An anime created by the director of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, Shinichiro Watanabe, in collaboration with the director of the John Wick films, Chad Stahelski, as an action supervisor?
Sign me up like the people who signed up to take Hapna, a miracle drug developed by Dr. Deniz Skinner that relieves all physical and emotional pain. Unfortunately, this drug is going to kill everyone in the next thirty days unless someone manages to find Dr. Skinner who has gone into hiding along with the cure. So what does the US Government do? They force a ragtag group of individuals to locate Skinner and bring humanity back from the brink of extinction. And that’s how we arrive at our team of protagonists aptly named Lazarus.
Our team includes a diverse cast of individuals including our lead, Axel Gilberto, a daring 23-year-old with messy black hair who has a hobby of breaking out of prisons. The rest follow the general archetypes that go into the wild goose chase genre. The by-the-book man with strength and brains to boot, the attractive woman who rides a futuristic Harley Davidson and has a proficiency in using firearms, the rich kid who has a knack for piloting drones, and the genius 15-year-old hacker who is socially awkward but efficient in her efforts. Each has a criminal record with a wristband that will burn their hand off if they try to escape or if anything happens to their commander, an older woman with a rigid demeanor. If this is sounding familiar, it is. The team is basically a version of the Suicide Squad. While this derivative formula may provide some nostalgic enjoyment, things become an issue for me beyond it.
While the characters themselves are charming, their development is shallow and their interactions towards the end of the show left me bewildered. The unity and creation of a family between the team is implied, but it never feels earned. The pacing is rushed. I wanted to spend time learning more about these charismatic individuals and watching them grow together. Instead, I got some convoluted messaging about climate change, a weird Midsommar-style cult, rudimentary backstories, and an assassin who could have been interesting if he had any ties to the main character and was introduced towards the beginning of the season. The show is, to its own detriment, a hodgepodge of famous films and TV series. The contrived plot points necessitate an irrational suspension of disbelief. How did no other scientist decipher the dangers of this miracle drug before it was released? How did no one create a cure before the thirty days were up? Most importantly, who the hell is Axel, where did he come from, and how is he able to kick so much ass? Questions I’m not so sure the series cares to even answer.
But let’s get to the main reason I picked up Lazarus.
The action sequences and set pieces alone are worth watching. Stahelski’s influence on Watanabe’s already incredible expertise raises these scenes to another level. Never have I seen parkour choreography animated so beautifully. Watching Axel jump off of a building, grab hold of a drone, and land safely on the ground is a visual treat. Every stunt is slick and thrilling. There are feats on display that will make your palms sweaty with excitement. There were admittedly some moments that I thought could’ve used more polishing, but this is television and we can excuse some things. And even with so many other projects being worked on at the studio, MAPPA Co., Ltd. absolutely nails it.
What would an action sequence be without a heart-pumping soundtrack? Bonobo, Kamasi Washington, and Floating Points get together to give us some gold. I found myself bobbing my head while our heroes went hand-to-hand against the villains. Washington’s smooth, jazzy opening number made me ready to experience an extravaganza. Bonobo hits many notes from his mellow and somber opening number, “Dark Will Fall,” featuring Jacob Lusk, to his upbeat electropop “Babylonia”. Floating Points fuses the jazz and electronic to bring some genre-bending beats.
Lazarus’s mature visual take on the world is a welcome change from the cutesy art style displayed in most modern anime. The more grounded set pieces are also a fresh change from the super-powered explosions and frenetic energy that pervades said modern anime. But, again, the heart is only in the superficial, which can only set it apart from and not above its counterparts.
