Please, no, please don’t bring back Popcorn Wizard. I cannot tolerate her voice or her attitude or her existence. Lazarus has made a lot of mistakes throughout its run, but the worst of them all has to be the existence of this ‘hacker.’ She is irritating, intolerable, and downright infuriating. Her name makes me rage in ways I thought were impossible.
I know she will be back in the next episode, and I also know that I will not like it. Is it prejudice? Yes. Do I care? No. She is the absolute worst character I have seen in any anime. Apart from that, this episode was somewhat good and bad at the same time. With only three episodes left, I do hope that things work out for the better.
Lazarus makes progress, but too slowly
My only major complaint, and I know I have a lot of those, was that all the developments that took place should have been done like five episodes ago. On paper, the concept of Lazarus feels like it would have perfect execution. In fact, were it a book, I would have enjoyed reading it. However, it isn’t a book, and MAPPA was the studio behind bringing it to life.
While Shinichiro Watanabe’s other works have been quite praised, the same cannot be said for Lazarus. It is almost a failed concept, and that is because things are picking up a little too slowly. When a show is only 13 episodes long, then going in the pace that the anime is taking becomes rather difficult. We are getting Leyland’s story finally, but once again, it should have either been introduced in tidbits or much earlier.
It was like loredropping, but I didn’t care for it. Axel and Doug were present during it all, and it did work in a way. The anime has always had an issue with showcasing the relationship between these characters in a natural way, and while this wasn’t perfect, it was still progress. The story, too, is genuinely really good. I want to know why Skinner is doing all of this, and I also want to know how they find him.
At the same time, the entire episode should have been cut in half. The hospital sequence and the entire thing with Leyland’s family should have just been one half of an episode, with the other half then focusing elsewhere. This would have helped the pacing issue drastically.
Reshaping Axel as the main character
When Lazarus first came out, it was obvious that Axel was set up to be the main character. That was how the anime was advertised, and how all the clips also made it seem. However, the more the anime progressed, the less obvious it became. He was basically sidelined in his own show. This created a whole new issue.
Not only is the story slow, but Axel doesn’t have enough time to actually stand out. The plot may not get properly wrapped up if things continue at this pace. Although it seems like we’ll finally get an episode focusing on him, it also feels like Elaina would share that spotlight with her, going to Pakistan for Popcorn Wizard.
So far, we have had episodes that focus on Elaina, Chris, and now Leyland. Doug and Axel have been the biggest mysteries of Lazarus. It makes sense for them to save the latter for last since his would be the big reveal, Doug would either remain as an underdeveloped character, or there would be a wasted episode focusing on him solely.
Leyland was revealed to be a rich heir with daddy issues, and Axel was basically confirmed to be the key to curing Hapna’s inevitable death. It makes sense to see him become so important, and I had honestly been hoping for it. If things keep up like this, even with the slower pace, I wouldn’t be too upset. That is, if they do something about Popcorn Wizard.
Rating: 7/10
Lazarus is currently available to watch on Adult Swim.
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