“Too Scary to Watch Late at Night”, “It’s Gross But Can’t Look Away”… SNS Shaken by Terrifying Forest Path Scene! Anime “Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu” [Episode 2 Spoiler Reactions Summary]

TV Anime “Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu” Episode 2: Forest Path Terror and Startling Developments Trigger Huge Reactions! Spoiler Warning!

Episode 2 of the TV anime *Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu*, titled “Doubts,” aired on July 12, 2025. The terrifying forest path scene, a highlight from the early parts of the original manga, sparked significant discussion on social media.

July 13, 2025 10:00

About *Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu*

*Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu* is a youth horror story based on the manga by Mokumoku Ren. It depicts the interactions between high schooler Yoshiki and an unknown “something” that looks exactly like his best friend, Hikaru. The series gained significant attention, winning the Global Special Prize in the Web Manga category of the “Tsugi ni Kuru Manga Taishou 2022” (Next Manga Awards 2022) and ranking 1st in the Male category of “Kono Manga ga Sugoi! 2023” (This Manga is Amazing! 2023).

Yoshiki and Hikaru grew up together as childhood friends in a certain village. Their days were filled with the blazing sun, the buzzing of cicadas, eating ice cream on the way home, and laughing over trivial things – just like any ordinary summer. However, Hikaru, who went missing in the mountains six months prior, unexpectedly returned a week later. The entity that came back looked and sounded just like Hikaru, but what was truly stirring within it…? A strange everyday life began with this “something” in his friend’s form, and simultaneously, bizarre incidents started to plague the village.

Terrifying Encounter in the Forest Path

In Episode 2, as talk circulated about an elderly woman’s bizarre death in the village, their classmate Maki Yuuta claimed, “I might be cursed too.” He recounted a terrifying experience he had while taking a forest path he usually avoided on his way home. Afraid to go alone, the timid Maki Yuuta pleaded with Yoshiki, “I want you to come home with me.”

Hearing this, some girls from their class thought it sounded like a fun test of courage and decided to tag along, leading to a group of five heading home together. Just then, Hikaru showed up and enthusiastically declared, “I want to go too!”

Arriving at the forest path, the five cautiously entered. Surprisingly, they got through it easily, and Maki Yuuta thanked Yoshiki and the others, relieved that nothing had happened. However, on their way back, the four of them had to pass through the forest path again. As the girls walked ahead, Hikaru and Yoshiki trailed behind.

It was at that moment. Yoshiki felt a strange sensation behind him. Glancing back, he saw a “ku” shape floating deep within the trees. Straining his eyes for a better look, he saw the “ku” shape shaking violently from side to side. Looking even closer, it appeared to be an elderly woman with a broken neck. What’s more, it was rapidly approaching Yoshiki.

This scene, one of the most impactful from the manga’s opening chapters, prompted a wave of fearful comments on social media, such as “It’s too scary, I can’t stop trembling” and “This is not something to watch late at night.” Reactions also praised the depiction of the “ku” shape apparition, with comments like “The movement was so realistic it gave me goosebumps” and “I didn’t expect this scene from the manga to be this terrifying.”

Yoshiki instinctively averted his gaze, but it was too late. The elderly woman was already right behind him. Noticing this, Hikaru uttered chilling, cryptic words, “Ah, did you see it?” and “It’s following you.” He then said simply, “Come here,” towards the apparition. The next moment, with a violent sound, Hikaru collapsed with a nosebleed. Getting up immediately, he calmly stated, “I crushed it and put it inside me.”

Disturbing Scene in the Gym Storage

Later, the scene in the gym storage also became a major topic of conversation. Sometime earlier, Hikaru had promised Yoshiki he would show him what had happened to his body. After school, in the gym storage room, Hikaru revealed his body to Yoshiki. Unbuttoning his shirt, his body was split open vertically from his chest down to his navel. Prompted by Hikaru’s words, “Want to put your hand in?”, Yoshiki reached his hand into Hikaru’s gaping body. While the manga described the texture inside Hikaru’s body as “chicken meat marinated in sauce,” the anime showed a photographic image of raw chicken meat here, eliciting cries of surprise like “I was shocked by the real raw chicken lol” and “Can’t believe they used a photo!” The raw depiction of this scene also drew comments such as “It’s a bit gross but I can’t look away” and “This is the absolute best!!!”

Encounter with Kurabayashi Rie

On his way home, Yoshiki encountered a housewife at the supermarket. The housewife grabbed Yoshiki’s arm tightly and warned him, “You’re near something dangerous.” She continued with cryptic advice, “If you stay like this, you’ll mix,” and “If you mix too much with the things from over there, you won’t be human anymore.” The housewife claimed she had felt an unpleasant presence from the mountain where Hikaru went missing for a long time. The contact information she gave him, saying “Contact me if you want to talk,” bore the name Kurabayashi Rie. Comments like “Kurabayashi-san, escape this village quickly!” and “Our Kurabayashi-san” flooded in, showing viewers’ excitement about the mysterious housewife’s appearance.

Opening and Ending Themes Captivate Viewers

Attention was also drawn to the opening and ending videos, which played for the first time in Episode 2. The opening theme is “Saikai” by Vaundy. Viewers reacted to the video with comments such as “It’s a perfect mix of creepiness, coolness, and youth” and “I love the color scheme so much.” Note that in Episode 1, the opening theme was used alongside the ending credits instead of as a separate opening sequence.

The ending theme’s video, featuring skillfully integrated live-action footage of Hikaru and Yoshiki laughing together on a train, was also highly praised. Comments included “I loved the OP and ED songs just from the preview, but the visuals were too good,” “This nostalgic ED… feels like the pre-‘death’ Hikaru in Yoshiki’s memories,” and “The live-action integration in the ED is very good. It feels like summer.”

With praise from original manga fans for its careful adaptation and comments from new viewers expressing, “I can’t wait to see what happens next” and “It’s been a while since an anime has drawn me in this much,” anticipation is only growing for the future developments of *Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu*, a series that exquisitely blends horror and youth.

The summer anime *Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu* airs sequentially every Saturday at 24:55 on the Nippon Television network and other channels. It is also available for worldwide exclusive streaming on Netflix and free exclusive streaming on ABEMA.

*Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu* Staff

*Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu* Cast

Gallery

（C）Mokumoku Ren／KADOKAWA・「Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu」Production Committee

《Sunakujira》