The Summer 2026 anime season is just about wrapping up, with Goodbye Lara airing it's last episode yesterday. To keep discussion out of other threads, this one was made. BEWARE OF SPOILERS.

more like hi lara how's it going

Since we have this spoiler thread now, I'll repost my original comment because I'm interested in the discussion and am too lazy after work to redo it:

The being on the phone the whole time and actively reading messages with that disinterested look on her face was extra sour to me. It almost felt intentional at that point. There's a million better ways for them to separate if that had to happen.

And I don't agree that separating after 6 months satisfies the story's themes or Lara's recent thought at all. It would make more sense for her to experience life in that town, go to school, all these new experiences, then travel with Mari after graduating. All of that world was new to Lara and she specifically wanted Mari in it; so spending a short time seeing what that school life would be like then going abroad later would tie both of her desires together very easily.

They just decided to pretend her desire for Mari was a forgettable one suddenly. Mari also clearly expressed how her desire was for Lara to be with her, that she was lonely and she's left with both people gone and alone. Lara even said she wouldn't be back anytime soon. They specifically went out of their way to kill all potential futures for them by including even that line of Lara rejecting Mari's hope she'd return soon. People keep talking about what Lara wanted but how is Mari treated by this ending? I really struggle to see this as anything but deliberate. It was too systematic, like the perfectly constructed ending to undermine Mari and Lara.

Since we have this spoiler thread now, I'll repost my original comment because I'm interested in the discussion and am too lazy after work to redo it:

The being on the phone the whole time and actively reading messages with that disinterested look on her face was extra sour to me. It almost felt intentional at that point. There's a million better ways for them to separate if that had to happen.

And I don't agree that separating after 6 months satisfies the story's themes or Lara's recent thought at all. It would make more sense for her to experience life in that town, go to school, all these new experiences, then travel with Mari after graduating. All of that world was new to Lara and she specifically wanted Mari in it; so spending a short time seeing what that school life would be like then going abroad later would tie both of her desires together very easily.

They just decided to pretend her desire for Mari was a forgettable one suddenly. Mari also clearly expressed how her desire was for Lara to be with her, that she was lonely and she's left with both people gone and alone. Lara even said she wouldn't be back anytime soon. They specifically went out of their way to kill all potential futures for them by including even that line of Lara rejecting Mari's hope she'd return soon. People keep talking about what Lara wanted but how is Mari treated by this ending? I really struggle to see this as anything but deliberate. It was too systematic, like the perfectly constructed ending to undermine Mari and Lara.

After that ending my hope for Mari is that Lara comes back after however many years and Mari is in a happy relationship with a girl who cares about her instead.

After that ending my hope for Mari is that Lara comes back after however many years and Mari is in a happy relationship with a girl who cares about her instead.

Seriously. Agreed. She got completely left out to dry after all that. Someone said they'd want a season 2 as though it would "fix" things but I always wonder why you'd want to give a team that fumbled like this another chance to fumble harder and more deliberately. I shudder to think what they'd do with more time to squeeze Luka back in the mix, for example. It's the same reason I was (and still am) hesitant about G-Witch's new properties; that series ended well but knowing how management thinks, and their initial response, makes me wary. It sucks because I love Saburouta but I'm likely passing on the manga here. I feel like that's just a setup to further milk those who enjoy yuri and I'm of the belief that you have to commit to be rewarded with that.

last edited at Sep 21, 2026 3:57PM

After that ending my hope for Mari is that Lara comes back after however many years and Mari is in a happy relationship with a girl who cares about her instead.

Seriously. Agreed. She got completely left out to dry after all that. Someone said they'd want a season 2 as though it would "fix" things but I always wonder why you'd want to give a team that fumbled like this another chance to fumble harder and more deliberately. I shudder to think what they'd do with more time to squeeze Luka back in the mix, for example. It's the same reason I was (and still am) hesitant about G-Witch's new properties; that series ended well but knowing how management thinks, and their initial response, makes me wary. It sucks because I love Saburouta but I'm likely passing on the manga here. I feel like that's just a setup to further milk those who enjoy yuri and I'm of the belief that you have to commit to be rewarded with that.

I think the big thing for me is that if the creators of Goodbye Lara wanted them to be together we would have gotten that in episode 12, instead of the swerve forcing them to separate. So I unfortunately can't see them making things better with a season 2, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Also as I mentioned in the previous discussion part of what I dislike about the ending is that we have to make up head canons to fill in the blanks for the large amount of nothing the series gave us, which a hopeful future feels undermined by Lara being uncharacteristically cold and distant post time skip. It really sucks imo.

After that ending my hope for Mari is that Lara comes back after however many years and Mari is in a happy relationship with a girl who cares about her instead.

Seriously. Agreed. She got completely left out to dry after all that. Someone said they'd want a season 2 as though it would "fix" things but I always wonder why you'd want to give a team that fumbled like this another chance to fumble harder and more deliberately. I shudder to think what they'd do with more time to squeeze Luka back in the mix, for example. It's the same reason I was (and still am) hesitant about G-Witch's new properties; that series ended well but knowing how management thinks, and their initial response, makes me wary. It sucks because I love Saburouta but I'm likely passing on the manga here. I feel like that's just a setup to further milk those who enjoy yuri and I'm of the belief that you have to commit to be rewarded with that.

I think the big thing for me is that if the creators of Goodbye Lara wanted them to be together we would have gotten that in episode 12, instead of the swerve forcing them to separate. So I unfortunately can't see them making things better with a season 2, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Also as I mentioned in the previous discussion part of what I dislike about the ending is that we have to make up head canons to fill in the blanks for the large amount of nothing the series gave us, which a hopeful future feels undermined by Lara being uncharacteristically cold and distant post time skip. It really sucks imo.

100%. I saw a yuri mangaka complain about the series' ending, and their twitter post summarized things well too. I'm actually pleasantly surprised; it seems people across China and Japan also have the same issues with it. Unity.

last edited at Sep 21, 2026 5:29PM

After that ending my hope for Mari is that Lara comes back after however many years and Mari is in a happy relationship with a girl who cares about her instead.

Seriously. Agreed. She got completely left out to dry after all that. Someone said they'd want a season 2 as though it would "fix" things but I always wonder why you'd want to give a team that fumbled like this another chance to fumble harder and more deliberately. I shudder to think what they'd do with more time to squeeze Luka back in the mix, for example. It's the same reason I was (and still am) hesitant about G-Witch's new properties; that series ended well but knowing how management thinks, and their initial response, makes me wary. It sucks because I love Saburouta but I'm likely passing on the manga here. I feel like that's just a setup to further milk those who enjoy yuri and I'm of the belief that you have to commit to be rewarded with that.

I think the big thing for me is that if the creators of Goodbye Lara wanted them to be together we would have gotten that in episode 12, instead of the swerve forcing them to separate. So I unfortunately can't see them making things better with a season 2, but I'd love to be proven wrong.

Also as I mentioned in the previous discussion part of what I dislike about the ending is that we have to make up head canons to fill in the blanks for the large amount of nothing the series gave us, which a hopeful future feels undermined by Lara being uncharacteristically cold and distant post time skip. It really sucks imo.

100%. I saw a yuri mangaka complain about the series' ending, and their twitter post summarized things well too. I'm actually pleasantly surprised; it seems people across China and Japan also have the same issues with it. Unity.

Oh that's interesting, I wonder if it's someone I'm familiar with

Yeah episode 11 had me hyped up that they might really blow it out of the water (heh) with this series, but the non-commital ending was a big letdown. Aside from that, it was a very great show to watch this season.

last edited at Sep 21, 2026 6:02PM

Oh that's interesting, I wonder if it's someone I'm familiar with

They’re probably referring to this post by Takano Saku:

https://x.com/takano_wf/status/2102078697973141602

last edited at Sep 21, 2026 6:16PM

Oh that's interesting, I wonder if it's someone I'm familiar with

They’re probably referring to this post by Takano Saku:

https://x.com/takano_wf/status/2102078697973141602

Thanks!

Yeah episode 11 had me hyped up that they might really blow it out of the water (heh) with this series, but the non-commital ending was a big letdown. Aside from that, it was a very great show to watch this season.

Yeah everything was set up and yet...

Did someone change the friggin ending at the last moment? For a season 2? The bit in the OP with the grasping hands, at the end young Lara's hand grabbed young Mari's hand. Sometime ago someone theorized Lara was gonna die but Lara and Mari would have their happy ending at the next life. And reincarnation is kind of a thing since there's Luca. I agreed with that theory. Also the bit where the mermaids are still racist, isn't that just intentionally keeping things open?

Anyway I liked how it went a bit horror this episode. Not just the fish blade but the scene with the sisters too. And how mermaid Lara was drawn to look more creature like than usual.

I kinda already lost a lot of my hope for this show a some weeks ago. For a show about Lara & Mari, it sure was lacking in Lara & Mari. The Lara & Mari focused episodes were so sparse, more episodes were about Lara's own character development and the plot.

I kinda already lost a lot of my hope for this show a some weeks ago. For a show about Lara & Mari, it sure was lacking in Lara & Mari. The Lara & Mari focused episodes were so sparse, more episodes were about Lara's own character development and the plot.

Episode 11 put a lot of emphasis on them as a pairing and the both of them realizing their feelings, which led into episode 12 and the first half of it continuing the focus on them as a pair...and then it ended on nothing for some reason.

I'm going to say it: The show is visually gorgeous but the writing has always been bad. Lara's inability to pick up even very basic facts about how the world works was executed very badly and rendered her extremely annoying. She's perpetually treated as if she's three years old: She can't read and doesn't bother to learn, she has no grasp of the concept of money, despite having spent time in human civilization before, and she takes Mari and Mari's family for granted for the entire show.

Then there's Luca. Luca exists purely to scare the hell out of the viewers who are expecting a Lara/Mari ending. Freaking Project A-Ko handled the concept of comphet much better and the people making it might not even have known what comphet WAS. Luca has no personality whatsoever beyond "painter, falls down a lot" because he's a plot device and nothing more.

Finally, there's Mari. We get a lot of religious imagery associated with Mari, and that all winds up meaning nothing. We also see how Mari has experienced horrific loss and that also winds up meaning nothing. Hell, the plot basically takes a crowbar to her by having her experience horrific loss AGAIN with the death of Grace, and then after she risks her life and DIES to try and rescue Lara, Lara leaves her standing on the station platform for no explained reason whatsoever. Oh, and the treasured memento of her mother is destroyed too.

Media is ideas given form, and so it always has a message, even if that message is vapid or manipulative. The message of Goodbye Lara appears to be "It's okay to use other people and then leave them with nothing" and that CANNOT be intentional. It can only be the product of extremely poor storytelling.

Media is ideas given form, and so it always has a message, even if that message is vapid or manipulative. The message of Goodbye Lara appears to be "It's okay to use other people and then leave them with nothing" and that CANNOT be intentional. It can only be the product of extremely poor storytelling.

Eh that's a decidedly cynical attribution that paints a very one-dimensional picture. If that's what you want your takeaway to be, sure, but I don't think it's the one true answer. Maybe you, or me, or anyone on the reader, isn't the target demographic for The Little Mermaid and its adaptations.
There's obviously more than one message they tried to convey (you may have noticed the very on the nose "Yo dad, fuck off with your racism bullshit" one) and the way Lara is helped by the Otsu family allows for more readings than a cynical "take advantage of people if it suits you".

Lara has been shaped by the people around her forcing her to fit a narrow idea of what she should be! The whole "I don't need true love, I just need a world with you in it" is a testament of how she discards these preconceived ideas of what a relationship should be, and instead embraces the love and affection she has for Mari, strong enough to bring Mari back to life!!!! But the one thing Lara always wanted was to explore the world, to live, to be allowed to live. Now she can, and Mari understands this. Mari sees this and lets her go anyway, because Lara promised to one day come back and live together with her. This isn't a goodbye, that's why Mari doesn't do a title drop at the train scene. There's valid criticism, like how rushed the execution of the epilogue was, but fuck, I don't like these takes I'm seeing across twitter, dynasty and tiktok.

Lara has been shaped by the people around her forcing her to fit a narrow idea of what she should be! The whole "I don't need true love, I just need a world with you in it" is a testament of how she discards these preconceived ideas of what a relationship should be, and instead embraces the love and affection she has for Mari, strong enough to bring Mari back to life!!!! But the one thing Lara always wanted was to explore the world, to live, to be allowed to live. Now she can, and Mari understands this. Mari sees this and lets her go anyway, because Lara promised to one day come back and live together with her. This isn't a goodbye, that's why Mari doesn't do a title drop at the train scene. There's valid criticism, like how rushed the execution of the epilogue was, but fuck, I don't like these takes I'm seeing across twitter, dynasty and tiktok.

It's a romance story that doesn't end in romance, and instead ends in a massive amount of nothing. From my understanding of the linked Tweet by Takano Saku they say the story could be about independence but it never takes the time to set that up and establish that as where the story is leading, rather it focuses on love and swerves into independence last minute. Also you don't know if they'll live together in the future because Lara sails off into the sunset in an uncharacteristically cold and detached manner, and leaving the future of their relationship for us to "interpret" is frustrating and a whole lot of nothing.

Also I agree with one of the replies to Takano Saku's Tweet:
"Her true love being a woman was already a subversion. Already her fighting against the system forcing her to love a man. Fighting to be able to say Mari was her true love and then saying that doesn't matter, cheapens the story and plays into harmful censorship of sapphic couples."

We already have factors establishing Lara's desire for independence as early as episode 3 though. From the beginning, Lara didn't want to simply depend on the Otsu family without end, she wanted to be on her own even as a fledgling into the world. She had to stay because of literally no life experience and because she fell in lovw with Mari, but she makes the promise to come back now that she can walk on her own two feet. It's not that her love for Mari doesn't matter, she just doesn't let romance define her as a whole

We already have factors establishing Lara's desire for independence as early as episode 3 though. From the beginning, Lara didn't want to simply depend on the Otsu family without end, she wanted to be on her own even as a fledgling into the world. She had to stay because of literally no life experience and because she fell in lovw with Mari, but she makes the promise to come back now that she can walk on her own two feet. It's not that her love for Mari doesn't matter, she just doesn't let romance define her as a whole

It didn't establish her desire for independence well enough, and also her relationship with Mari doesn't have to define her as a whole but she should still at least have one! This whole issue of them marketing the show as a lesbian relationship and then still giving us a vague amount of nothing in the end is cheap and let's them play it safe.

Also Lara doesn't have to leave the whole city to go to some unknown destination to be alone by her self to be more than just someone's girlfriend, she could get her own place in the same city and have her own life plus be Mari's girlfriend. Which even if Lara feels like she needs to explore the world she could explain it better to Mari, she could have kissed Mari before leaving, she could have waited for Mari for to finish high school to explore the world with her or go on some trip together for a vacation. Instead we get no emotional or physical intimacy between them in the post time skip part of the episode, and it genuinely sucks in my opinion.

There we agree, it could've been done better, but that doesn't necessarily ruin everything for me. Just a 7.5/10

There we agree, it could've been done better, but that doesn't necessarily ruin everything for me. Just a 7.5/10

That's fair, I think there's parts we agree on but where we land ends up a bit differently is all. I'm glad that it doesn't ruin everything for you, unfortunately for me it sours the whole thing as the final train exchange feels like one of the least romantic things I've seen, and in my opinion separating them feels more like a move to play it safe more than does to give Lara independence.

There we agree, it could've been done better, but that doesn't necessarily ruin everything for me. Just a 7.5/10

That's fair, I think there's parts we agree on but where we land ends up a bit differently is all. I'm glad that it doesn't ruin everything for you, unfortunately for me it sours the whole thing as the final train exchange feels like one of the least romantic things I've seen, and in my opinion separating them feels more like a move to play it safe more than does to give Lara independence.

If you imagine hard enough, you could do what I accidentally did. For some reason I just haven't internalized the six month skip, and it gets to the point where everything there is a blur that I don't really recognize aside from Lara leaving and the details about how she's more human. Just pretend it's okay y'know? Maybe we'll have better luck next time

I have a hard time recalling another anime original that completely shat itself as late as this one did, it's like they were at the finish line and simply refused to make a good ending to tie up the good show they'd made.

There we agree, it could've been done better, but that doesn't necessarily ruin everything for me. Just a 7.5/10

That's fair, I think there's parts we agree on but where we land ends up a bit differently is all. I'm glad that it doesn't ruin everything for you, unfortunately for me it sours the whole thing as the final train exchange feels like one of the least romantic things I've seen, and in my opinion separating them feels more like a move to play it safe more than does to give Lara independence.

If you imagine hard enough, you could do what I accidentally did. For some reason I just haven't internalized the six month skip, and it gets to the point where everything there is a blur that I don't really recognize aside from Lara leaving and the details about how she's more human. Just pretend it's okay y'know? Maybe we'll have better luck next time

That's something I can't do myself, as I feel I need to confront the situation head on.