The show has some fantastic action scenes (even if it sometimes hinges on over-animating for the sake of it) but sadly it is about as concerned about it's story as your next generic meathead blockbuster. So much of it's runtime is focused on inconsequential globetrotting by a supposed elite squad that could have been spent on fleshing out some of it's themes or characters. The urgency of the matter is also not reflected in the world building at all which is crazy to me and so it fizzles out for it's ending with a convenient solution for it's main problems. Not even the teased final showdown delivers on it's promise...

**Lazarus** is the eighth project directed by **Shinichirō Watanabe**, one of the most emblematic figures of Japanese animation and a legend within the world of animation. **Watanabe** is known for creating projects that stand out every single time. That’s largely because he’s a director with a very distinct identity. In short, there’s a kind of **“Shinichirō Watanabe recipe”**: mature themes, global societal issues, and characters with difficult pasts who often struggle to move forward, find their place in the world, break free from their past experiences, and seek some form of liberation or redemption. All of this is portrayed with his unique and stylish approach, where music always plays a crucial role not only just music itself, but also the way he blends different musical styles to create something truly original. This blending doesn't concern only music, as he blends multiple genres and where in the end, everything simply just fits together perfectly. What also makes **Shinichirō Watanabe**’s work stand out is how his characters are created, the way they behave, connect with each other, and grow throughout the story. There is, of course, the idea of a main protagonist or multiple main protagonists in his works, but this concept is often always and quickly nuanced and somewhat pushed into the background to instead highlight their actions and growth within a larger group of characters, while the past remains an important element, what truly matters in **Watanabe**’s works isn’t who his characters were, but who they are now and who they’re becoming. This approach really makes us relate to his characters, root for them, and makes it really hard to dislike any of them, there’s always a great diversity when it comes to the protagonists. **Shinichirō Watanabe** truly creates anime projects that speak to everyone, no matter their background or where they come from. In terms of both theme and execution, **Watanabe** has always aimed to stand apart, to create different and unusual stories. When he was younger his dream was to be a musician but he couldn’t achieve it, **Shinichirō Watanabe** is a cinema lover who ended up as an anime director and then became an icon in the world of animation. **Lazarus** is no exception, I really found it to be brilliant. It has it flaws but I will defend it because **Lazarus** perfectly captures the very essence of the director, if there really is a **"Shinichirō Watanabe recipe"**, then **Lazarus** is one particularly delicious dish. **In 2052, Dr. Skinner creates Hapna, a drug that eliminates pain, then suddenly vanishes. Three years later, he reappears to reveal that Hapna is actually lethal, and that everyone who has taken it is set to die soon. A special task force group called "Lazarus" composed of 5 agents, has 30 days to find him, develop a cure and save humanity.** From the very beginning, the situation is clear: A real manhunt will take place to save humanity, as we explore this universe, its characters, their actions, their reflections, and their own stories. **Shinichirō Watanabe** has always managed to include characters from different backgrounds, different cultures in many of his works. **Lazarus** takes us on a journey through this manhunt, visiting several different places and countries. Various different groups of people come into contact with our protagonists. These different paths taken by our protagonists, these episodic adventures, push them to reflect both personally and on Dr. Skinner’s actions. After thinking they had found a lead on Dr. Skinner, the episodes often play out like standalone missions while still fitting into a larger plot. **Lazarus** takes us on a journey by following the protagonists, gradually revealing more about them and this futuristic universe. The music is simply incredible the original soundtrack of **Lazarus** perfectly matches the series atmosphere. The drawings and animation are excellent, and the action scenes and choreography are very well executed. During the first couple episodes, there is a little section at the beginning of each episode, before the opening theme, where the characters share briefly but very honestly, in a very authentic and unfiltered way, more details about themselves, adding depth and context to the overall backstory with crazy visuals and amazing music. I found it to be such an intimate way to reveal more about the main characters, they literally share their backgrounds directly to us. **Lazarus** offers us a glimpse into a realistic world that could emerge if pain were removed from people's everyday lives. **Watanabe** begins his project with a race against time and a tense manhunt but gradually shifts toward deeper and more philosophical themes. He make us reflect on the idea that pain is an essential part of the human experience. The thing is not to erase it entirely, but to learn how to live with it, to acknowledge its presence, accept it, and strive to move forward despite it, whether it be physical or emotional, without pain how could we truly understand and appreciate pleasure. What I found really relevant is that **Shinichirō Watanabe** made the choice to create a sci-fi universe set in 2055, which isn’t actually that far from our own future. **Lazarus** is a wonderful blend of science fiction, thriller, and action. Although it’s a work of fiction, **Lazarus** pushes us to question fundamental issues that concern us all, that in fact exist in our real lives. The series graphically depicts events that could realistically occur in the near or not too distant future in our real world, **Lazarus** is very realistic in multiple aspects and explores a wide range of themes, including climate change, health, poverty, science and new technologies, death, truth, unethical governments any many more. From my point of view, **Lazarus** is a successful project. I really loved the energy of this anime, the atmosphere, its story, its characters, its art, its music, its animation, its twists but most importantly, it made me appreciate once again, and even more, the genius of **Shinichirō Watanabe**. **8/10.**

Wow, this was outstanding. While the premise of this show isn't very new (band of misfits assembled to save the world with their unique skills), the story gripped me from the jump. I really enjoyed the small amount of sci-fi elements, and each of the characters were fantastic. The soundtrack, artwork, & animation were all excellent....and those fight scenes went hard! The way this story was woven together was beautiful. I can't say enough good things about this. Bring on season 2.

This show’s a fucking masterpiece of modern animation.. and so much fun to watch from start to finish.