Summer Ghost

It is said that fireworks can calm the souls of the dead. For Tomoya Sugisaki, Aoi Harukawa, and Ryou Kobayashi, fireworks are what allowed them to meet the Summer Ghost. Believed to be the spirit of a young woman who committed suicide, the Summer Ghost only appears in a specific area and can only be seen by those who are within arm's reach of death.

Tomoya is a creative soul being crushed by his academic obligation to get into a good university. Aoi is a meek girl who is relentlessly bullied by her classmates. Ryou is a former basketball star who had to forfeit his passion following a grim diagnosis. The only thing these three have in common is their ability to see the Summer Ghost. The Summer Ghost is said to be able to answer any and all questions pertaining to death—something the three teenagers desperately want to know more about.

Dissatisfied with their initial meeting, Tomoya sets out to find the Summer Ghost once again. But the more time he spends with the ghost, the more the mystery surrounding her existence unravels.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Satou, Ayane Main

Kawaei, Rina Japanese

Sugisaki, Tomoya Main

Kobayashi, Chiaki Japanese

Kobayashi, Ryou Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Harukawa, Aoi Main

Shimabukuro, Miyuri Japanese

Ayane's Mother Supporting

Sahaku, Miyuki Japanese

Teacher Supporting

Nakamura, Kazumasa Japanese

Tomoya's Mother Supporting

Katsumata, Hideo Producer

loundraw Director, Original Character Design, Original Creator

Otsuichi Screenplay

Kosemura, Akira Music

Reviews

Feb 7, 2022

Chatox17

Recommended

First of all this is not a movie for everyone, The story requires a lot of interpretation with so little time because the movie's pace is really fast so pay attention!

With that being said, in 45 minutes they've done a pretty good job telling a story. If they got like 70+ minutes to tell more about backstory of each character even more, I believe this movie could be much more emotional.

Artstyle is great, although the animation seem rough, the lighting and color tone are make up for it. Which help a lot to understand the character's view of the world.

Soundtrack is also great. It fit ... pretty well with the story, which make the story even more emotional by the end.

Overall, 9/10: for a short movie, It's really great, and I suggest you give it a try. The only thing holding it back is the pacing. It feels like they want to tell more, but they don't have much time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 9

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Dec 31, 2022

FireRifle64

Mixed Feelings

Story: 6/10
One summer, the cast meet up and talk to a ghost. Biggest flaw of the show to me is that this was much too short of a movie. It did just enough in the amount of time it had but it could have been more emotional or fulfilling had it been longer like an hour and half. This story contains typical experiences that many may relate to and can hit for many. Each person is struggling with their own issues and they find the resolve to confront their own issues while helping a ghost along the way. My issue with the story is we ... do not know what made our cast meet each other. They just happened to arrive at a diner and introduce themselves. I was left wondering how they managed to connect with each other and that never really got answered.
The story was three teens confronting someone who has passed and confronting their own issues and moving past them. However, their conclusions mixed from unsatisfactory to decent. More development should have been given to Aoi to make her ending great. Instead, it felt like they reached the desired end without much buildup so it fell flat.
To sum it up, there were pacing issues and lack of buildup for certain events.

Characters: 6/10
We are given 4 characters. 3 of the 4 characters are facing their own issues. These issues are rather generic which means we have seen them throughout many mediums but many can relate to these experiences and empathize. One character has attempted suicide because of bullying, one is feeling dead inside and wonders what death may be like, and the last one only has months to live due to illness. Given how close to death they supposedly are, they are able to see the 4th character, Ayane Satou. However, despite these established rules, it didnt seem justified that someone feeling dead inside would be able to see a ghost.

Ayane is the guide for one of the characters, Tomoya. She helps guide him through his struggles and along the way, reveals her backstory. Similar to the other characters, its a rather generic trope but still manages to hit emotionally. As she has fun with Tomoya, he decides he wants to help her resolve her own issue.
Ryou and Aoi on the other hand seem to reach their conclusions rather quickly and it doesnt feel as satisfying. Ryou releases his pent up rage and reveals how he feels truly. However, I dont recall much from Aoi side of things.
These characters are able to confront their own issues and move forward. There isnt really an antagonistic individual in the movie but near the end they try to create one for Tomoya which just feels rushed with the pacing.
Personally, there were no memorable characters in the film. I thought I would be able to resonate with Tomoya however near the end I just felt disconnected with him. They all are given simple stories with them reaching their own conclusions but it never feels satisfying for some.
Art/Animation: 7/10
It had some nice shots of the cast members as well as some nice coloring of the fireworks and the surroundings. During the trip to the moms house, the memory sequence tied with the trip through the house was cool.
Sound: 5/10
It was present is all I can say. Nothing really enhanced my viewing experience. It was not bad but there wasnt any music that stood out to me and I thought the voicing was ok.
Enjoyment: 6/10
I thought this was a good film although short. Clearly it was trying to hit your feels given the characters situations which it accomplished but it was not something unique. Maybe cut a character or two or give double runtime for the movie and this could have been a great movie.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Apr 6, 2025

Tuls

Not Recommended

Summer Ghost attempts to touch on the fragile subject of life and death, one that requires a careful amount of introspection to come through as something profound or emotive. Character motivations and mental states play a crucial role in establishing depth, especially in this case, as each of the three characters seems to be plagued by the idea of death, either willingly or unwillingly. I feel like the choice of having three characters is detrimental, and it would've profited by discarding Aoi and Ryou altogether, as the time constraint hinders their collective development. The editing, to put it simply, is frankly horrendous. Frequent cuts and ... snappy dialogues ruin immersion as it's evident that it's trying to cram as much information as possible in its short duration, adversely affecting its core vision.

Regardless of its several shortcomings, it does manage to be visually appealing. Claustrophobic and dull rooms with Tomoya illustrate his trapped mentality, while brighter outdoor environments display the beauty of life. Summer Ghost is a valiant effort in conceptualizing teenage emotions haunted by looming death, but its writing, unfortunately, doesn't reach the endless horizons that its visual aesthetic does.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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	Poll: Summer Ghost Episode 1 Discussion ( 1 2 3 ) removed-user - Nov 11, 2021	111 replies	by Ayseizlerknk »» Apr 2, 7:01 AM
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