Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
BARMBQ
Having seen Cowboy Bebop as many times as I have, I was expecting something similar tone-wise. However, what Lazarus gives out is not super far removed, but it works well on its own. Hard to remove from the shadow of its predecessor, it feels like a culmination of Shinichiro Watanabe's work while, on the other hand, feeling like it holds back on what it could have been.
The story was pretty interesting and engaging. The concept of the story basically being a search for the thing that can save the world is not a new plot, but the direction it was taken in worked to the show's benefit. The story cleverly allowed us to learn a meaningful amount about each of the main cast, despite this show's shorter runtime than Watanabe's previous outings. They were all enjoyable and interesting, if a bit…
Read at the sourcebaleil_neil
Lazarus is great, and I have absolutely no reason why I shouldn't give it a 10. A lot of the hate likely comes from people comparing it to Cowboy Bepop and expecting a carbon copy, which is unfair.
Lazarus gave me almost everything I looked for in an anime. Unique characters and chemistry that is explored, great animation, hype, a good plot, and even a sprinkle of romance. I'm always a sucker for anime that focuses on the chemistry between its characters, and the way Lazarus had the crew learn to trust each other and work together was done better than any other anime. The plot, while simple, does all it needs to carry along the show, because it's not the main focus -- the cast is.
Some people are also calling the start too slow or a period where nothing happens, but I disagree with this.…
Read at the sourceaty3306
It might be my favorite production in terms of authenticity up to date. it's a really crazy idea to take a drug that people use daily and interpret it from the beginning and put it on the market. The animation quality of the production made it feel like watching cartoons rather than anime, and I liked it. Environmental design and character drawings are successful; as in the producer's previous works, the characters come together independently of each other, but they have something in common. They also made the future the way we see it now; not in an exaggeration, but in the current prototype projects. I recommend it as a production that everyone should watch.
Rating Criteria Score (Over 10)
Story and Topic Integrity [8] / 10
Characters and Development [7] / 10
World Design (Universal) [9]…
Read at the sourceTinyTony404
Lazarus is a really interesting show because it asks a pretty big question: is humanity really worth saving?
Throughout the episodes, we slowly get more of an understanding of Skinner and why he became the way he is. He isn't just some generic evil villain who wants to destroy the world. A lot of what he does comes from losing faith in humanity and what we've done to the world.
I liked that the show actually makes you think about whether Skinner is completely wrong. Humanity has done some pretty messed up things, and the more you learn about his motivations, the more you understand where he's coming from, even if you don't agree with what he does.
The show is also way overhated in my opinion. I don't think it's perfect, but I think a lot of the criticism is way too harsh. There's a lot…
Read at the sourceKatsumataJ
Lazarus is a show that deserves to be judged by what it accomplishes, not only by what people expected from it.
I understand the comparisons to other works, but I think they sometimes overshadow what makes Lazarus special. This is not a show that needs to be another series to be successful. It creates its own identity through its world, its atmosphere, and most importantly, its characters.
The world of Lazarus immediately stood out to me. It feels futuristic without feeling impossible, and the setting feels alive because of the people within it. However, the biggest strength of this anime is the chemistry between the cast. Axel and Christine, Douglas and Elaina, and Leland’s story all add something meaningful to the team. What I enjoyed most was that these relationships made the characte…
Read at the sourceoozePOP
One of the best recent modern anime. The story is golden, the pacing is pretty good, and the action sequences paired with masterful music make for a killer watching experience. Knowing this was made by the creator of Cowboy Bebop makes me want to go back and watch that.
Lazarus is a cool story, but it's also got so much style that just makes you feel cool like a hipster when you watch it. I see why this won best original anime for the Crunchyroll Awards. It's just so new and fresh and you can tell you're watching something different when you watch this.
Absolutely worth a watch. Don't skip out on what is an iconic experience.
Read at the sourceBestGeorgeForman
Lazarus has issues with pacing and character writing. The story, message, and themes are all there. But it always feels like there’s just something missing.
The characters aren’t fleshed out or written well enough for you to really care about them. The pacing feels way too fast - there’s too much jumping around from place to place, even in the span of just one episode.
Honestly, if this show had been given 26 episodes to stretch it out a bit, those issues might’ve been solved. I still don’t think it would ever touch the same brilliance as Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop, but it’d at least be somewhat on the same level of conversation. If only it had gotten that extra time to breathe a bit more love and care into its pacing and characters. Who knows what it could’ve been.
As it is in…
Read at the sourceJfredz
this anime has good animation, fight scenes and has an insane plot. PEAK
it had an insane twist and the story is unique, the animation also is top tier. not a single boring episode and it has a good plot progression
all the characters had unique personalities and had a good backstories. their different backstory is also amazing not like some rushed anime character.
i think others would enjoy it, especially those who are into thrilling and exciting anime like this. this anime is definitely one of the best out there, a underrated hidden gem. i hope this anime gets the recognition it deserves
Read at the sourceEleonoraViolet
Actual rating - 5.5/10
For me, it was the most frustrating experience in terms of anime in 2025 - a lot of wasted potential, a lot of technical & story problems, and a lot of inconsistencies.
ARTSTYLE + DESIGNS
They were OK, until they weren't - for the first 4 episodes, char designs, backgrounds, color palette, and other aspects of those two things were consistently decent, with a pretty good variety with what was shown and how it was shown, but then it started going downhill: aside from one or two more episodes in between Ep 4 and Ep 13, it was consistently getting worse and worse.
The first issue was the general visual presentation - everything, from how backgrounds looked up close and from a distance.... through the detail and complexity of char designs.... to general quality of…
Read at the sourceunseen_habitt
Lazarus was actually pretty good. At first I thought it was just gonna be another sci-fi action anime about chasing down a rogue scientist, but the themes ended up being way more interesting than I expected.
It’s about a painkiller drug that basically the whole world uses, only for people to find out later that it has deadly side effects. What makes it interesting is that even when the world is on the verge of collapse, there are still people who only care about their own interests.
The scientist himself also isn’t just some evil villain who wants to destroy the world. He’s more like someone who completely lost faith in humanity and believes people will always abuse things for power.
I also really liked the ending. Even though the world is full of cruel and selfish people, there are sti…
Read at the sourceSpider-Mate_MSA
Agent Ballad
A painfully average story with so so so much potential to be the best.
I believe everything surrounding the show is great. The music, animation, characters and voice acting are superb. I watched the anime in dub since it fits better, and apart from Doug's VA sounding extremely one note, the cast was good. The story is unfortunately a different.......story. I've seen people compare Cowboy Bebop with Lazarus, and while I don't think that's an out of nowhere comparison to make, it does do a disservice to what Lazarus tries to be. Yes, a lot of moments and scenes can very much be taken as callbacks to Bebop, which I even can't deny, but that doesn't make the show a retread of what was done before.
The story is very clearly its weakest point, with pacing that simultaneously rush…
Read at the sourcenomi_ya
GHIBILI BEBOP
Welcome to Lazarus, or Cowboy Bebop 2.0. This is the latest of of Shinichiro Watanabe's works and it's very similiar to his other pieces of art in pretty much everything.
Another team of anti-heroes but this time they are forced to play the good guys, being tasked with finding the man who is responsible for engineering a drug that somehow managed to hook the whole planet to, and now is supposedly going to bring about the end of it.
This group consists of 6 people, each different in their own way, and you get to see them go through a sort-of character developement arc where they connect with each other in a unique, trauma bondage setting where they go from distant strangers to an almost family like bond. ( this is my favorite part of the anime btw)
Also, since this is a W…
Read at the sourceMegotinha
Rating 8/10 ⭐
If Shinichiro Watanabe's (Cowboy Bebop) name is involved, we already know the aesthetics will be impeccable, it's pure style! The "Noir atmosphere" mixed with technology creates a unique ambiance that few anime achieve nowadays. ✅ Pros: - The art direction is out of this world and the fight scenes are choreographed with rare perfection. The jazz/electronic soundtrack greatly enhances the experience.
- Axel Gilberto, who is Brazilian (like me), has a lot of potential. - Fluid chase scenes.
❌ Cons: - I feel that some secondary characters could have been explored more so that we would care more about the group.
- The script sometimes gets lost in philosophical concepts and forgets to tie up some loose ends in a more organic way.
Read at the sourceStarsoulMac
What if you knew you had days to live? What would you do with those remaining hours, and how would you spend them? Would you fight to keep on living or idly wait as the inevitable time of impending doom passes by? That is the story of Lazarus.
Created by the iconic, legendary, world-renowned director Shinichiro Watanabe, Lazarus revolves around metropolitan societies in the utopian year of 2052. Dr Skinner, an illustrious scholar known all around the world, has created a miracle drug that will alleviate all ailments within the human body, and this drug is known as 'Hapna'. However, little do people know that hapna has a three-and-a-half-year lifespan, and those who have taken hapna will soon perish unless they can find a cure. The government decides to create a unique, special task for…
Read at the sourcenotlikethesoup
Lazarus has a lot that reminds me of great Watanabe works (Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo), but it just doesn't make the mark as much as it should. The animation is beautiful, the soundtrack is fantastic, but the cast just doesn't hit the same way previous works' casts did, and a more urgent plot device (even if the plot never FEELS that urgent) doesn't feel as good as the meandering journey that intertwines with the characters' past like Bebop and Champloo. It's fine, and it doesn't overstay its welcome, but don't expect anything remotely near the level of Bebop or Champloo, because it ain't here. But it's still a mostly fun watch.
Read at the sourceSMGJohn
Every review is subjective, art is subjective your opinion may differ, never trust reviews to make the opinion for you, use them as a guide and make your own journey.
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There are certain anime that provoke unusually polarised reactions, attracting both strong admiration and outright dismissal. This pattern appears most often with works aimed at the seinen demographic, particularly those that draw stylistic influence from the so called golden age of anime. Lazarus sits squarely within this tradition. It is both a seinen series and one whose direction consciously echoes the tone and pacing of 1990s adult oriented productions.
Lazarus does not rely on spectacle driven action or dense narrative hooks designed to maintain constant stimulation. Instead, it adopts a slower, more casual rhythm,…
Read at the sourcePrN_8
Lazarus
It had the potential to be a one-of-a-kind anime—and in some ways, it is—but something felt off. It never really delved deep into its themes. The characters were okay, not explored in much depth, yet it was still fun to watch. The social aspects were handled well, but the ending didn’t land the way I expected it to. Maybe my expectations were just too high.
The suspense elements didn’t fully work for me either. The story felt like it moved at the same pace throughout, without many highs or shifts to keep the tension strong.
Characters
Good overall, but not deeply developed.
Animation
Pretty good and consistent. Not over-the-top, but solid in its own way.
Recommendation
Fine for a single watch, just don’t go in with very high expectations.
Read at the sourceJustPayton
I personally really love this anime, I know many people seem to hate on it but I don't really see why. It has great animation, charming characters, a cool world, interesting plot, there is just so much to love! Its not perfect and lacks occasionally when it comes to pacing seeming to go slower, but I believe that's the point. Taking life in one day at a time, knowing that yours days will come to an end. The story is decently unique but also familiar, the artstyle and fight scenes are really well done being weighed by good choreography instead of just flashy colors. I highly recommend this anime for fans of Cowboy Beepbop and Erased.
Read at the sourcegenrenders
Soundtrack by Floating Points is one of not many interesting things behind this uninspired waste of tremendous potential, especially with who's behind directing whatever that is. Not the worst thing ever, but I just can't find any reason to recommend watching this to anyone, that's for certain.
Watching this at first, it looked like it could be something that'd be building upon the concepts and ideas from Cowboy Bebop, but it never ever did unfortunately.
Characters are as forgettable as ever, and their "quirks" just sorta fell flat with how little stuff has developed throughout the story. That's slop, hyper-unfortunately... Straight up nothing to even add here, that neon funky club scene was pretty though, and once again, Floating Points did it justice
Read at the sourcenocturnesx
Lazarus puts forward a particularly interesting premise from the very beginning, and it is a show that mixes action with investigation, maybe even more of the latter, so those looking for some hardcore action might find it underwhelming. Music was a certified bop also.
Although it felt a bit lacking in some aspects, the show is thought-provoking and slightly philosophical too (more depending on how deeply one thinks about it), especially since the world and problems aren't so different from ours. Wish it was a bit more fleshed out as a longer series, but there is symbolism, there is music, action & faith in (or lack thereof) humanity. May not be for everyone, but a short show that was most definitely an interesting and worthwhile watch.
Read at the source
