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TheCowboy Beboplegend, Shinichiro Watanabe, is once again getting ready to shake the entire anime industry with his upcoming anime series. The name of the anime series isLazarus,and it was announced last year in July, making it one of the biggest announcements. Fans have high hopes for the series that feels a lot like Watanabe’s most successful work,Cowboy Bebop.
Lazarusfollows the story of Alex Gilberto, a high-profile fugitive who is trying to survive in the futuristic world that is influenced by Dr. Skinner because of his drug called Hapna. Another main reason why the series is going to be an immense success is because it has marked the debut ofJohn Wick’sdirector, Chad Stahelski, in the anime industry.
TheJohn Wickdirector has choreographed the action scenes in the series, which is really a big achievement forLazarus.However, Watanabe recently revealed that he had no hopes that Stahelski would have ever agreed to work with him. In fact, he only contacted him to get some tips about the action sequences of the series.
Shinichiro Watanabe HeldJohn Wickin High Regard
During the recent New York Comic-Con, Watanabe was interviewed byAnime News Network, aboutLazarusand the uniqueness of his upcoming project. One of the first things that Watanabe mentioned was that throughLazarushe got the opportunity to collaborate with Stahelski whom, he has always held in high regard.
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Watanabe stated:
I’ve always held his John Wick film series in high regard. I watch them all the time. It’s not just how realistic his action looks, but how modern it feels. The way he incorporates modern gun techniques is so satisfying to watch.
So when I called, even if his team couldn’t do the action choreography themselves, I asked if maybe his team could give us tips on how to create action scenes like them. But instead, they went, “Leave it to us! We’ll do the choreography for you!”
Watanabe revealed that he was not too sure whether a legendary director likeChad Stahelskiwould ever work with him, so when he called him, he just asked them for some tips on how to create action scenes as he did inJohn Wick.
However, to the surprise of Watanabe, Stahelski’s team not only gave him tips but also agreed to choreograph the action scenes in the series.This is indeed a big achievementas it marks the debut of the legendary director in the anime world.
Shinichiro Watanabe Was Concerned About The Collaboration With Chad Stahelski
During the interview,Shinichiro Watanabealso revealed that while he was excited when he got the confirmation from Stahelski, it also made him a little nervous. The nervousness came from the cost of the project as employing a director as big as Stahelski for the action sequences could have severely affected his budget. But Stahelski had other plans.
When that happened, we were a bit concerned about how much this project was going to cost us. I had to apologize and tell him upfront that we’ve never worked with Hollywood-level budgets. When I said that, Chad said in the call, “Don’t worry about the cost. Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo have inspired me for years. Let me do this for you.”
Watanabe pointed out that Stahelski was a fan of his work and thus agreed to work onLazarussolely because of the inspiration he got from the Japanese creator. This indeed worked in his favor asLazarushas been getting all the hype because of this collaboration.
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Fans will have to wait till 2025 to find out what kind of impact Stahelski has had onthe action sequences of Watanabe’s work. And whether or not it manages to live up to the expectations of Watanabe’s admirers.
Tarun Kohli
Senior Writer
Articles Published :2959
Tarun Kohli is the Senior Anime Writer at FandomWire, with over 2,900 published articles. He currently specializes in critiquing One Piece and other Shonen anime. A passionate fan of the genre, his love for thoughtful analysis reflects his genuine appreciation for the art of anime. His deep understanding of anime culture has earned recognition from industry figures such as Adi Shankar and the creators of Blood of Zeus.
