The creator of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo has a new series coming out, Lazarus. Set in a futuristic, dystopian world, it follows a team hunting down Dr Skinner, the creator of a “miracle drug” that is actually a fatal, slow poison. Now the race for a vaccine begins and the clock is ticking.
At first, Dr Skinner is presented as the savior of humanity for creating the drug, Hapna, since it claims to cure all diseases. Three years later, however, the deranged scientist announced it would kill anyone who took the drug in three years. The team of 5, Lazarus, is now tasked to hunt him down.
The apocalyptic horror of Lazarus isn’t an alien invasion or the threat of zombies. Shinichiro Watanabe wanted to mirror the opioid crisis that still plagues the world today. Many lives have been lost by its overuse and dependence. Lazarus brings up a very important silent killer.
Watanabe wanted to explore the opioid crisis through Lazarus
Very few series have explored the opioid crisis in a non-romanticized, gruesome way. The Fall of the House of Usher directly criticized how pharmaceutical companies exploit their customers who are dependent on opioids.
Lazarus, on the other hand, offers a dystopian outlook on it. While we don’t know enough about the plot, taking down Dr Skinner and creating a vaccine seems like the main goal here. If you missed the action of Cowboy Bebop and Sakamoto Days isn’t scratching that itch, Lazarus is there for you.
Watanabe explains that the inspiration to explore the opioid crisis in Lazarus came from seeing many of his favorite musicians pass away from drug overdoses. Even prescribed painkillers, which are advertised as safe, are harmful in the long run. In an interview with The Verge, he states:
When people think about the end of the world in fiction, usually the cause is some kind of war or maybe an alien invasion. But with this story, the collapse of everything begins with the creation of this new painkiller, Hapna.
The general real-world opioid crisis was one of my bigger inspirations for this series, but also the fact that many of the musicians I love listening to ultimately died from drug overdoses.
He goes on to explain how Prince’s death still impacts him:
In the old days, you would hear about musicians overdosing on illegal street drugs, but over the years, you’ve seen more and more cases like Prince, for instance, who wind up dying while taking prescribed painkillers.
Prince’s death still shocks me. I love hip-hop culture and rap as well, and unfortunately you’re seeing more of this kind of overdosing with younger artists.
Shinichiro Watanabe is correct about the opioid crisis. There’s a reason the 27 Club is so extensive. Lazarus didn’t need an alien invasion or all-out war to depict true realistic horror when a subtle killer lives in our cabinets or medical store. It’s a cautionary tale of what drug dependency does to a person.
What Lazarus says about humanity and what to expect from the plot
The protagonist of Lazarus, Axel, thrives on danger and risk in a world where the people are now terrified of their inevitable death. We see him weave and run through obstacles and heights without any care.
It’s a lesson about living in the present rather than in the past or future. Humanity now has to come to terms with their mortality and how their savior has doomed them. The opioid crisis isn’t new but it certainly has to be talked about too.
Watanabe has collaborated with Chad Stahelski, the director of the John Wick franchise. The action might just be the highlight of Lazarus, but the characters seem very interesting as well. It’s definitely reminiscent of Cowboy Bebop, just with updated visuals that still keep the nostalgic vibe.
Lazarus is set to release on April 6th, 2025 on Adult Swim.
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