There were many high hopes that were pinned on Shinichiro Watanabe’s latest work, Lazarus. After giving us an impressive plot with many intriguing elements like the advanced world, doomsday setting, and a thrilling chase, Lazarus fell short of expectations.
After what seemed to be a chaotic run of stylish yet inconsistent episodes, Lazarus has finally begun anchoring itself to its central plot. The focus switched from running around and hitting dead ends to showing how the dots are connected.
The only problem? The correction came too late, and the way the series has adapted to those is by doubling down on its flaws. The inconsistent storytelling remained the same, but instead of being too slow, it quickened massively.
A story that either sprints or crawls on all fours
Lazarus is not a bad story at all. It has multiple aspects that make it an exciting watch. The timer on the heads of the world, the advanced world, political intrigue, Axel’s past, there are many breadcrumbs that were thrown out as an indication of a massive story.
But the way the narrative unfolds is excruciating to behold. What could have been a sleek, limited episode sci-fi thriller has instead become a jumbled and overextended narrative. It feels more like a series of flashy ideas and a lot of running around.
Despite its futuristic aesthetic and the compelling stories of the Lazarus team, the series itself suffers from its lack of focus. Each attempt that the team makes should yield some information.
For instance, there are two whole episodes that beat around the bush when it comes to Skinner and Axel’s past. All of this was later explained away in minutes, in a single episode.
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By delineating and having the team scurry around makes it hard to understand the narrative intent behind their actions. If there is no product and connection to the central theme or story, why would fans bother watching?
And now that it’s trying to tell a “main story,” the flaws in pacing, scene arrangement, and plot clarity are more noticeable than ever. Lazarus has a great idea but subpar execution. Instead of forcing it to be a complex and grand tale, it could have been a power-packed series.
A brilliant idea, but with lackluster execution
The character motivations, their development, and following the main plot should be the focus of any anime that has comparatively fewer episodes. Any change and advancement seems rushed and unearned after seeing the efforts the team took to no avail.
The main arc is not something that is related to just one character; it involves the entire setting of the series and involves the fate of humanity, which is being put on trial through questionable means.
This should be a Sword of Damocles that pushes Team Lazarus forward, figuring out how best to stop the human race from facing extinction. But instead, the series treated it like background noise until the last few episodes.
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The thrill and excitement that comes along with a ticking timer is nowhere to be seen, and the series forces the viewer to get lost in the impressive visuals and constant chases. The 10 episodes of the story could have been told in six.
The frustration with Lazarus doesn’t come from the story itself, but due to the brains behind it. The production team behind it, including Shinichirō Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop), raised expectations sky-high.
You can currently stream Lazarus on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
