When Lazarus was announced, expectations were sky-high and understandably so. With Shinichirō Watanabe attached, the shadow of Cowboy Bebop loomed large. For longtime anime fans, Cowboy Bebop is not just a classic, it is the gold standard for sci-fi storytelling, blending noir, jazz, and space opera into an emotional and stylistic masterpiece. So it is no surprise that viewers came into Lazarus anticipating a spiritual successor. But the truth is that Lazarus is not trying to be Cowboy Bebop, and frankly, it does not have to be.