Shinichirō Watanabe, the mind behind Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, and Space Dandy, had plans for a new project that would’ve brought back the loose, offbeat spirit of Dandy. But Adult Swim had other ideas. When Watanabe pitched something in that direction, the answer was firm: no. They were looking for something with a serious tone, and that one word shifted everything. The result was Lazarus, a darker, high-stakes sci-fi series built around a grim premise and shaped by real-world concerns.
The Pitch That Changed Everything
According to Watanabe’s interview, the origins of Lazarus don’t trace back to a Japanese production committee, they started in the U.S. Cartoon Network, through Adult Swim’s Jason DeMarco, approached him directly with a proposal for a new sci-fi anime. They were willing to fully fund it, giving Watanabe rare freedom for a creator working across borders.
Naturally, he pitched something similar to Space Dandy. Episodic, strange, full of personality. But that idea was dismissed quickly. The network wanted something with more weight, a shift in tone that ultimately led to Lazarus.
A Story Shaped by Real-World Tragedy
Lazarus is set in the year 2052, in a future where society is thriving thanks to a breakthrough drug called Hapuna. Created by a Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist named Dr. Skinner, Hapuna promises to eliminate physical pain. It’s adopted worldwide. Then Skinner vanishes.
Three years later, he returns with devastating news: Hapuna is a time-delayed poison. Every person who took it will die unless they can find him, and a possible cure, within thirty days.
The setup might sound like standard sci-fi, but Watanabe explained that his inspiration came from the opioid epidemic in the United States. He referenced how prescription medications, while legal, have caused immense harm.
The death of Michael Jackson especially struck a chord with him. That personal connection, his admiration for Jackson’s music, led him to question how something prescribed as medicine could carry such risks. That thought became the core of Lazarus.
And this was before the COVID-19 pandemic. In hindsight, the story’s resemblance to a global health disaster feels eerie.
A Top-Tier Team With Full Creative Control
Once the direction for a “serious” story was agreed upon, Adult Swim gave Watanabe creative freedom. That’s unusual, especially in international projects involving American networks. But in this case, they backed off and let him lead.
Watanabe pulled together a highly experienced crew:
- MAPPA is handling animation. Known for Chainsaw Man and Jujutsu Kaisen, they’re one of the most visually intense studios working today.
- Sola Entertainment is managing production logistics.
- Chad Stahelski, director of John Wick, is overseeing the action scenes. That means tight, cinematic fight choreography on a level rarely seen in anime.
- The music direction also sets Lazarus apart. Watanabe brought in jazz artist Kamasi Washington, electronic producer Bonobo, and Floating Points to create the show’s score. The combination signals something very different from Bebop’s bebop or Dandy’s genre-hopping soundtracks. This one leans atmospheric, experimental, and emotionally heavy.
A Different Kind of Watanabe Series
Lazarus represents a hard shift from Watanabe’s usual tone. Gone is the playfulness of Space Dandy or the genre-blending of Samurai Champloo. What remains is a sharp sense of tension and urgency.
This change wasn’t just a creative whim, it came directly from the first conversation with Adult Swim. They didn’t want another Dandy. They wanted something that took itself seriously. Watanabe delivered, but it’s hard not to imagine what Space Dandy 2.0 could’ve looked like.
Still, Lazarus feels like more than just a pivot. It’s Watanabe responding to the world around him, reflecting on real social issues, and channeling that into something new.
