Lazarus

Warning: The following contains spoilers for Lazarus, now streaming on HBO Max.

A little over two months ago, I set my expectations low for Lazarus, the newest original anime project from Shinichiro Watanabe of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo fame. I poked holes in its premise, criticized its mish-mashed tone and its overly wordy script, and expressed my disappointment in the early English dub. Yet, through it all, I was just as quick to praise its aesthetic strengths and held out hope that, by the end, I’d look back on a series that, while perhaps not excellent, wouldn’t leave me regretting the time spent with it.

Thank god I lowered my expectations, because the things this show has done well since the start have made each Sunday morning spent with it all the more entertaining. Its artwork was consistent and, on occasion, truly wowed me with exceptional action and choreography. The English dub improved as the main cast settled into their roles, and the show’s heights leveraged their simple but energetic chemistry to create a pace that was fun and engaging. Best of all, the music was really good.

However, the closer the series inched towards its finale, the more it felt like I had to fish for these positives; to remind myself of how impressive this series can be when it has its shit together. Then, I started to wonder if it ever truly had its shit together to begin with and furthermore, whether it ever had the chance to from the start, much less the time. I kept my expectations low for Lazarus, now let’s see how much that helped, how much that was needed to begin with, and what a measuring of expectations couldn’t save at all.

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Warning: The following contains minor spoilers for Lazarus, Episodes 1-3, now streaming on MAX.

I love Shinichiro Watanabe’s Cowboy Bebop, but like… in the way that I feel like most people love it. By that I mean I’ve watched it at least once, hold great respect for the artistry apparent in its creation, and I rewatch the three or four episodes I liked the most every once in a blue moon. I actually rewatch the movie more than I do the TV series. Bebop is awesome, but it probably wouldn’t make my top ten (unlike the movie, as I’ve written before).

I compare it loosely to my feelings on Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad because, despite it not being among my favorite TV shows, I recognize its patience and strong storytelling and thus have no issues sharing in the fandom’s appraisal of it. It’s possible to not love something while still recognizing its strengths and how it resonated with people. Good art doesn’t need to be for everyone, but I think it’s good (and even necessary) to appreciate widely acclaimed art even when we might not vibe with it.

On that note, it amuses me when I think about Watanabe’s popularity among even the most casual of anime fans, young and old. Without even leaning into it himself, this man has achieved a kind of brand recognition that can sell entire shows just by slapping his name on the tin. Granted, that’s not all that different from how most works from notable directors are marketed, but in Watanabe’s case, it strikes me as particularly impressive because I can easily imagine a universe in which his works are widely considered “mid”.

Bear with me, I’m going somewhere with this