5 Shinichiro Watanabe Anime Masterpieces You Need to Check Out Before Lazarus Drops
These titles have it all – vast space, an 18th-century Japan setting, melancholy underdog characters, and rebellious musicians.
Shinichiro Watanabe follows the rule of always doing something new and not being afraid to experiment. The director always experiments with the content and form of his creations and is not afraid of change. .
While waiting for the new project of the great Japanese master, Lazarus, which will be released on April 5th on Adult Swim, we suggest you get familiar with his cult works.
1. Kids on the Slope, 2012
The series follows high school student Kaoru, who moves in with relatives in a remote town. He gradually befriends a classmate, Sentaro, who most people consider a troublemaker and bully.
However, Kaoru sees a side of Sentaro that no one else notices, and the two bond over their shared love of jazz music.
Here, Watanabe confesses his unwavering love for harmonies, rhythms, and the Beatles. The anime is filled with compositions from various genres, from classical and jazz to pop and alternative.
2. Samurai Champloo, 2004-2005
Hip-hop beats in the Edo period, breakdancing, dynamic sound and image editing, an excursion into Japanese history, and brilliant humor – this is just a small part of what makes Samurai Champloo a title to praise and watch again.
The plot revolves around a girl named Fuu who works in a tea shop. She has been searching for the murderer of her mother for a long time and one day she gets in touch with two outsiders: the criminal Mugen and the ronin Jin.
They save Fuu from a samurai who wants to cut off her fingers for a minor offense. And then Fuu has to rescue her from captivity. The girl decides to ask them for help in finding the samurai who smells like sunflowers.
3. Cowboy Bebop, 1998-1999
Former hitman Spike Spiegel and veteran cop Jet Black have become bounty hunters. Crossing the space in their ship Bebop, Spike and Jet try to earn some money by catching criminals.
But the men always get in trouble and fail to earn money. The only thing they are lucky with is meeting people. Their team is joined by the eccentric beauty Faye, the hacker Ed and the smart corgi Ein.
Together they go on missions, but each of them has a traumatic past, and in the present they are constantly confronted with the injustice of the system and the consequences of total lawlessness.
4. Space Dandy, 2014
Space Dandy, like everything Watanabe creates, is inspired by music, in this case '80s disco. The series was released right after Guardians of the Galaxy, and it uses almost the same devices – music, eccentric jokes, and bright visuals.
The main character is a man named Dandy with an Elvis Presley hairstyle who loves entertainment and romances with strangers, but work does not wait. Together with the droid QT, he explores the universe in search of new life forms.
On one of the space stations, he meets a cat-like alien and they become best buddies. Together, they experience surreal journeys, perform all sorts of crazy feats, and end up on unknown planets.
5. Carole & Tuesday, 2019
In 2019, Watanabe released the anime series Carole & Tuesday, magnificent in its tenderness and beauty. Once again, there is music, futurism and characters driven by a dream.
The action takes place on Mars, where humanity has moved. In this world, everything is subordinated and decided by artificial intelligence, including music.
Carole and Tuesday meet by chance on the street and decide to combine their musical talents in order to give back the freedom of creativity to people, and together they stage their own personal rebellion against conventions and rules.
