After Ninja Kamui, Toonami fans have been skeptical of Adult Swim’s original anime and I have shared that same sentiment. I still kept an open mind since LAZARUS was created by Shinichirō Wanatabe, famously known for Cowboy Bebop (the first anime to air on Adult Swim), Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy, all of which have aired on Toonami. Along with the animation studios MAPPA and Sola Entertainment being behind this project, I can certainly say the fans are in for a fantastic and entertaining ride!
Dr. Skinner, the creator of the miraculous painkiller Hapna, released a video after disappearing for three years and reveals a devastating truth: Hapna was made to stay in the body for three years before mutating and killing anyone who has taken the drug. In 30 days, the first people who have taken Hapna will die unless Dr. Skinner, who has the cure, is found. Pretty messed up, right? Lazarus is the globe-trotting team assembled to track him down.
My first impression of LAZARUS is that Adult Swim finally has an original anime everyone will enjoy and won’t lose interest halfway through the season. Episode one is filled with action as the recruitment of Axel Gilberto to the task force, Lazarus, is underway, which isn’t easy as we’ve seen in the preview clip that was recently released. Episode two dives more into the people who form Lazarus, giving fans a glimpse of the personalities of each member. Doug is the knowledgeable second in command and Eleina is a world-class hacker. What we do know so far about Chris is that she’s highly skilled in firearms. Even though we know little about Chris and Leland, I’m sure this will be explored in later episodes. Episode two also begins the mission to find Dr. Skinner to get ahold of the cure. We witness how Lazarus will work together which is a little shaky at first but things do start to level out. What I think works well with this story is the episode focusing on the latest information that could potentially lead to Skinner’s whereabouts and learning if the outcome has more questions or answers toward the cure. I hope this approach to the storytelling remains consistent and doesn’t give fans unnecessary surprises like armored suits in a story about a vengeful ninja.
The animation is stellar as both MAPPA and Sola Entertainment bring LAZARUS to life. MAPPA has worked with Watanabe on previous projects and Sola Entertainment is no stranger to the Toonami block, having produced Shenmue: The Animation and Ninja Kamui. This is their first collaborative work and fans have had positive reactions to Axel’s seamlessly coordinated fight scenes, thanks to action director Chad Stahelski of the John Wick franchise. Other members in Lazarus aren’t acrobatics like Axel but will get to shine in their own way with action sequences that are guaranteed to keep the audience’s attention.
The music is just as important as the animation in a Shinichirō Wanatabe project and the genres in LAZARUS range from jazz to electronica. The opening pays homage to Cowboy Bebop by using shadow images of the cast accompanied with mid-tempo jazz. The music in the first episode captured Axel’s actions well, incorporating jazz as he makes his way through the prison and introducing electronic music as efforts to contain Axel continue. I know the music will continue to blend perfectly as the season airs and I’m pleased by how LAZARUS shows love to Cowboy Bebop but has its own story to tell.
I’m excited for LAZARUS to premiere because I believe this series will ease the doubts of the fans who have been let down in the past by previous original anime. I do hope the story and action remains consistent while keeping everyone’s attention as the countdown begins to see if the self-proclaimed superheroes can indeed save the world. LAZARUS premieres this Saturday at midnight headlining Toonami and will stream on Max the following day.
Umeko Long is a staff writer for ToonamiFaithful.com. Feel free to follow her on Twitter @blu_temptation
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