Lazarus
Short Synopsis: A criminal parkourist is recruited by an elite task force in search of a doctor who’s unleashed a deadly drug upon the world.
Lenlo: So I watched the English Dub for this, just to try it out and see how it was knowing Wooper would be watching the Japanese, and it was… serviceable? It works well enough I’d say. It’s awkward in a few spots, sure, clearly trying to pace itself to the Japanese. But overall it’s serviceable, with the leading man being charismatic enough to carry it, though the rest of the cast feel almost emotionless. Still, I’ll definitely be watching the rest with the Japanese Dub. As for the show itself, I don’t know what I was expecting from Shinichirou Watanabe’s newest show, but it seems like he’s going back to his Cowboy Bebop roots with this one. Lots of Blues and Jazz music, a loveable scoundrel of a lead character, a grungy, street level view of the world. I’m not sure how successful it is though? The lead has Spike’s athleticism for sure, but trying to recreate his charm feels like trying to capture lightning in a bottle again, he feels a bit like a Great Value Spike if you get my meaning. I guess what I’m trying to say is that Lazarus has all the visual style of Cowboy Bebop, it’s fun to look at and watch, but I’m not bought into any of the narrative or characters yet. There was no need for him to run across the city skyline to try and escape, only doing it to look cool, it throws so many characters at us we don’t get to know any of them. I’m hopeful for Lazarus, it at least looks fun and cool, but I need to see more to know if Watanabe managed to hit with it.
Potential: 50%
Wooper: As Lenlo mentioned above, I watched this one subbed, so I got a double dose of Mr. Miyano’s voice acting for this post. He was a lot more subdued as this show’s Axel Gilberto than he was in Dinner Table Detective, though, so I was able to focus on all the other good stuff Lazarus has to offer: namely, its action scenes, background art, and overall ambition. Axel is doing ‘Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible’ level stuff here (the scene where he jumps between two towering cranes comes to mind), along with acrobatic combat moves that’ll make you question whether he’s completely human. My favorite moments from this episode involved his destruction of several drones following him across an urban city’s rooftops, which he accomplished with some well-placed kicks, even while fleeing their pursuit. What put those scenes over the top for me was the soundtrack – of its three contributing artists, it was certainly Bonobo whose danceable electronics accompanied Axel’s life-or-death parkour stunts. There was some lively jazz during the prison break scene in the first act, as well (courtesy of Kamasi Washington), but I have a feeling I’m gonna prefer the beeps and boops where Lazarus’s music is concerned, especially since its world falls on the futuristic side of things. As for the ‘30 days to save humanity’ plot, it hardly matters to me at this stage – I’m just here for the atmosphere, and so far, the atmosphere is good.
Potential: 65%
The Dinner Table Detective
Short Synopsis: Two wealthy, incompetent detectives bumble around a murder scene before one of them is introduced to her new butler, who’s already cracked the case.
Wooper: Once a certain type of anime fan reaches a certain age, they begin to loudly declare their fondness for shows with adult casts. I’m one such fan, but I recognize that a show escaping the halls of high school doesn’t mean it automatically has something worthwhile to say. That’s the biggest reason for my disappointment with Dinner Table Detective so far – much of its dialogue is obvious, frivolous, or both. Sure, the characters talk about grown-up topics like avoiding special treatment at work and whether to marry for love or security, but almost no one in this premiere comes across as an adult. Mamoru Miyano’s vocal histrionics as a fedora-tipping detective threaten to swallow the series whole, and the female lead must sink to his level in order to even things out. Much of the conversation she shares with her friends at a party (before switching into detective mode) poses problems for a different reason – time is spent on, but not invested in, their characters, meaning they’re unlikely to play a significant role beyond this initial case. If there’s a glimmer of hope here, it’s provided by the elusive butler who introduces himself in the final seconds of the premiere. He’s set to be the brilliant sleuth propping up the show’s two incompetent cops, and perhaps educating his new mistress in the art of deduction along the way. I’ll be watching episode two solely to discover whether he solves the mystery of how to make DTD entertaining; if he fails, I may not continue with this one.
Potential: 25%
Mario: I wish I liked Dinner Table Detective more. I’m always a sucker for solving crime stories, but this first episode sadly still leaves a lot to be desired. I reckon that I am not in tune with the tone of the show so far, which involves a lot of over-the-top antics and doesn’t take itself, the characters or even the crime that seriously. We have this lead girl who is a heiress and also works double life as a detective, but sadly there is much more yelling than actual solving crimes. Take, for example, the moment where she enters a crime scene. She had to show her badge to one of the guards to get in, but right at the moment she saw the victim, boom, everyone is allowed to enter the crime scene? We see many of these clumsy moments throughout the episode. Then we have a mysterious butler who apparently figures out what’s going on, but decides to kind of “tease” this girl instead. The crime itself is underwhelming as well, as the way it’s laid out, I figure that it’s the glasses girl who nobody questioned that’ll be the main culprit. I can’t say I have much interest in finding out whodunnit either way.
Potential: 10%
Witch Watch
Short Synopsis: A teenage witch comes back to town and picks her childhood friend, a human-ogre, as a familiar.
Mario: Geez, what’s up with all the young witches this season who are cursed by a random death curse. I feel this one fares better than “Once Upon a Witch’s Death” though, simply because I don’t think the “curse” factors much into this story. Instead, we have a slice of life show where these two teenagers live together (for no apparent reasons) and hijinks ensue, mostly between the witch girl and the ogre boy who has to clean up her messes. The show has some nice humor, although I am more fond of its small, chuckle-worthy moments (like how his cup breaks) than when it attempts to make me laugh (the whole section about her turning as flat as paper, or later on when they get “high”). The two mains have some easy chemistry, but I hope they tone down on the romance, as we don’t really need it. I’m here for more crazy mishaps this duo find themselves in, so I’m good to check out more from this show.
Potential: 30%
The post Spring 2025 Impressions: Lazarus, The Dinner Table Detective, Witch Watch appeared first on Star Crossed Anime.
