Goodbye, Lara
2026 Japanese anime project
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Goodbye, Lara (Japanese: さよならララ, Hepburn: Sayonara Rara) is an original Japanese anime television series created and animated by Kinema Citrus for the studio's 15th anniversary, announced as one of the studio's two works at the 2024 Anime Central convention in Chicago, Illinois.[1] A modern reimagining of "The Little Mermaid" by Hans Christian Andersen, the series premiered in July 2026.
| Goodbye, Lara | |
Key visual | |
| さよならララ (Sayonara Rara) | |
|---|---|
| Created by | Kinema Citrus |
| Anime television series | |
| Directed by | Takushi Koide |
| Written by | Anna Kawahara |
| Music by | Yuma Yamaguchi |
| Studio | Kinema Citrus |
| Licensed by | Crunchyroll |
| Original network | Tokyo MX, BS Asahi, ytv, AT-X |
| Original run | July 6, 2026 – present |
| Episodes | 3 |
Plot
Lara, a mermaid princess who is beloved by her father, the Sea King, and her sisters, enters into a forbidden love with a human prince and aspires to live with him on land. She drinks a potion created by Grace to become a human, only to be tricked into drinking a potion that turns her into foam. She vanishes and would only be reborn if she finds true love. Two hundred years later, Lara is resurrected in Lake Biwa, and she sets out to find true love again and rescue her kingdom.[2]
Characters
- Lara (ララ, Rara)
- Voiced by: Hana Hishikawa[3] (Japanese); Brianna Knickerbocker[4] (English)
- A mermaid princess who is reborn 200 years later in Lake Biwa following a curse set by Grace. She sets out to find true love again in order to restore her fallen kingdom. Like "The Little Mermaid", Lara rescues and falls in love with a human prince, which leads her making a deal with a sea witch to become a human in exchange for her voice, with the price that she will vanish into foam if she fails to make the prince return her love. Unlike its ending, the anime provides an original continuation.
- Mari Otsu (大津 茉里, Ōtsu Mari)
- Voiced by: Nana Kawaishi[5] (Japanese); Anairis Quiñones[4] (English)
- A high school girl who lives in Ōtsu and is a national-level boxer. She lost her mother at a young age and allows Lara to live in her home. While Mari seems not to care about Lara at first, Mari comes to understand Lara's upbringing as a mermaid and transformation into a human. She teaches Lara how to live as one in the modern world's environment.
- Grace (グレイス, Gureisu)
- Voiced by: Rica Fukami[6] (Japanese); Tiana Camacho[4] (English)
- A banished sea witch and Lara's aunt who cursed her and has a hatred for authority. In the modern world, Grace has taken the form of a fish owned by Mari and is called "Gon".
- Luca (ルカ, Ruka)
- Voiced by: Ayumu Murase[6] (Japanese); Kieran Regan[4] (English)
- A boy whom Lara meets after her revival. He bears a resemblance to the human prince Lara loved in the past.
- Yoshihiro Otsu (大津 祥弥, Ōtsu Yoshihiro)
- Voiced by: Tomohiro Ōno[7]
- Mari's older brother. He also studies in the same school as her, though he tends to skip classes.
- Makoto Otsu (大津 誠, Ōtsu Makoto)
- Voiced by: Mitsuaki Madono[7]
- Mari and Yoshihiro's father who has a hobby as a freelance photographer.
- Ema Otsu (大津 江万, Ōtsu Ema)
- Voiced by: Nanae Sumitomo[7]
- Mari and Yoshihiro's grandmother who works as a church pastor and gently watches over the children with Makoto.
- Rowan (ローワン, Rōwan)
- Voiced by: Masaki Terasoma[7] (Japanese); Brook Chalmers[4] (English)
- The Sea King and the father of Lara and her sisters. He greatly resents humans.
- Lisa (リサ, Risa)
- Voiced by: Minami Tsuda[8] (Japanese); Cat Protano[4] (English)
- Lara's caring older sister who is searching for her following Lara's revival and holds an interest towards humans.
- Kota (コータ, Kōta)
- Voiced by: Kazutomi Yamamoto[8]
- An acquaintance of Lisa. He claims to know Lara, despite the latter not recognizing him.
Production
Goodbye, Lara is directed by Takushi Koide with series compostion by Anna Kawahara, Shiori Tani designing the characters and Yuma Yamaguchi composing the music.[9][10] The series premiered on July 6, 2026, on Tokyo MX and other networks.[3][6][11][a] Shiga Prefecture was used as the basis of the anime's modern day setting, which is Koide's hometown.[12] Koide said that the anime's story was based on the Little Mermaid.[13] During his talk at Anime Expo 2026, he mentioned that Goodbye, Lara was an original project that he wanted to do.[13]
The opening theme song is "Sayonara Lara" (さよならララ), performed by Ikimonogakari,[7] while the ending theme song is "Hearts Glow", performed by Hana Hope.[8] Portions of the opening were drawn using traditional cel animation.[12]
Crunchyroll is streaming the series.[14]
Screening
The first episode was shown in a special screening event at Otsu City Hall on June 30, 2026.[15] The episode was also shown at Anime Expo 2026.[16]
Casting
During a talk after the screening at Otsu City Hall on June 30, 2026, the casting of Nana Kawaishi as Mari was done to select potential voice actresses who are from the prefecture.[15] This was done to represent Shiga in daily life, including the use of local dialects in the anime.[15]
Episodes
| No. | Title [17][18] | Directed by [17] | Written by [17] | Storyboarded by [17] | Original release date [19][a] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Mermaid Princess Lara" Transliteration: "Ningyo Hime Rara" (Japanese: 人魚姫ララ) | Takushi Koide | Anna Kawahara | Takushi Koide | July 6, 2026 | |
|
In 1777, a mermaid is born to merfolk royalty and is named Lara. As Lara grows up, her aunt and the sea witch Grace tells the Sea King Rowan that Lara is prophesized to bring destruction. Lara is educated on the law forbidding merfolk from interacting with humans, despite Lara's fascination with them. In 1792, a teenaged Lara rescues a drowning human prince from a burning ship, but Rowan jails her for her disobedience. Lara is met by Grace, who gifts her a potion that will turn her into a human. Wanting to be with the prince, Lara drinks the potion, though Grace warns that it is temporary and she will vanish into foam unless she finds true love. Lara lives with the prince at his palace, but when Lara and the prince are about to kiss, Lara reverts back to her mermaid form. Although the prince turns on her, Lara realizes she found true love before vanishing. Lara is teleported to her home and finds it in ruins. She discovers that the kingdom collapsed due to her actions. Lara sees Rowan proclaiming she will save them from a deep sleep placed by Grace. Grace places Lara in a trial by resurrecting her in 2026 to the modern world of humans. Lara lands in Ōtsu and is punched by a human girl named Mari Otsu. | ||||||
| 2 | "Running Through Shiga" Transliteration: "Shiga o Hashiru" (Japanese: 滋賀を走る) | Harumasa Satō | Anna Kawahara | Takushi Koide | July 13, 2026 | |
|
Lara wakes up in Mari's home to discover she is in her human form again and is overwhelmed by the modern world. Mari's family accommodates Lara in spite of Mari's annoyance at Lara damaging their room. Grace, who reveals herself as Mari's pet fish, tells Lara that the unconscious merfolk are in her mansion in Shiga and challenges her to find true love again to reawaken them. Lara notices her royal ring has gone missing and leaves, forcing Grace to urge an indifferent Mari to chase after her, especially since Mari saw Lara's transformation from a mermaid to a human. Lara heads to the waterfront near Lake Biwa to find it while recalling her sisters discuss the value of true love. Lara fears the ring's loss will make her lose her childhood memories and almost drowns, but is saved by Mari. Lara thanks Mari for saving her while taking shelter from a storm. Mari formally introduces herself to Lara and recounts how she found Grace. The girls prepare to sleep, as Lara asks Grace if she can be able to find true love in the modern world while taking a glimpse at Mari. Meanwhile, at Grace's mansion in Okishima, Lara's sister Lisa and her acquaintance Kota learn that Lara has been resurrected, leaving Lisa hopeful in reuniting with her sister. | ||||||
| 3 | "Look Away and You Lose" Transliteration: "Me, Sora Shitara Make" (Japanese: 目、そらしたら負け) | Ayaka Tsuji | Yusuke Aose | Ayaka Tsuji | July 20, 2026 | |
|
Mari practices her boxing and runs into senior boxer Nagahama, who aspires to break her undefeated streak and reach the national tournament. Mari recalls getting into boxing at a young age with her caring mother's support. Mari and Nagahama argue, forcing their coach to hold a boxing match to determine who will qualify for the tournament. Meanwhile, Lara causes antics around the Otsu household after being tasked by Grace to find true love through a new prince. Mari grows frustrated at Lara's naivety and states she can no longer stay with her. Feeling that she upset Mari, Lara travels to her boxing match with Yoshihiro's help to make amends. Mari falters to Nagahama's punches upon being reminded of her mother's fatal heart attack, when Lara arrives to cheer her on. Mari apologizes to Lara for her behavior and ties the match. A reinvigorated Mari allows Lara to continue staying at their house. Mari also compliments her naivety as being cute and charming, flustering Lara. A fish-shaped monolith suddenly rises from Lake Biwa, which Lisa perceives as Lara finding her path to true love to save the kingdom while retrieving Lara's ring. | ||||||