Kinema Citrus is one of the more famous of the Japanese animation studios. With some of their more notable works being Made in Abyss and Rising of the Shield Hero. Both are very popular anime, but it was really when the studio contributed the “The Village Bride” episode for Star Wars: Visions that their fame skyrocketed. It certainly didn’t hurt their chances of acquiring more licenses for various anime adaptations, like with My Happy Marriage. However, I do believe that it’s when a studio does its own original anime projects that they really shine. For if they do it well, then it’s a mark of their animation prowess and storytelling skill. All of which explains why this particular animation studio will face that big test of their abilities soon.
Kadokawa is proud to announce that Kinema Citrus’ upcoming new anime series Goodbye, Lara will soon be making its streaming debut. That debut will happen in July 2026. Alas, the exact streaming platform it will be on is still up in the air at the moment. All we know aside from the release window is that Takushi Koide is the director, with Anna Kawahara as the writer, Shiori Tani as the character designer, and Yuma Yamaguchi as the composer.
Oh, and we also have the first promotional video for Goodbye, Lara as part of this announcement. Completely in Japanese audio, but without any English subtitles at the moment, alas. You can check it out for yourself either on YouTube, or just look below:
Goodbye, Lara To Be Latest Kinema Citrus Anime in July 2026
Honestly, I’m already quite eager for the eventual streaming of Goodbye, Lara. The basic premise of the anime sounds like The Little Mermaid, but the choice of main characters does imply a noticeable yuri flavor to it. A LGBTQ+ The Little Mermaid story would be a wonderful anime, in my honest opinion, and that’s not even going into the unique animation style Kinema Citrus are using for it. It’s basically 90s anime style but with modern animation techniques, which will be quite a nostalgic art style for the older anime fans here. Alas, we’re going to have to wait for them to announce which streaming platform this anime will be streaming on. Although honestly, it’s probably going to be either Crunchyroll or HIDIVE. Realistically, those are the two most likely options, and we’ll just have to wait to see which one of them wins the bid on this anime.
What do you all think? Are you eager to see if Goodbye, Lara will fulfill its implied promise as a yuri The Little Mermaid anime? Tell us your romantically fishy thoughts in the comment section below.
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