Talking about the anime 'The Summer of the Disappeared' 🌻👁️

The original work is a manga by Mokumokuren, currently serialized. The first season of the anime adaptation has finished airing, with a total of 12 episodes, and a second season has been announced, but the broadcast date has not yet been revealed. The story initially seems like an ordinary rural daily life, until Yoshiki suddenly asks his childhood friend, "You're not Hikaru, are you?" In the next second, "Hikaru's" body begins to melt—it turns out the real Hikaru had already died, and what returned was 'something' that inherited his appearance and memories. I followed the manga for a while when it first gained traction, but I didn't immediately catch up with the anime adaptation. Recently, I finally binged the anime, and then couldn't resist continuing with the manga, officially entering a dual-watch of both anime and manga😆 I really like how the truth is peeled back layer by layer. The closed-off village, long-standing customs, adults who seem to know something, and the past that gradually emerges through the investigation remind me of 'Summertime Rendering,' while also having the eerie feel of Japanese urban legends like 'Kotori-bako.' What's frightening isn't just the non-human entity, but sometimes it's more concerning what humans did long ago. The emotional aspect is also interesting. Yoshiki has unspoken feelings for the real Hikaru, yet he lives with the 'Hikaru' who replaced him; while 'Hikaru' is frightening at first, the more you watch, the cuter his attachment to Yoshiki, akin to a fledgling bird's, becomes. I hope the story ultimately leaves an answer that isn't too cruel for them🥹 It's a work that blends horror, suspense, rural folklore, and the complex emotions between boys, making you constantly want to know the truth.