Saying Hello to Goodbye, Lara

Goodbye, Lara is one of Kinema Citrus’s latest anime and is a celebration of the studio’s 15th anniversary. The show premiered its first episode at Anime Central 2026, and is one of an increasingly small set of original anime being produced in today’s anime industry. Anime Trending sat with director Takushi Koide, producer Sayaka Ueda, and Newtype editor Momoko Hatooka about Goodbye, Lara’s origins and the state of original productions in today’s media landscape.

_{This interview has been edited for length and clarity.}

What is the appeal of The Little Mermaid as a basis for Goodbye, Lara‘s story?

Takushi Koide: The Little Mermaid by [Hans Christian] Andersen is known around the world — everyone knows it. So based on that, I did some research to come up with the story for Lara. In that process, I realized that however different a specific tale may be, there is always some kind of story involving mermaids across the globe. That’s when I decided to deliver a mermaid story to the world because it is a universal motif.

Goodbye, Lara primarily takes place in Shiga, your hometown. Did you decide to create the adaptation first and then choose to set it there, or did you want a story set in Shiga and decided on the Andersen connection later?

Takushi Koide: It’s pretty simple — The Little Mermaid came first. But during the project’s planning meetings, I suddenly remembered that I’m from Shiga, where Lake Biwa is. So I set it there.

This is your third project working with artist Shiori Tani. You’ve mentioned it is rare to find an artist like her. What about her work is so rare, and why is she such a good fit for the visual style you wanted for the show?

Takushi Koide: Shiori Tani-san’s images have a universal appeal. She’s very good at conveying characters and their personalities to the audience. She draws them in a very cute way. There’s nothing negative about any of the characters, and they all carry this sense of elegance with them.

She wasn’t just involved in the art and drawing aspects. She helped me a lot in choosing the color palette as well. I thought, “If she can handle it, then I can let her do it!” She was a big help, and I think our work together came out really, really well.

In 2024, you mentioned a strong motivation to create handmade animation, not relying on 3D or CG. A point of serious conversation in the animation space is the use or the pressure to use AI tools. At what point do these programs stop being tools that assist the production process and start being detrimental to the future of anime as an art form?

Takushi Koide: First of all, if AI is learning through illegal methods, that’s simply out of the question. There are just too many serious issues and concerns that come with it. That said, if it’s something learned through a properly approved process, then it could be a very powerful tool or function for creators. But that’s just a possibility.

I think people all over the world share a similar sentiment: that AI can replace things. It can replace work, from very small tasks to major things like the direction you want to take in whatever area. That might mean forfeiting your own creative choices.

This is something everyone says — so it may be ordinary — but I think it’s incredibly important for creators to clearly state that this work was done by a human. It’s important to make that statement in this time and age of AI.

Let me add two more things. First, if human intention is involved, then it creates value. Second, what is illegal is illegal. Whenever [something illegal] gets involved, it suddenly turns it into something harmful.

Original anime are notoriously hard to produce and finance. Producer Muneki Ogasawara said in a past interview that people simply aren’t sponsoring original works the way they used to. What can fans do — other than just watching when things are released — to show their support for original shows and encourage the creation of more of them?

Sayaka Ueda: That’s a difficult question to answer. Of course, it would be very helpful, and I’d appreciate it very much if everyone watches the series on streaming platforms or broadcast channels. That’s something I absolutely want to encourage. Because if many people watch it, it’ll help the studio. So that’s one way to support the studio. But there’s a question of how to make people aware of an original series. As a producer, I want to suggest that the fans go a little bit further than usual in their activities or helping spread the word about the series. 

For example, coming to events like this, like Anime Central. If there’s merchandise you like, purchase it. You can also leave feedback and comments on social media. If it’s something interesting to you, take another step and act on it. Because by doing that, we can get the numbers, and the numbers speak. It will help support us to move on to the next original project. So I would like everyone to not just watch and enjoy the series but to go one step further.

As a producer, how did you find out about Goodbye, Lara, and what was the process of taking it from the pilot concept video and bringing it into a full television series?

Sayaka Ueda: My first encounter with Goodbye, Lara was five years ago when I heard that Koida-san at Kinema Citrus would be creating an original series. I heard from Ogasawara-san that this was going to be a production of young creators. I heard the news at Kadokawa internally. I was asked whether I wanted to join the project, and so I did.

This project was not based on the fact that Koide-san had something original that he wanted to create. It was more like, “He’s going to make something original. What is it going to be?” I heard that Koide-san was teaming up with Tani-san to decide what to create. I was also involved in it — a good experience for me throughout the planning process. But this project was something where you couldn’t see where you would be landing. You couldn’t really see the goal. You also wouldn’t know what the right thing to do was. It was a challenging project as well. 

With Goodbye, Lara, the idea was to create a pilot film first. For an original series, whether it is a domestic or international sale, it is very difficult to sell unless you have something to show. At the same time, it’s also really difficult to create the pilot film itself in order to sell the project. Luckily, with Lara, we were able to create a pilot film where you could really see what the project would look like. That worked as an advantage for us in order to create this TV series.

The visual style of Goodbye, Lara has been described as evoking a sense of nostalgia. Was that intentional from the start?

Takushi Koide: I have been told that the look of the show brings back memories. However, it wasn’t something we set out to do from the very beginning. We didn’t intend to make it nostalgic like that. But in my early conversations with Tani-san, we talked about what was most important to us visually. We landed on two things. First, the lines — the black outlines. We needed to emphasize them, to make them really stand out and come through strongly. Second, the colors. We wanted them to feel bold and vivid. Those became the two core principles we kept in mind throughout production.

I think those choices are a direct response to a trend that really took hold in the 2010s. Outlines became thinner and thinner, and colors became paler and paler. I think the people and producers making anime at the time mistakenly assumed that audiences equated those fine lines and pale colors with high quality. We wanted to push back against that. And I think there’s been a broader movement going in that direction in recent years — back toward bolder lines and stronger colors. 

Any closing comments — anything you haven’t had a chance to say this weekend that you want audiences to take away from Goodbye, Lara before it premieres in July?

Takushi Koide: There will be a lot of anime series starting in July. So many of them. Please choose us and watch Goodbye, Lara, because I can guarantee you will experience something you cannot experience anywhere else. 

Sayaka Ueda: Please watch Goodbye, Lara. Since it’s an original TV series, you won’t know what’s coming. So, you can look forward to it every week.

Momoko Hatooka: Goodbye, Lara is a very strong title — and I don’t mean in terms of power. Its strength comes from its flexibility. It has this thing running very strongly throughout, but it moves and breathes. This is something you will not regret watching. Newtype recommends it!

Questions by James Mizutani and Melvyn Tan. Interview conducted by James Mizutani. 

Special thanks to Anime Central for the interview opportunity.