In episode 6 of Lazarus , released on May 11, the group finds a journal published 15 years ago and learns that Dr. Skinner visited a religious community where they treat an AI named Naga as a deity. The episode also reveals more details about Elaina's past, which is linked to the same community visited by the scientist.
The anime Lazarus is opting to maintain a similar premise in each episode: the search for Dr. Skinner. However, the events of each episode maintain their own particularities. Furthermore, even though they are unsuccessful in finding Skinner, the team undertakes side missions during the search, such as in the episode where Axel, Doug, Cris, and Leland infiltrate the nightclub and, in the end, help capture Sam, the club's owner, and the hacker Dr. 909.
Team Lazarus meets Naga, the power-hungry AI
At the beginning of the episode, Doug discovers that Dr. Skinner visited a religious community isolated from the outside world 15 years ago. The community worships an AI called Naga, which can mimic the human neural network. When Naga was created, the scientist's brain was used as a model, which is why he has a connection to artificial intelligence.
Furthermore, the MIT researcher who created the AI is the leader of the religious community. The episode reveals that his obsession with Naga was so intense that he abandoned the research center and founded a community to treat her as a deity.
After discovering that Elaina was born, raised, and fled this community, the team members agree to her idea of infiltrating the place. Elaina and Leland then go together to find Dr. Skinner.
When they arrive at the community, they realize that, for those people, the Naga AI is the only thing that matters. Therefore, when they discover that the two plan to investigate the AI system, they are arrested and sentenced to purification, which, according to one of the community's residents, is tantamount to being burned alive.
The scene where they are trapped and the fire slowly approaches Leland and Elaina is disturbing, as the community's residents show no reaction. The people's alienation is palpable, and in the name of an AI and their beliefs, they decide to burn two young people to death without remorse. Elaina's mother even witnesses the entire scene, her only reaction a small, distracted smile.
The group doesn't find Skinner and goes back to square one.
Once again, the team is back to square one. Now, with only 17 days remaining, they need, more than ever, to find the scientist to save humanity. There are still open questions, but I believe the main one is: why would Skinner create a deadly painkiller?
The episodes of Lazarus are intriguing, and the characters are fun and charismatic, especially Axel Gilberto. Furthermore, the animation differs slightly from current releases. Elements like character design, the presence of a narrator, and the more subdued color tones of the anime make the series reminiscent of older animations, such as Cowboy Bebop , by Shinichiro Watanabe, the same creator of Lazarus . The series is available on the streaming platform MAX, with Portuguese dubbing.
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