The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 12 Review: An Unfinished Ending

The 12th episode of The Summer Hikaru Died is here, and it was a fitting finale. Let’s discover how this episode plays out.

The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 11 Recap

The episode opens with Yoshiki finally mustering the courage to confront his father about the Indo family curse. It’s clear that while the two once shared a warm bond during Yoshiki’s childhood, that closeness faded as he grew older. When pressed, his father reluctantly reveals the truth. A long time ago, an Indo family head, grieving his wife’s death, made a reckless demand to Nonuki-sama. He promised to sacrifice the heads of others if his wish was granted. In a grim twist, the wish came true, and soon after, countless villagers began dying under mysterious circumstances.

Since then, the Indo family has been bound to a ritual of atonement, traveling to the mountain every five years to beg forgiveness. However, the tragedy lies in the futility of it all, as Nonuki-sama, the being dwelling in the mountains, never cared for their apologies. Later, Hikaru reflects on the countless lives lost to this curse, though one mystery still lingers. Despite Nonuki-sama’s indifference, the calamities did stop after each round of sacrifices.

Yet, the real focus of the episode isn’t the curse, but Hikaru himself. His ongoing identity crisis becomes painfully evident as his strength falters. Not only is he unable to protect Yoshiki from other threats, but his own inner instincts, the beastlike side of him, begin to surface. In one chilling moment, Hikaru nearly loses control and turns against Yoshiki.

The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 12 Review

This episode opens with Hikaru seriously considering going back to his mountain so that his friends do not get involved in any other issues. Other than that, Yoshiki also enjoys a healthy conversation with his father, something that he has never had before. At school, Hikaru arrives late, and Yoshiki wonders what happened to him.

Tanaka finally realises and discloses that the God or Nonuki-sama never existed in the 1st place. And the Indo family ritual also had no meaning behind it. He knows what is happening in this village, and he intends to do something about it. Here, something very weird happens as Asako again confronts Hikaru about not being a human, but this time, Hikaru takes everything in a very gentle manner. He accepts that he is not a human and even tells her that he will not harm her in any way. Hearing this, she begins to cry and mourns for the dead Hikaru.

The fake Hikaru realises how, because he exists, everyone else does not mourn or remember the real Hikaru. He starts to feel bad for doing these things and even apologises. Later, Hikaru and Yoshiki go to a beach, and it almost serves as a farewell for Hikaru. Whether he actually returns to the mountains or not is something you have to find out after watching this episode yourself.

Verdict

The final episode was very profound because it finally made Yoshiki confront his own self that he had hidden all his life. He finally accepts that he is different from others, but that realisation takes the form of hatred, and he starts to call himself a monster, which should not be the approach. It becomes clear that the fact that he was gay and in love with a man always affected him psychologically. This was the very reason why he wanted to save the monster Hikaru in the first place.

Must Read: The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 11 Review: Hikaru Might Just Kill Yoshiki