Review of Lazarus
TL;DR: I recommend it. It’s solid. People often compare everything to other works instead of enjoying things for what they are, and this is a good show. To keep it short: Lazarus is a solid product. Great animation, excellent soundtrack, a good story, solid action scenes, and a well-managed balance between action, development, and slower episodes. The characters are charismatic and mysterious. There are more layers than the script initially suggests, which add depth if you're paying attention. It even carries a powerful message about humanity and the current state of the world. Thirteen episodes, always moving forward, always engaging. Is it a bit generic or cliché? Sure, likealmost everything nowadays: a group of “bad apples” brought together to chase the "villain" (quotes intentional, because it really depends on your perspective). That’s the basic plot.
It has flaws, like some people point out: some questionable writing decisions, implausible moments, etc. But let’s be honest: this happens in most anime and rarely gets held against them, so it shouldn’t ruin this either.
I honestly don’t understand the negative reviews. And I’ll never really get how anime gets rated. Many of these criticisms likely come from the same people who give a 10 to shows like the latest season of Fire Force or Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War.
So, let’s be realistic: if those are a 10, then Lazarus is at least an 11. And if those are a 5, then this is a solid 6.
At the end of the day, if you don’t like it, you don’t like it, that’s fine. But it’s hard to believe this show wouldn’t appeal to people when much lower-quality stuff is so widely praised.
Personally, I don’t see any major flaws (aside from the usual anime quirks: eyebrow-raising coincidences, characters magically moving from one location to another, a few plot-driving moments that come out of nowhere… but nothing major or unusual).
So yeah, I think most of the negativity comes more from comparison and hype than from the actual quality of the product.
Most people seem to compare it to Watanabe’s previous works. But whether it's better or worse than those doesn’t make it less worth watching.
Honestly, nostalgia plays a big part too. Is Cowboy Bebop great? Yes. Is it as deep as people claim? Not really. And he didn’t even write it, so it’s not a fair comparison.
Terror in Resonance (created and directed by Watanabe but not written by him either) is rated higher than Lazarus, and while it’s great, its second half has some really weak writing. And you can find hundreds of examples like that.
Again, just enjoy what you like, whether it’s “better” or “worse.” I’m not trying to convince anyone.
As for me, I think Lazarus is a very enjoyable, high-quality show. If you’re into anime and looking for something more serious or thought-provoking, which isn’t easy to find in this medium, I recommend it. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s definitely unique and stands out from the crowd.
In a time where we barely get anything like Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass (season 1), Terror in Resonance, Ergo Proxy, or even Akudama Drive (stories that are more serious, grounded, different, and unique…), it’s refreshing to have something that at least feels like those — whether it’s better or worse doesn’t matter. At least it’s not just another generic shonen.