Goodbye, Lara Sets Hana Hope's "Hearts Glow" as Ending Theme

Goodbye, Lara official key visual

On June 20, 2026, Sony Music Labels announced that Hana Hope's new song "Hearts Glow" will serve as the ending theme for the original TV anime Goodbye, Lara. The track will be available as a digital release on July 22, 2026, followed by a CD single release on August 5, 2026. The same announcement also said that part of the song is already featured in the anime's third main trailer.

The anime itself is one of Kinema citrus' 15th anniversary projects. It reimagines The Little Mermaid around Lara, a mermaid princess who is revived in Lake Biwa 200 years later. That combination of a familiar fairy tale, a very specific Japanese setting, and a clearly staged music rollout gives the project a strong identity before the first broadcast even begins.

What Was Announced

The core announcement is straightforward: Hearts Glow has been selected as the ending theme for Goodbye, Lara. The press release says the track was recorded in Woodstock with producer David Baron, and it frames the song as a message about staying true to yourself even when you feel out of place. That matches the anime's premise, because Lara is also stepping between worlds and looking for a place to belong.

The rollout is also deliberately sequenced. Viewers can first hear the song in the third main trailer, then stream it digitally on July 22, and then buy the CD single on August 5. For an original anime, that matters: music, visuals, and broadcast timing are all helping to build the show's first impression at the same time.

The official Goodbye, Lara site now presents the theme music and the latest promotional material together, which makes the project feel much more concrete. It is no longer just a title and a teaser; it is a show with a defined visual direction and a soundtrack that is already part of the conversation.

Why It Matters

Original anime have a harder marketing job than adaptations. There is no existing manga audience to carry the first wave of attention, so the production has to communicate tone and emotional promise quickly. An ending theme is part of that signal. It tells viewers what kind of feeling the series wants to leave behind after each episode.

Goodbye, Lara has a particularly useful setup for that job. It borrows the emotional structure of a mermaid story, but it places the narrative around Lake Biwa and gives it a very local Japanese sense of place. That makes the series easier to remember than a generic fantasy setting, while still keeping the mythic hook that international viewers can understand immediately.

Hana Hope is also a sensible fit. The press materials position her as an artist working across Japan and the United States, and the song itself comes from an overseas production setup. That makes the announcement feel broader than a routine tie-in. It is a music release designed to help the anime travel.

Context for International Fans

If you are outside Japan, Goodbye, Lara is a useful example of how modern original anime can blend a familiar story with local geography. This is not a straightforward remake of The Little Mermaid. It is a Japanese original that uses the fairy-tale framework to anchor Lara in a landscape that is very specific to Japan. For overseas viewers, that mix is often what makes an anime stand out.

Kinema citrus is also a studio worth recognizing. It has worked on titles that were widely noticed outside Japan, including Made in Abyss, The Rising of the Shield Hero, My Happy Marriage, and Revue Starlight. That background does not guarantee a result, but it does suggest that the production team understands how to shape a visual identity that can reach beyond a domestic audience.

For fans who mostly discover anime through trailers and streaming calendars, this kind of announcement is valuable because it gives a clean starting point. You know the title, you know the tone, you know the music, and you know when the show begins. That is enough to decide whether to follow the project as it moves toward broadcast.

What Happens Next

Goodbye, Lara is scheduled to begin broadcasting on July 5, 2026. Between now and then, the most useful things to watch are the official site and the third main trailer, because both should continue to clarify the show's visual language and emotional tone. Then on July 22, Hearts Glow will arrive as a digital release, followed by the CD single on August 5.

If the trailer continues to circulate well, the song may become one of the easiest entry points for new viewers. That kind of early music lift can matter a lot for an original anime, especially one that is still building recognition outside Japan.

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Information was checked on 2026-06-21T17:47:50+09:00 JST.

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