Lazarus may echo Cowboy Bebop’s vibe, but the two stand on different grounds

When Lazarus premiered, it was destined to carry the shadow of Cowboy Bebop before the opening credits even rolled. The shared DNA between both projects, their director, Shinichirō Watanabe, was enough to ignite comparisons across the anime community.

“I’ve always strived to make things different,” Watanabe told Gizmodo. It’s a statement that reflects both his creative frustration and his enduring philosophy. He’s proud of what Cowboy Bebop achieved, but he refuses to let it define him.

And yet, it’s easy to understand why fans see echoes between the two works; they share the same jazzy energy, the same cinematic confidence, and a similar sense of loneliness. Still, beneath the surface similarities, Lazarus operates on a completely different wavelength.

The Lazarus had to carry the burden of the legacy

Cowboy Bebop wasn’t just a hit anime; it was a cultural event. Its mixture of noir storytelling, existential undertones, and unforgettable music revolutionized the medium. Watanabe became synonymous with cool, with mood, with soul. So when Lazarus was announced, an original sci-fi anime directed by him and animated by MAPPA, expectations skyrocketed.

But that legacy comes at a cost. As Watanabe explained, “It’s the same director making both series, so there are going to be some similarities, but I’m not doing the same thing on purpose.” In other words, it’s impossible for his fingerprints not to show. His stylistic choices, the long silences, the rhythmic pacing, and the music-driven emotion naturally evoke memories of Bebop.

However, where Cowboy Bebop was a melancholic journey through lost dreams and bounty hunting in space, Lazarus is a race against time. It’s urgent, sharp, and built on global stakes rather than personal redemption. One floats like jazz; the other runs like adrenaline.

Moreover, it is set in a world that has found “peace” thanks to a miracle drug called Hapuna. This series throws humanity into chaos when the drug’s inventor reveals its deadly secret: every person who takes it will die in thirty days. The only hope lies with a five-person elite task force called Lazarus, assembled to hunt him down before time runs out.

A familiar sound, a new soul

Music has always been Watanabe’s heartbeat. Just as Yoko Kanno’s jazz defined Cowboy Bebop, Lazarus finds its rhythm in a collaboration with Kamasi Washington, Floating Points, and Bonobo. The result is a soundscape that’s alive with energy but grounded in a more futuristic, electronic groove. It’s jazz evolution rather than repetition.

Still, those auditory echoes are what keep comparisons alive. A trumpet riff here, a syncopated bassline there, fans hear it and instinctively think of Bebop. But Watanabe isn’t recycling; he’s riffing. Like a seasoned musician, he knows how to play familiar notes without performing the same song twice.

The curse of being an auteur

Watanabe’s challenge is the same one faced by every auteur whose earlier work became a phenomenon. Whether it’s Quentin Tarantino after Pulp Fiction or Hayao Miyazaki after Spirited Away, audiences can’t help but measure new creations against the past. But as Watanabe himself said, “Everything is for a reason, and I want you to watch it with fresh eyes.”

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That plea is as much for himself as it is for the audience. This series isn’t trying to be the next Cowboy Bebop; it’s trying to prove that Watanabe’s storytelling still evolves. And in truth, the show already carries his signature, philosophical undertones hidden inside genre trappings, world-building that doubles as cultural commentary, and a devotion to music as narrative.

Yes, Lazarus echoes Cowboy Bebop. You can hear it in the brass, see it in the frames, and feel it in the direction. But that doesn’t make it a clone; it makes it a continuation of Watanabe’s artistic voice. Bebop was a lament for broken souls adrift in space. Lazarus is a fight for humanity’s survival against time itself.

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