{"id":7047354,"date":"2026-08-25T13:31:47","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:31:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/anime\/summer-2026-impressions-sayonara-lara-polar-opposites-s2-young-ladies-dont-play-fighting-games\/"},"modified":"2026-08-25T13:31:47","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T13:31:47","slug":"summer-2026-impressions-sayonara-lara-polar-opposites-s2-young-ladies-dont-play-fighting-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7047354","title":{"rendered":"Summer 2026 Impressions: Sayonara Lara, Polar Opposites S2, Young Ladies Don’t Play Fighting Games"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Sayonara Lara<\/h2>\n
\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\"\"<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n
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Short Synopsis:<\/b> A little mermaid trades everything \u2013 and eventually loses everything \u2013 for her wish to be loved by a human.<\/p>\n

Mario:<\/b><\/span> Sayonara Lara might be the most well-known \u201coriginal\u201d show this season, but it tells a story that the majority of us are familiar with. Yes, it\u2019s a retelling of The Little Mermaid by Andersen, and this first episode mostly follows that storyline. Lara gains her wish to live with a human and loses her voice, in the end turning into sea foam. I love basically every element here: the artstyle is a perfect mix between western and eastern influences, the animation is lovely, and even with tragedy at its core, there are moments that can make you chuckle (such as the early scenes where Lara chomps down a fish). Kinema Citrus\u2019s most well-known work is Made in Abyss, but I prefer the visual absurdity of Revue Starlight much better (if you\u2019ve never seen it, imagine a talking giraffe on a stage), and I am glad that Sayonara Lara falls in the latter camp. The twist right at the end, where she again surfaces in the modern day Japan, is what makes me nervous though. Now that we\u2019re leaving such an enchanting underwater world and getting away from the pages of the original Little Mermaid tale, how will the show proceed? Honestly, I\u2019m not too keen on the updated setting but if this first episode is any indication, maybe I should just trust the process.
Potential:<\/b> 85%<\/p>\n

You and I Are Polar Opposites S2<\/h2>\n
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Short Synopsis:<\/b> Suzuki and Tani celebrate their first Christmas together, both with their friends and as a couple.<\/p>\n

Wooper:<\/b><\/span> Seihantai na Kimi to Boku is back like it never left, because even if it was off the air for three months, it likely never exited production. The show is just as silly, just as heartwarming, and just as interrogative of teenage social dynamics as ever, and that last trait played a big role in this episode. Azuma\u2019s extroversion puts her on a different page from not only her friends, but her peers as a whole, and despite the case she makes for overt friendliness, it doesn\u2019t seem to work out for her \u2013 that is, until her neighborhood buddy Taira convinces himself to walk home with her rather than find an excuse not to. I don\u2019t always understand the nuances of the Azuma-related stories in this show, because they speak to Japanese social norms in a way that its subtitles don\u2019t seem equipped for, but I usually enjoy watching along to see what I can learn, and this episode was no different. The actual main attraction, though, was Suzuki and Tani\u2019s first Christmas as an item, made awkward by some interrupted kisses but still successful on the whole. Suzuki\u2019s sentiment that clearly communicated mutual affection is more important than physical intimacy is lovely to see in a show about high schoolers \u2013 if only more series (not just anime) operated the same way!
Potential:<\/b> 75%<\/p>\n

Young Ladies Don\u2019t
Play Fighting Games<\/h2>\n
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Short Synopsis:<\/b> Students at an all-girls academy share a love for fighting games, despite their school\u2019s ban on video games.<\/p>\n

Mario:<\/b><\/span> Young Ladies\u2019 biggest downfall lies in the timing of its release, as I can name two other shows that not only handle this type of story better, but also came out earlier. The first one is Rock wa Lady no Tashiname Deshite, which basically shares the same storyline with this show. Both feature students at a prestigious all-girls academy where the girls have to behave in ladylike fashion, but also secretly defy those expectations. Young Ladies doesn\u2019t shy away from portraying these girls going crazy for fighting games \u2013 but even then, Rock wa Lady is much more memorable in that aspect, as playing rock music integrates itself much better as a rebellious act than playing video games. And when it comes to the love of fighting \/ arcade games, this one can never surpass Hi Score Girl, which set the standard nearly a decade ago at this point. The 3D game scenes look neat but they feel so far removed from the rest of the episode, and so far, neither of the lead girls impress me that much. This is a skip for me.
Potential:<\/b> 10%<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sayonara Lara Short Synopsis: A little mermaid trades everything \u2013 and eventually loses everything \u2013 for her wish to be loved by a human. Mario: Sayonara Lara might be the most well-known \u201coriginal\u201d show this season, but it tells a story that the majority of us are familiar with. Yes, it\u2019s a retelling of The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7047355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12036],"tags":[4629,19395,1234,14982,1153,54259,15900,944,2123,209946,539,4961],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7047354","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anime","tag-dont","tag-fighting","tag-games","tag-impressions","tag-ladies","tag-lara","tag-opposites","tag-play","tag-polar","tag-sayonara","tag-summer","tag-young"],"yoast_head":"\nSummer 2026 Impressions: Sayonara Lara, Polar Opposites S2, Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games - Som2ny Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=7047354\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Summer 2026 Impressions: Sayonara Lara, Polar Opposites S2, Young Ladies Don't Play Fighting Games - Som2ny Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Sayonara Lara Short Synopsis: A little mermaid trades everything \u2013 and eventually loses everything \u2013 for her wish to be loved by a human. 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