Released on Sunday, July 20, 2025, The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 brings another engaging watch. The plot moves forward with seamless narrative direction, maintaining its psychological horror elements with a specific focus on emotion. The emphasis is on the changing dynamic between Yoshiki and Hikaru, or rather, his impostor.Yoshiki finally begins to accept that the real Hikaru is gone, but also accepts the impostor for who he is. This marks a significant shift in their dynamic, and the narrative seamlessly develops their bond further. CygamesPictures keeps up their visual brilliance, terrific storytelling direction, consistent pacing, and polished production values, making the story hit harder the more it progresses.The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 review: CygamesPictures brilliantly develops the complex bond between Yoshiki and the Hikaru impostorYoshiki accepts the impostor for who he is (Image via CygamesPictures)The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 maintains tension and atmosphere with superb storytelling, executed with flawless direction that effectively progresses the central storyline. Titled Denial, the narrative opens with a flashback to a summer day from Yoshiki and Hikaru’s childhood. They hang out, eating watermelon.In the present, Yoshiki visits Hikaru’s house with a watermelon, mirroring the past. They eat together again, but the impostor Hikaru says things the real one used to say, unsettling Yoshiki. Everything feels normal on the surface, but Yoshiki knows deep down that it's not. The weight of carrying that truth alone begins to wear on him.While Hikaru naps, Yoshiki notices an old photo of them with his father, taken shortly before his father passed. He also went into the forbidden mountain around the same time of year Hikaru did. Seeing old memories makes the absence of the real Hikaru even harder to ignore. Finally, Yoshiki texts Rie. But when he moves away, leaving his phone behind, Rie replies. The impostor sees the message and wonders who she is.Yoshiki accepts Hikaru's death in The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 (Image via CygamesPictures)Later in The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3, Yoshiki meets Rie and shares the truth. She tells him that his feelings are natural. Wanting to hold onto someone one has lost is human. She shares her own story. Her husband returned after death, but he wasn’t the same, and he ended up hurting their son. But even then, she didn’t want him gone from her life. She understands that Yoshiki must feel the same way.But she hopes that Yoshiki wouldn’t have to go through what she did. Rie also suspects that the supernatural distortion in the area is growing. She believes Hikaru’s impostor is tied to this, and even links Matsuura’s death to it.At school, Yoshiki begins to avoid Hikaru. He recalls the impostor’s earlier words that it doesn’t want to kill him. He realizes that it could if it wanted to. He tries to make sense of the strange events, the "Nonuki-sama" entity, the forbidden mountain, and the growing distortion. His curiosity grows about what the impostor really is.The Hikaru impostor attacking Yoshiki in The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 (Image via CygamesPictures)Yoshiki can’t contain his emotions and lashes out at Hikaru, saying what he’s been holding in – he’s not the real Hikaru. The words sting. The impostor admits the truth but wonders if he’s not enough for Yoshiki. Suddenly overcome with emotion, the entity begins to seep out of Hikaru’s body. It attacks Yoshiki and begins to merge with him.Yoshiki sees a vision of someone resembling Hikaru holding a severed head. Suddenly, the impostor snaps out of it. Horrified at what he just did, he leaves, begging Yoshiki not to hate him. Afterward, Yoshiki finally accepts the truth that Hikaru is truly gone, and pretending otherwise won’t bring him back. The impostor can’t replace his friend.In The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3, the next day, Hikaru is absent from school. Friends notice and ask Yoshiki about their fight and how Hikaru’s been unusually clingy toward him. Realizing something, Yoshiki visits him. He finds Hikaru hiding under a blanket. Hikaru asks if Yoshiki is scared of him now, revealing that all he wants is to stay by Yoshiki’s side.Despite knowing the dangers, Yoshiki can’t bring himself to push him away. There’s something lonely and childlike about him. The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 ends with Yoshiki deciding to stay by his side and teach him a few things.Under Ryōhei Takeshita’s direction and series composition, The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 keeps up CygamesPictures’ signature visual style, blending the show’s unsettling tone. The real emphasis this time lies in the emotional weight of Yoshiki and the impostor’s bond.Yoshiki’s growing struggle to carry the truth alone feels honest and heavy. His conversation with Rie gives him the needed push to begin processing Hikaru’s death. Then the confrontation with the impostor lets him express his true feelings.Yoshiki and Hikaru as kids with Hikaru's father (Image via CygamesPictures)How the impostor lashes out and then pulls back in regret reveals an emotional side to the creature. After Yoshiki processes the grief of loss, he starts to see its lonely, childlike side. Realizing that, he can’t ignore it, and decides to accept the impostor not as his friend’s replacement, but for who he is.The way Yoshiki and the impostor’s relationship progresses and the shift that comes feel natural and well-developed. Their emotional arcs are carefully progressed. The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 seamlessly blends grief, guilt, fear, and the rest of the emotional factors. Episode 3 is well-paced and carries a tone that smoothly balances supernatural horror with psychological and emotional elements.CygamesPictures also impresses with the overall production quality in this finely crafted entry. The visuals are superb as always, with finely crafted animation that creates the perfect blend of chilling but beautiful atmosphere through outstanding art direction and graphic composition.Yoshiki in The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3 (Image via CygamesPictures)The scenes effortlessly blend the emotional moments with the unsettling, supernatural elements, merging both moods seamlessly in The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3.Voice performances further enhance the overall tone. The music perfectly accentuates the emotional and horror aspects of the installment. The visuals, audio, and overall direction all come together to enhance the episode’s narrative and emotional weight with impressive execution.Final thoughtsFrom the direction to the sound and visuals, every production value works together to support the emotional and supernatural weight of The Summer Hikaru Died episode 3.It’s a carefully balanced episode that uses its production tools effectively to elevate both the mood and the narrative, making for an engaging watch from start to end.Also read:Kaiju No. 8 season 2 episode 1: Gen Narumi is introduced as Kafka and Kikoru join the First DivisionBoruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 24 sneak peek shows Kawaki overpowering JuraDandadan chapter 203: release date and time, what to expect, and more