Lazarus (2025) First Impressions.

Well, this is interesting- I did my best to not prematurely judge this anime before it debuted; and it's been a pleasant surprise so far. So, let's talk about the latest from Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy); Lazarus.

Courtesy: Adult Swim

In the not too distant future of 2055, a miracle cure known as Hapna becomes a lethal drug that will wipe out all of humanity within 30 days time. With few options available, a group with the codename Lazarus is assembled to find Hapna's elusive creator; Skinner before it's too late.

I actually did something a bit different with this anime- even with the pedigree of its creative talent; I chose to not actively take in much prerelease material before it debuted earlier this month. With that in mind, the crew also contains the likes of Daiki Watanabe (no relation, but an accomplished figure in his own right) and Chad Stahleski of John Wick fame. So, as you can imagine; it's got style and showmanship aplenty.

Though Watanabe has a signature style to be sure, it's always interesting to see how it applies to different time periods and their respective methods of storytelling. This is no exception, especially as it applies to the music. Bebop had a mixture of classic rock and freeform jazz. Champloo infused hip-hop and rap music into a 17th century Japanese period setting. Space Dandy had island music and '50s rockabilly tunes to match a Dandy who was very much like an anime Zapp Branigan. Naturally, as this anime is a vision of the future we're potentially headed towards based on where we are now; so it's very much a cyberpunk new 2050s- less roaring 20s big bands and more EDM (and not just with this week's episode).

On top of the incredibly slick animation and distinct character types (I especially like Axel's backstory as a chronic prison breaker); I'm also glad that the pattern of naming each episode for a piece of music or other pop culture is intact. For instance, the episode cued up for next week is entitled "Pretty Vacant," and the one after that is called "Heaven is a Place on Earth."

It is a great example of not just the creators' talents; but also how you can make an animated series "adult" without exclusively relying on gratuitous violence and sex or whatever that terrible animated Good Times was doing last year.

Overall- while it remains to be seen if this will have the same impact as Watanabe's other works; Lazarus has more than enough to offer to recommend it. That's all for now, and I will see you all again soon (going to Oahu and Thunderbolts* next week). Take care, everyone.