Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
genrenders
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 sourceAnotherWanderer
While I normally don’t bother writing reviews, this show was especially disappointing. The writing is weak, relying far too heavily on suspension of disbelief to hold itself together. It’s a shame, because the concept is genuinely interesting — but the execution is all over the place. It feels like the creators had a great premise but no idea how to turn it into a coherent, engaging story.
On top of that, the show gets too lost in its own ideological messaging, turning what could’ve been thoughtful sci-fi into little more than a self-congratulatory echo chamber. In short: wasted potential. Just skip it.
Read at the sourceZontromm
What happens when rotten western minds get involved in the production of an anime? You get Lazarus.
This show has been gutted and you can see it in EVERYTHING. The dark parts are not dark, the characters have been made "safe", there are the now-a-days forced "token" characters and relationships in places they make NO SENSE whatsoever, the punch lines never punch, the action never goes full hard, the scenes which should go 'that is awesome' just fizzle, the sound is flat, the colour are bland, there is nothing that is memorable and every scene is just meh. NOT once did the show grab 100% of my attention for anything.
Lazarus could have been the badass classic-adjacent of the 2020s, but it will be just another mediocre original, forgotten within a month after people saw it.
This is why w…
Read at the source_Zwei_
This is show is Great. I'm surprised most people can't appreciate it the way I did.
The story is about a group of 5 strangers getting together to find where the infamous Dr. Skinner is. Dr Skinner is the responsible to spread a drug called Happna, what made this such an extremely popular drug is the effect of killing sadness. I confess, I'd totally be taking Happna if it was real. The major problem with this drug is that is a time bomb ready to explode and kill everyone who ever took it, and Dr. Skinner is the only person who knows the cure to save the mankind of it's own extinction.
Our 5 protagonists will get together forming a group called Lazarus, wich the main goal is to catch that Dr. and develop a cure. There's a lot of side quests that the main group would be doing that lead they…
Read at the sourceMagnusSE
I think this is a really underrated anime series. As with any great story, it's not the end that matters, it's the journey. This one is all about the investigation and the interactions between the people. A character story that reminds me of a well written book or modern TV-series. A very grown up story, not for the impatient viewers. Personally I really enjoyed the pacing. Also, the end is not a bad one. The story is told perfectly within the 13 episodes. Beginning, middle and end. Reminds me of an early Dan Brown novel (Digital Fortress and Deception Point).
It felt a bit slow at first, but after 3 episodes I was hooked and really wanted to know what was going to happen. And that slow ticking of the days at the end of each episode. It is really nice to really show how time is running ou…
Read at the sourceZER0F00L
Around the World in 30 days meets Outbreak is a good idea on paper that is unfortunately very flawed when applied to this story. From the same visionary mind of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, its this knowledge that makes this review all the more heartbreaking when you know what they are capable of.
30 days is all the world has before everyone dies. A wonder drug that everyone took was secretly poisoned as its creator holds a psychological sermon for the entire world to find him and show humanity is worth saving. Introducing Lazarus our 5 person super agent team to track him down and save the world, made up of a sexy ex-Russian spy, a shy cute hacker girl, a no nonsense African American, a ditzy boy who's good with drones, and a "HE'S JUST SO DAMN COOL!" male lead protag who definitly…
Read at the sourceSantyym
One of the biggest disappointments of 2025.
It was sad to see how an anime with so much hype behind it ended up being a complete letdown. I find it unbelievable that it has a rating of 7, because honestly, it doesn’t deserve it at all. Without further ado, here’s the good and the bad.
The good:
The animation is generally solid, except for one elevator scene that looked really weird. The fight scenes are easily the best part of the anime. They’re fluid, well choreographed, and genuinely fun to watch. The fight between the assassin and the soldiers in the last few episodes is probably the highlight of the entire series.
The soundtrack is fine. Nothing mind-blowing, but it gets the job done.
The bad:
The script is a mess. The story goes nowhere. The world is supposedly in crisis after Dr.…
Read at the sourcePsicolabis
Is the series Trash? No. And that's it's best quality. The first 6 episodes felt pointless. Episodes 8-12 were much better. And the ending rushed. It has good points, like the music and the premise, but that one is underdeveloped and rushed in the end.
The characters start unlikable and take a lot to get developed enough to be somewhat relatable. The music is good. The action, mostly fine (there is choppy scenes at some points, but overall not bad).
Will you feel robed of your time if you watch it? No, there are much worse ways to spend your time, but also much better.
Read at the sourcecharbelj
Lazarus is a visually striking and thematically gripping anime that blends science fiction, action, and philosophical undertones in a post-apocalyptic setting. While not perfect, it’s a show that sticks with you long after the credits roll.
The story isn’t groundbreaking in terms of structure—humanity on the brink, a mysterious antagonist, elite fighters trying to survive—but what sets Lazarus apart is how it's executed. Even if you've seen similar plots before, the tone and pacing keep things fresh. The fight choreography is tight and attention-grabbing, delivering high-energy sequences that feel impactful and grounded. These moments are easily among the show’s highlights.
Visually, the art style leans toward the darker and moodier side, with muted colors and shadow-heavy compositions.…
Read at the sourceKaminL
complete and utter wash. no clue what even happened here. wait. yes i do.
shinichiro watanabe is mainly known as the cool badass genius that made classics like cowboy bebop and samurai champloo, as well as underrated gem space dandy and forgotten nightmare terror in resonance. considering everybody forgot said forgotten nightmare, surely his newest production, from the same team that worked on attack on titan and the same guy that is basically about 50% of the reason why john wick is such a huge hit, will be just as legendary as his original iconic works. surely! except, this is what happens when you try to physically manufacture a classic. it comes off as inauthentic -- strictly artificial.
watanabe has gone on record stating that, when adult swim initially contacted him to work on a ne…
Read at the sourceteraphIl1000
Lazarus is a visual success: sleek animation, mature colors, pleasant (if a little banal) character design. Unfortunately, the work and care that was put in the directing of the show doesn't translate to the story, as the writing for Lazarus leaves much to be desired. The plot meanders endlessly, red herrings follow red herrings, and characters remain one-dimensional the whole way through despite meager attempts at backstory.
There is a writing tip that every new writer learns pretty quickly: every sentence in your story should either advance the plot or show character. However, if one were to cut everything in Lazarus that does neither, only enough material for a 90 to 120 minutes movie would be left. What's more, the rhythm of the story is completely off: after the inciting incident, no…
Read at the sourceSilver_Kiyotaka
Seriously, You Need to Watch Lazarus
If you're a fan of Shinichirō Watanabe (you know, the genius behind Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo), you've gotta check out his latest, Lazarus. It's a super slick sci-fi thriller that'll have you hooked from episode one. Plus, the action scenes were put together by the John Wick director, Chad Stahelski, and the soundtrack is absolutely killer. It's a total treat for your eyes and ears.
So, What's It About?
Picture this: it's 2052, and life is pretty sweet. A miracle drug called Hapna, made by this genius scientist Dr. Skinner, has gotten rid of all pain and sickness. Sounds perfect, right? Well, plot twist! Skinner, who's been MIA for three years, pops back up to tell the world that Hapna is actually a poison. Anyone who took it is going to die i…
Read at the sourceJoexySun
In summary, this anime might just be the biggest waste of a top-tier budget and a top-tier team of artists. It is, without a doubt, the most extravagantly wrapped piece of turd of an anime I have watched.
The premise is interesting, and the early reception which was mostly negative did not bother me that much, as I wanted to give a show that looks so slick a chance. I should have listened to the negative early reviews.
In the end, its simplistic but morbidly dragged-out story/narrative is a crotch punch to all the very talented visual designers, interior designers, futuristic engineers, Blues musicians, fight choreographers, and the legendary Watanabe Shinichirou himself. Just go back to make more absurdist raunchy comedies like Space Dandy, Watanabe Shinichirou. Seriously. Why did you…
Read at the sourceDoctorEmo
Absolutely boring series where nothing happens, nothing matters and every episode wastes 23 minutes of your limited time on Earth.
Hapna, the magical painkiller, is going to kill the ultimate pain: Humanity. Anyone who took the drug is going to die in one month. The show tells you this multiple times, with a countdown timer after every episode and the characters constantly restating the premise. You would never be able to tell this is the case. Everyone in the show carries on like it's business as usual. No riots, no looting, no desperate mass-suicides.
The show never tells you how many people took the drug, or what percentage or portion of the world's population took it, but they imply it was the vast majority of them. 90% of the population, more or less. You're telling me that almost…
Read at the sourcema1kawa11
When I found out that the Creator of cowboy bebop, one of my favorite series was releasing a new show and called it his masterpiece...I immediately added it to my watchlist. Unfortunately this show is not a masterpiece and cannot compare anywhere close to the quality of bebop. While the show was superbly animated, had good art, and a wonderful soundtrack... Unfortunately it's plot was just not good. The score I give it is purely because of that and how much of a sucker I am for good jazz. The op did that for me.
Ultimately the broad plot of this show is an overglorified Mcguffin chase that lasts thirteen episodes with faux high stakes attached. It also is unable to deliver a good ending but I will get to that soon. The world that we are set in attempts to be grounded in a supposed realis…
Read at the sourceHoToKe_E
The highly-acclaimed production team behind this, puts an unreasonable amount of expectation behind it and I'm happy to announce, it didn't flop.
It had a perfect opening and ending episode, whilst maintaining the quality through the second half.
It's just the expectation formed beforehand makes you feel a bit disappointed while the show is taking its time building on things.
It tries to make Lazarus into this family before a team, and I'm happy it succeeds.
Even though almost all the clues were there I didn't get to the answers till the very end.
It had quality animation, stellar action performances and managed to represent the global issues in the manners it wanted to.
It did all that in its run-time and had a proper wrapped up ending which is rare these days.
Read at the sourceFeli_Esmeralder
Another disappointment from this year's anime releases.
Superficial in its themes, it shows "oh deep" themes, but without delving into them or really taking them seriously. A worldbuilding that barely holds up, and good action scenes just to show they could do it. Most episodes revolve around the team essentially doing "nothing" and making little to no progress in the plot, with minimal development in characterization and/or their relationships.
The last episode was terrible, and the airport reveal makes several events in the series less meaningful, even though the formation of the eponymous group makes sense.
Several characters introduced throughout the series were unintentionally unlikable (exactly, I'm not talking about the villains), and overall, few seemed interesting, from their desi…
Read at the sourceMarinate1016
Unpopular opinion, I like Lazarus. A lot. That’s not to say this show is perfect or even a masterpiece, but it was a very enjoyable watch for me and a lot of the criticism levied against this show tends to fundamentally misunderstand what it’s trying to accomplish. Yes, there’s flashy fights done by the legendary Chad Stahelski, but that’s not the main point of this show. It’s supposed to be a slower introspective piece on the sins of humanity, how we(generally) prioritise profit over the greater good and whether or not humanity is truly worth saving. Now, If you actually go into this series expecting that sort of philosophical questioning, you’ll enjoy it. If you go in expecting cowboy bebop, space dandy or any of Watanabe’s other legendary series, you’ll be disappointed. This falls short…
Read at the sourcejahver
Shinichiro Watanabe was one of those guys who was impossible to criticize for years. When you’re the name people most commonly associate with a show as lauded as Cowboy Bebop fans are gonna be ride-or-die for you regardless of the quality of your successive projects. You can argue that Bebop isn’t perfect, and I’d agree with you, but it outshines practically anything coming out these days thanks to Watanabe’s direction and writers like Keiko Nobumoto at the helm. Bebop’s understanding of homage, Champloo’s anachronisms, and Space Dandy’s reverence towards of the previous 40-something years of anime all go to show that Watanabe’s reverence towards whatever he was paying tribute to was enough to help a show stand on its own despite the peaks and valleys that may be there. Carole and Tuesday…
Read at the sourceGsarthotegga
Lazarus is another helping of westaboo porn by courtesy of Shinichiro Watanabe, his stable of writers, and Kidult Swim. The producers approached Watanabe in hopes of replicating the success of Cowboy Bebop with another sci-fi action series, to which he asked if they meant something like Space Dandy. Their response was "No, something more serious." But clearly not much more serious, given the aloof and referential hipster farce that we got. Since Lazarus will likely be compared to Cowboy Bebop because of the director, a similarly gritty visual style, a touch of jazz and other American pop music, and a cover and OP drawing from the older title, it is worth making a quick comparison. The Cowboy Bebop English dub was legendary in anime circles compared to the average dub of the time, but a lot…
Read at the source