The Summer Hikaru Died Sets Final Chapter for October 20

The official X (formerly Twitter) account for Mokumokuren's The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) announced Tuesday that two chapters remain. Chapter 50 is scheduled for October 13, with chapter 51 following on October 20.

Yen Press publishes the manga in English and will release volume eight on October 27. Kadokawa published the ninth collected volume on June 4. Mokumokuren previously said the series was planned to span 10 volumes.

The story follows Yoshiki and Hikaru, two boys in a village who did everything together until a mysterious light engulfed Hikaru. Everything changed afterward, especially Hikaru. Yoshiki deeply wants to remain beside him forever, but whether any part of Hikaru remains is uncertain.

Mokumokuren began the manga on Kadokawa's Young Ace Up website in August 2021. Its circulation had surpassed 3 million copies by the release of volume six.

The manga received these award and library-list recognitions:

• A nomination for the 16th Manga Taisho Awards, officially called the “Cartoon Grand Prize” in English.
• Inclusion in the New York Public Library's 2023 Best Books list for teens.
• Selection for the 2024 Great Graphic Novels for Teens list from the American Library Association's (ALA) Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA).

The manga and Mokumokuren also earned nominations at the 2024 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. The series competed in Best U.S. Edition of International Material—Asia, while Mokumokuren received a Best Writer/Artist nomination.

The series has also inspired these adaptations:

• An anime that premiered in July 2025 and will receive a second season.
• A light novel adaptation by Mio Nukaga released in December 2023.
• A stage play that ran January 9–18 at Tokyo's Kinokuniya Hall.