Continuation of interview (1). "LAZARUS", an original anime by director Shinichiro Watanabe, known for anime "Cowboy Bebop", will be broadcast on TV Tokyo every Sunday at 11:45 pm from April 6th. The story is about a team of five agents from around the world, "Lazarus", who pursue Dr. Skinner, a neuroscientist who developed Hapuna, a painkiller that causes death three years after taking it, in order to save humanity. The series will be produced by MAPPA, which also produced "Jujutsu Kaisen" and "Chainsaw Man". Creators from Japan and abroad will participate in the series, which will depict powerful action and detailed drama. In interview (2), we asked Director Watanabe about the relationship between anime and music.
◇The Boo Radleys' "Lazarus" is where it all came together
Music is an important element in Watanabe's works, such as "Macross Plus," "Cowboy Bebop," "Samurai Champloo," and "Carole & Tuesday," and he says, "Basically, I choose all of the music for my works myself."
The opening theme "Vortex" for "Lazarus" is by American saxophonist Kamasi Washington, and the ending theme "Lazarus" is by British band The Boo Radleys. In addition to Kamasi Washington, British artists such as Bonobo and Floating Points have also worked on the music, which has been a hot topic.
The Boo Radleys, who are in charge of the ending theme, are a band that gained popularity mainly in the 1990s. Their 1995 single "Wake Up Boo!" and album "Wake Up!" were big hits in the UK and also gained popularity in Japan. "Lazarus," which plays as the ending theme for the anime, is included in the album "Giant Steps" released in 1993. The big hit "Wake Up Boo!" is a pop and bright song with impressive horns, but "Giant Steps" has an introspective impression with shoegaze sounds. It would be an exaggeration to call it a "hidden masterpiece," but since it was a song before their big break, it is not as well known as "Wake Up Boo!". Why did they try to use a 1993 song as the ending theme in 2025?
"I loved this song by the Boo Radleys back in the '90s and used to listen to it a lot. But I'd completely forgotten about it recently, and so I happened to listen to it again. Recently, the overseas TV show 'Stranger Things' has brought back a lot of Kate Bush's '80s songs, so I thought it would be nice to use an old song as the theme song. When I was thinking about the content of 'Lazarus,' I had vague ideas like the opioid problem, parkour... but then I thought, 'I'm going to die.' In parkour, if you take a wrong step, you'll fall and die. You might lose your life by the skin of your teeth. All these elements were jumbling together, and then I heard this song."
Some people may recall the "Lazarus" character from the Bible, who was brought back to life by Jesus Christ in the "Resurrection of Lazarus." Listening to "Lazarus" again, various elements came together.
"When I heard this song, all the different images that were scattered all at once came together. I was inspired by the lyrics, the melody, and of course, the fact that it's the name of a character in the Bible, and everything else about it, including its origin. That's why "Lazarus" wouldn't have worked without it, so I really wanted to use it as the theme song, and after getting permission, we were able to play it as the ending theme. The way the beautiful, tranquil parts and the intense, roaring guitar parts alternate without blending together reminded me of the development of scenes in an anime, so I was influenced by it."
◇Video and music are fifty-fifty
Kamasi Washington, who will be performing the opening theme, is a world-famous saxophonist who is also known as "the saxophonist leading the contemporary jazz scene."
"Kamasi is an artist who is attracting attention not only in the jazz category but also in the contemporary music scene, but he's big, has an afro, and wears what look like traditional clothing, so I had a somewhat scary image of him. But when I met him, I was surprised to find out that he was a big fan of my past works. There aren't many anime fans like that in Japan (laughs). He was really enthusiastic, and he kept creating great songs, and even asked me to do the opening theme, so I left it to him."
Director Watanabe's works are loved all over the world. His works all focus on music, which is probably why they are supported by artists all over the world. What does Director Watanabe think about the relationship between music and anime?
"For a long time, the way film music was conceived was that music enhanced the drama or story, but as a music lover, I felt that this wasn't enough. I always wanted the images and music to be equally effective, and to enhance each other."
"Recently, I've come to think that perhaps the origin of this style of music is the Spaghetti Western," he says. Spaghetti Westerns are Italian westerns made in the 1960s and 1970s.
"Recently, I rewatched Sergio Leone's 'For a Few Dollars More' for the first time in a long time. For example, at the climax, three men stand facing each other to duel, but if you just look at the images, it doesn't seem like such a big deal (laughs). But then, when Ennio Morricone's incredibly grandiose music starts playing, a great sense of dramatic tension is created and the images take on a different meaning. Well, since Spaghetti Westerns are low-budget, they may just be trying to force excitement with the music (laughs). Maybe that was a bad analogy, but I always want to create works in which music plays a major role, so I try and experiment every time."
Director Watanabe said, "As always with my works, I'm incredibly particular about the sound. Not just the music, but also the sound effects and dialogue, how they resonate in the space. From such delicate details to how I put in the music, which is louder than usual (lol), to the parts that you can't hear even if you listen to it at a low volume on a TV speaker, I'm particular about even the parts that you can't hear even if you listen to it at a low volume on a TV speaker. I hope you'll watch it with the best sound possible, using good headphones." I hope you'll enjoy the world of the work with your ears and eyes.
