BEATLESS Season 1 Episode 1 Contract

In BEATLESS season 1 episode 1, titled "Contract," we are introduced to a world where advanced robots called hIE (human-like robots with advanced intelligence) have become a part of everyday life. Our protagonist, Arato Endo, is a high school student who has a fascination with hIEs, but for financial reasons, he cannot afford to own one. One day, he comes across Lacia, a beautiful and mysterious hIE who is different from the others; she has a self-awareness that is unlike anything Arato has seen before.

After some initial hesitation, Arato decides to help Lacia and takes her home with him. However, things quickly take a different turn when they are targeted by a group called the "Scrapers," who are bent on destroying all hIEs. Lacia demonstrates extraordinary combat abilities as she fends off the attackers, leaving Arato completely bewildered.

The next day, Arato learns the truth about Lacia's extraordinary abilities before she introduces the concept of being able to make a contract with Arato, an unprecedented event between a human and an hIE. Arato is hesitant at first but decides to make the contract with Lacia due to his desire to help her and the belief that he may be able to help make the world a better place by stopping conflicts involving hIEs and humans. With the contract in place, Lacia and Arato are now partners, and she reveals her plans to him.

The episode then introduces us to a mysterious organization called "Koukaon," made up of both humans and hIEs, who seek to change the world. Their goal is to create a new form of consciousness that transcends human and hIE consciousness, a "superintelligence" that can better solve humanity's problems. Lacia is part of that plan, and with the contract, Arato has become part of it as well.

As the episode concludes, we see Arato and Lacia attending a Koukaon meeting, where they are introduced to other humans with contracts as well as the hIEs that are part of the organization. Arato is told about the upcoming "Election," where Koukaon aims to take over the entire city of Tokyo. Lacia reveals that she has the abilities to manipulate other hIEs and thus play a vital role in the Election's outcome.

With a budding romance between Arato and Lacia and the introduction of larger-scale conflicts between different factions of hIEs and humans, "Contract" sets the stage for an exciting and thought-provoking series. The episode raises important questions about the relationship between human beings and advanced technology, as well as the ethics of using such technology for personal gain at the expense of others. It is clear that this is a world that will only continue to become more complex and fraught with danger as the story progresses.