Big O, The
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Wikipedia-Article "The Big O"
The Big O (THE ビッグオー) is the title of an anime television series, which also has a manga adaptation. Big O manga is published in English by Viz Communications. Both seasons of the anime series have been released on DVD by Bandai Entertainment. The Big O was written by Chiaki Konaka, who also wrote scripts for Bubble Gum Crisis, Magic Users Club, and Serial Experiments Lain. Producers were Sunrise and Cartoon Network (during second season).
An excellent example of cultural cross-fertilization, the artistic style of Big O is somewhat based on Warner Brothers' Batman: The Animated Series and, despite being a Japanese work, it has many Christian religious overtones (Especially over the terms Behemoth and Leviathan).
The principal character of Big O is Roger Smith, a professional freelance negotiator, but the added twist on the show is the fact that he is also the pilot of Big O, an enigmatic giant robot known as a megadeus which is a creation from the world prior to "The Event".
Big O is set in Paradigm City, a doomed metropolis with a mixture of futuristic and contemporary features. According to the manga, nothing exists outside the city. Forty years before the show first takes place, a mysterious occurrence known only as "The Event" completely wiped out the memories of the isolated city's inhabitants. There are few clues as to what exactly took place during that fateful moment, but it forced the people of Paradigm to start anew, severed ties and all; this mystery is a central feature of the show. The Event's lingering mysteries still haunt the Negotiator in nearly every case, and they don't seem to stop, even after 'we have come to terms.' The Event has been theorized by many and seems to rear its head in every adventure unraveled before Roger, his android housemate R. Dorothy Wayneright, his faithful butler Norman Burg, and the whole of Paradigm City.
Pets are a rare luxury, and insects are nonexistent, though they did exist before The Event. People sometimes remember small things from before The Event.
Initially there were only thirteen episodes created, abruptly leaving the plot with many questions left to be answered.
On August 3rd, 2003, a second season of Big O co-produced by Cartoon Network debuted on the Adult Swim programming bloc of the same network. This second season continues the Big O storyline beginning with the last part of the first season's last episode, but there are some obvious differences in the style and narrative. Because it had more of a western setting and explored western themes the series did not make a huge impact in Japan. It aired on a satellite network WOWOW. But due to the popularity of its American broadcast, and with Cartoon Network funding, the second season was created by the same studio.
The second season contains elements that are explicitly derivative of the classic science-fiction movie, Metropolis. The title of "Negotiator", and the secretive group "The Union" have direct counterparts in Metropolis. Also of interest are the numerous appearances of a red book entitled Metropolis which contains a mystery of its own, and occasionally seems not to be a book at all but a symbolic representation of Paradigm City or of the lost or collective memories of its inhabitants.
Speculation about the meaning of the series varies widely. It contains many direct parallels to movies or theater production, prompting some to believe that the entire existence was a fabrication by one or more of the characters. Several months after the initial showing of the finale, many viewers have simply come to the conclusion that the series is unresolved, either because the creators wanted to make a new season, or because they were not sure how to end it. Other viewers, however, are satisfied with the ambiguous ending and feel a third season would divert from the show's overall pace and tone. Still, the show remains popular and often appears in the Adult Swim lineup.
Recently, it has been revealed that the series is in fact unfinished. The production crew wished to create a third season to tie up the loose ends and finish the series, as per an option on the contract between Cartoon Network and Sunrise, but the network determined that the show lacked the marketability of Adult Swim's comedy offerings. This was further exemplified on March 28, 2005 when [adult swim] became a separately rated individual network. Time-Warner reports
While the show has proven to be a unique and powerful anime, it has suffered from the stigma of being labeled as the "Batman" of giant robo, and being too cerebral for the average viewer. Nevertheless, many fans of the anime remain hopeful that one day the network will acquiesce and greenlight a third season. A petition is currently being prepared by a few fans at Savebigo and Paradigm-City.com, who are presently seeking an estimate of signatures required by Time Warner for consideration of a third season.
Contents |
Openings and Endings
Opening Theme:
- "Stoning" by Toshihiko Sahashi (Eps 1-2,14)
- "Big-O!" by Rui Nagai (Eps 3-13)
- "Respect" by Toshihiko Sahashi (Eps 15-20,22-25)
Ending Theme:
- "And Forever..." by Robbie Danzie with Naoki Takao
Episode List
Season 1 (1998-1999)
- ACT 1 -- Roger The Negotiator
- ACT 2 -- Dorothy Dorothy
- ACT 3 -- Electric City
- ACT 4 -- Underground Terror
- ACT 5 -- Bring Back My Ghost
- ACT 6 -- A Legacy of Amadeus
- ACT 7 -- The Call From The Past
- ACT 8 -- Missing Cat
- ACT 9 -- Beck Comes Back
- ACT 10 -- Winter Night Phantom
- ACT 11 -- Daemonseed
- ACT 12 -- Enemy Is Another Big!
- ACT 13 -- R - D
Season 2 (2000-2001)
- ACT 14 -- Roger The Wanderer
- ACT 15 -- Negotiation with the Dead
- ACT 16 -- Day of the Advent
- ACT 17 -- Leviathan
- ACT 18 -- The Greatest Villain
- ACT 19 -- Eyewitness
- ACT 20 -- Stripes
- ACT 21 -- The Third Big
- ACT 22 -- Hydra
- ACT 23 -- Twisted Memories
- ACT 24 -- The Big Fight
- ACT 25 -- The War of Paradigm City
- ACT 26 -- The Show Must Go On
Quote
- "I, in God's name created this. And thus, it is not a crime."
- "Cast in the name of god, ye not guilty."
- "You really are such a louse, Roger Smith." - R. Dorothy Wayneright
- "This mansion has rules even I must follow." - Roger Smith