Few names in the world of anime are more well-known than Cowboy Bebop creator Shinichiro Watanabe. The series is often regarded as one of the greatest anime of all time thanks to its incredible writing, animation, and overall direction, and whenever Watanabe tackles a new project, he always finds some way to inject that sort of impeccable craft into the work from start to finish.

It’s been almost 30 years since Shinichiro Watanabe made a name for himself with Cowboy Bebop, and he’s ready to do it again. Spring 2025 is the long-awaited premiere of Shinichiro Watanabe’s new anime, Lazarus, and while only the basic plot is known at the time of writing, Lazarus’ trailers and promotional material already have it poised to be the perfect successor to Cowboy Bebop. As someone who’s been a fan of Watanabe’s career as a whole, that would be great to see, and there are plenty of reasons why things may be heading that way.

Lazarus Already Has Everything Great About Cowboy Bebop

Lazarus Is Already A Hit Anime In The Making

If there’s any reason to think that Lazarus will be a great successor to Cowboy Bebop, it’s in its presentation. For starters, Cowboy Bebop found success from its cast of loveable rogues, and while it might not be to the same extent, Lazarus’ trailers make it clear that its heroes have a similar sort of rough charm to them that was present in Cowboy Bebop and other works of Shinichiro Watanabe. Series protagonist Axel especially fits the mold of a typical Watanabe hero, and I can’t wait to see the full picture.

Another major selling point, of course, is in the animation. Shinichiro Watanabe is famous for giving his projects some of the best animation of any anime, with Cowboy Bebop still looking incredible after so many decades, and sure enough, every trailer for Lazarus has done an amazing job of showing off its fluid and all-around gorgeous animation. Lazarus looks like it could be the best-looking anime Shinichiro Watanabe has ever directed, and with MAPPA behind its production, that’s probably all but guaranteed.

The biggest reason why Lazarus’ animation looks so good probably has nothing to do with Shinichiro Watanabe or MAPPA, however. John Wick director Chad Stahelski is in charge of Lazarus’ action sequences, many of which have already been seen in various trailers, so Lazarus having John Wick’s director working on its action scenes is bound to give it some of the best action in modern anime. I don’t have any real investment in John Wick, but I know enough about it to understand why that’s a great thing, and it will be great to see it all come together.

Lazarus Might Have The Best Soundtrack Of Any Shinichiro Watanabe Project

I'm Already In Love With Lazarus' Music

What’s got me the most excited about Lazarus, however, is its soundtrack. A big part of why Shinichiro Watanabe is such a great director stems from the incredible scores of his productions and how effortlessly they’re used to sell the mood of every scene, and sure enough, Lazarus, based on its promotional material, looks to be another Shinichiro Watanabe anime with incredible music and the impeccable direction to take it to its limit. The fact that it’s a return to the jazz music Cowboy Bebop was famous for is especially noteworthy, and I can’t wait until it’s available in full.

The amazing quality of Lazarus’ soundtrack can be attributed to the equally amazing talent behind it. Lazarus’ soundtrack is a collaboration between legendary artists Bonobo, Floating Points, and Kamasi Washington, and every trailer currently available for the series has done nothing but show off the incredible energy the three of them are bringing to the series at every turn. This is hardly the first time Shinichiro Watanabe has collaborated with Western artists, but this might be the best team-up of his career, and I’ve never been so excited.

Lazarus Is Exactly What Toonami Needs Right Now

Toonami Is In Desperate Need Of A Boost

Lazarus is one of my most-anticipated anime of 2025, and the fact that it’s going to air on Toonami is all the better. Recent years haven’t been all that kind to Toonami, with various licensing and scheduling changes severely limiting their programming year after year to the point that they can’t even finish some shows like My Hero Academia. However, between the incredible production and how it’s another anime premiering on Toonami before anywhere else in the world, Lazarus is the perfect anime to give modern Toonami some much-needed attention.

Like many anime fans, I have Toonami to thank for making me an anime fan, and while I don’t watch it nearly as much as I did when I was a kid, or even when it came back in 2012, it still pains me to see such an iconic part of anime and my childhood lose so much of the prestige it once held. Lazarus, of course, would only be a temporary boon, but any increased attention Lazarus could bring to Toonami would be great to see in any context, so here’s hoping that there’s plenty to expect from it.

Lazarus Is Exactly What The Shinichiro Watanabe Fan In Me Needs

I've Never Been Happier To Be A Shinichiro Watanabe Fan

Above all else, the reason why I’m excited for Lazarus is simply that it’s another Shinichiro Watanabe anime. Between shows like Cowboy Bebop, Samurai Champloo, Space Dandy, and the criminally underrated Carole & Tuesday, Watanabe has consistently delivered some of the best anime I’ve ever seen not just for their visuals, but for the incredible charm found in their writing and overall direction, as well. Time and time again, I’ve happily bought into the hype of Shinichiro Watanabe’s anime, and I would want nothing more than for Lazarus to be more of the same.

Fortunately, that shouldn’t be an issue. Even if there still isn’t much to see of Lazarus, between what has been shown off of in the trailers in regards to action, animation, and overall direction and the incredible staff behind its production, with Cowboy Bebop’s Shinichiro Watanabe being the most obvious standout, I have every confidence that Lazarus will be as great an anime to watch as Cowboy Bebop or any other of Shinichiro Watanabe’s anime. There’s still a month left before Lazarus’ premiere, and it’s something I will be waiting for with nothing but bated breath.