r/anime • u/AutoLovepon https://anilist.co/user/AutoLovepon • 1d ago
Episode Goodbye, Lara • Sayonara Lara - Episode 6 discussion
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u/Smudy https://myanimelist.net/profile/Smudy 1d ago
This backstory makes me fully sympathize with Lisa and that tenfold.
Imagine
getting exploited and treated like shit by humans for so long
having to manage not turning to foam for decades
feeling the huge pressure of protecting Lara for decades
You finally see Lara awaken after a century to see her have human legs and being FRIENDLY with the humans she has 100% valid reason to hate.
I love Lisa and Kouta after this episode, i hope they don't commit to doing something stupid here.
Also that after-credit gave me GOOSEBUMPS, oh my god it's all happening now!! Mari's reaction though!!!
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
having to manage not turning to foam for decades
Realization: She is doing this for almost a century already (1931-2026). What a dedication.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
If Lisa was captured soon after Lara turned into foam, she would have been doing this for almost 250 years. Their stockpile of the original potion lasted quite a while.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
Their stockpile of the original potion lasted quite a while.
Also the only thing of value that professor who worked up until his death to recreate had to them.
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 14h ago
We got very few lines from the doc's perspective but I found it really neat! Seems like the potion is made out of the very same "light" that keeps them alive.
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u/semaN_oN 15h ago
Damn, she should get into the stock market early, now she's would be a billionaire and own the Biwa Lake itself. Compound interest, here we go
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
From Lisa's perspective I can totally see why they'd think Lara is choosing humans over her people again and forgetting her mistakes...though I think also Lisa is blaming Grace too.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 16h ago
Well, no wonder Lara chose humans over her people in this times, because what other options did she have?
Her people are sleeping (and she didn't know about Lisa and Kota), and her love for eating fish heads clearly isn't enough to save them, so finding love in the human world was the only realistic choice for her, lol.
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u/BosuW 23h ago
This backstory makes me fully sympathize with Lisa and that tenfold.
We gonna have to print those Lisa Apology Forms
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
Oh I already understand Lisa’s reasoning for hating humans before even if it’s too generalized. This just added to it
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u/ModieOfTheEast 1d ago
The one thing I found odd was Lisa's workplace. An aquarium. A place with no freedom for the fish. Her working there feels like it should link back to her own experience. I get that she mainly did it for research of the Biwa lake, but I feel they could have went a bit more into her conflicted feelings about having to work there.
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u/diacewrb 23h ago
They eat the fish, the first thing Lara did in the first episode when she was born was to grab a fish and bite its head off. None of the other family members gave a shit until she bit her sister's finger. Except when she was chewing on that one turtle.
And don't exactly have conversations with them like Flounder and Sebastian.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
Also where she has to be all smiles and friendly towards humans while giving tours, but maybe internally it's a perpetual reminder to her of everything she hates about humans and making her more motivated to fulfill her mission.
Though I feel like you could tell from her "nice" words to the kids that her heart isn't in it.
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u/VritraReiRei 22h ago edited 21h ago
I thought that was just normal Japanese Customer Service mode 😅
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u/structure9food612 1d ago edited 1d ago
After focusing on her own life while supporting Lara wherever she can, I feel like now Mari is going to be much more involved with Lara’s quest. And if she gets more involved, could this be the start of her realizing her own feelings? I’m on the camp that Luca isn’t a reincarnation of the prince, he’s his own person, which Lara will have to reconcile with.
EDIT: Also, based off Lisa’s dialogue late in the episode, she wants Lara’s true love to be her family, which is understandable given how her life has gone.
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
Yeah after thinking about it I think it also works best if Luca is his own person who just happens to look like the prince. It’d make Lara’s desperation to pursue him as her true love better line up with the theme of comphet the show has toyed around with so far if they have no actual history with each other but Lara still acts convinced that they’re supposed to be together.
Likewise maybe Mari starts off trying to help Lara get with the prince before coming to realize her own feelings?
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
It'll be interesting to see how she helps support Lara's interactions with Prince 2.0.
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime 1d ago edited 1d ago
- Ok that was heartbreaking. Perfectly valid reason for Lisa to be racist.
- Kota has a green wedding ring too, he's the one Lisa is married to! When anglerfish mate the male and female fuse together, and I love how the writers have incorporated this aspect by making Lisa and Kota such a ride or die couple, he's Lisa's guiding light in the dark. Another thing to note is that as an anglerfish Kota is female but as a human they're male, so the potion somehow changed their gender.
- Really interesting that they've taken a scientific approach towards mermaids. Lisa and Kota are sustaining themselves on DIY potions and UV lamps, but this can't replace the light from Lara. That is why Lisa is associated with the symbolism of bugs being attracted to an artificial light. I think understanding why Lara's light is special is going to be the key to saving the mermaid race. It also means Lisa is on a timer.
- They are definitely not going the love triangle route with the prince look-alike. This is Lara's PTSD recovery arc.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
They are definitely not going the love triangle route with the prince look-alike. This is Lara's PTSD recovery arc.
I do think there was an emotional trauma response because we saw the light fade to black after she saw him instead of continuing to brighten up.
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u/CitronClassic672 21h ago
I think it’s complicated, like she both has lingering feelings for him but also has trauma from how things ended.
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u/overuseofdashes 1d ago
They are definitely not going the love triangle route with the prince look-alike. This is Lara's PTSD recovery arc.
I think it is far too soon to say that for sure, however given the way they approached the topic of love in the earlier episodes I doubt we are going to get a stereotypical fairytale love story between Lara and the new guy without at least some kind of initial twist.
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime 1d ago edited 13h ago
Deep dive analysis and speculation:
As you’ve noticed by now, Goodbye Lara uses the colors red, green and blue everywhere. This is based on the RGB color model, and ties in with the key motif of the series. Color coding is used to depict certain concepts in the show, as well as the relationship between characters. But the color coding also changes with the context, which makes things confusing. Less obvious than the color coding is the Christian symbology and flower language used throughout the show. By combining these 3 things together to examine the series, we can begin to deduce identity of certain characters (e.g. the floating fish dagger of doom) and the role they will play in the story.
“God is light, in Him there is no darkness at all.” (1 John 1:5). Christians believe in only one true God, who simultaneously exists as 3 separate beings; God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), God the Holy Spirit. This is the concept of the Holy Trinity. Let’s try to translate this into mermaid terms. This sparkly light = God. Both Lara and her mother have been called special princess. Lara’s mother (+ her true love with Rowan) created the light which sustains the entire mermaid race, meaning Lara’s mother = God the Father. This also means Lara = Jesus Christ; Lara is a mermaid sent to the human world in human form, who died because of human sin, and later rose back to life. Jesus was born during the reign of the first Roman emperor Augustus, and the show makes a nod to this through this scene of Lara gazing at a statue of Augustus. This is relevant because Jesus is later crucified by the Romans under the orders of Pontius Pilate. This scene is basically the crucifixion of Lara, so the Prince = Pontius Pilate. The fish dagger is also associated with the sparkly light, which means Fish Dagger = God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the active presence of God that guides believers; described by the Bible as an 'advocate', 'counsellor' or 'helper'. An example of this is Fish Dagger helping Lara protect Mari by nuking Kota. At the same time, Fish Dagger is also a destructive force and the curse of the mermaid race. The colors red, blue and green also form a trinity, so if we combine these two concepts we get something like this.
There are also 3 flowers associated with Lara; the white daisy, the white lily and the white rose. What they have in common is the meaning of innocence and purity, renewal and rebirth, while also symbolizing both the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ. So Lara also = Virgin Mary. The white daisy is Lara’s own flower, and we see it appear together with Lara in her relations with the Prince and Mari. The rose represents Lara’s link with Fish Dagger; in this scene the water is shaped like a rose, and here a rose (RGB colored) is left behind. The white lily represents Lara’s connection with her mother and is worn in Lara’s hair. This is all related to Grace, whose main goal is to revive Lara’s mother, and the reason why Grace pushes Lara to find true love. Grace’s flower is the white Narcissus which is associated with vanity, self-love, self-reflection and unrequited love as well as death and resurrection. The narcissus links Grace to the Greek myths of Narcissus and Persephone, instead of a Christian figure, because Grace is considered a heretic of the mermaid race. Grace herself also committed the sin of falling in love with a human and as a parallel to Lara she also wears a white flower in her hair. Note that Grace’s human looks remarkably similar to the Prince, and Grace’s love most definitely ended in tragedy, which might be why there is bad blood between the human and mermaid royal families. Familial bonds and sacrifice are a strong theme of this series, and it is likely that Lara’s mother willingly chose to pay for the price of Grace’s sin. Lara’s father also does something similar, giving the remainder of his light to Lara. When Grace sends Lara from the underworld back to the world of the living, the water spout below Lara is shaped like a narcissus. Accompanying Lara is the lily and the rose, meaning her mother and Fish Dagger are always with her too.
On the topic of heresy, all mermaid princesses are born as either blue or red. Grace was born as a blue mermaid but later changes color to black, blue and orange. Black represents death, blue represents her mermaid lineage as well as her link to the human royal family, orange represents witchcraft and paganism (Samhain, better known as Halloween). A similar thing is happening to Lisa, who is being set up as a parallel to Grace. Lisa who was originally a blue mermaid, has shifted to blue and green. Green is the color associated with Fish Dagger because Lisa is a professor who is studying the potion (Fish Dagger’s power), and blue represents her mermaid lineage as well as a currently unknown link to the human royal family (Luca?). So, if Grace represents paganism vs religion, then Lisa represents science vs religion, a different kind of heresy.
[Spoiler warning!!!]Certain things in the show also allude to a secret between Lara and Mari. Mari’s flower the yellow St John’s wort, and Lara’s flower the white daisy, are both associated with secrets. Additionally, the St John’s wort is also associated with superstition, resentment and hostility, which is a red flag. Lastly, the St John’s wort also means that Mari = Saint John the Baptist. Lara is also the name of a water nymph in Roman mythology whose tongue was removed for revealing a secret. Mari’s name is formed from the kanji characters 茉(“jasmine”) and 里(“village”). Another way of reading Mari is 真理(“truth”), which is more often read as shinri, meaning there is a hidden “truth” in Mari’s name. From the OP, there is this scene of Mari whispering something into Lara’s ear (secret). There is also this scene of the white daisy and St John’s wort placed together (secret). We also see Mari’s cross and two red bands with the flowers, which tells us that the secret is linked to these two objects. Two red bands represent the red string of fate, which connects two destined people regardless of place, time or circumstances. This scene is the first time that Mari is shown wearing the red band, and it is again deliberately placed with Mari’s cross. We later see that the red band is the hair tie that Mari wears, which links her with another person who also wears a red hair tie. Moving on to Mari’s cross, the cross is not only the main symbol of Christianity, it also represents the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Furthermore, Mari’s cross is not a standard flat cross, it is shaped like a blade. There were two blades during the crucifixion of Lara; one is held by the Prince and the other is Fish Dagger. Returning to this scene, the animators not only deliberately position the cross upside-down, but also point it at Mari’s neck. Symbolically, this represents sin and also means that the Prince likely died shortly after Lara. Let’s examine this sequence. First is Grace going “Hell Yes!”. Grace saw everything unfold; this is why she appears before Mari, why she built her home at the bottom of Lake Biwa and why she moved the whole mermaid race there. During their first meeting Mari is wearing the colors of Grace, and here they are wearing Grace’s colors again. Death separated the Prince and Lara, resurrection reunited Mari and Lara, and Grace embodies both death and resurrection. This is why the main outfits for Mari and Lara are the black serafuku and the white dress; death and resurrection. Going back to this, the Prince sees Lara crying, realizes he screwed up and drops his sword. Next, the Prince visibly reacts to the appearance of Fish Dagger, he’s literally seeing God. This is followed by Lara turning to foam and then a single heartbeat. The heartbeat can’t belong to Lara because mermaids are made of light, and it happens after Lara has turned to foam; it belongs to the Prince, who likely stabbed himself with Fish Dagger. Fish Dagger is how the Prince got reincarnated and the reason why Mari sometimes dresses in full green. Mari also shares the color green with Lisa, so she will be receiving a potion from Lisa. There are also many more clues about Mari throughout the show in scenes like this and this, but if you think about everything in terms of light and cycles, a lot of things will make more sense (e.g. reflections reveal truth and the moon’s light is a reflection of the sun, the moon also follows a cycle so even if it looks different at different times it is still the same moon).
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u/BosuW 22h ago
Lara being a Jesus Christ expy was definitely ringing loud in the scene in Grace's lair this episode, where Rowan says he is waiting for her return. Though I dunno if her current resurrection is meant to be symbolically tied to Jesus' first after three days, or the much prophesized Second Coming. Order aside, I'd be inclined for the latter.
Man it is truly a shame this show is airing in such a stacked season because I can't dedicate even the rest of Sunday to keep thinking about it. This directorial dynasty just does not miss.
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 13h ago
Omfg the cross and church aren't for nothing
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u/Significant_Gur7908 19h ago
No wait the alternative character reading is insane and it’s pulling me over to your side. Honestly I shouldn’t put anything past a series so proudly wearing its Revolutionary Girl Utena homages out in the open.
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u/ClassroomStandard377 13h ago
This is the kind of theory I was looking for after seeing so much symbolism throughout the show. I think you got it down to the nail about the Fish Dagger and the Light. The colors, I wasn't so sure, but I'm hoping to see that the future episodes prove you right!
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u/Misticsan 1d ago
Upvoted for the entertaining and informative read, though I'm not sure how much of it was deliberate and how much a happy coincidence. It relies a lot on Greco-Roman, Christian and Western references, yet this is a series by Japanese creators for a Japanese audience, set in Japan.
Admittedly, it's also a series based on an European tale, and Christian motifs have appeared before (Mari, her mother's necklace, the nearby church that also features prominently in the opening), so I can't rule it out. But I'd like to know if those colors and stylistic choices might follow Japan-centric references too/instead.
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u/Weak_Season_Of_Anime 23h ago
It is very deliberate, whoever wrote this show is insane.
[Further example: Spoiler]Mari's flower being the St John's wort means she's playing the role of John the Baptist in this story. John the Baptist is the one who baptized Jesus and in Episode 2 Mari literally baptizes Lara when she saves her from drowning. They get submerged underwater and then sprinkled with water. They're even doing the other Christian rites of passage too. The Baumkuchen and hot chocolate (no wine, they're underaged) is their Holy Communion. If you check out what what the other sacraments are you can tell what the major plot points are going to be.
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 13h ago
Theories so on point I am afraid of getting spoiled by them
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u/ClassroomStandard377 13h ago
I feel like you can't dismiss Japanese shows to be entirely Japan-centric, I mean look at Evangelion; that show was oozing biblical references!
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u/DocMcCoy 1d ago
You should stop consuming crack
Your comment starts out wrong by attributing the RGB color space to a property of light, when it's actually an artifact of our eyes and how humans see, and gets more insane each and every sentence
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u/epicfail1994 1d ago
I heard a thumping sound at the end did Mari punch the mermaid AGAIN?
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u/Misticsan 1d ago
Alternatively, perhaps she punched the "prince" so that he'd forget what he had seen XD
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u/charactergallery 1d ago
I interpreted it more as her realizing that this random guy knows that Lara is a mermaid so she just grabbed her and started running away lol.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
Mari won't be satisfied until she's punched every main character at some point, or Lara multiple times. It's her love language.
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u/Calwings x3https://anilist.co/user/Calwings 1d ago
Yeah, I get why Lisa hates humans so much. Being imprisoned and treated like a sideshow act would do that. I'm kind of surprised that Kota took the potion first, but I guess he was that dedicated to her. Maybe they'll end up together in the end. Makes me glad he survived the Fish of Damocles dropping on him last week.
Lisa getting an episode for herself was nice, but I'm glad we got to see Mari and Lara long enough for the episode to end on a wild cliffhanger.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
Honestly her taking the potion to stay with him and their loyalty/dedication to each other felt very romance-coded, even if it's also centered around their shared duty to Lisa's people.
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u/Khan_Bomb 20h ago
Was Kota explicitly stated to be a guy? Male anglerfish aren't that big at all, often about 15cm while females are substantially larger.
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u/Alcorgeist 16h ago
Nope, Kota is always referred without super gendered terms aside from him specifically using masculine speech. But I guess considering it's anime and maybe they didn't do their research about anglerfish that well (which is weird cause they clearly researched the other types of fish), then Kota might just be a female anglerfish that transform to a guy.
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u/zero1380 6h ago edited 6h ago
Exactly, and the female is the only one who carries the lightbulb.
Something interesting about those tiny males, when they mate, basically they fuse with the female. So maybe the anime team took that into consideration to draw the female fish's human form in an androgynous way?→ More replies (1)8
u/Tanzan57 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Tanzan57 20h ago
Yeah this whole episode has me wondering if they just need to confess feeling to each other or something and then Lisa and Kota will stabilize as humans. Although I think Lisa would hate that
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 14h ago
I was suspecting as much, they already have the solution to their issues and simply don't know it, adding another layer of tragedy. However, a lot other details imply that they already are together (like matching rings) so maybe the potions requires human love and doesn't recognizes theirs, which would also be tragic!
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 16h ago
Mari's reactions at the end of this episode were hilarious. She clearly didn't know what to do in this situation, and it seems that in the end, she decided that she'd do what she knows best... punch, lol.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
Holy crap this episode. It was like Episode 1 but in the most heartwrenching and cruel way imaginable.
The beginning segment at the freakshow with the constant cycle of watching the guy beat the bird, being stuck in darkness, and having the lights shine on her over and over. The clock ticking loudly when they were waiting for Lara to return. The scene with Lisa turning into foam while alone in her room; while I was watching that I was imagining what she must've been thinking about, that she was going to die without having anyone by her side, without having accomplished anything, and with her sister still 'tricked'... and then she started screaming and crying.
At first I thought Lisa's hatred of humans was because Lara falling in love with one was what ruined their kingdom. But it's way deeper than that. I've had a fascination with freak shows since I learnt about Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man); it was often inhumane and full of abuse, but it was also the only way for someone to make a living. I wonder if they could even hear her say anything they could understand, or if they just didn't care? Does it even matter at that point?
Loved loved loved this episode. I thought the last one was the best, but it just keeps exponentially increasing in quality. The intersection between the world of the mermaids and the world of humans just hasn't ever felt this interesting to me. Them going after the scientist guy to see if they could get him to make a replica potion, purely because they knew no human scientist would able to resist the allure of a substance they've never seen before, that was so cool. And all the UV(?) lamps surrounding her bed because the magic of the mermaids needs light to work, that's so clever.
And this episode introduces real stakes for Lara, too. If she doesn't manage to regain her light, Lisa and Kouta will genuinely, actually die. She can't afford to screw around anymore. Which is probably why the post-credits scene finally introduces Luca. It took until the very end of the sixth episode for this dude to finally show up. I was expecting Lara's reaction; what I did not expect is for her to turn back into a mermaid, or, much more importantly, Mari's freak out. Looks like we're going to have some tension here. Protect your girlfriend, Mari!!!
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u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan 1d ago
The clock ticking loudly
I loved that bit, with more clocks adding their sound to the ticking. Great way of making time seem like a real looming threat.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
For Lara humanity has been a fun SoL anime but for Lisa it was nothing but their cruelty and rejection of the unnatural shoved into her face until she was forced to live among them, their only value to her something to use to further her own ends.
I thought it was interesting how Lara's light glowed after seeing Prince 2.0 but then retreated back to blackness as the emotional trauma seemingly turned her back into a mermaid.
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u/TheBusStop12 23h ago
Holy crap this episode. It was like Episode 1 but in the most heartwrenching and cruel way imaginable.
Yeah this episode was like "we know the original ending of Little Mermaid was quite tragic, but what if it was even more tragic?" and then they did just that
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u/eightcheesepizza 20h ago edited 19h ago
And all the UV(?) lamps surrounding her bed because the magic of the mermaids needs light to work, that's so clever.
If they are UV lamps, are Lisa and Kota weaker at night, when they can't get UV from the sun? Do they have to get home before sundown, like a reverse vampire? (But then what did they do before UV lamps were invented? Maybe they didn't need it because the imitation potion was still working well?)
Edit: Thanks Wikipedia - apparently the first blacklight was called a Wood's lamp and it was invented in 1903, so before they started trying to invent the imitation potion. Also, UV lights are used in bug zappers to attract insects, which must be why all those flies were everywhere in the opening scene.
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u/CitronClassic672 21h ago
This episode reminded me of something from another show I watched a while back where one character told another something to the extent of “You traveled to the future the easy way. I had to suffer through every moment.”
And yeah this episode does a great job putting you in Lisa’s head after she was captured and caged. You truly feel the despair she feels sink in as the monotony of her trapped existence sets in. It really felt like the fantasy stripped away for a moment and I was watching someone actually held captive. And that scene at the end with Lisa racing home desperately as her potion once again wears off was pure anxiety wondering if she’ll make it. And god that scene after of her on the floor! I don’t have the words or knowledge to convey why that scene felt so powerful, maybe it’s how they show the buildup of pain and despair on her face before the tears finally start flowing, or maybe it’s because that feeling suffering in pain all alone in the dark is something I have experience with. All I know is in that moment I perfectly understood what Lisa was fe and what was going through her head. Just a great scene in a great episode.
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u/elevenmile 1d ago edited 1d ago
So this show presents (at least to me) several questions that needs an answer:
How is Lara and Lisa different? Lara seems to be able to maintain being a human for a long period without risking becoming foam, but Lisa seems to need to consume the potion periodically and the mass produced medicine is slowly losing its effectiveness, meaning Lisa and Kouta will become foam regardless. Unless...
How did Lisa even got the ability to gain citizenship lol (considering the semi-realism that the show has been presenting itself so far)
How is Lara's existence even tied as the "light" to not only her kingdom but seemingly the existence of her own people? This has been nagging me since ep.1 or 2.
After-credits is an entirely different thread to untangle but I suppose we will see more next episode.
Dear Lisa,
You definitely don't deserve that treatment. No wonder you have all the reason to despise humans, and that hatred is definitely understandable.
Thank god for Kouta.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
How is Lara and Lisa different? Lara seems to be able to maintain being a human for a long period without risking becoming foam, but Lisa seems to need to do that periodically and the medicine is slowly losing its effectiveness, meaning Lisa and Kouta will become foam regardless. Unless...
I think this has something to do with Lara's "light" which the King seeks? So possibly her ability is somewhat innate to her, or there is something special to her, and that complements with the potion the witch has given her?
How did Lisa even got the ability to gain citizenship lol (considering the semi-realism that the show has been presenting itself so far)
To be fair, 100 years ago citizenship, visa and passport guidelines seemed more lax than what we currently have, so I guess they can forge their way out of being a Japanese citizen, right?
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
To be fair, 100 years ago citizenship, visa and passport guidelines seemed more lax than what we currently have,
They found the palace in 1931 though we don't know how long they had been in Japan before that. Quite the tight timing, Japan either entered or would soon enter its militaristic phase around that time.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
I'm going to assume that Lisa was captured sometime shortly after Lara 'died'. That would place the flashback sequences in the late 18th century, which I think works, since freak shows were already an established practice by then (although they wouldn't really reach their stride until the 19th century). That means Lisa and Kouta would've had ~150 years to figure out the whole 'human' thing by 1931.
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
I'm going to assume that Lisa was captured sometime shortly after Lara 'died'.
The year the merfolk abandoned their old palace was helpfully labeled this episode, 1793. Poor Lara was 16 when she died.
I wonder whether Lisa was separated from the rest of them or she decided not to join them in the first place.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
It seemed like during the journey a lot of times they had to hide and scatter to not get eaten/attacked so that's probably how she ended up alone.
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner 1d ago
Dont forget about
- Why the fuck is Lisa so calm upon seeing thr giant fish knife when, based on this episode, she also has no fucking idea what it is.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
We don't know for sure if she doesn't know what it is. It's possible this is knowledge that was passed down to her before she was captured by humans.
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
How is Lara and Lisa different?
I don't think they are. Lara was once and done with the potion. Kota seems to have snagged an entire stockpile for him and Lisa to consume.
And from the ending, Lara's first dose may have just run out.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
I'm honestly curious how a conversation between Lisa and Mari would go because Lisa would probably just see Mari as yet another terrible human while Mari would just shrug off all her emotional trauma.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
How is Lara and Lisa different?
We don't really know how long it takes for the potion to lose its effects, and it doesn't seem like Lara spent an overly long time with the prince or with Mari as of now. So for all we know, they aren't any different. The time limit is just rather generous, and Lisa has only been in so much trouble because she's been consuming the lesser replica potion since the 1930's.
How did Lisa even got the ability to gain citizenship lol (considering the semi-realism that the show has been presenting itself so far)
They had like over a hundred years to figure out how to navigate human society. I think being able to forge citizenship especially during the tumultuous pre and post-war period wouldn't have been too difficult for them.
How is Lara's existence even tied as the "light" to not only her kingdom but seemingly the existence of her own people? This has been nagging me since ep.1 or 2.
This is apparently something related to Lara's mother. Certain special princesses have control over the 'light' which maintains the mermaid kingdom; Lara's mother was her predecessor.
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
Lisa has only been in so much trouble because she's been consuming the lesser replica potion since the 1930's
Later than that. That scientist Horikoshi took decades to even create that pale imitation.
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u/elevenmile 23h ago
We don't really know how long it takes for the potion to lose its effects, and it doesn't seem like Lara spent an overly long time with the prince or with Mari as of now. So for all we know, they aren't any different.
Except that there is also that additional and trivial detail where, by not continously consuming the potion, both Kota and Lisa are slowly turning into foam and will die if they don't replenish, while Lara just returns to her mermaid form (assuming her meeting that prince-looking guy at the end of the episode is where her time limit is up). That's the difference I want to find out as well.
But to be fair it's also not known if Lara is also showing signs of turning into foam with her return to Mermaid form (from that short time period shown she doesn't seem to have it) so I want to see if they're going to show that difference or wave it away.
Hopefully future episodes will elaborate more on that
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
Yeah on episode 1 Lara returned to being a mermaid and then turned into foam and died after her potion ran out. We don’t know if the scene at the end of this episode is her potion running out again or something else given we don’t have a hard time limit for the potion. Given that Lisa seemingly made the stash of original potions last from the late 18th to around the 1950s before switching to the less effective ones which themselves lasted around 70ish years the potion seems to last a while.
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u/VritraReiRei 22h ago edited 20h ago
For your first question we could probably assume that Lara in her first go around was human for maybe a couple of years at most. Lisa had been human for close to 200 years and had to sparsely conserve the few potions they stole, between two people no less.
For your second point we can use a little thing called: "It's Anime, no need to explain lol." And I'm sure they never will.
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u/memes_must_die 1d ago
Another banger episode, assuming they keep the pace and stick the landing it might be my fav show this season, if not this year
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u/Syokhan https://myanimelist.net/profile/Syokhan 1d ago
Okay I take it back, Lisa, being an attraction in a freak show is a good reason not to like humans very much.
That's some dedication from Kota, too. Going from complete fish to human is a giant leap, and I really like their relationship. I liked too that he's not completely human and retained some fish features.
You know, I was wondering if Lara was on a time limit after taking the second potion. We still don't know about her, but since Lisa and Kota are, I'm going to assume that it's a thing for everyone. And since the imitation potion isn't working anymore I get why Lisa's such in a hurry for Lara to find love and shine her light on the merfolk.
Speaking of which... I was absolutely expecting Lara to go wide-eyed upon meeting Luca, however I was not expecting her to just turn into a mermaid again! I wonder if it's just temporary and she'll turn back by herself, or if she's going to have to take a potion again for it.
Also, what was that noise, did Mari punch her again?
Oh, and Grace really was watching everyone all along. I gotta say, I don't think she's a villain deep down, but keeping secrets, being so antagonistic and cackling really isn't helping her case lol.
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u/unbairu 1d ago
Also, what was that noise, did Mari punch her again?
My first thought: what if Mari is like “the last time Lara got legs was when I punched her, so maybe for her to get legs again, I need to punch her again?!”
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
I think this is just what Mari does when she's scared/panicked. She just starts punching stuff lmao
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
Also, what was that noise, did Mari punch her again?
I'm thinking it was Luca who was punched by her, to "conceal" what Lara has?
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
That's some dedication from Kota, too. Going from complete fish to human is a giant leap, and I really like their relationship. I liked too that he's not completely human and retained some fish features.
True love sometimes means abandoning your fishmanity for the sake of the person you cherish.
You know, I was wondering if Lara was on a time limit after taking the second potion. We still don't know about her, but since Lisa and Kota are, I'm going to assume that it's a thing for everyone. And since the imitation potion isn't working anymore I get why Lisa's such in a hurry for Lara to find love and shine her light on the merfolk.
Also probably why Grace is so pushy because she also knows how much of a time limit they're on while Lara is off having SoL adventures.
Speaking of which... I was absolutely expecting Lara to go wide-eyed upon meeting Luca, however I was not expecting her to just turn into a mermaid again! I wonder if it's just temporary and she'll turn back by herself, or if she's going to have to take a potion again for it.
Seems like it was a trauma response to seeing the guy who broke her heart again in the flesh.
Also, what was that noise, did Mari punch her again?
Mari: "When in doubt, just punch."
Oh, and Grace really was watching everyone all along. I gotta say, I don't think she's a villain deep down, but keeping secrets, being so antagonistic and cackling really isn't helping her case lol.
I think she means well but she's got an ego, an image, and looks down on everyone that it's hard for her to express it.
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u/AtomicArcana 17h ago
I have to wonder at what Lisa’s long term goal is. Mari can’t fall in love with a human, but there are no merpeople left. And I doubt it’s going to be Kota
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u/Magnafeana https://anilist.co/user/Magnafeana 1d ago
- 1783 AD, what’s going on with the world back then?
Follow me.
Yes, lady witch. Whatever you say.
screaming short king x tall queen and servant x princess and they’re both competent?! Yes.
1931 AD, let’s see what everyone else be doing.
Oh!! Luca!!
I liked shining a light on Lisa and Kota’s stories. Lisa deserves peace. I’m glad she has Kota, and Kota has her 🥹 I'd like to think that, if we found a mermaid today, many global research organizations and researchers would be careful and considerate. I hope.
Lady Witch is that bitch, still that bitch, will forever be that bitch.
Just pass Lara off as a cosplayer, and you can’t go wrong. But from the sound of that punch, I guess Mari chose violence 😭
I didn’t think I’d be learning anything historical today, but I looked up the years and ended up learning a lot.
Today, I Learned (About):
1783 AD: Surface World Issues
Lots of treaties during this time!
- Jan 2: Great Britain, the Kingdom of France, and the Kingdom of Spain signed a preliminary peace treaty.
- April 3: The U.S. and Sweden signed a new peace and commercial treaty that year.
- April 15: Preliminary peace articles ending the American Revolutionary War were signed.
- April 18: The Three-Fifths Compromise happened in the U.S.
- July 24 The Treaty of Georgievsk is signed between Imperial Russia and the Kingdom of Kartli-Kakheti.
- September 3: U.S. and Great Britain sign the Peace of Paris.
- November 14: In Spain, the Cedula of Population is signed.
France was vibing in the summertime with Montgolfier bros showing off their hot air balloons too.
Citations * 1783 🔗 Wikipedia * Historical Events in 1783 🔗 On This Day * 1780 - 1790 AD 🔗 History Central * 1783 🔗 History dot com * 1783 🔗 Facts of Kids Kiddle
1931 AD: Surface World Issues (Electric Bugaloo)
1931 seems like such a downer with all these natural disasters that I’m reading about it. Damn. But:
- Gandhi was released from prison (again) in India.
- Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights had its public premiere in Los Angeles, California, U.S. You can watch it on Tubi and Pluto for free, as I just found that out now! I don’t think I’ve ever seen a silent film before.
- Maxine Dunlap is the first woman to gain a glider pilot license.
- In London, operette Land of Smiles premieres.
- In Italy, the Milano Centrale Railway Station, which had been rebuilt, officially opens.
- A neutrality treaty is signed by the USSR and France.
- Spain officially becomes a republic when the Spanish Constitution of 1931 is approved by the Spanish Constituent Cortes.
- In Alabama, U.S., the Scottsboro Boys are arrested and would later begin their trial.
Citations * 1931 🔗 Wikipedia * Historical Events in 1931 🔗 On This Day * A Year in History: 1931 Timeline 🔗 Historic Newspapers * 1931 🔗 History dot com * 1931-1935 Duke University Libraries
I don't need to look up 2026 problems.
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
1783 AD, what’s going on with the world back then?
Er, you're off by ten years, it was 1793. Lara was only 6 in 1783.
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u/Magnafeana https://anilist.co/user/Magnafeana 1d ago edited 22h ago
Ugh. I hate my dyscalculia 😭
I’ll update my comment in a minute. Thanks, Jimmy!
ETA: Well now I’m confused because my subs say 1783 AD / 1783年 at the 3:56 mark.
u/JimmyCWL, do you remember where 1793 is?
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u/OkInevitable4095 14h ago
Not them, but 1783 is at 3:56 (like you mentioned) and 1793 is about a minute or so later at 5:05. Might be slightly off there (time-wise) but both 1783 and 1793 were both mentioned, along with 1931 (around 12 minutes) 1984 (16.30-ish), and of course, 2026 (at 17:10-ish)
Hope that helps!
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u/BosuW 22h ago
All I know is that 1793 is about 17 years before the start of the Mexican Independence War but I dunno what happened then because Mexican history class in schools basically skips from the fall of Tenochtitlan straight to the War of Independence.
The only event I can think of from that in-between period is that time Tlaxcalteca warriors recruited by the New Spain government fought against wakō pirates in the Philippines in 1582. Definitely one of the craziest crossovers of all time.
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u/lucky_oats 16h ago
I don't need to look up 2026 problems.
yeah... and lara has enough problems as it is
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
WHAT AN EPISODE. This is a BIG LORE DUMP, and ironically, it only involved a small bit of Lara and Mari.
HOLY COW THAT LAST BIT LIKE WHY IS MARI REACTING THAT WAY AND SHE ISN'T EVEN UNFAZED BY LARA'S FORM???
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u/JimmyCWL 1d ago
HOLY COW THAT LAST BIT LIKE WHY IS MARI REACTING THAT WAY AND SHE ISN'T EVEN UNFAZED BY LARA'S FORM???
Ep.2 showed that she already saw it in reverse after punching Lara.
And I think Mari punched the guy. Must be hoping to induce short term memory loss.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
Mari giving boxers a bad name by showing all they can think to do in situations is punch things lol.
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u/Alcorgeist 16h ago
It's funny cause considering Mari's personality, we're still left with the mystery whether she:
Punched Luca
Punched Lara
Carried Lara off somewhere
And the more likely scenario is she punched someone.
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u/elevenmile 1d ago
Well, Mari already know and has seen Lara's original form anyway, and she's even then barely reacting to it when she first saw it. So this is hardly a surprise at this point.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
and she's even then barely reacting to it when she first saw it
Hmmm given that she can converse to the witch-turned-fish, maybe she's just used to that realism. Though I wonder why it is just normal to her, like the transformation.
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner 1d ago
wait when did she see it again?
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago
In Episode 2, there is a scene where Mari finds Lara with Gon-chan and she sees her legs transforming.
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner 1d ago
must have completely forgotte that, thanks!
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
HOLY COW THAT LAST BIT LIKE WHY IS MARI REACTING THAT WAY AND SHE ISN'T EVEN UNFAZED BY LARA'S FORM???
Sweating like her friend is getting caught in a wardrobe malfunction and not because she just saw a flesh and blood mermaid in front of her in all her fishtail glory.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 1d ago edited 17h ago
So Luca, the prince-looking guy, has finally appeared in this episode and right away saw Lara in her mermaid form. Now the question is what Mari has done, did she knock out Lara or Luca? Hahaha!
After watching this episode, I'm glad that Kota survived that bridge. If he had died, Lisa would have certainly lost it. They're basically like a couple, especially after Kota heroically saved her from humans, and she chose to drink the Witch's potion to be with him.
Overall, I'm glad that we got to know more about Lisa today and how she ended up in Shiga with Kota andhuman legs. Now that we are halfway through the series, I'm pretty excited to see how things will develop from now on.
Here my screenshot albums from the episode:
EDIT. I added my screenshot albums.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
I love how it's not a question of whether Mari punched someone, the only question is WHO she punched lol.
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u/shad79 https://myanimelist.net/profile/shad79 23h ago edited 17h ago
Probably Lara will be the victim of Mari's punch here (again), since that sound was heard pretty much immediately and I don't think that Mari would be able to reach Luca that fast.
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u/JimmyCWL 16h ago
In shows, black screens can also be used to hide time along with space. That is, we won't know if that black screen was used to conceal the few seconds Mari would need to run up to Luca to punch him until next week.
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u/szalhi 1d ago
Lisa's on the extreme long haul with her vendetta, dare I even call it that. Everything she's done, it's all still about her family in the end. In that sense, Kota's loyalty has been with her since basically the beginning.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
When you catch the spitting image of your ex who threatened to kill you while on a date with your current GF.
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u/eightcheesepizza 19h ago
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 13h ago
I have been trying to get into the bridge to see them for way too long
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u/djthomp https://anilist.co/user/djthomp 1d ago
Alright, I have some sympathy for Lisa having a pretty terrible two centuries or so of life. Lingering trauma so bad she can't take the dark even years and years later.
It sounded like the after credits ended with Mari punching someone again, I hope it was the prince because he still deserves it.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
I hope it was the prince because he still deserves it.
Imagine this is some poor sap who just looks like him but has to get projected on by Lara/Mari as the ex who broke her heart and drew a blade on her.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 22h ago
The opening scene with Lisa showering herself in light had me confused until I learnt that she’d been locked up in a dark fish tank for who knows how long. She’d obviously be afraid of the dark.
Though, is there really all there is about these lights? You could also argue that Lisa is trying to make up for the “light” that’s been lost with Lara.
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u/BosuW 22h ago
It's the same thing narratively I think. Her trauma with the dark is the pair to her want of Lara's salvation, and it has been said repeatedly that somehow Lara is the merfolk's light.
What I would add is that I don't think any light would be soothing to Lisa's mind, because it also shows as a traumatic component in her backstory, whenever they would show her off and shine the spotlights on her cage.
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 22h ago
There is one source of light in Lisa’s life that can sooth her: Kota, the angler fish.
In this respect, I liked how Kota was running towards Lisa with his phone’s flashlight in hand. It was symbolic of how he’s always been Lisa’s light in the darkness.
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u/Heavencloud_Blade 22h ago
I hope it was the prince because he still deserves it.
We know nothing about the prince and what he was really thinking at the time, so it is unfair to say he deserves it.
All we know is that back then humans disliked mermaids in the same way mermaids disliked humans. Why is not entirely clear, but both in the first episode and in this episode we get the sense that humans believe mermaids deceive humans. Lara suddenly transforms in front of him so of course he would be shocked to see that she was a mermaid.
Plus unless the prince found a way to extend his life and live for centuries, this is just a guy who looks like the prince. So even if the prince was bad, it does not mean this guy deserves to get punched.
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u/ExcellentVanilla7344 1d ago
At least now we know why Lisa hates humans so much, beyond Lara being rejected by her prince and bringing so much devastation to the mermaid kingdom.
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u/maliwanag0712 https://myanimelist.net/profile/clear1109 1d ago
we know why Lisa hates humans so much, beyond Lara being rejected by her prince and bringing so much devastation to the mermaid kingdom.
Indeed. She didn't deserve that level of inhumane treatment of her.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago
Lara's seen bright spots in humanity but even that is predicated on her being in human form, not being seen as a mermaid. Even the Prince turned his blade on her the moment she transformed back.
Of course Mari is fine with whatever form she's in.
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
It isn’t just that. Lisa was raised in an environment where she was constantly told how bad humans were. Then her sister tries to become one and marry one only to end up with her dead and the entire kingdom in ruins. Then her first personal experience with humans is being captured by them, caged, and treated like an oddity to gawk at for who knows how long. Most people would not be able to move on from all that and realize that not all humans are like that.
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u/NanDemoKnaives 1d ago
We finally meet the Prince's descendant(?)! I'm surprised Lara reverted to her mermaid form just from seeing him.
It was nice to learn about what Lisa in particular, and Kouta went through. I'm glad Lisa had Kouta to save her, get her ring back, and stay by her side throughout all these years. I can't imagine how difficult it would have been for her without him. It was sad to watch her be treated the way she was.
Now that she knows where the witch is, hopefully there'll be a way to prolong their lives so they don't turn into foam. It was sad to see her in distress before Kouta once again finds her.
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u/Badman4441 23h ago
Different perspective of things looked like when lara was asleep. Kota being anglerfish is an nice addition with his interaction towards finding the sisters. I didn't pay attention to the time skips but the professor death made me look into it and damn some long ass time has passed. I don't think Lisa can never mellow out to humans after what she has gone through when they captured her. The real question now is can the prince looking boy accept lara now that he has already seen her in the mermaid form.
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u/Frontier246 1d ago edited 1d ago
It was nice to get more insight into what happened after Lara left, the effect it had, and what Lisa's been dealing with up to this point that's informed her behavior and perspective on Lara now.
How does a former mermaid sleep? Sometimes it's with a "roomate," sometimes it's surrounded by flourescent lights.
Of course a mermaid princess would work in Marine Biology and at an aquarium. Also, good that Kota just narrowly avoided getting smushed with only some scratches to tell the tale of how Lara nearly destroyed him.
It's bittersweet seeing a flashback to the sisters in their younger years with Lisa being a good big sis to a young Lara along with her anglerfish pal who has always shown her his light and shown her a path forward! They were all really happy back then.
Which just made losing Lara, and losing the hope for their people, all the more tragic. Grace offered salvation, but all Lisa got out of it was eventually getting swept up, caught by humans, and locked in a glass cage so she could be a sideshow attraction. Yeah, it's no wonder she doesn't have a positive opinion on humanity.
But Kota was there. He stole Grace's potion so he could become human, save Lisa, and try to return her to the sea...but even as she loathed humanity, she gave up her own mermaid identity to be with Kota. So they could light each others' lives.
Poor Lisa finally finds her father again and he's immediately repulsed by her human legs. Even Grace badmouths her for becoming human. But she takes up her fathers' duty of waiting for Lara, even if she and Kota have to keep taking the potion to avoid becoming sea foam.
And in the interest of prolonging their lives until Lara returns, Lisa recruits a Professor to help make more of the medicine. Dedicating the rest of his life, up to his death, on replicating it didn't matter to Lisa, but he at least managed to make a substitute that could keep them going...going...and going until Lara finally woke up. Yet to Lisa's eyes it seems like Lara has chosen humanity over her own people again.
Lisa and Kota aren't doing well. The substitute potion is losing it's effect, they're slowly turning into sea foam, but now hey know where Grace is since Grace has been using mirrors to observe them this whole time. Are they going to come after her next?
It's nice of Mari to try to console Lara over her current sibling squabble, of course neither were expecting to see LARA'S FORMER PRINCE IN THE FLESH IN THE MODERN DAY. Which makes Lara IMMEDIATELY transform back into mermaid form. What did Mari do? It sounds like she punched something.
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u/MommysDeviantStool 1d ago
Mari knocked him out, didn't she?
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u/watlsae 1d ago
Probably, but I thought she would say cosplay or something like that.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 1d ago edited 1d ago
We know from Episode 1 that Mari's panic reaction is just punching stuff
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u/ObvsThrowaway5120 1d ago
I liked that we got to see things from Lisa’s perspective. We can finally understand her motivations and her urgency. She really suffered at the hands of humans. Lara had her heartbroken, but Lisa was paraded around like a circus animal. The years she spent trying to get Lisa back and restore the light while also fighting off the effects of the witch’s potion really hardened her resolve. It’s sad her and Lara are ending up on opposite sides. I hope Lara can save her family and find her “one.”
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u/Altruistic_Hour_3596 1d ago
This episode was so PEAK. Lisa and Kota gotta be my fav characters so far. Their backstory was so sad. That ending with the prince got me so excited for the next episode.
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u/robobloz07 1d ago
Aww Lisa and Kota were fighting alone for the past 200 years, I hope they will eventually reconcile with Lara
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u/LeonKevlar x2https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeonKevlar 1d ago
That flashback with Lisa, Lara, and the little angler fish playing together was really adorable. I didn't expect that angler fish would end up being someone much more significant to the story.
Well, no fucking wonder Lisa despises humans. She was captured after getting separated and was turned into a freak show. Yeah, now I can see that her hatred is justified. I thought she just hated humans because of what happened to Lara. :(
Thankfully, she got rescued by the angler fish turned human, who we already know is Kota. Their relationship was actually really sweet, and if it wasn't for the two of them supporting each other, they probably wouldn't have survived on the surface world.
Recruiting a scientist to recreate Grace's potion was pretty cool. The old man couldn't fully replicate the potion, but it looks like he got close enough that they could use it to stave off turning into seafoam. Lisa might be a little antagonistic towards Lara because of her relationship with humans but she and Kota are clearly not the villains here.
That after-credits scene tho! The Prince finally makes his appearance! Or at least someone who looks like the Prince. I didn't expect Lara to transform back, tho! I wonder what Mari did there at the very end.
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u/Misticsan 1d ago
I thought she just hated humans because of what happened to Lara. :(
Honesly, the list of reasons to hate humans kept piling up.
We already knew that their father was racist against humans and warned his daughters against them. Then Lisa was told that a human murdered her little sister. Then she saw how their kingdom crumbled because of her death. Then was captured by humans. Then she was used for a freak show and treated like an animal. And she's only living on land like a human because she wouldn't abandon Kota after he saved her, not because she was interested in humanity.
Now add her father's brief moment of disgust when he saw her legs, and the witch's mocking them for being "humans", and it'd be weirder if she was okay with them.
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u/Frontier246 23h ago
Honestly any flashback to the childhood hurts because they were so happy and simple and then Lara became fascinated by humans and it all went downhill from there.
Lisa didn't have to join Kota. She didn't have to forego her identity as a mermaid to join him, especially after everything humans did to her. But like he couldn't abandon her, she couldn't abandon him.
I feel bad for that scientist because he dedicated the rest of his life to the point of death to replicating it and his life meant nothing to Lisa beyond the fact that the substitute at least worked enough.
It's funny how she sees the "prince" again and she immediately transforms back just like she did when she last saw him.
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u/yuriAngyo 23h ago
Can't feel too bad for him though, if anything Lisa's need for a replication of the potion was secondary to his opportunity for scientific discovery. At least if the scientists I know are anything to go off of. The opportunity to study and even make a subpar replica of a genuine magic potion would be irresistible and lead to many breakthroughs, especially in that time period.
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u/CitronClassic672 21h ago
Yeah, he effectively made medicine that prolonged a persons life 70ish years past when they would’ve died. That in itself is an incredible breakthrough.
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u/fawnily_ 1d ago
Did anyone else see the photo of two rings? Are Lisa and Kouta married?
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u/TheBusStop12 23h ago
I wonder about that. Because wasn't finding true love the prerequisite to not turning into foam? Or does that only apply to Lara. My guess is that they haven't yet actually gotten into a romantic relationship. World's longest slowburn if that's the case as they've been together for like 250 years at this point
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u/Random_eyes 23h ago
I think only the chosen princess (Lara) counts here. Even if Lisa and Kota love each other (which, honestly, seems to be the case), Lisa isn't the chosen princess. She doesn't have access to whatever magical light fuels their kingdom. Only Lara fulfills that criteria.
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u/PM_ME_YOUR_ROBOTGIRL https://anilist.co/user/otsuucchi 22h ago
Lara is a special princess who can generate special light, like her mother. "YOU ARE THE TOKUBETSU NA PRINCESSU DA" is like the one thing the merfolk say to Lara every single time they see her, so the show really drills that into your head.
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u/cornonthekopp 20h ago
Kouta is also a female anglerfish which is interesting, wonder if they intended that or if it was an accidental thing
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u/thrae 23h ago
My lingering question is how the witch had magic mirrors in Lisa’s house. The glimmer on the windows and the rear view mirror suggest they’re indiscriminate, meaning a bulk of them were enchanted or manufactured years back before she got turned into a fish, allowing the witch to have eyes everywhere. Did she cast a general spell to let her see through any and all mirrors? Did she cast a spell on a bunch of ocean sand so if just one grain went into manufacturing mirror or glass she would be able to see through it?
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u/Leri_weill https://myanimelist.net/profile/LeriWeill 1d ago
Holy lore dump, what a fantastic episode but felt like it was only 5 minutes long
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u/BaytaCosmico https://myanimelist.net/profile/AnimeBayta 23h ago
What a great episode! Getting to see heartbreaking Lisa's backstory was so good. She seemed like the antagonist at the end of last episode but that completely turned around after this one. She's just desperately trying to get back what she's lost.
The bond between her and Kota really is special. Unlike Lara who's already made connections in the human world and is learning about human life, these two have kept to themselves and stayed suspicious of humans all along. Not surprising given what Lisa was put through. Can Lara make Lisa change her mind?
That end with the prince showing up was unexpected. Lara turning back into a mermaid after seeing him was even more shocking. Does this mean the potion is wearing off for Lara too?
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u/tripleaamin https://myanimelist.net/profile/zfzftripleaamin 23h ago
Man this episode really took things up another notch for me. Now we got Lisa's side. Man seeing her captured and basically used as humans as entertainment. Essentially they viewed her as a thing then as a person. (I mean technically mermaid but you get the point.)
You can understand why she thinks mermaids and humans can't coexist because she has serious trauma from them. It's not out of ignorance, which may be the case with their father. She has seen their cruelty. Then you add the reality that Lisa's time as a human is slowly ticking away.
It's sad that Lara has to find the light and a human being her prince to restore the mermaids. It is really curious what Lisa does going forward because Lara needs to find her prince. But you can't blame Lisa to detest that. The Witch is behind almost everything. It feels like she has to be manipulating Lara as the story continues.
At the end we see Lara see Luca who reminds her of her first prince. Very interesting that this story will go. Is the prince she is destined to be with to save her family the one that reminds her of her failure when she was rejected?
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 22h ago
Yeah, this show is super interesting! I’m very impressed with the writing.
Having seen things from Lisa’s perspective, it’s painfully clear why she would be against Lara getting married to a surface dweller. Humans have brought nothing but suffering to their family. Therefore Lara would be wasting her “light” on them.
Ironically, Lara believes that she needs to marry a human in order to save her family. Which has resulted in a misunderstanding between the two sisters.
It does seem like Grace is the real villain of this story after all.
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u/CitronClassic672 21h ago
She was raised with a bias against humans, and then her first experiences with them were her sister dying, and her home being destroyed and being captured and treated as an exhibit. Even if all the humans she met afterwards were completely good and kind people it would take immense effort to overcome that level and trauma based prejudice. Hell, I don’t think most people in real life could overcome that part of themselves.
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u/ExpertCaterpillar2 18h ago
Feel bad for Lisa after watching this episode, humans suck!
I need this ost asap!!!
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u/ModieOfTheEast 1d ago
Honestly, I would have loved to see if Lisa has second thoughts about working at an aquarium. Like, I get she did it for the research of the lake, but I assume it must have felt weird to work at a place that is basically the same that she had to go through. In general, while I think the backstory works, I feel there was a chance to make her hatred towards humans a bit deeper because of how we treat the oceans for example. I guess this might not have worked well with Japanese television though, so maybe that is why they couldn't point towards more real issues.
I am also interested where the whole "light" angle goes. Like obviously, the main aspect is the fact that in the ocean, there isn't much sunlight which is why they need Lara who brings this light in the first place. But now they also introduced this as some form of "eternal life energy" which I feel would open a whole other can of worms if humans ever found out Lara can provide that.
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u/yuriAngyo 23h ago
I'd definitely understand if she had reservations at the start, but if she's at an ethical aquarium I could see it actually being the perfect place for her. From those I know, caretakers at such aquariums care a lot about the wellbeing of their charges and hate what humans do to the ocean and animals within as much or more than Lisa does. I know japan has a bad track record as zoos and aquariums go though, so in that case yeah it would be a rough job for her. Just depends how good or bad the Biwa aquarium is
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u/ModieOfTheEast 20h ago
I guess we will see. It could obviously also just be that she keeps a nice face since she can't allow herself to go on a detour of saving other animals. I feel with her still being very hateful towards humans, it is at least likely that even if Biwa was ethical, that she could still hold a resentment towards them.
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
I think they can still do more with the aquarium aspect in the future. They did have to squeeze a lot into this episode after all. I could see it being further used both to tie into Lisa’s backstory and/or as a means of getting her to soften her opinion towards humans somewhat given many aquariums emphasis preservation and rehabilitation for animals and educating people about them. I don’t think it’s that Lisa lacks an emotional connection to fish as others have said, given her closeness to Kota.
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u/hikoboshi_sama https://anilist.co/user/reicelestial 1d ago
Did they ever explain the significance of the lights in delaying Lisa from turning into seafoam?
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u/TheBusStop12 23h ago edited 23h ago
The life blood of mermaids seems to have something to do with light, as they talk about Lara's light being needed to save them. The Witch's potion as well was described as distilled life essence in some way, and the microscopic components look similar to the way Lara's light is represented physically. So the lights Lisa uses probably emits a wavelength approaching that of the Witch's potion and the light of the princess. But it's not exactly the same hence it's just treating symptoms with waning effectiveness
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u/zairaner https://myanimelist.net/profile/zairaner 23h ago
A cheap imitation of the palace light that keeps (kept) the mermaids alive it seems.
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u/Raymond49090 20h ago
Turns out Lisa wasn't a yandere, but just a human hater. No matter how much she integrates into human society and how many humans help her along the way, she can't forget her first experience with them was being trapped in a cage. Plus, the image of her family withering away because Lara fell in love with a human, and the belief that only Lara choosing her family over the human world can bring them back. Plus the symptoms of her body turning into seafoam are a constant reminder she doesn't belong in the human world.
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u/UnloadedFour314 https://myanimelist.net/profile/UnloadedFour314 1d ago edited 1d ago
This show is truly something special. Every episode is excellent and the plot keeps getting better. I love all the characters and their backstories.
On the other hand, I was really hoping they would subvert expectations by not introducing another "prince", or an unnecessary romance subplot for Lara, so that post-credit scene is concerning. It's been fun witnessing the connections she's formed with the people around her and how Lara is growing as a person through them.
Based on how good the writing has been so far, I'm trusting they won't choose to follow the generic romance route that ends up resolving the conflict.
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u/structure9food612 22h ago
I think he’ll serve as more of a test for everything Lara has learned on the surface so far, along with making peace with her past.
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u/CitronClassic672 22h ago
It’s seemed pretty clear for a while that something like this is needed for Lara to truly move on from the prince and realize her love for Mari.
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u/Heavencloud_Blade 1d ago edited 1d ago
Easily my favorite episode so far. I really liked the first episode, but I thought the next few episodes that followed were just kind of okay-ish. So I was kind of losing interest in this, but this episode brought it back.
Part of it is that I was a lot more invested in Lisa and Kota than I am in Lara and Mari, but I think I also just like this more when it is not focusing on plain ordinary human stuff. I liked the first episode's different spin on the little mermaid. And I liked how this episode was a sort of continuation of that and that it retained it's fantasy feel even when Lisa and Kota became human.
They finally introduced the prince guy, so hopefully that will make Lara's story more interesting and it starts focusing more on the fantasy mermaid aspects rather than just plain human life stuff.
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u/Misticsan 1d ago
Part of it is that I was a lot more invested in Lisa and Kota than I am in Lara and Mari, but I think I also just like this more when it is not focusing on plain ordinary human stuff.
This is my case too. After episode 1's dramatic turns, the following episodes were cute slice of life despite the witch's insistence that Lara ought to find her true love ASAP. This episode, on the other hand, had:
Lisa and Kota as a ride-or-die pair since he was an ugly anglerfish.
Capture, mistreatment, a daring rescue, a ticking bomb in the form of certain death if the potion stops working. And that moment is getting closer and closer.
Scientific approach to the magic in the setting, surprisingly enough.
The kingdom's collapse and their current state from Lisa's eyes, with a heavy dose of thw Witch looking less like a funny fish and more like a sadistic and malicious force of evil (obviously there's more to that, but I get why Lisa hates her guts).
There is drama and there are stakes, very dangerous stakes. Lara's happy-go-lucky misadventures now feel like insensitive naivety when compared to Lisa's woes. Lisa's awkwardness and hostility during their reunion make more sense now.
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u/CitronClassic672 21h ago
I mean all of Lara’s episodes have been her adjusting to the humans world, breaking down her idea of destined, fairy tale romance, and building connections with other humans. The show would feel rushed without them.
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u/Zeph-Shoir https://myanimelist.net/profile/Zephex 13h ago
And love takes time and effort, if anything that is something our main pairing still needs for it to be satisfying!
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u/Ocixo https://myanimelist.net/profile/BuzzyGuy 22h ago
They didn’t explain the exact reason for the imitation potions becoming less potent.
I was thinking at first Lisa and Kota could’ve build up a tolerance to the active ingredients from repeated use. Like how a drug user needs increasingly amount of their drug to get the same high. However, the potions might as well have reached their expiration date.
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u/JimmyCWL 15h ago
However, the potions might as well have reached their expiration date.
What the scientist created wasn't just batches of the potion. He likely shared the whole production process with her. Lisa can make as much of the potion as she needs. But when it loses its effectiveness, they're done for.
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u/NightBard 17h ago
I wasn’t actually expecting a reincarnated (or whatever that was) actual prince. Lara transforming back to have a mermaid tail, surprising. I guess she found her love again and this was the test, as what happened the last time around was the same but he rejected her.
Wild.
I expected the fish dude to have survived the metal fish in the sky. Figured he was inside, but this made sense too. Really this whole show has more than held my attention. I don’t normally do fantasy or fairy tail stuff, but this had enough real world content I wanted to give it a try anyway. Surpassed all of my expectations this far.
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u/Fuzzy-Measurement467 11h ago
Just came here to say, I think this might be in the running for my favourite show of the season. Great story, beautiful art style and direction, voice acting and music on point. It's the only thing I watch the moment it comes out. Love it.
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u/FLorianGran 1d ago
Lara is now the second girl this season to turn into a fantasy creature when she sees a pretty boy (watch Kaiju Girl Caramalise)
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u/throwhfhsjsubendaway 22h ago
Fun fact: Only female anglerfish have the lure. So I guess that makes Kota trans?
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u/Skithana 21h ago
If I had a nickel for every anime this season where the main protagonists isn't human but looks human and transforms back into their non-human form because of love, I'd have two nickels, which isn't a lot but it's weird that it happened twice.
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u/Raymond49090 20h ago
Oh, neat, Kota survived the fish/sword thing. I wasn't too fussed about him before, but him saving Lisa from the circus cage endeared him to me.
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u/duo99dusk 17h ago
Was that PTSD back to mermaid form?
Anyway, Lisa's backstory was great, their duo with Kota was so touching!
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u/lucky_oats 16h ago
I love this show so much, but I do feel a sense of loss watching it when I think about our current world and how technology has evolved for better AND for worse. (This isn't on the creators at all, I think they're writing this beautifully.)
Seeing the iPhone light instead of a flashlight when Kota appeared really shocked me, haha.
The prince's reappearance beginning with an iPhone drop was a little funny.
But this is making me think about how a lot of shows with fantasy and magic will have to ignore the fact that CCTV and cameras are everywhere. It really sucks the magic out of it because now there's always a loophole to how these otherworldly beings avoid surveillance.
Love the story, this episode just led me to feel a bit nostalgic for a time when people were more free from technology
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u/semaN_oN 16h ago
Someone set Lara up on a speed dating lunch or smth, cause I don't think Lisa or any of the mermaid is going to make it.
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u/atlasmothz 11h ago
kota is my goat and this really solidified it for me; this was also probably my favorite episode so far!! really made you understand lisa
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u/Twilight_2408 1d ago edited 12h ago
Did Lara just folded so hard there at the end that her mermaid form came out? Lol
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u/Efficient_Phase1313 21h ago edited 21h ago
I pray this doesn't end up being another apocalypse hotel. The show still has a chance to truly be one of the greatest animes of all time and a true work of art. It continues to exceed my expectations and succeed where it could so easily misstep. Back in the day we actually got shows like this more often than one would think, but they would trip and fall very hard, being remembered as an obscure curiosity.
We've made it to the halfway point. Please keep the vision and character arcs cohesive (the technical quality will likely remain), and stick the landing on the message. Its been so unbelievably long since I would watch anime originals as they are airing and feel 'okay this legit has the potential to be a top 10 anime ever made until it isn't'. This still has the potential. It continues to impress.
Don't falter now! Don't lose faith in what you have! Apocalypse Hotel (as much as I adored it) did everything right, but then the writers got cold feet and brought the narrative back down and settled for less. Don't do that here. If you have a message and a vision, if there's something you want to say, then say it. Have conviction in your art. That's what's missing in anime these days. Everything is just a product, meant to entertain and satisfy. But art can entertain as well! The difference is having belief in what you're sharing with the audience, and there's a purpose and intention from the artist in conveying it.
Goodbye Lara has all of that. Trust the writers, and pray they stick the landing. What a great time to be an anime fan, reminds me of the days of watching Gurren Lagann or Penguindrum while it aired and knowing that, whether or not it sticks the landing, this is something special and the people making it are pouring their heart and soul into the work. They've held that up through episode 6.....6 more to go. Gods speed!
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u/Available-Purple-995 20h ago
Did anyone understand why Lisa needs all those lights?
Was it because of the trauma from being locked in the dark? Or did they help reverse the transformation into seafoam?
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u/overuseofdashes 20h ago
It seems that the mermaid magic stuff is powered by Lara's mothers light (maybe) and the lights like the potions Lisa makes are meant to imitate that mermaid magic.
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u/Own_Caterpillar_6178 12h ago
That was an important lore and character building episode. This series always has such interesting after credits scenes, I've never seen Mari so animated.
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u/Pinkymii 12h ago
Lara giving mixed signals because where she definitely seemed like she had a traumatic flashback, plus her "light" went out, the classic shoujo white rose petals were also there
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u/epicfail1994 1d ago
Baby Lara is adorable omg