Abhiroop Das
Episode 4 of Netflix’s ‘The Summer Hikaru Died,’ titled ‘Summer Festival,’ takes Yoshiki on a trip down memory lane, which adds dimensions to his dynamic with Hikaru, who died and returned as a new entity half a year ago. Meanwhile, Tanaka continues to probe into the village, knowing that its secrets are key to figuring out the anomaly. In the previous episode, Yoshiki’s meeting with Rie Kurebayashi, coupled with his fight with Hikaru, serves as a watershed moment for his character, giving him a new perspective on navigating this unique and complicated relationship. At the same time, it becomes apparent that Hikaru is not the only entity that hounds the village, and by extension, Rie Kurebayashi might not be its only medium. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Kubitachi Village Has More Tricks up its Sleeves
The episode begins with Hikaru and Yoshiki at the Daruma Street Shopping Arcade. The former is trying his best to feed the resident street cat, Mince. When Mince continues to avoid him, the teen contemplates how his body has been reacting strangely to stimuli lately. Yoshiki’s thoughts jump back to Rie Kurebayashi’s warning of maintaining his distance from this entity, but it’s too far from that point for him. Later that day, Asako sits down with her friend near the railway crossing, but begins to hear strange noises. This prompts her to warn her friend not to pursue that path, and it is soon confirmed that Asako’s hunch is right. As evil spirits begin to materialize over the crossing, it becomes evident that the girl can perceive them, albeit by sound instead of sight.
Elsewhere, Hikaru hangs out at Yoshiki’s home, and the two overhear Kaoru, Yoshiki’s younger sister, requesting her mother for a Yukata. When Hikaru grows curious, he is suddenly reminded of the Summer Festival, which will take place in a few hours. As night falls, the duo, along with Kaoru, head out and soak in the cultural vista and festive spirit of the village. Although Kaoru is dressed as she wishes, she appears visibly uncomfortable, in large part due to the crowd gossiping about her absence from school. Hikaru, perceptive of this, tries to cheer her up, and the mood begins to lift when a shopkeeper named Mr. Kameyama gifts the children a dish for free. Yoshiki notices that Mr. Kameyama is a Christian, which makes him stand out from the rest of the village folk.
Tanaka Figures Out a Connection
As the festival goes on, Takeda, along with his council, sits indoors, urgently discussing the fate of this village. The Indo family’s mystery is brought up once again, as they note how Hikaru’s father died while performing the ritual, leaving behind his young son to do the hard work. While some seem convinced that the ritual went bust, others doubt whether it’s real in the first place. One of the council members points out how Kubitachi village has diligently followed through on the ritual for 300 years, and it has only now become a trouble. Takeda doubts spirit investigator Tanaka’s ability to deal with the fallout, expressing frustration with his callous nature. Just then, almost on cue, the latter makes his appearance and begins probing deeper into the village.
The knowledge of the ritual confirms to Tanaka that the Indo family used the shrunken head totem as a safeguard against spirits while entering the mountain, and the fact that it is in his hands means that something went wrong. Furthermore, he inquires about the town’s history, pointing out how all the adjacent towns and villages are dominated by Christian faith, as evidenced by Mr. Kameyama, who is an outsider who has set up shop for the festival. The fact that Kubitachi village is resolute in its local, enigmatic faith catches Tanaka’s eye, giving his search more direction. Further into the conversation, the villagers state that the entity living on the mountains is not a part of Kubitachi’s culture, but the detective has a hard time buying into that notion.
Hikaru’s Cover is Almost Blown
Tanaka’s conversation with the villagers is juxtaposed with Yoshiki and his group making their way to the Nisayama Shrine; however, things quickly take a turn when Hikaru is pushed back by an invisible barrier around the holy location. This interaction immediately alerts Tanaka as his hamster starts screeching, which puts him into action. Meanwhile, Hikaru makes a quick excuse before angrily preparing to break through the barrier. Although Tanaka rushes to the spot, he is too late, as the teen has already done his work and made it in. He finds Yoshiki alone by the river, and the two sit down to have shaved ice. The protagonist points out how all flavours of Shaved Ice are secretly the same, and that the colour alone is enough to trick the brain into imagining a different taste.
Hikaru compares himself to shaved ice and asks Yoshiki if he feels any differently about things. The protagonist replies honestly, saying that he can tell the difference. When Hikaru gets curious and asks Yoshiki how he figured out the truth, the latter drops a bombshell: He had seen Hikaru’s dead body the night he went missing. The scene then jumps into a flashback, with Yoshiki sneaking out of the house in the middle of a torrential downpour to search for his missing friend. He eventually found Hikaru’s corpse, which sent him into a traumatic shock, prompting him to blankly return home and sleep for days. When he woke up, Hikaru was there, alive and well, sprouting the seeds of his doubt. The reveal unsettles even the new Hikaru, who is surprised that Yoshiki kept the secret for so long.
Yoshiki explains that this knowledge is the reason he has bouts of insomnia at night, though it appears to have triggered something deeper inside him. The protagonist’s mind goes back to when Hikaru was alive and the two played on the same river bed. He exclaimed his desire to break free of the town, as its close-knit nature means that everyone is critical of his family. In turn, Hikaru brings up another family, the Yasaboros, who are dealing with a similar conundrum. One of the family members, Yusuke, is gay, which the family can’t accept. As the mood gets gloomier, Hikaru tries his best to cheer up his friend with silly antics. Back in the present, the memories overwhelm Yoshiki, and he begins to weep in mourning. The new Hikaru offers to leave, but is pleasantly surprised when his friend wants his company.
The Truth of Hikaru’s Death Comes to Light
Hikaru pacifies Yoshiki, promising to protect him throughout his life. We then return to Tanaka, who can be seen struggling at the face of the broken barrier. When Takeda asks him if he can create such a barrier over the entire town, the detective explains the complex mechanism behind his abilities. Tanaka has to sacrifice an organ every time a potent barrier is created, which makes scale and strength very fragile matters. Analyzing the situation, the detective wonders how such a powerful entity can seamlessly blend in with the crowd and realizes that it might have made someone a host. Elsewhere, in the dead of the night, the spirit at the railway crossing seems to have taken a complete, malevolent form, and Rie Kurebayashi watches from a safe distance, still worrying about Yoshiki.
In a post-credit scene, we go back to the night of Hikaru’s death, when he spends his final moments regretting his failures. While initially his thoughts jump between his own life and his parents, they seem to eventually focus on Yoshiki. Hikaru realizes how his passing will leave his friend completely helpless, and he yearns for any way to avoid that. Almost on cue, the mysterious entity descends upon him. Referring to it as Unuki-Sama, Yoshiki makes a dying wish, to be with Yoshiki in any way imaginable. With this, it becomes more apparent than ever that Hikaru’s death was actually a bargain with the supernatural spirit, which now serves as a guardian for Yoshiki. However, its agency and emotions for its new friend are brought into question again, as it is entirely possible that its love for the protagonist is genuine.
