You possibly can name Shinichiro Watanabe’s Lazarus a retread of his masterpiece, Cowboy Bebop. That’s to not say the present is dangerous — based mostly on the 5 episodes I’ve seen thus far, Lazarus remains to be an entertaining and classy journey. However I’ve simply come to anticipate extra from a legendary creator like Watanabe.
It’s set within the 12 months 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 publicizes 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 group is Christine, a beautiful femme fatale; Eleina, a vibrant 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 component of the group is Leland, a cute school scholar who takes on varied roles throughout 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 thought of utilizing criminals to seek out humanity’s best villain, however Lazarus doesn’t actually justify why that’s the case (that could be answered later within the present’s 13-episode run). And also you’d assume there can be extra authorities efforts past a bunch of misfits to perform a humanity-saving mission. The Lazarus crew get just a few probabilities to bond all through every episode, however their interpersonal dynamics really feel much less natural than the Bebop characters, whose relationships had been enriched by the pressure-cooker atmosphere of an interplanetery spaceship, ever-present financial battle 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 greatest loved in case you don’t look too intently at its plot holes or contrivances (Axel’s inhuman parkour talents make Spike Spiegel’s antics appear tame compared). It’s higher to sit down again and benefit from the extremely trendy vibes. That features splendidly fluid animation by Mappa; a catchy soundtrack by Kamasi Washington, Floating Factors and Bonobo (with a terrific ending theme, “Lazarus” by The Boo Radleys); and bone-crunching motion choreography by John Wick director Chad Stahelski. It’s exhausting to not recognize the entire expertise concerned.
However once more, I simply want the entire venture felt extra authentic. Lazarus’s premise isn’t far off from Cowboy Bebop: The Film, which concerned a terrorist plot to deploy nanomachines that might kill everybody on Mars. It’s additionally humorous to see the present arrive alongside a extra creative present like Max’s Widespread Facet Results, which offers with the real-world penalties of miracle medicine that might heal any sickness or damage. That present’s characters are extra grounded and relatable, and it explores why pharmaceutical firms would cease at nothing to kill such a miracle drug.
“The story started with Dr. Skinner… Is he a saint or a satan?” Watanabe mentioned 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 wish 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 reply to the local weather disaster. However as a substitute of listening to him, the world’s international locations 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 fundamental characters, all of which is extra compelling than the precise quest to seek out Dr. Skinner. Did the capsule actually heal everybody’s ache, or did it simply shut off their capability to really feel true feelings?
I’m positive newcomers to Watanabe’s work gained’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; Area 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 mainly one other motion thriller, however this time it’s scored to fashionable 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 value 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 venture, it’s nonetheless extra entertaining and inventive than the overwhelming majority of reveals bombarding us within the streaming TV period, anime or in any other case.
