Shinichirō Watanabe, the mastermind behind Cowboy Bebop and Space Dandy, is a legend who has proved himself time and time again by creating timeless classics. Not to mention even his other works are exceptionally popular.

But there is no doubt that he excels at creating the kind of absurd, humorous concepts and executes them exceptionally well, almost as if he were parodying reality.

Axel from Lazarus [Credits: Mappa]

He had hopes of returning to his absurd roots, but when Adult Swim came knocking with full funding and a blank check, they made one thing clear: they didn’t want another Dandy. They wanted something serious and something darker. And that’s how the dystopian world of Lazarus was born.

A darker vision inspired by real-world pain

Adult Swim’s idea was not bad. Although Samurai Champloo and Cowboy Bebop are immensely successful, Space Dandy felt much more lackadaisical and did not...