Netflix has expanded its anime catalogue by picking up global streaming rights to an upcoming adaptation of Mokumokuren’s horror manga series The Summer Hikaru Died. 

Targeting a teen audience, this co-pro from Japan’s Kadokawa and CygamesPictures will premiere in Q3 2025, airing on Nippon TV first, and then streaming on Netflix and Japanese AVOD Abema.

The Summer Hikaru Died stars a high-school student whose best friend mysteriously disappears while hiking in the mountains alone. When Hikaru resurfaces six months later, Yoshiki discovers that an otherworldly being has possessed his friend’s body, and he must navigate a new relationship with this alien entity who is now in control of Hikaru’s memories and feelings. 

Starting in 2021, Kadokawa serialized The Summer Hikaru Died in its monthly Young Ace UP magazine, running it alongside other teen manga series like sports adventure SK8 The Infinity and a cooking-themed comedy called Today’s Menu for the Emiya Family. 

Six of 10 planned books in the series have been published so far, and they’ve sold more than three million copies in Japan alone. 

In recent anime news, Netflix launched Science Saru’s DanDaDan in October, and the supernatural action series has now ranked in its Top 10 worldwide for six weeks in a row, taking fourth place last week with 9.3 million hours of total watch time.