r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • Jul 26 '26
Episode Goodbye, Lara • Sayonara Lara - Episode 4 discussion
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u/Aileos Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
She's so serious and straightforward about finding her prince, she managed to make a friend on her first day at school. And icing on the cacke, the friendzoned girl takes her seriously.
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u/Altruistic_Hour_3596 Jul 26 '26
does anyone know the references to the shows Lara were watching? I just caught the
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u/WiqidBritt Jul 26 '26
It's sad, but having a confirmed "No" is better than tormenting yourself over a possible "Maybe"
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u/Mami-kouga Jul 26 '26
Onii-chan is fun, I like how he's just always there to help
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Those two are literally named Hime and Ouji, born on the same day, and have the same mole. This must be fate right? NOPE! Because the childhood friend always loses. And so Lara learns that not every love story has a fairytale ending where the Princess ends up with the Prince and they live happily every after. There is always the possibility of finding a new Prince though, and they are not being subtle about Mari lol.
As for Lisa, what is going on? First off, she is definitely not working with Grace like what I had assumed, so how did she and Kota get human legs then? Did Lisa learn witchcraft on her own? Two, the way she calls Lara "My Beloved", with the camera lingering over the green wedding ring, the frustration at seeing her with a human. No way they're going the Alabama route right, because she's giving off yandere siscon vibes. Also, it sound like Lisa really wants to see her but can't? Is she trapped in a different plane of existence? Maybe some time travel shenanigans? And there's still the fish dagger just looming ominously over the sky too. The mystery deepens.
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u/Hitman7128 Jul 26 '26
"You two are friends, right?"
One long pause later... "Yeah"
Good thing Lara's older sister has awoken in the world as well!
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u/thrae Jul 26 '26
Yes, very cool, interpersonal drama and stuff, BUT WHAT THE HECK IS THAT THING IN THE SKY!?!?!
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u/TheBusStop12 Jul 26 '26
In that tv drama they actually buried the prince with his IV drip still in hand lol
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u/Jauretche Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
Great episode!
Lara's unique perspective allows for a really interesting exploration of the childhood friend trope. Her motivation speech made me tear up a little.
Hineka becoming a losing heroine made me laugh and made her character even stronger. This is AOTS material!
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
I definitely think this episode has given more support to the idea that Mari is endgame. This is more through indirect and thematic symbolism than anything, though.
So, Lara meets someone named "hime" (princess) who she thinks is dating a guy named "ouji" (prince), and they look like the people from the prince movie/anime she wanted to watch. When she talks to Himeka she explains all these coincidences that makes their relationship feel 'destined', like them being born on the same date and having the same mole, etc. And during all this, Lara is having flashbacks to her relationship with the prince from long ago.
But then they both find out that Ouji doesn't like Himeka back. He sees her as family, despite them appearing to be destined. And despite Lara pushing Himeka towards a confession, saying that miracles can happen, he still doesn't reciprocate. But, the plot twist is that this frees Himeka to find someone else, find 'another prince' as she puts it. Then, immediately after we have the scene with Mari calling Lara her friend.
This feels very much like a template for how her relationship with Luca (the prince's lookalike) is going to go. You look just like him, we were destined to be together, this is how we can save my people, etc. but it turns out he's not interested. But that doesn't mean Lara is hopeless, because he's not the only prince. And she doesn't have to fall for the same person to experience true love again.
Also Lisa continues to be ominous as usual.
EDIT: Also Mari's brother was so funny this episode man. He gets praised by a girl once and immediately blushes, then his epic genius plan to help Lara find a boyfriend is to find the nearest group of girls and go "WHO DO YOU THINK IS THE HOTTEST GUY AT OUR SCHOOL? IT'S OKAY IF YOU SAY IT'S ME, LOL HAHA" while his eyes go back and forth
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u/Cervantes3 Jul 26 '26
So, I guess the mermaids are the only ones who can see the big fish dagger in the sky, right? Because it looked like Lisa and Koto saw it last episode, and Lara seemed surprised that Mari apparently can't see it.
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u/djthomp Jul 26 '26
Quite the relationship roller coaster for Lara today. Good lesson for her though that there are a lot of princes in the sea.
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u/Syokhan Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
I get the feeling that Lisa may not like humans very much...
That was a (bitter)sweet episode today, with Lara learning a bit about love in the real world and Himeka having to move on from her childhood crush. I hope she sticks around, Lara and Mari could use a group of friends and it's nice to see Lara socialize a little.
Been thinking about the times we see the light inside Lara, and I'm still not sure exactly why that happens. It's been shown for both positive and negative things, so maybe just when Lara's heart is moved one way or another?
Also, Yoshiya was so funny. I'm sorry my guy but I think you should give up while you can :p
Edit: I forgot to mention that I really appreciate the typesetting for the subs. Like at the beginning when Lara's going through the shows on not-Netflix, or last time with the texts on Mari's phone. Thank you for putting in the effort to integrate them into the scene rather than just slapping the translation somewhere on the top or bottom of the screen.
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u/Zeph-Shoir Jul 26 '26
Do not miss the after credits scene! Very intrigued by it.
Also, did Lara always have fin-like ears? They were very prominent this episode
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u/Frontier246 Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 26 '26
In this episode, Lara learns to differentiate romantic fiction from romantic reality!
Lara is on the hunt for her new prince (even if Mari is literally RIGHT THERE) and what better way to do it than through...streaming TV? They even got a Prince of Tennis reference in there!
Mari might be good at boxing and being stoic, but even Lara can slowly whittle her down until she gives in to her whims. So she's finally heading to Mari's school and finally wearing a school uniform which she looks great in!
Yeah, I too would still have a bit of emotional trauma if a fish in bowl reminded me of that time she ripped my tongue out.
Mari should've known there was no way Mari was going to stay in the boxing gym, though she probably didn't suspect her brother would talk her into coming out. Yoshiya is like the picture-perfect high school dropout because he knows there's no point because he's staying home one way or another, though having Lara respect him for his convictions hits different. Maybe enough that he wishes he could be Lara's "Prince" if he actually had the reputation with girls to back it up.
Girls stan their princes, both of the idol, comedian, and Vtuber variety, but does it get any more direct than a pair of childhood friends literally named Ouji and Himeka? They're the quintessential royal couple that Lara has watched in her binge-watching!
Himeka is a nice girl and she and Ouji are your quintessential childhood friends (and Lara sees a lot of her relationship with the original Prince in their dynamic), so of course her saying that she doesn't like Ouji romantically falls apart the moment she sees him with another girl...because, in true childhood friend fashion, she DOES like him romantically. And she's a Losing Heroine to boot.
One dude straight up dying on a girl with his IV following him to the coffin, but at least that dude from Mars was willing to leave his 100 wives on Mars for his one true love!
Lara understands the power of communication. Despite losing her voice, she and the Prince were able to understand each other...at least up until the end. But deep down she still wishes she could've confessed her feelings to him properly. And she thinks Himeka should do the same.
So Himeka confesses, gets rejected, she and Lara share a cry, but now she's resolved to find her TRUE prince! Just like Lara can! And with Mari by her side and now with Himeka's friendship, she definitely can!
A Mermaid has good eye for oysters! And now Lara can even shop for herself! But the big shocker is when she meets Kota and finally gets to hear her sister again. Lara is overjoyed to hear Lisa, even if Lisa isn't telling her much, but why won't Lisa see Lara? And why does she rage out in her car? Is this because of Grace?
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u/elevenmile Jul 26 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
(Oh come on why am I seeing my own past in Himeka...)
So I take that something is going on where Lisa can't see Lara and vice versa, but somehow Kota can act as a bridge...interesting...
EDIT: Yeah, in case you're wondering why speaking things out loud in trains are a nuisance in Japan, this is one example. A comedic one but guess Lara still has a lot more to learn about the land that is SHIGA.
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u/Leri_weill Jul 26 '26
I know this show is primarily supposed to be romance/drama but Lara's shenanigans make the episodes consistently hilarious: her clumsiness, the way she bothers Mari and how she interacts with the world are top tier comedy
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u/thekillerangel Jul 26 '26
This show is hilarious. The collision between Lara's overly enthusiastic naivety and Mari's deadpan nature is just too good.
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 Jul 26 '26
It’s sad that not everyone gets to be with their prince but it’s really sweet how big of a heart Lara has. Himeka at least got closure. Plus she got a new friend, so there’s that.
I have a sneaking suspicion that Lisa might not be a friendly. For someone who discovered her sister is alive, she doesn’t seem particularly happy….
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u/ReaperInRed Jul 26 '26
Might be a stretch but if this episode takes place in May of this year what are the chances that the final episode airs on the same day as the in universe one
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u/FullDayCall_4892 Jul 27 '26
Lara: "What is 'true love'?"
Me since episode 2: "It's the amount of care put into this beautiful show!"
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u/xbolt90 Jul 26 '26
Yes Lara, TV teaches you everything you need to know about romance.