Lazarus

Lazarus is a globe-trotting science-fiction anime thriller from Shinichiro Watanabe, the legendary creator of Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo, marking his most ambitious original series in years. A co-production for Adult Swim, it channels Watanabe's trademark blend of slick action, jazz-inflected cool, and existential undercurrents into a propulsive near-future chase with the fate of humanity hanging in the balance.

Set in the year 2052, the story begins with a miracle: a neuroscientist named Dr. Skinner has given the world Hapna, a painkiller with no apparent side effects that has been embraced by almost everyone alive. Then Skinner reappears to deliver a devastating message — the drug is lethal, and everyone who has taken it has roughly three years to live unless he is found. A team of five gifted outsiders, code-named Lazarus and led by the acrobatic escape artist Axel Gilberto, is assembled and given just thirty days to track Skinner down and secure a cure.

Watanabe surrounded himself with a remarkable roster of collaborators: the show's high-octane action was overseen by Chad Stahelski, the director of the John Wick films, while the score drew on the talents of artists including Kamasi Washington, Bonobo, and Floating Points. Airing on Adult Swim's Toonami block in the United States, Lazarus divided viewers but earned admiration for its style and ambition, even entering awards conversation. Lazarus is streaming on HBO Max.