Summer Anime ‘Sayonara Lala’ Premieres: The Little Mermaid Reborn in Shiga Prefecture’s Otsu City? First Episode Reactions

The original TV anime Sayonara Lala began airing on July 5, 2026 at 24:30. The story follows the little mermaid princess Lala, who once fell in love with a human prince but turned into foam. Now, 200 years later, she is reborn in Shiga Prefecture! The unexpected setting has fans buzzing: “So the mermaid came to Lake Biwa?” “I thought it was a mermaid princess story, but it’s a Shiga anime!”

Sayonara Lala is an original anime by Kinema Citrus, known for Made in Abyss, Revue Starlight, and The Rising of the Shield Hero. The director is Takushi Koide, making his directorial debut after working on My Happy Marriage and Made in Abyss: The Golden City of the Scorching Sun. The series composition is by Anna Kawahara, character design by Shiori Tani, and music by yuma yamaguchi.

Director Koide wrote on social media: “It’s been two years since we released the pilot film. Even more time has passed since the project started. I’m very happy that we can finally deliver it to everyone.”

Note: The following contains spoilers for the first episode.

Episode 1: “Mermaid Princess Lala”

The episode opens with a photo of a black-haired girl and a red-haired girl holding trophies, with the words “Shiga Prefecture” and “Boxing” in the background. Then the story jumps to 1777, where the sixth princess Lala is born to the Sea King. At age 10, she receives a ring and is warned never to approach the human world above the sea. At 15, she sees a burning ship and a handsome human prince falls into the ocean. She saves him, but her father discovers sand in her room and forbids her from leaving the castle. Her aunt, the witch Grace, gives her a potion to become human, taking her voice in exchange. Lala becomes human, meets the prince, but eventually turns into foam and disappears.

Viewers reacted: “The motif is exactly the little mermaid!” “The cel animation feel is amazing!”

But then the story takes a sharp turn. Lala wakes up in 2026 near Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, after breaking through a magic mirror. She falls from the sky and lands in front of a girl wearing boxing gloves. The internet exploded: “A girl fell from the sky!” “A girl meets a girl! Wonderful!” “The encounter was a counterpunch!” “It’s like a super mermaid princess reincarnation!”

The witch Grace explains that Lala’s family is not dead but sleeping, and only Lala can wake them. She gives Lala a trial. Lala dives through the mirror and emerges in modern-day Shiga.

“Where am I?” Lala asks, as she lands near a boxing girl. The girl is Mari Otsu, voiced by Nana Kawashima. After the broadcast, Kawashima tweeted: “Did you witness their ‘encounter’? I hope you’ll watch over Lala and the others as they grow.”

The opening theme (used as ending in episode 1) is “Sayonara Lala” by Ikimonogakari. Lyricist and composer Yoshiki Mizuno commented: “Choosing your own story and living it is truly difficult. We wrote what we could write now, in the encounter with this work. Please listen along with the anime.”

Akihito Tsukushi, the manga artist of Made in Abyss, who attended a preview, revealed: “They showed me the OP that will air from episode 2, and it was so emotional I cried. It’s going to be a great adventure.”

After the broadcast, an end card by character designer Shiori Tani was released.

Sayonara Lala airs every Sunday at 24:30 on TOKYO MX, Sunday 25:30 on BS Asahi, Monday 21:30 on AT-X, and Monday 25:59 on Yomiuri TV. Streaming is available simultaneously on various platforms.

Staff

Cast

(C) Kinema Citrus / “Sayonara Lala” Production Committee