Lazarus, the latest anime from the creator of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, has a release date, and it’s pretty soon.
Are you in the mood for an anime with a great concept helmed by an absolute all-star crew? That’s exactly what you’re going to get in Lazarus, the upcoming anime that comes from Shinichiro Watanabe, with John Wick’s director Chad Stahelski designing the action choreography, Jujutsu Kaisen studio Mappa producing it, and the musical talents of Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo. That truly is a wildly strong line-up of talent, and best of all, Adult Swim has finally confirmed a premiere date: midnight on April 5. Yes, that sort of makes it April 6, but you get the point – and you’ll be able to check out episodes (of which there will be 13) the day after they premiere on the streaming service Max.
For those that haven’t heard of Lazarus, here’s how Lazarus describes it: in 2052, there is an “era of unprecedented peace and prosperity” across the planet thanks to a “miracle cure-all drug with no apparent drawbacks called Hapuna” that’s used for practically everything. It was made by a Dr. Skinner, but soon after he made it, he disappeared.
“Three years later, the world has moved on. But Dr. Skinner has returned – this time, as a harbinger of doom. Skinner announces that Hapuna has a short half-life. Everyone who has taken it will die approximately three years later. Death is coming for this sinful world – and coming soon. As a response to this threat, a special task force of 5 agents is gathered from across the world to save humanity from Skinner’s plan. This group is called ‘Lazarus.’ Can they find Skinner and develop a vaccine before time runs out?”
I’m a big fan of Watanabe’s previous works, and all of this sounds great to me. A recently shown off poster looks Cowboy Bebop as all hell too, so I’m sure fans of the classic anime are in for a treat with this one.