HikaNatsu fans, rejoice. A new website appeared earlier this month announcing that a stage play adaptation of the hit manga and anime series The Summer Hikaru Died (Hikaru ga Shinda Natsu) is happening in Tokyo early next year. The production takes place January 9-18 2026 at Kinokuniya Hall in Shinjuku.
For the uninitiated, The Summer Hikaru Died tells the story of teenage boy Yoshiki Tsujinaka and his white-haired best bud Hikaru, who goes missing in the woods. After Hikaru's sudden return, Yoshiki comes to realise his friend has died and been replaced with… something. The slice of life slash coming-of-age horror slash BL-but-not-BL title is written and illustrated by manga artist Mokumokuren, and has been in publication since 2021. The series has swiftly gained popularity – there are now over 3.5 million copies in circulation – and has been adapted into a Netflix series.
As for the play, the production stars Junsei Motojima as Yoshiki. The 20-year-old actor is no stranger to the screen – he's got a TV drama or two under his belt – but this will be his first stage role. He's joined by experienced theatre co-star Hikaru Imamaki playing the titular Hikaru. Additional actors include May Tachibana as Asako, Miki Matsuo as Yuta, Rio Sawada as Yuki, Umi Yamano as Rie and Mitsu Murata as the eccentric Tanaka.
At the current rate of publication, it's likely that the manga will be finished by the time the play comes out. The same can't be said of the anime, whose content lags behind, as is the norm. It's unclear whether the play will follow the manga and perform the entire plot, or choose to follow the anime instead and show only a portion of the story – only time will tell.
Either way, the performance will be in Japanese with no subtitles, so either brush up on your nihongo or familiarise yourself with the story beforehand so that you'll know what's going on.
Tickets for the play are ¥9,800 and will be available through an early bird lottery starting October 3 if you sign up for a Nelke or 2.5 Friends account. If you don't want to sign up for anything, you can wait for the second early bird lottery available October 20-26, or opt for general purchase starting from November 22.
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