The Summer Hikaru Died Wiki
The Summer Hikaru Died Wiki
The Summer Hikaru Died Wiki
153
pages
in: Incomplete sections, Novelization

Novel 1

Sign in to edit
This article is about the first book of the novels.
For the first volume of the manga, see Volume 1.

This is the 1st book of the novelization of The Summer Hikaru Died, authored by Mio Nukaga and adapted from the original manga series by Mokumokuren.

The special edition came with an additional 48-page booklet. It contained an 8-page comic by Mokumokuren and a 48-page short story by Mio Nukaga titled A Bookmark in Autumn (秋の栞, Aki no Shiori?).

Synopsis[]

The bond between Yoshiki and Hikaru is a welcome escape from their isolated village. But one fateful day when the two boys meet up, Yoshiki can immediately tell something is off. Though the person standing before him wears Hikaru's face, Yoshiki knows that his friend is... gone. It is then that Yoshiki makes a decision. Although things will never be as they once were, he would prefer this Hikaru to no Hikaru at all.

List of Chapters[]

  1. Hikaru Was Always There (いつだって光だった, Itsudatte Hikaru datta?)
  2. Undeniably Hikaru (どうしたって光なのだから, Doushitatte Hikaru nano dakara?)
  3. I Can't Help but Find Him Endearing (愛しいと思ってしまう, Itoshii to omotteshimau?)
  4. Hikaru Comes Pouring Down (光が降ってくる, Hikaru ga futtekuru?)
  5. I Could Finally Breathe (やっと息ができた, Yatto iki ga dekita?)
  6. Epilogue (エピローグ, Epiroogu?)
  7. Afterword (あとがき, Atogaki?)

Special Edition Inclusion[]

Afterwords[]

“ When I read the draft that Ms. Nukaga had written, I remember being completely absorbed in it, even though it was my own story. The characters and the world had even greater depth in prose format, and I felt as if it reached those hard-to-scratch areas that the manga couldn't fully depict. It felt incredibly reassuring to know that there's someone in the world who understands the characters of Yoshiki, "Hikaru", and Hikaru so well. Ms. Nukaga is amazing!

When I create manga, I actually often start by imagining things in writing. I clearly describe the staging, scenes, emotions, and other parts that don't make it into the text of the manga before putting them out as art. I want to use almost no words to express things that can be easily explained in words, so as I create, I always struggle with how to draw things in a way that conveys what I'm trying to express. However, after reading the novel version, I felt like it depicted all the parts that, in most cases, I had to reluctantly cut from the manga. That was incredibly satisfying. It's fascinating how the same story can offer a wealth of perspectives between the manga and novel versions.

Allow me to express my heartfelt gratitude to Ms. Nukaga and everyone who dedicated themselves to this novelization project. Thank you very much. 		”

—Mokumokuren

“ I believe that for many of you, this will be our first time meeting. My name is Mio Nukaga, and I'm the author responsible for adapting "The Summer Hikaru Died" into a novel.
The pronunciation of my name is "Mee-oh New-kah-gah." Some find it surprisingly difficult to pronounce the Nukaga part, but it's similar to how you saw Utada, the surname of the famous singer Hikaru Utada. Usually, I write coming-of-age and sports novels.
I first read "The Summer Hikaru Died" in July of 2022.
I'm a novelist, but I sometimes teach at a university. My classes mostly consist of creative writing workshops aimed at students who want to write novels.
I often exchanged recommendations for prose, manga, and anime with a student named K, who was enrolled in my course at the time.
One day, just before summer break, K approached me, saying, "I've found this super interesting manga. The first volume just came out, but I've been following it online ever since it began its web serialization because of how interesting it is, and it's just so good– I wish I could write a novel like that."
The manga that K introduced to me with such enthusiasm was "The Summer Hikaru Died".
"Please read it," he'd said. "I'd like to hear your thoughts.
With K's strong recommendation, I went to a bookstore on my way home and bought the first volume of "The Summer Hikaru Died".
K's ability to both find interesting works and present their greatness in a way that resonates with others is second to none, so I clearly remember being really excited to read "The Summer Hikaru Died" as I made my way back home.
And when I did read it, I found "The Summer Hikaru Died" to be incredibly entertaining and felt truly happy to have been introduced to such a great work.
As it so happens, when I was writing this afterword, I messaged K, saying, "Sorry if this is sudden, but would it be okay to mention you? I won't use your real name," to which he immediately replied, "Please go with 'K'!" That's how I was able to write this anecdote.

After reading volume 1, I eagerly awaited the release of Volume 2 as just another reader.
It was right around that time that I received a request from an editor at Kadokawa to write the novel adaptation. Writing a novel on my own from scratch and adapting a manga, anime, or movie by another creator into a novel are two very different processes, despite the fact that novels are the end product in both cases. With an adaptation, there are more things to be mindful of and cautious with, and it feels like I'm using my brain in a slightly different way compared to when I'm writing my own work.
The creature known as a novelist is one that wants to do everything it can to send the stories it's conceived out into the world, so when it comes to adaptation work, I try to only accept projects that I find to be genuinely fascinating or ones from creators I truly love.
I have to feel like I won't regret using my time– time that should have been spent writing a volume of an original work– for that particular work or creator. If I can feel like that about a work, then it's one that I can enjoy adapting into a novel.
So when I was asked to novelize "The Summer Hikaru Died", I instantly replied, "I'll do it. I'll make the schedule work."

And so, I somehow made the schedule work and successfully completed the novel version of "The Summer Hikaru Died," but I'll leave it to you, the readers, to judge whether or not I've stayed faithful to the original or have expanded on it uniquely through this novelization. I've also been asked by my editor to share my thoughts on the adaptation process, so I'll go ahead and do so, but I'll keep it brief.
Personally, I focused on capturing what "The Summer Hikaru Died" can evoke uniquely through the medium of a novel. I believe the appeal of novels lies in their ability to depict emotions through detailed descriptions of things like the scenes a character sees, the sounds they hear, and the temperatures and sensations they feel with their skin. I was particularly focused on those points when adapting this work.
The time I spent writing was mostly occupied by the protagonist, Yoshiki Tsujinaka (I used the kanji for his name in the Japanese version for better visual recognition and readability), so it was almost like my writing process was spent entirely in conversation with him.
I spent a lot of time thinking about the destination of his casual glances, picking up on the true intentions lurking within his subtle expressions, and exploring how he might perceive the world beyond the manga's panels and story. It was a lot, but also very fun.
Also, one memory from this project that's stayed with me is when I asked the original author, Mokumokuren, about the color of "Hikaru"'s insides. The reply I got was, "There's no clear color, but it's a hue that would wear away at your sanity just by looking at it," and after that, I remember thinking, "Oh, this is where a novelist can really show off their skills."
If you happen to be reading this afterword before starting the main story, I encourage you to pay attention to "Hikaru"s "insides".
I was debating with myself on how to close out this afterword, but it looks like the latest chapter "The Summer Hikaru Died" just went up, so I think I'll end things here.
This adaptation ends in the middle of the story, and there's a lot more to go, so I hope to see you all again. 		”

—Mio Nukaga

Characters[]

Cover[]

List of Appearances[]

This is an incomplete section.
You can help the Wiki expand by adding to it.

Gallery[]

References

  1. ↑ Kadokawa: 光が死んだ夏
  2. ↑ Yen Press: The Summer Hikaru Died (novel)
  3. ↑ Kadokawa: 光が死んだ夏　特装版
  4. ↑ Title is an unofficial translation by enter-text.
Community content is available under CC-BY-SA unless otherwise noted.