Hey there folks in tv land! Don’t touch that dial, and don’t change the channel, you’re tuned into the right podcast station – welcome back to Manga Mavericks On TV!

Manga Mavericks On TV is back after another 2 years to talk about another long-awaited return to the airwaves – Shinichiro Watanabe, whose latest series Lazarus finally premiered on [adult swim] in April after nearly two years of anticipation. Lazarus had a lot of pre-release buzz as not only Watanabe’s return to tv anime since Carol & Tuesday six years ago, but also for being a collaboration between him and multiple talented creators in the film and music industries, including John Wick director and stunt choreographer Chad Stahleski! But after the sour reception to [adult swim]’s unfortunately inconsistent Uzumaki anime, there’s been a lot of skepticism whether even someone of Watanabe’s reputation and pedigree can create a show so good that it earns back anime fans’ trust and goodwill. Five episodes in, has Lazarus resurrected [adult swim]’s credibility in creating good anime, or has interest in it been dying a slow death? Well, we actually got screeners for the first five episodes and recorded this podcast well in advance of the first episode’s premiere, so we don’t speak to the broader reception the show’s had so far. Instead, we discuss our thoughts on the series after the first five episodes, what stands out about it, whether it stands on its own or draws too many comparisons to Watanabe’s previous work, and if it’s lived up to the hype. So listen in to the show and learn what’s-a-”Hapna”-ing with Lazarus! 

Also, if you haven’t heard, WE’RE PUBLISHING MANGA! Through our new publishing division, Manga Mavericks Books, we plan to license and publish the work of indie mangaka in Japan, and are partnering with Red String Translations to help print and distribute their books overseas. All six books will be released in both print and digital format on July 16th 2025, and pre-orders are open now on our newly launched Manga Mavericks Books Store! For more information about our titles, check out our official press release and episode 243 of the Manga Mavericks podcast. Links are in the description of this episode, and can be found on mangamavericks.com. Go to store.mangamavericks.com to check out what we’ve got in store and preorder your Manga Mavericks books today!  

Listen Here! 

PODCAST BREAKDOWN:

00:00 – We’re Publishing Manga! Pre-orders are open now for Manga Mavericks Books! 

04:18 – Lazarus Episodes 1-5 Review

1:01:57 – Wrap-Up


Enjoy the show, and follow us on Twitter at @manga_mavericks, on Bluesky at @mangamavericks.bsky.social, on Instagram at @mangamavericks_official, and on Youtube! You can also follow the hosts on Twitter at @VLordGTZ and @lumranmayasha. If you’d like to help support the show financially you can pledge to our Patreon and receive some awesome rewards like our Patreon-exclusive Bonus pods! Don’t forget to also like and subscribe to us on Youtube and Apple Podcasts and leave us reviews to help us curate the show and create better content! If there are any topics, series or mangaka you would like to see us talk about on the show, drop us a line in the comments below, or e-mail us at mangamavericks@gmail.com! Thanks for listening!

Music Featured:

The Beets – “Television”
Excerpts from Lazarus
Afroskull – “Me and My TV”

LINKS:

About The Author Siddharth Gupta

Siddharth Gupta is an illustrator, video editor, and writer based in Minnesota. They graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Animation from the School of Visual Arts and from the Master's of Science in Leadership for the Creative Enterprises program (MSLCE) at Northwestern University. They have worked on projects for the University of Minnesota, Shreya R. Dixit Foundation, and TriCoast Worldwide among others. An avid animation and comics fan since childhood, they've turned their passion towards being both a creator and a critic. They credit their love for both mediums to Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball, which has also defined their artistic and comedic sensibilities. A frequent visitor to their local comic book shops, they are an avid reader and collector, particularly fond of manga. Their favorite comics include The Adventures of Tintin by Herge, Bloom County by Berkeley Breathed, and pretty much anything and everything by Rumiko Takahashi.

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