Are you looking for your next Netflix anime? The first trailer for an adaptation of a brilliant manga that mixes life and horror will surely catch you.

You may not have heard of The Summer Hikaru Died yet, but I think the first trailer will have you adding it to your Netflix watchlist.

I’m not sure life and horror are two genres you’d normally find mixed together, and yet that’s exactly what The Summer Hikaru Died is. Beginning serialization in 2021, and still publishing new chapters up to the present, this particular manga follows Yoshiki and Hikaru living in a small town in Japan as their days go by, except that one day, Hikaru dies and is replaced by some supernatural . being, leaving Yoshiki not knowing what to do with the knowledge that his real best friend is dead. It’s a disturbing concept, and after a long wait, the first trailer for the anime adaptation is here, and it’s just as sinister as you’d expect.

You can watch the trailer above, which doesn’t show much, but at least the vibes are there. Ryohei Takeshita is in charge of directing this anime adaptation, best known for his work on Jellyfish Can’t Swim in the Night as director there as well. Chiaki Kobayashi, who you may have heard as the protagonist in both Hell’s Paradise and Reynatis, plays Yoshiki, with Shuichiro Umeda (Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth) as his opposite in Hikaru.

Takeshita said in a statement: “Reading the original work was exciting and I reflected on how to express its paintings in animation. Our team was very dedicated to capturing the delicate emotions of Yoshiki and Hikaru, as well as the beautiful and innovative structure of the manga. We look forward to share it with you.”

Unfortunately, there’s no release date for this one yet, although it will air in the second half of 2025, so at least you won’t have to wait that long.