You could possibly name Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. That’s to not say the present is dangerous — primarily based on the 5 episodes I’ve seen up to now, Lazarus continues to be an entertaining and trendy trip. However I’ve simply come to count on extra from a legendary creator like Watanabe.
It’s set within the yr 2052, a near-future when a famend neuroscientist launched Hapna, a drug that may erase all ache. If that sounds too good to be true, it’s: Hapna’s creator Dr. Skinner reveals to the world that everybody who took the drug will ultimately die. After which he disappears. Like an evil Willy Wonka, he declares one hope for survival: Discover him in 30 days, or humanity is doomed.
To assist discover Skinner, the federal government units up a covert group named Lazarus made up of convicted criminals. And that’s the place the similarities are available. There’s the lead, Axel Gilberto, a parkour junkie who resembles Bebop’s reckless and carefree Spike Spiegel. Rounding out the crew is Christine, a stunning femme fatale; Eleina, a shiny younger hacker; and Doug, a gruff investigator who has little endurance for Axel’s shit. These are all clear analogs to the Bebop crew of Faye, Ed and Jet. The one new factor of the crew is Leland, a cute faculty pupil who takes on numerous roles in the course of the present (maybe he’s simply an anthropomorphized model of Bebop’s cute pup Ein).
There’s a little bit of Suicide Squad within the concept of utilizing criminals to search out humanity’s biggest villain, however Lazarus doesn’t actually justify why that’s the case (which may be answered later within the present’s 13-episode run). And also you’d suppose there can be extra authorities efforts past a gaggle of misfits to perform a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get a couple of possibilities to bond all through every episode, however their interpersonal dynamics really feel much less natural than the Bebop characters, whose relationships have been enriched by the pressure-cooker atmosphere of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present financial wrestle and compelling backstories. By episode 5 of Lazarus, I did not have any actual understanding of those characters, whereas Bebop delivered the seminal episode Ballad of the Fallen Angels by then.
Like Watanabe’s Samurai Champloo, Lazarus is finest loved if you happen to don’t look too intently at its plot holes or contrivances (Axel’s inhuman parkour skills make Spike Spiegel’s antics appear tame as compared). It’s higher to sit down again and benefit from the extremely fashionable vibes. That features splendidly fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Factors and Bonobo (with an incredible ending theme, “Lazarus” by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching motion choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. It’s laborious to not recognize all the expertise concerned.
However once more, I simply want the entire mission felt extra unique. Lazarus’s premise isn’t far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Film, which concerned a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that will kill everybody on Mars. It’s additionally humorous to see the present arrive alongside a extra ingenious present like Max’s Frequent Facet Results, which offers with the real-world penalties of miracle medicine that would heal any sickness or harm. That present’s characters are extra grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical corporations would cease at nothing to kill such a miracle drug.
“The story started with Dr. Skinner… Is he a saint or a satan?” Watanabe stated on the Engadget podcast by way of a translator (whereas he relaxed in shades with a mountain of data behind him, like absolutely the boss he’s). “Precisely what does he need to do? That was an enormous preliminary driving a part of the story. … What you initially considered Skinner at [the] begin could change all through the 13 episodes.”
It’s not an enormous spoiler to say that Dr. Skinner isn’t at all times portrayed as a villain within the present. Earlier than the discharge of Hapna, he was a well-known neuroscientist who pushed humanity to answer the local weather disaster. However as a substitute of listening to him, the world’s nations selected to pursue revenue over the way forward for humanity. With that in thoughts, it is no shock Watanabe says the inspiration for Hapna was, partly, the opioid disaster.
All through flashbacks and quick opening monologues, Lazarus offers us glimpses into Hapna’s impact on our predominant characters, all of which is extra compelling than the precise quest to search out Dr. Skinner. Did the tablet actually heal everybody’s ache, or did it simply shut off their means to really feel true feelings?
I’m positive newcomers to Watanabe’s work received’t have the identical reservations with Lazarus as I do, I simply want the present had the identical distinctive identification as his different sequence. Cowboy Bebop is a jazz-soaked noir; House Dandy is a hilarious riff on the area opera style; and Carol and Tuesday is a touching story of two younger ladies pursuing a pop music profession. Lazarus is principally one other motion thriller, however this time it’s scored to trendy jazz and digital music.
I’m holding out hope that Lazarus matures right into a extra considerate present in its second half. However even when it doesn’t, it’s nonetheless price celebrating something new from Shinichiro Watanabe. There aren’t many anime administrators and writers together with his sense of favor and glorious style in music and motion cinema. Even when it’s a lesser Watanabe mission, it’s nonetheless extra entertaining and artistic than the overwhelming majority of reveals bombarding us within the streaming TV period, anime or in any other case.