Lazarus anime is Mappa’s upcoming project which quickly gained attention from the anime community due to a strange peculiarity. The upcoming anime is said to have no source material which precedes it, and it is very unusual for an anime to be produced without manga in today’s times.
An anime adaptation that has been sourced from a manga helps the audience create certain expectations, but with Lazarus anime, the case is otherwise. With no ropes to hold the imaginative discourse, Mappa has set forth a project which would require intensive imagination and extensive approval from the viewers.
Lazarus anime – A basic premise of the plot
The year is 2052, and a golden period dawned upon Earth as Dr. Skinner’s Hapuna drug made a groundbreaking contribution to society. But three years later, Dr. Skinner disappeared without a trace and suddenly resurfaced to deliver a piece of terrible news – a newfound flaw with Hapuna. Hapuna was found to be a drug that could cure any form of suffering but the user would only have three years to live.
As everyone becomes connected to death by means of fate, a special task force is appointed to counter the catastrophic realities of this tragedy – team ‘Lazarus’. The team constitutes five special agents:
- Dr. Emma Turner – the brilliant scientist
- Detective Rafael Moreno – an expert investigator
- Aiden Shaw – a hardcore adventurer
- Lily Chen – a master hacker
- Dr. Amina Khan – the medic
The group is involved in an adventurous mission to find a cure to Hapuna’s effects and they must regulate the society when fear and panic start engulfing it from within. The promise of an idyllic existence would be tested and the members of the group must navigate through narrow stretches to end the misery for all.
Why does Lazarus anime not have a manga?
Lazarus anime is the brainchild of Studio Mappa. The studio is already known for its exceptional work related to Attack on Titan and Jujutsu Kaisen. But those works were influenced and adapted from specific source materials.
But, this new project of the Lazarus anime brings out the creative genius of the studio, where imaginative freedom has been released to bring out a visionary piece of work.
First preview of "Lazarus" anime (2024) by Shinichiro Watanabe (Cowboy Bebop) & MAPPA studio.
Produced by Adult Swim & Sola Entertainment.https://t.co/otBWoqZ19Shttps://t.co/v7Q5WIC2KZ pic.twitter.com/7556JaQEsI— Catsuka 💙 (@catsuka) July 23, 2023
Lazarus anime does not have a manga because it has been imagined for the screens, without any source materials to restrict it in any form. The director Shinichiro Watanabe is also a well-known personality in the community and his taking over of this project has significantly diversified the possibilities of the plot.
Will Shinichiro Watanabe be able to deliver Lazarus anime as a worthy pursuit?
Shinichiro Watanabe is well known for his previous works such as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo. He is known for blending genres together and experimenting with them. We see that in Lazarus anime as well, which is a blend of the sci-fi genre with the noir genre. This makes the anime visually and aesthetically pleasing to the audience.
- Director Watanabe is not held by any restrictions with Lazarus anime. We will get to see a proper experimentation with noir and the narrative will be a peculiar mix of his blending techniques.
- With Studio Mappa giving Watanabe the freedom to shape a distinctively stylized anime of his own, we will be witnessing some major shifts and changes from the traditional anime adaptations.
- The experimental project would be more of a groundbreaking achievement if it works out well, and with Watanabe heading the horde, this will be a completely new addition to the world of Japanese anime.
Conclusion
Lazarus anime does not have a manga but it surely does have a notable studio and a prolific director leading the project. The story sounds interesting for a show without any source material, and it will be a surprisingly pleasing experience to watch the anime once it hits the screens.