Despite anime created on cels existing only as a relic of a bygone era in today’s age of digital animation, that hasn’t stopped a retro boom of remakes, from Mappa’s Ranma 1/2 to Science SARU’s The Ghost in the Shell, from emerging in a sea of jam-packed seasonal anime as a stark reminder that “old thing good” isn’t just an aesthetic flex. In 2026’s crop of reimagined classics (executed to varying degrees of success), no show has felt so positively invigorating to watch in its endeavor to reimagine its original property (in this case, The Little Mermaid) as Goodbye, Lara.
Goodbye, Lara (also known as Sayonara, Lara), which began as a 2024 concept trailer from Kinema Citrus, landed on Crunchyroll this summer as one of the season’s most breathtaking anime. Like its fairy-tale inspo, it follows a naïve mermaid princess, this time named Lara (JP: Hana Hishikawa, EN: Brianna Knickerbocker), who falls in love with a human and is tricked into drinking a witch’s potion to forfeit her voice to be with him. Tragedy ensues, and she brings her kingdom to ruin over a boy. You know the story.
But Goodbye, Lara colors outside the lines of the fairy tale with gusto in its first episode, having Lara’s would-be prince recoil in fear as her mermaid tail grotesquely bursts where her legs once were. Failing to fall in love, Lara turns into foam and vanishes in the span of its premiere episode. That is, until she’s reincarnated 200 years later in modern-day Kyoto.
With her royal family scattered to the wind, her witch aunt Grace (JP: Rica Fukami, EN: Tiana Camacho) reduced to a sassy talking pet fish, and her only companion in Grace’s standoffish owner, Mari Ootsu (JP: Nana Kawaishi, EN: Anairis Quiñones)—who K.O.’s Lara upon her crash landing from Lake Biwa—Lara awakens to once again endeavoring to find her true love for reals this time.
What makes Goodbye, Lara stand head and shoulders above other remakes to grace us this year is how its literal fish-out-of-water tale brings vivid color, whimsy, and an ample helping of grotesque imagery to every corner of its lush watercolor-toned animation. While its first episode effectively gets its foot in the door, retreading familiar touchstones of Danish author Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale, its second episode contains all the bravura and charm of a Studio Ghibli feature film in a quarter of the runtime.
Much of that charm comes from director and creator Takushi Koide‘s kinetic and breathtaking direction for the anime, imbuing every scene not only with the sheen of a retro classic but also with the energy and propulsion of one. And a lump sum of that charm rests on the shoulders of its heroine, who never fails to endear herself in every waking moment of the show.
HER GETTING USED TO THE HUMAN WORLD MY POOR GIRL IS SO SCARED😭😭😭😭😭😭 pic.twitter.com/ehGbM1YU3R
— avary 💚 (@kyoruyeye) July 13, 2026
Even while she’s enduring a catastrophically no good very bad first day in the human world—fending off barking dogs, getting jump-scared by knockoff smart‑home assistants, accidentally raising cannibalism concerns with her routine head-chomping of fish, or imbibing canned hot chocolate for the first time—Lara is a character that takes absolutely no time at all to be completely champion in her trek for true love or whatever else her heart desires.
She’s a goofy gal with the weight of the world on her shoulders, rising fearlessly to the occasion with an infectious optimism that’ll make you feel like you can walk through a wall as you witness her persist against all odds. Mind you, the show accomplishes this feat within its first two episodes, leaving much to be excited about as Lara’s love story unfolds, though signs point to a departure of the sapphic variety between her and Mari.
Although the potential of Goodbye, Lara unfurling as a queer romance between its two leads has anime fans questioning whether the proverbial dog is once again demonstrating its chess prowess while its growing fandom holds out hope through incredible fan art, there is a touching precedent for a Little Mermaid-inspired tale to be a queer love story not only in its source material but also in Disney’s animated film.
For starters, Andersen—the author behind The Ugly Duckling, The Princess and the Pea, and more than 150 fairy tales who many scholars believe to have been bisexual—wrote The Little Mermaid at the same time he was sending unrequited queer love letters to his married friend, Edvard Collin. Because of this, many scholars interpret the titular princess’ yearning for a true love that can’t be spoken aloud as a queer allegory. Likewise, Disney’s 1989 film carries its own queer lineage through Howard Ashman, the openly gay lyricist and producer who poured his lived experience into “Part of Your World,” a song widely embraced as a coming-out anthem within the queer community.
(goodbye lara spoilers) COME ON HOW ELSE AM I SUPPOSED TO READ THIS SEQUENCE pic.twitter.com/fmEYLMCcSG
— Phra 🦩 WHA brain (@philgollins) July 12, 2026
So it stands to reason that, alongside Goodbye, Lara‘s evocative reimagining of the classic fairy tale, the anime series might also opt to make its behind-the-scenes queer subtext explicit. From what we’ve seen in the episodes released as of the time of writing, the signs point to a resounding yes on the front of Lara and Mari being endgame, and we’ll go down with the ship if their romance doesn’t set sail over the course of its twelve-episode season.
「#さよならララ」のオープニングでは、一部にアナログ作画を用いたカットを使用しています。
デジタルで描かれる色鮮やかな作風とはまた異なる、手描きならではの柔らかで奥行きのある優しい風合いを、ぜひ何度もお楽しみ下さいませ。https://t.co/Cjk2DcDIKW… https://t.co/GgErJRVUBo pic.twitter.com/72jVVNHDvw— TVアニメ『さよならララ』公式✨2026年7月より放送・配信中！ (@Goodbye_Lara) July 12, 2026
An added bonus to Goodbye, Lara already S-ranking its way to the top of the leaderboards as a must-watch anime in a sea of killer shows is Kinema Citrus’ gorgeous opening theme, which goes old-school in the best way possible by featuring hand-drawn cel animation. These cuts, while brief, not only harken back to cel animation not being dead in the big 2026 (shout-out Gorillaz) but also emulate a nostalgic handheld camcorder feel that fits the show’s comfy, wholesome vibe. Having it be the first thing that viewers see before each episode is the definition of good kino.
Goodbye, Lara is now streaming on Crunchyroll.
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