The Summer Hikaru Died Anime: Staff Used Real Fried Chicken for a Memorable Scene
Sometimes, dedication to detail in anime production takes unexpected turns — as was the case with The Summer Hikaru Died anime episode 2. Shōji Tsuchiya, a key member of the animation production team, shared an unusual behind-the-scenes story: the team marinated and fried real chicken to better animate a specific moment in the episode.
The scene, around the 15:52 mark, shows Yoshiki Tsujinaka placing his hand into Hikaru’s chest, describing the sensation as feeling like “cold marinated chicken.”
To accurately represent the visual and texture of that line, Tsuchiya and the team prepared actual karaage (Japanese fried chicken), using it as live-action reference footage before eating it together.
Tsuchiya noted that this was his first time filming reference material in live-action for animation, and he enjoyed the process. Animator Mitsuhiro Oosako even chimed in on social media, saying, “It was really good!” in response to the photo of the fried chicken.
This kind of hands-on creativity showcases the lengths the staff behind The Summer Hikaru Died anime are willing to go to enhance storytelling and atmosphere. The anime, which adapts Mokumokuren’s popular horror manga, premiered on July 5 in Japan and is streaming globally on Netflix.
