Hi there people, and welcome again to Mistaken Each Time. Immediately we’re returning to the sun-speckled foothills of a rural Japanese village, whose group appears to be struggling underneath a sprawling but largely undetectable curse, a malaise that says itself first as suspicion after which paranoia, earlier than its victims are consumed by their worry totally. Don’t take a look at the creatures within the woods, don’t consider the flesh beneath the floor, for these are all avenues to complicity, understanding, and eventual destruction. “Combine with that an excessive amount of and also you received’t be human anymore,” Yoshiki’s neighbor warns him. However is being human such a laudable factor?
Sure, it’s time for The Summer season Hikaru Died, providing a wealthy stew of people horror, rural surveillance, and queer awakening. The meals is scrumptious, however don’t ask the way it’s made; that metallic tinge within the pallet, that sweetness that feels a bit too acquainted, these are all questions with no comforting reply. The manufacturing is located at a traditional, fertile intersection of horror and character drama, presenting occult ritual as simply one other manifestation of conservative cultural hegemony, and “monstrousness” because the very important revolt of youth in opposition to such forces. And past this sturdy metaphor, it’s additionally merely an aesthetically rewarding expertise, with Ryōhei Takeshita’s adaptation cleverly capturing the paranoia of Yoshiki’s city and ambiguity of the hills past. Let’s get again to the woods!
Episode 3
A slight sepia hue emphasizes the sense of nostalgia as we open on one other flashback to Yoshiki and Hikaru’s youthful days, this time with the standard cicadas complemented by open sunflowers and watermelon, two different pure touchstones of summer season
“In the future my pal’s dad swallowed a seed, and changed into a totally striped watermelon man.” An city legend that has clear relevance right here, as Hikaru “swallowed one thing” and was remodeled, whereas Yoshiki now fears steady contact with Hikaru’s substitute may remodel him as properly. It additionally emphasizes how simply this will occur – having fun with watermelon is without doubt one of the highlights of summer season, but one false step and also you may be irrevocably modified
It’s Hikaru’s dad who comforts them, as soon as once more appearing as their information to the supernatural, and their final line of protection. I think about studying his destiny will probably be important to unlocking this story’s mysteries
“Denial.” A title that speaks to each Yoshiki’s overwhelming state ever since Hikaru’s demise, and in addition his present habits overlaying for Hikaru’s substitute
As soon as once more, the shortage of any heat, yellow tint within the lighting makes the summer season warmth really feel extra oppressive, prefer it’s bleaching the very coloration from the bottom. It jogs my memory of Hiroshi Hamasaki’s fashion, significantly the method he took to the seventh episode of Paranoia Agent
Within the current, Yoshiki carries a watermelon over to Hikaru’s place, a gesture we are able to interpret as him making an attempt to nonetheless reside previously
However issues are completely different now, even setting apart Hikaru’s transformation. Yoshiki can also be a unique individual now, and his emotions in direction of Hikaru have develop into extra sophisticated. As he arrives, fast cuts to Hikaru’s abs and neck reveal Yoshiki’s lustful emotions; on this second, it’s Yoshiki who needs to “devour” his pal. The present thus intentionally conflates its variable types of possession, thereby evoking the misgivings Yoshiki should have about his personal emotions
“You simply gonna stare ceaselessly with out waking me up?” Hikaru teases him on his apparent fascination, with a refined implication that this Hikaru isn’t really defenseless or asleep
Watermelons additionally work properly as a visible motif for consumption – a treasure with a tough shell and scrumptious crimson flesh inside
Yoshiki mopes; he probably got here right here to briefly reside in a reminiscence, but it surely was he who first broke that reminiscence’s spell
Hikaru’s mother is on the cellphone, already speaking about Yoshiki’s arrival with the neighbors. Fixed surveillance
The sunflowers of Yoshiki’s reminiscences wilt to smash in sped-up images. He’s shedding his potential to keep up this mirage, to see lately as a continuation of his life with Hikaru
“I dunno. I assume I simply needed to ensure you know the way I felt.” In distinction, this present Hikaru needs to be understood, to have a relationship with Yoshiki past deception. They’re intentionally conflating two dawning, troublesome realizations for Yoshiki: his recognition of Hikaru as a brand new creature, and his recognition of Hikaru as an object of need. Via doing so, they emphasize all of the extra the troublesome private reassessment of realizing you your self are “different” in a roundabout way, and that you simply can’t return to the innocence and ignorance of childhood
As anticipated, Yoshiki then begins to mirror on the way it was across the time of these watermelon reminiscences when Hikaru’s father died
And in the identical manner – he went up the forbidden mountain on the identical time of 12 months, conducting some secret household ritual
Apparently their very own village is so small that Hikaru was the one child his age. So letting go of Hikaru is principally letting go of his complete childhood
The watermelon slices echo their emotions – Hikaru has boldly bitten into this new paradigm, Yoshiki refuses to the touch his slice
Yoshiki lastly decides to speak to the girl from the earlier episode, however Hikaru notices the message
“Gettin’ punished by somebody is only a approach to make issues simpler on your self. It makes no distinction to the lifeless.” Harsh however essential and kindly meant phrases from his contact Rie. An surprising demise all the time appears like a debt unpaid – just like the world is out of joint in some way, and we should now appropriate it. Typically, that comes within the type of “punishing ourselves” for letting the unthinkable occur, however such habits is of no use to us or the individual we’re grieving, and solely prolongs the method of acceptance
Apparently she misplaced somebody as properly
Ooh, love this use of altered images for illustrating the unfold of Hikaru’s distortion. It appears this director is simply usually a fan of manipulating conventional images for dramatic functions, and that curiosity dovetails completely with rural horror, the place monsters are sometimes captured as nothing greater than a wierd form within the background of an incidental photograph. The Ring makes use of this impact properly, and Savagelands is basically constructed across the ambiguous terror of an eerie, inexplicable {photograph}
Rie can’t depart, as her mom and daughter are nonetheless right here. Even because the city dies, whether or not on account of depopulation, land growth, or the occult, there are nonetheless those that can’t see wherever else as dwelling
Apparently her husband was used as a shell in the identical method as Hikaru
The subsequent day in school, Yoshiki can not play this recreation. He hides out within the classroom, hoping Hikaru will go dwelling with out him – but on the identical time, he waits in an apparent location, the place Hikaru may simply discover him. Nonetheless conflicted, clearly
And as anticipated, that’s precisely what Hikaru does. Yoshiki is offered as melting altogether till Hikaru arrives, reasserting his id. If he isn’t Hikaru’s associate, what even is he?
Glorious sound design right here, with the sunshine pattering of the rain emphasizing the silence contained in the room, the charged vitality between them
“Is it due to me?” As soon as once more, Hikaru persistently pursues trustworthy communication, whereas Yoshiki is set to keep up ambiguity. Comprehensible; to clear this ambiguity would require making a alternative between rejecting or accepting this new Hikaru, and moreover grappling with what that alternative implies about Yoshiki himself
“You used to inform me every little thing!” “You act like that was you earlier than!”
Hikaru really appears extra damaged up by this rejection than Yoshiki. Even this new Hikaru is determined to carry onto Yoshiki, however as standard, they’re obscuring the explanation why – it might be as a result of this creature wants a secondary host, as with Rie and her husband, or it may merely be that there’s genuinely numerous Hikaru on this creature’s id, and simply as Yoshiki feels undefined with out Hikaru beside him, so does Hikaru lack secure type with out Yoshiki
“I don’t know what feelings are mine anymore”
He almost consumes Yoshiki, an virtually nice feeling on Yoshiki’s finish, earlier than restraining himself. They’re each so afraid of shedding one another
“Don’t hate me,” Hikaru whimpers, revealing the unusual energy Yoshiki holds over him
The subsequent day Hikaru is absent, and the rumor mill begins churning instantly, beginning with Yoshiki’s personal pal circle
And thus Yoshiki makes his choice eventually. There may be extra he loves in Hikaru, even this type of Hikaru, than in the remainder of this life
Hikaru is tucked underneath blankets in his room, his defensive posture echoing how he has no form with out Yoshiki to outline him
“You’re extra of a brat than Hikaru ever was.” An important line by Yoshiki, for the primary time acknowledging and accepting Hikaru’s substitute as not simply an intruder, however a separate individual he additionally cares for
And Performed
Effectively, the die is actually solid now. Having wavered on the borderline between grieving Hikaru and accepting his new type, Yoshiki has lastly determined that sure, Hikaru is gone, however he additionally cares deeply about this new Hikaru. We realized an amazing deal about each of them this episode, or I suppose extra exactly all three of them, with new-Hikaru demonstrating a substantial amount of vulnerability within the face of doubtless shedding his reference to Yoshiki. That in flip performs properly into the entire “embracing your outsider id inside a conservative social local weather” theme; this new Hikaru is much less overtly villainous than merely afraid, reacting to the hatred he receives with defensive violence, however in any other case principally determined to be accepted. Sadly, humanity can also be a fearful organism, and can all the time search to destroy what it can’t comprehend. Our boys have some troublesome days forward of them!
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