Watanabe Shinichirou sits on a different shelf than most everything else in anime. He co-produces his series with Cartoon Network these days, with simultaneous premieres in English and Japanese. A show like Lazarus is still anime but it’s marketed like an American animated series. Given that Cowboy Bebop did as much as any series ever has to popularize anime in the West, this isn’t surprising. But this is an anime site, and that’s the lens through which I have to view his work as a critic.
From my perspective Watanabe’s efforts of late – since Space Dandy, pretty much – are nothing special. Carole & Tuesday is probably the low point, but the overall trend isn’t good. At times, he seems intent on delivering a Watanabe Shinichirou anime in the same way Shinkai Makoto does a Shinkai movie. There’s an idea of what that is, and matching up with that idea trumps the substance. And no question, Lazarus fits that mold. Even the plot is eerily reminiscent of the Cowboy Bebop movie (which for the record isn’t all that, IMHO).
You pretty much know what that means. Jazzy soundtrack, consciously “cool” action sequences, et al. It does kind of work here – this premiere is rather fun. Some of the animation is oddly clunky for a Watanabe series, but the look is pleasant enough. A remarkable amount of time is spent watching Axel Gilberto (Miyano Mamoru) on extended parkour runs impossible for any human being to execute. Watanabe got John Wick director Chad Stahelski to direct the action sequences, so it’s no surprise they get such extended show-off time.
There is a premise here, and it’s a good hook at the very least. A scientist named Skinner (Yamadera Kouichi) develops a miracle pain-killer called “Hapna”, which dulls even the worst pain and has no side-effects. It sweeps the world unsurprisingly, but Skinner disappears for three years. He pops up out of nowhere with a social media blast telling everyone that he built in a mutation to Hapna which turns it into a fatal toxin in three years. In effect he’s playing judge, jury, and executioner of mankind – punishing them for their undeniable sins. But he has a cure, Skinner says – and if anyone can find him within 30 days (which is when folks are going to start checking out) he’ll share it with the world.
That’s where the titular Lazarus comes into the picture. Who they are isn’t exactly clear – they have some quasi-governmental connection, but are composed of oddballs and kids mostly. Gilberto is the person Lazarus has decided can find Skinner – why that is we don’t know. And most of the premiere is spent on their attempts to procure him after his most recent escape from prison (on an 888-year sentence). Which they eventually do, which suggests that the focus of the narrative is going to shift to some sort of global manhunt with Axel at the heart of it.
That Watanabe can deliver frosting is pretty much a given – even Carole & Tuesday had that. The problem is that in his last several outings he hasn’t delivered much cake. That means his shows don’t tend to wear well – once the flash and cool has lost the surprise factor, you start to realize there’s no “there” there. Will that happen with Lazarus? Well, probably to be honest – that seems like the most likely outcome based on recent history. But Watanabe has some good writers like Satou Dai to help with that side of things (which is not always a strength for him) so maybe Lazarus will defy expectations on that score.
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