scenes stories from the recording sessions.

Cast Shares Their Favorite Highlights of the Series

“The Summer Hikaru Died” (known as “Hikanatsu” for short) is a coming-of-age horror story about an ordinary high school boy, Yoshiki, who begins living with a mysterious entity that has taken the form of his childhood friend Hikaru, who disappeared six months earlier. As terrifying incidents unfold, the fear that slowly creeps into the everyday has captivated many readers. With the anime adaptation about to begin, the cast each shared their personal “push points” for the series.

“By intentionally excluding background music and only using natural sounds or silence, the contrast between the dark atmosphere around Hikaru and Yoshiki and the brighter tone of their classmates really stands out. I thought it was a beautiful touch.”

He added that the director mentioned how listening with headphones makes it easier to pick up on various auditory details, encouraging viewers to pay close attention to even the subtlest sounds.

Umeda named “Hikaru” as his pick. He noted the contrast between the entity pretending to be Hikaru and the real Hikaru before his disappearance.

“You’ll notice the different impressions between 'Hikaru' and 'Hikaru before death,' and how Yoshiki feels about each. I hope viewers try comparing the two.”
Chiaki Kobayashi emphasized the “sense of immersion.” Despite not being a big horror fan, he confessed he couldn’t stop reading the original manga because of its deep emotional layers.

“Yoshiki accepts that his best friend has become something else and chooses to live alongside him... It made me wonder: could we make the same choice in his position? If someone next to us changed, how would we define what’s real? I find myself constantly thinking about this series. It’s incredibly immersive.”

Chiaki Kobayashi on Voicing Yoshiki: “I Focused on Portraying a Realistic High Schooler” — Behind-the-Scenes Revealed

The cast also dove deeper into their characters. Umeda spoke passionately about Hikaru, who embodies both madness and innocence. Chikahiro Kobayashi, who plays Tanaka—whose full role has yet to be revealed—joked,

“For now, just remember that he likes hamsters!”
hinting at more to come.

Chiaki Kobayashi also shared how he approached playing Yoshiki, describing him as “very human.”

“I tried not to be overly dramatic and kept in mind to portray him as a realistic, everyday high school student who faces intense internal struggles.”

The program also featured many behind-the-scenes anecdotes. Since the characters speak in the Mie dialect, the cast struggled during those recordings. Given the horror nature of the show, they even performed a purification ritual before production—something that surprised viewers.

It was also revealed that the original manga author, Mokumokuren, visited the recording studio. Umeda recounted asking Mokumokuren directly about Hikaru’s impression to better inform his performance.

“Yoshiki & Hikaru’s Synchro Challenge” Brings Laughter

The program concluded with a fun segment called the “Yoshiki & Hikaru Childhood Friend Synchro Challenge,” where Chiaki Kobayashi and Umeda tried to match their answers to quiz questions. Their unexpected and mismatched answers had Oyhiro Kobayashi, who acted as the host, exclaiming,
“Come on, get in sync already!”

Will the two voice actors manage to see eye to eye? This light-hearted challenge is also a must-watch for fans.

About The-Summer-Hikaru-Died

The Summer Hikaru Died is a coming-of-age horror story that follows an ordinary high schooler, Yoshiki Tsujinaka, as he lives with a mysterious entity that imitates his childhood friend, Hikaru Indo. As strange and disturbing events unfold around him, Yoshiki is forced to confront chilling truths. Serialized on Young Ace UP, the manga topped the male category of Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023 (published by Takarajimasha) and has become a breakout hit. The anime series began airing nationwide on Nippon TV starting July 5, and is exclusively distributed worldwide via Netflix.

Source : The Summer Hikaru Died Official