Hello everyone, we have a nice and quick interview translation for you lot today. Goodbye Lara ended last Sunday with much noise and fanfare alike from those watching. Maybe someone might be writing their thoughts about the show for this very website eventually.
Nah that’d be silly!
To tide you all over for the time being, we have an interview with Character Designer Shiori Tani conducted by mantanweb a couple of months ago.
Let’s get reading!
Translation by “nui”, Editing by me. Characters Who Aren’t So Simple, Conveying Their Multi-Faceted Nature was originally published on mantanweb in July 2026.
Original Link:
https://mantan-web.jp/article/20260723dog00m200091000a.html
Characters Who Aren’t So Simple, Conveying Their Multi-Faceted Nature
Goodbye Lara is an original anime commemorating Kinema Citrus’s 15th anniversary. Based on the fairy tale The Little Mermaid, the story follows the mermaid princess Lara as she revives in modern day Lake Biwa after 200 years. We asked character designer Shiori Tani about the behind-the-scenes of the production.
Elements That Feel Surprising at First Glance
Interviewer: What was your role in this project?
Shiori Tani: I handled the character designs, as well as character-related props like their outfits and the interior design of Mari’s house.
Interviewer: I heard you were involved since the planning stages. How did the show end up taking its current shape?
Tani: We thought a lot about what kind of theme would attract a wide variety of people. After a lot of trial and error regarding the protagonist, era, and theme, it suddenly became a Little Mermaid story one day. During the initial planning phase, I was pushing for a buddy-style concept, and those elements naturally made their way in as well.
We even had ideas about rushing through Lake Biwa to travel to the past or future, stuff that hasn’t survived in this work at all. My impression of the very early stages of planning is that it was a bit chaotic. Since it’s an original anime, you can shape it into anything, but the scope was so broad that I felt the director was a bit lost. Looking back on it now, though, Lake Biwa was the core from the very beginning.
Interviewer: What did you try to express through the character designs?
Tani: I wanted to convey visually that Lara is a mermaid princess who came back to life from 200 years ago, so I aimed for a slightly older art style. On the other hand, I wanted the designs to show the significance of the setting being modern-day Shiga and Lake Biwa, so I tried to make Mari look like a completely normal, modern high school girl.
As for the overall art style, I wanted to find a design line that modern viewers would find easy on the eyes. When we look at anime art, why do some works look old-school while others look modern? While thinking about that, I studied a lot of old and current art styles to find the perfect balance for this show.
Interviewer: The slightly nostalgic visuals are also part of its charm. What did you want to express in the character designs? Was there anything you felt was an absolute must for the designs?
Tani: I wanted to convey that the characters are multifaceted through their designs, so I tried throwing in an element for each that feels surprising at first glance. Since Lara is a princess, I kept her visuals elegant and cute, but I added stitches to her tongue, hoping it would make her look like someone who has a hidden side you can’t grasp just from her appearance. For Mari, I gave her boxing gloves and a cross, trying to bring together things that evoke strength alongside symbols of love. I’d be really happy if that vibe of them not being so straightforward comes across!
Valuing “What would this character do?”
Interviewer: On the flip side, was there anything you firmly decided not to do?
Tani: Just like scriptwriter Anna Kawahara mentioned in her previous interview here, it’s about not drawing things based on lazy assumptions. I personally don’t like designing characters based on fixed stereotypes like “because they are a boy, they do this” or “because they are a girl, they do this.” To give a really extreme example, if I only think along the lines of “I’ll make her wear a skirt because she’s a girl,” I feel like it restricts the other possibilities that character might hold. So first and foremost, I prioritized asking “what would this character do?” and designed them while taking hints from the already completed scripts and storyboards.
Most of the characters in this work are younger than me, but since the people drawing them are adults, I was very conscious about ensuring that when depicting a child’s immaturity, it didn’t just turn into a way of mocking children. Even with a single gag face, I think about whether respect for the character is being lost and how it comes across to the viewers. I believe those things are conveyed through the art even without putting them into words, so I tried to treat everything I drew with respect.
build note: We don’t have that interview of Anna Kawahara translated here yet so that part about a previous interview does seem a bit weird out of context.
Interviewer: What became a challenge unique to this project?
Tani: I’ve had the opportunity to work on character design a few times now, and I always challenge myself to create expressions that can only be seen in that specific work. Goodbye Lara is a TV series, but when we released the pilot footage, a lot of people asked if it was a movie. Figuring out how to establish that kind of visual expression, which steps a bit outside the usual TV series design lines, within the framework of a TV anime felt like a challenge completely unique to this project. I’m still feeling nervous waiting to see how people are reacting now that it’s actually broadcasting.
Interviewer: This is Kinema Citrus’s 15th anniversary project. What do you consider to be the charm of Kinema Citrus?
Tani: That is tough to put into just one word! (laughs). I think occasionally producing these kinds of mysterious anime is one of their good traits.
Interviewer: Lastly, do you have a message for the fans?
Tani: As a single animator, I was always thinking about how to get people to know about this show and what I needed to work hard on to achieve that. Recently, some people have taken an interest because of the thoughts and fan art shared by our viewers, which I am incredibly grateful for. Lara and the others will continue to change in the upcoming episodes. I would be thrilled if you all continue to enjoy Goodbye Lara!
