#256 – The Summer Hikaru Died | Created by Ryōhei Takeshita and Mokumokuren (with Hannah, Rebecca, and Sarah of Can I Spoil Something?)

Tune in as Hannah, Rebecca, and Sarah (Can I Spoil Something?) head back to the program in order to unpack The Summer Hikaru Died, the 2025 coming-of-age cosmic horror anime series that follows a pair of teenage boys as one of them realizes that his friend isn’t quite here anymore, having been possessed by an eldritch being. The queerness that’s written all over this show, the sexy tree, comparing someone’s insides to raw and marinated chicken, and appreciation for body horror tales like Videodrome and The Substance provide a few of the topics for this episode. Directed by Ryōhei Takeshita and adapted from the manga that’s written and illustrated by Mokumokuren, The Summer Hikaru Died stars: •Japanese cast: Shūichirō Umeda, Chiaki Kobayashi, Yumiri Hanamori, Wakana Kowaka, Chikahiro Kobayashi, Yoshiki Nakajima, Shion Wakayama, and Fuminori Komatsu. •English cast: Paul Castro Jr., Kyle McCarley, Jennifer Losi, Dorothy Fahn, Daman Mills, Jacob Hopkins, Valerie Rose Lohman, and Ben Diskin. Spoilers start at 24:15 Create your podcast today! #madeonzencastr Here’s how you can learn more about Palestine and Israel Here’s how you can keep up-to-date on this genocide Here’s how you can send eSIM cards to Palestinians in order to help them stay connected online Good Word: • Hannah: unOrdinary by uru-chan • Rebecca: Lepreezy • Sarah: Gregory Alan Isakov • Arthur: The Dreamers Reach out at [email protected] if you want to recommend things to watch and read, share anecdotes, or just say hello! Be sure to subscribe, rate, and review on iTunes or any of your preferred podcasting platforms! Follow Arthur on Twitter, Goodpods, StoryGraph, Letterboxd, and TikTok: @arthur_ant18 Follow Arthur on Bluesky: @arthur-ant18 Follow the podcast on Twitter: @two_centscritic Follow the podcast on Instagram: @twocentscriticpod Follow Arthur on Goodreads Check out 2 Cents Critic Linktree