Here's to a new year! Here's my first mega try (also first time posting in a while due to reasons) but heya! Admittedly struggled a fair bit with self doubt and anxiety on this one as put it off for a while/other things caught up with me but I figure I'll be glad I did it once I've done it. It's kinda being done last minute though, so admittedly there's that...
I'd been intending to make the mega about something else originally when I signed up, but that would require more time on my part (and I just binge read this recently, so it all works out). Anyways, my subject of the week is The Summer Hikaru Died; it's a queer (BL) horror manga which is currently also scheduled for anime release next year (2025).
Content warnings naturally follow and further details will be spoilered.
CONTENT WARNINGS
Grief, body horror and (very debatably IMO) mild gore, supernatural horror (ghosts/"impurities", otherworldly entities), death I suppose though that one's a given
Premise
The titular Hikaru went for a walk in the woods, died, and something came back wearing his body, something that doesn't quite know how to be human or mortal; "Hikaru" returned, to ensure that his best friend, Yoshiki, would not be lonely. Romantic tension (and tension of a less pleasant kind) ensues.
The plot/things I like about it thus far (light spoilers)
Yoshiki and "Hikaru" have an absolutely great dynamic- their relationship may not be fully healthy, but their intentions seem to both be in the right place, as are their deep feelings (Yoshiki's for Hikaru and increasingly for "Hikaru," and Hikaru and "Hikaru's" own true feelings) and honesty in this regard, despite the latter "Hikaru" being effectively an imposter of sorts. (it's complicated, but these are increasingly distinguished separately and I really like that process as well)
"Hikaru" is, while not quite a blank slate, extremely new to the concept of even just "being" in the sense that mortal creatures and individual organisms(?) do. They've had to learn (and Yoshiki has had to confront them about) the value and significance of life and death; they've increasingly established boundaries, and they approach the world with a liveliness and curiousity that is really cute (the original Hikaru was also lively FWIW, but "Hikaru" is experiencing everything anew even if they retain the memories).
Yoshiki, on the other hand, is both grappling with his grief and loss of Hikaru, while finding comfort (and discomfort alike) in his imposter, and in guiding them through a new world or state of being. He's finding his resolve and moral/ethical backbone interacting with "Hikaru" (very blue-and-orange morality dynamics, though they're learning), he's experiencing what could be described as a rocky but determined romance and queer experimentation at the same time "Hikaru" is being introduced to notions of attraction and desire (beyond instinctual desire to consume).
Their pairing in so many ways should not work (or rather would be usually destined for a tragic end). From the start, there have been several points where by all means it should have met such an end. But their determination and willingness to meet the other where they're at and gradually be understanding with the other is both fascinating and something I'd feel optimistic for (and interested in seeing play out further).
Anyways, I should cut myself short at this (and make sure to have something properly written beforehand for next time). But anyways, thus far it's a strong recommend (if you feel alright with the content warnings) from me.
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As a reminder, please do not discuss current struggle sessions in the mega. We want this to be a little oasis for all of us and the best way to do that is not to feed into existing conflict on the site.
Also, be sure to properly give content warnings and put sensitive subjects behind proper spoiler tags. It's for the mental health of not just your comrades, but yourself as well.
Here is a screenshot of where to find the spoiler button.
I also found your sad mouse pfp on one of the album covers, you must be an inspiration!
I just read it, relatable asf...
Yea definitely, it was too annoying to enjoy much wordy media for like a decade. But anglo media is pretty annoying in general, so who knows how much of it was that as well
Famous mouse
although the best Rook album cover is probably Bustle...
All of her stuff is like that, Fallow is like that
I posted some quotes n caps of it on this site somewhere...
Ah but that's so REAL
heartening to think that non-angloid media is less annoying as a baseline tbh.
fellow failmouse here lol
Yeah I know, I remember it! I wasn't lying when I said good post! ā˛°â ââ âŽâ ā˛°
well tbh my native language media is pretty much as bad as english at this point, but I grew up still watching soviet cartoons so that was lit. But in general at least there was more variety from all around the world, native english speakers really don't like subtitles (or become elitist about subtitles lmao) and frankly just generally dehumanise people that don't speak their language. It makes them engage with foreign media in... strange ways shall we say, if they do at all
Wtf no way, my fallowposting is older than your entire account, waow... also thank you
Soviet cartoons
but the subtitle shit, I see it often, I hate it frequently. I never really understood it, baffling shit honestly. I also grew up around a bunch of weeaboos too, so lol
not my first account (â īŊĄâ âĸĖâ á´â -â )â â§
hahaaa you picked up exactly what I was laying down xD I was embarrassingly close to some weeb-ish people growing up and uhh ^i^ ^cannot^ ^unsee^ ^the^ ^horrors^
Every time I find I'm talkin to someone who's not new
We are comrades in horrors we cannot unsee, fuckin weeeeebs
You do really have me on the hook, because it feels embarrassingly similar to my own writing and it makes me morbidly curious to check it out. But I've been a bit too burnt out to enjoy playing any games recently and that sounds a bit too trippy for me to fully take in and appreciate right now tbh (â āšâ ´â âĸâ .ĖĢâ  â âĸâ  â `â āšâ )
Shouts to being too burnt out to play games much, but she has a few games (I assume the others are all rpgmaker narrative adventures too? Lacuna III, Wirewood Daughters, etc) that I've been meaning to poke at.
Also any writing that is "embarrassingly similar to this" is based tbh
Embarrasing in a "this is kinda like what I'm trying to do... BUT GOOD?!??" kind of way
What if... your writing is also good....
You got me there ââ īšâ â
Owned lol