Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
right out the gate what i love about the world-building in goodbye lara is how the princesses are encouraged to find love for themselves, to explore the lengths of the entire sea to do so, and that's what keeps the kingdom alive. the kingdom's prosperity is set up for women to feel fulfilled by their self-autonomous decisions. this alone directly contradicts every other fairy tale to ever fairy tale.
the flaw of course is when they try to trap the girls who break the norm, like lara, who want to be with humans. interestingly, it's implied early on that previous mermaid(s) have done the same as lara, but instead of acknowledge this history, everyone acts like caring about humans at all is a filthy sin. "evening touching a human" is a crime, and she's scolded for touching a doll resembling a human. however, by the end of the episode, there's strong evidence to support that lara's "sin" was not falling in love with a human, but rather believing she "had it coming," that it was her fault for falling in love in the first place (which. you know. could have some interesting implications for women and their role in society at large and the queer subtext of the original text but i digress).
her second chance at life will likely also push her to her limits, but with the connections she makes along the way, I believe/hope the story will push for an ending that let's her continue to find her own happiness even when things go wrong, rather than blame herself and fall to despair.
when lara wakes up from being betrayed by her prince, she immediately is told to take responsibility for the destruction of her home. there is no comforting, no coddling, no sympathy--that's all for the audience to feel lol. then, she is told "you destroyed this, but you can also fix it."
what's critical to remember here is that, as mentioned before, her core responsibility as a princess of light is to "find true love." to find happiness. the kingdom wasn't destroyed because she broke the rules because that has nothing to do with her "light." the kingdom was destroyed because her "true love" was destroyed.
the destruction of her true love/light is visually represented by the fish-sword that appears over her head as she collapses into sea foam. notably, in the concept trailer, she holds the sword while approaching the sleeping form of the prince. this is likely a reference to the original story, where if she kills the sleeping prince, lara will return as a mermaid and live on with her family. the sword is given to her by her sisters, who sold all of their hair to trade for the sword. despite this sacrifice, she still can't do it. and so, instead, the little mermaid dies and turns to sea foam.
the common thread between the original and goodbye lara is 1) the sword is a tool of betrayal, 2) the sword is tied to the mermaid's relationship to her family. in the original story, the sword was directed against the prince, mermaid decides not to strike, leading to her own destruction, but the continued well being of her family. in goodbye lara, the sword is directed against lara, she is betrayed by the prince, lara is reborn, but her family is destroyed. these parallel plot points suggest a deliberate narrative reversal.
the signs of narrative reversal only strengthen when we consider that the sea witch plays a bit of a meta role in the anime, referring to lara's life with terms like "bad/good ending," "tragic heroine," "prophesy," and so on. other indicators of more meta storytelling include having visual references to not only the original fairy tale, but the disney adaptation as well (girl with bright red hair, recreating the iconic rising out of the water scene not as a moment of freedom, but rather suddenly being brought into a new world).
in addition, i want to point out that, technically, the little mermaid lives on in all versions of the story. the original story presents "turning to sea foam" as a transformation, a rebirth into a "daughter of air," where she will get the chance to live and then pass on to heaven because she was willing to die/despair for her prince who sees her as a friend but not lover. in the disney adaptation, she doesn't die at all and lives happily with the prince and keep a positive relationship with her family. in goodbye lara, she loses her human form, but gets reincarnated as a mermaid and then transforms into a human again, but this time with her voice. (i wonder also if this show will touch on the previous understandings of mermaids as something frightful and evil, as was the case before the popularized the little mermaid han christen andersen tale, and also the case in the historic period when lara fell for the prince, especially since it seems she will meet an older mermaid who fell for a human once, but i digress)
so let's coalesce. the story has elements of narrative-awareness, and seeks to directly contradict the previously established tragic ending to the little mermaid. a key aspect of this is the sword, which reflects both lara's duty to her family, and the threat of betrayal. it's essentially the scythe hanging over her head. furthermore, we know that lara's duty to her family is tied to her ability to find true love. when her feelings of love are destroyed, her family/kingdom is destroyed. when her feelings of love are able to thrive, her family/kingdom will be saved. what this means is that her kingdom cannot return if she approaches "true love" with a mindset of desperation, of waiting for reciprocation, of guilt and trying to prove yourself worthy. because that would mean her true feelings were not healed, that she did not find happiness. if lara just tries to sacrifice herself in an attempt to "repent" for the "sin" of loving a human, that's not true love. that's not going to be helpful in saving her family.
in fact, it might even become detrimental. part of the reason i keep emphasizing that lara's journey to find happiness For Herself is key to experiencing true love is that the "relationship to her famliy/kingdom" is not limited to the mermaid kingdom. the sword's role as a harbringer of doom also apply on land.
in the concept trailer, we the same fish-sword design used when lara is hesistating to kill the prince (aka something that would break her heart) in the weird obelisk thing hovering over the modern town she ends up staying in. i think it wouldn't be a stretch to say that while lara has more support from humans this time around, the stakes are also probably much, much higher. it's not just her home on the line, but also the home of her new family/kingdom. afterall, whether human or mermaid, she is still a princess of light.
i might even go as far as to say that having lara around could be very, very dangerous for the town. like maybe if she gets her heartbroken again, it won't just be the mermaid folk but the entire town that gets destroyed by the fish-sword thing. but this is conjecture.
there's actually even more i want to talk about with the concept trailer and the fish sword. like, for example, when lara approaches the sleeping prince, a very big light begins to erupt from the prince's chest, and then the fish sword opens a drooling mouth to reveal teeth and a meaty tongue, as if salviating at the sight of the light. considering lara is a princess of light, this is very interesting to me. is the fish sword eating up the light/lara's true love???
we also need to consider how the fish sword has been VERY STRONGLY associated with the symbolism for specifically lara's light. This is first apparent in the concept trailer, where Lara's tear (probably from the idea of betraying the boy she loves) is depicted as a sparkling light. this is important because we just keep seeing that damn light associated with the fish sword!!!!
below depicts the direct transition between lara's light, and the fish obelisk thing during one of the more recent trailers for the show.
and to REALLY really drive the point home here's the transition in another trailer where we have the sword lighting up like lara's iconic light, and then immediate cut to lara as a mermaid exposed in front of her love who is pointing a SWORD AT HER.
THAT IS A FACE OF LOVE. AND A FACE OF SURRENDER. when she turns into sea foam, she doesn't even blame the fucking prince!!!!! she says that it's her fault for falling in love with a human in the first place!! but the story so far + even the trailers are basically screaming and wailing and stomping their feet trying to say no no no no NO! YOUR LOVE FOR HUMANS Is NOT THE ISSUE!!!! IT'S NOT EVEN JUST "LOVING THE WRONG PERSON" either. it's simply BELIEVING YOU DESERVE TO HAVE LOVE. it's not just some set-in-stone tragedy! like i truly believe it's not even the fact the prince didn't love her anymore that set her off, it was that she believed her love must have been doomed from the start because of her. You have to choose to pursue happiness. YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE YOUR "TRUE LOVE" that is the kind of choice that the princesses of light need to make.
"well that's just trailers what about the show" actually the text strongly supports this?????? the light-true love-sword association in episode 1 is even more blatant. that transition scene from the princess light to the fish sword? that happens IMMEDIATELY after she starts dissolving into sea foam! literally right after she says "It was me....I was the vile one." and look at the way that light starts from her hEART !!!! and then TRANSFORMS INTO THE FISH SWORD. this is all to say. the "true love" this story is talking about is about whether LARA thinks her love is worthy. it's not about finding "the one" but about making a life FOR YOURSELF, and the finding someone to share it with!!! Idk like it's giving eartha kitt "share my love for me with me" do you get what im saying
furthermore, in another trailer for this series, a little sneak into a climatic moment features the quote "Lara, what was it that you truly wanted?" honestly i kinda think the way this quote is delivered really really suggests home that just "looking for true love" in the traditional "omg yay my prince loves me fr this time!!!!" isekai reincarnation romance is not the goal here. the goal is to not give up on what she truly wanted, even when she has her family's survival on the line. cause like, someone else in her situation might say "what i want doesn't matter, i just need to save my family/kingdom/island" and this story is so so so so strongly saying that's not the so,ution. you can't just sacrifice your way into getting what you want. in fact that could ruin things for everyone around you giant fish sword style
i'm banking on the story's message to be that you are most valuable to your family/community when you choose to pursue your own happiness. instead of drowning in guilt and homesickness and sorrow, she has to keep moving forward. to find someone she can enjoy moving through life with. that's her true love. there's (potentially) a very, VERY powerful message that they have created a set up for here!!!!!!
i could be so very off base as i tbh tend to be lolllll but this is a very heartfelt and beautiful story, just based on the first 2 eps alone. super excited to follow along with it.
"Lisa is set up as the main antagonist" "Grace is set up as the main anatgonist" do they know? do they know this story is about the how everyone deserves the chance to grow into their best selves with their loved ones
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
✓ Live Streaming✓ Interactive Chat✓ Private Shows✓ HD Quality✓ Free Actions
Free to watch • No registration required • HD streaming
literally the only reason they don’t let Akane spend alone time with Hikaru is because there is no way for them to interact that isn't sexually charged. Hikaru’s much more bold and direct about her feelings than all of the other rivals and specifically towards a girl who gives as good as she gets.
anyways something like textual analysis as to how and why she still doesn’t get to meet up with Akane not even once below lmao
she has not been in a room alone with akane ever since the Changing Time arc. not only that but as much as i love hikaru she is not actually all that directly involved in akane's journey in comparison to the rest of her rivals, at least so far. why do you think that is. no but really lets talk about it. (this is mostly just me frothing at the mouth)
how akane interacts with her other rivals:
akane interacts 1on1 with karashi over multiple arcs. they would even have idle chat on the way home after zenza training. they are rakugo siblings who annoy each other.
even when she's not interacting with Karashi directly, Karashi has this whole character arc about being the successor of the Sanmeitei school. The fact Sanmeitei is to Shiguma what Karashi is to Akane is crazy stuff. This basically ties them together forever.
she goes on a shopping date with kaisei she goes touring Fukuoka with rokuro. they both interact with her a lot 1on1 while she is a zenza. we don't need to rehash why these guys are important to the plot.
she watches kaichi as he's filming and gets lunch with him. kaichi is not even all that important to the plot but the fact she gets more alone time with KAICHI and not one of her PRIMARY RIVALS is crazy work.
meanwhile. hikaru always wants to see akane but JUST misses her unless it's a competition. she's jealous of karashi spending time with her and frustrated with ikken not telling her why/where akane left for 3 years and also akane going radio silence. and then to top it all off, AKANE HERSELF GOES TO FUKOUKA. WHERE HIKARU IS FROM HER LITERAL HOME TOWN????? BUT OFC IT'S BAD TIMING THEY CAN'T GO TOGETHER. HELLO. Like why is it missed opportunity after missed opportunity with this girl???
I need to remind yall the second Hikaru had alone time with Akane she caressed her face and leaned into her personal space unprompted. Even this was due to Hikaru squeezing in time to talk with Akane right before her performance by asking her to walk up to the wings with her. Hikaru asks her to pay attention from the wings, which Akane STILL DOES THREE YEARS LATER WHEN THEY ARE COMPETING AS FUTATSUME. It's not like all of this has meant nothing to Akane--she clearly cares too!
And on that note. WHy is it every time Hikaru performs, she references Akane in someway? As a rookie it was Shibahama, what got Shinta expelled + is necessary for Akane to master Shiguma's Art. THen as a Zenza it was the Hanabi Revenge where they go out of their way to make a direct comparison to Akane, that the "sakura is in bloom" and highlighting exactly how Akane's name is spelled in the middle of Hikaru's chapter just in case the audience doesn't realize the narrative relevance. Then there's even when Akane is training under Urara, and she sees Hikaru succeed skill-wise with "feminine charm" where she is directly struggling, which Urara comments on it. THEN flash-forward Okiku's plates they make DIRECT EYE CONTACT at the line "Okiku is a woman with no equal" like this wasnt the most lesbian thing she could have done.
it's basically canon that everything hikaru does in relation to rakugo is about akane. when Ikken says “wow you love being competitive” what he means is “wow you love Akane” because let’s be fr Akane is the main competitor. she literally says this out loud to her face “I became a rakugoka to beat you, akane” and even akane, local rakugo crazy girl, is like "woah I had no idea you felt that way." like she can't even imagine someone doing rakugo for such a personal reason as if she did not literally get into rakugo to avenge her dad lmao.
where was i. it has to be on purpose. why is it a running gag hikaru can't spend time with akane????? what kind of joke is this??? like truly taking off my shipping goggles for a minute. what is the point of all this build up. if even KARASHI gets to be tangentially involved in this Shiguma's Art nonsense then what is Hikaru, a fellow student in the Arakawa school, supposed to be on about? She literally doesn't even care about rakugo as an art that much she's more about the thrill of the game! She’s in a very unique position and I think it’s all set up for a big role in the narrative
Is it crazy to assume Hikaru is going to reenter Akane's life and it's going to get super personal. Is Akane going to crash out and Hikaru drag her out of it??? If and when Akane does crash out, isn’t it actually Hikaru who is the best suited to address it since she STARTED rakugo due to losing faith in herself??????? Kaisei is too close to the problem and Rokuro is too distant from the problem surely surely out of all the main rivals it has to be Hikaru???? Like cmon Karashi already did his job by calling out Akane’s performance which gave her the inspiration to improve. That’s what he does he insults her in a way that she interprets as life advice so when Akane is like “yeah Karashi’s a good friend” everyone else is like what are you talking about. But Hikaru??? HIKARU????? SHE NEEDS HER MOMENT. PLEASE. They drive me crazy, you see.
Basically, Akane-banashi is being simulcasted worldwide starting from April 4th, 12:00 PM ET (UTC-5) in the platforms mentioned in the image above (NOT a complete list, more to be confirmed!). In May, a worldwide Netflix release will include international language dubs and subs (dubbing confirmed from the livestream on the youtube channel). In Asia, it will be simulcasted on Netflix from the start.
For ease of reading, I'm listing the region-specific platforms below.
Asia: Netflix, Ani-One YouTube (except China and South Korea)
North and South America: Official Akane-banashi youtube channel
Korea: Aniplus Channel, Laftel
Germany, Austria, Switzerland: aniverse
Hong Kong, Macau: Bahamut
Thailand: TrueID
Mongolia: playmax.mn, STAR TV
Italy: ANIME GENERATION
Spain: Anime Box
Taiwan: Bahamut,LiTV & Ofii (& affiliates), ChungHwa Telecom MOD & Hami Video
Indonesia: Catchplay
France, Monaco, Andorra, Switzerland, Belgium, Luexembourg: ADN
