Lazarus is frustrating because it is one of those anime with heaps of promise that are wasted in the end, as opposed to an anime that is aggressively bad most of the time. Having the name of Shinichirō Watanabe on it, and being animated by MAPPA, expectations were not only high, but astronomical. And in a great disappointment, Lazarus is no more than a polished-looking empty shell: all dressed up in cyberpunk talk, but seldom saying anything with any serious weight to it.

We can begin with the premise, since on paper it is gold. The world appears to be on the edge of paradise in a not so distant future where all people have been cured of all disease by a miraculous new drug brought about by a mysterious Dr. Skinner. And within no time it turns out not to be just a dream when it is hinted that the drug would kill all those who have used it within three years. Come the special ops under-cover operation, Lazarus, which uprooted Skinner and saved the humanity.

This is a great premise, because it mixes high stakes bioethics with a highly action-driven story potential. However, in the process of carrying out the concept, Lazarus has lost its identity.

The most problematic thing is the writing. There is no narrative continuity in the story - the episodes are too episodic, lacking sufficient bonds and the characters have either no development or very little, minimalistic to the point of practically being nonexistent. The main crew is introduced with brisk speed, yet the majority of them are excruciatingly one-note, with only desirable of goals slight longer than their task. This would be excusable in a clean action series, but Lazarus obviously has something more to tell the audience concerning life, death and control. The philosophical heavy-hitting is there, but again it is usually handily presented in some clumsy exposition or in some hammy speech that forces the point home with an unnecessary hammer-stroke.

In terms of appearance, it is hard to argue that the show does not look good. MASTERS OF THE POLICE PETITE AKI meets the anticipated fluid sets of action and the cyber-punk-induced design and flair, and possibly one of the rare positives is the fight choreography. When it comes to Lazarus driving his car foot to the pedal in close combats or even in fast chases, it is truly exciting. But even the animation is inconsistent at some moments: there are some episodes where it will appear significantly rougher than usual ones. They are trying, but they are not always polished up.

The other issue is the pacing. The show also switches back and forth too quickly between dumping exposition and some instant action scene and can hardly put any scale on any aspect, breathing or otherwise. Significant events are summarised, or presented in a rather hurried way, losing emotional appeal. There is always the sense of the show rushing somewhere and you are not actually sure where.

Then, there is the tone, Lazarus appears to be handling too many ideas at the same time. It aspires to be an intelligent sci-fi, a slick action thriller and a worldwide conspiracy mystery simultaneously. Tragically, it does not balance these genres so that they complement each other well but rather, it comes out as disjointed. What we are left with is an ambitious show with little life in its heart and story.

One gets shades of genius, a fierce battle scene here, a visual symbol there but they are momentary. One has a feeling that Lazarus might have ended up a great film with a more cohesive script, direction, and characterization. Rather it turns into a warning of form versus content.

Ultimately, Lazarus is a series that disappoints you more than enrages. It was equipped with everything to become truly revolutionary, with an interesting premise, a powerful creative crew, and a flashy visual language, but misses basically every chance to end up with a mess. The result is a performance that keeps pointing at brilliance and never quite achieves it. Assuming that you find nothing spectacular than cool fights and some upbeat aesthetics, you may be satisfied with your choice. However, should you have been hoping to read the next mind-blowing sci-fi epic, Lazarus will probably be an irritatingly beautiful missed potential.