Lazarus Part 1 Episodes 1-3

2052AD.  Humanity lives a new carefree existence thanks to the miracle drug, Hapna.  But all of that comes crashing to a halt when the creator of Hapna, Dr. Skinner, who has been missing for three years, emerges and announces all who have taken Hapna will begin to die in 30 days.  With billions of lives at stake, a special task force, codenamed Lazarus, is created for the sole purpose of tracking Skinner down and finding a cure for the Hapna drug.  If this band of criminals cant complete their mission in less than 30 days, it’s game over for all mankind.

Shinichiro Watanabe is an amazing Anime director.  The worlds he creates and, maybe more importantly, the music he infuses within them, have created some of Animes greatest legends, specifically Cowboy Bebop.  I single out Bebop because it’s a popular and beloved title for several reasons, many of which combine to make an Anime even non Anime fans can get into and enjoy.  It’s a success high I feel Watanabe has been chasing and trying to replicate since from the Feudal Hip Hop  infused Samurai Champloo to the beautifuly composed but longer than it needed to be Carole and Tuesday (I’ve never seen Space Dandy so I cant weigh in on that one yet).  Lazarus is Watanabe’s latest directorial effort and it again feels like another attempt to be the next Bebop, complete with a wild card martial artist, Jazz and a futuristic yet realistic setting.  And yet the first few episodes leave a lot to be desired but it does confirm that Lazarus isnt just shaping up to not be Cowboy Bebop, it’s shaping up to not be anywhere as good as Samurai Champloo or Carole and Tuesday.
 
First, there’s the premise.  It’s good, it’s really good.  A ticking clock on a world ending event with little clues to go on, that’s the kind of setup that makes classics like 24 great.  It means that this race against time will leave little breathing room with a breakneck pace that will leave you gasping after each episode…in theory.  For a premise as critical and important as it has, Lazarus and the world its people live in seem surprisingly chill about everything.  Ok, ok, that could be just the Hapna working its magic so well that even the end of everything could be met with a smirk, shrug or “whatever.”  But that’s still the general reaction from just about everyone in the first episode itself.  Where’s the panic?  Where’s the chaos?  Where’s the “we need to be a little more proactive in our search instead of just sitting around waiting for a clue to fall into our laps?”  Oh and for a guy who claims he isnt playing God landing such a bombshell on all of humanity, Dr. Skinner seems to be doing just that.  Again, it’s possible he’s bluffing and just trying to teach mankind a lesson by faking the worst possible terrorist threat of all time.  Still, the arrogance of some baddies befuddles me.
 
Second, the cast.  You’d think such an important mission would require more than 5 convicts and the one person monitoring them.  This feels like the kind of team you get together for a problem of the week type situation in a TV procedural and even then it’s not a very good one.  We get very little info about the members of Lazarus outside of Axel and none of them seem fascinating even without it.  Chris is hot, sure.  Eleina has a sweet Ghost in the Shell style setup for hacking.  That’s about it.  It doesn’t help that the first few “leads” Lazarus has to follow to get to Skinner lead to some really boring outings.  Thank God the runtime is so short so episodes go by quickly despite the dragging pace.  Then there’s Axel.  This dude is trying way to hard to be Cowboy Bebop’s Spike Spiegel from his moves to his attitude.  Now the reason we all love Spike that he’s arrogant but likeable, a charmer but a bit of a sleaze, an overconfident fighter but a guy who doesn’t brag about his skills.  Axel is the opposite in every regard: arrogant to the point of wanting to be punched, zero charm and so overconfident he literally says he’s “Invincible.”  Hell, the whole first episode is Lazarus just trying to bring in this guy who thinks he’s the greatest Parkour escape artist ever born.  Suffice to say, I don’t like Axel as lead.  The others aren’t interesting or engaging.  And this is the team that’s supposed to save the world?  God help us all, seriously.
 
Anything I did like about the premiere is few and far between.  Animation wise, the show looks fine and some of the action scenes do invoke Watanabe’s work on The Animatrix (would make Axels gravity defying antics more plausible).  While the world could use some fleshing out, I do like that Lazarus isnt skimping on the global scale stage.  That kind of usually overlooked diversity is what made Cowboy Bebop and even Samurai Champloo so memorable.  Then there’s the music, which sometimes I feel Watanabe focuses on more so than story and that’s not always a bad thing.  The music of Lazarus is also trying to bring back that Bebop vibe with sax filled jazz but it does echo the undoubtably chill vibe one might feel from taking Hapna themselves.  It’s not on the same level as those other three Watanabe projects I keep bringing up but it’s far from the worst thing about this show so far.
 
Earlier this year I looked at Samurai Champloo and admitted the show needed to do some work in plot and diversifying it’s adventures.  But it still worked thanks to the animation, music and coolness of Mugen and Jin (not so much Fuu).  By comparison, Lazarus is in trouble right out of the gate thanks to a lack of urgency regarding it’s main plot, characters who either infuriate or are dull as dirt, and an overall feeling that after three episodes, nothing’s really happened.  They’re really gonna stretch this out into 13 episodes?  Well ok, let’s see if things can get any better with Lazarus Next Monday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.