jgzinv

[Note this is Dub Only, I’ve never seen the Sub or had a reason to want to.]

Around 2001/2003 Toonami and later Adult Swim first aired The Big O. While originally a 13 episode series (planned as a 26)

it was acclaimed so well in the USA that Cartoon Network (who had alot of clout then) commissioned the remainder of the series from Sunrise. Evidently the S2 did not sell well in the Japan or US and thus no future extensions were made.

So what is Big O? It’s often been compared to Batman meets Gundam. I’d go a step beyond, as it has parallels with Batman The

Animated Series, it’s got influences certainly from Dick Tracy or Giant Robo, there’s Godzilla and other Kaiju movies of the era.

On top of all that, you have a heavy Christian theme which, while better defined and more accurate in some ways, feels particularly reminiscent of Evangelion.

Big starts us in the “city of amnesia” Paradigm City, where 40 years ago, everyone has lost their memories due to a cataclysmic war. Life for most common folk is simply day to day, a drab and hopeless existence. In this setting, a particular man Roger Smith acts as a professional negotiator. Going off his own sense of rules, he conducts trades and tends to do investigations when it suits him. However his actions tend to lead him in the war path of mysterious giant robots intent on destroying the domed city. These being created by scientists with memory fragments, having been compelled for one reason or another.

When the city comes under attck, Roger uses his watch to call forth Big O from underground (usually devastating a few buildings in the process) and going hand to hand with the monsters. He also has a variety of gadgets like a missile and machinegun laden armored car, a quad rail train delivery system, and a underground base below a bank for Big O.

In the first act, Roger negotiates for a wealthy industrialist’s “daughter” who turns out to be an android replica. She will soon join him on contract, to find out her past and purpose. Also within Roger’s inner circle is Norman the butler, who performs the maintenance on Big O and manages the house. Dan Dastan the chief of the military police, Roger’s former boss, who are all too commonly out of their league.

Big O is complex and the ending in particular open to interpretation. You have many characters and plot lines, many different reasons for what they each are doing. There is Gordon Rosewater, leader of the city who eventually moves to destroy it all and rewrite it all in his image. Angel is a mysterious woman, often comparable to Emma Peel or Catwoman, working both sides. The Federation, a large group of loyalists who were forced outside the city prior to the events of Big O to die, and want their revenge.

All the while seeing these character’s slowly revealed, we’re uncovering more about the events and fragments of the past. Perhaps it is all just a fictional stage, perhaps they are all clones, perhaps they all are robots with their former human memories getting reloaded each time the world resets due to a single producer put in charge as a guardian? What are the memories? Can you find meaning in life not knowing where you’re going or have been? Do people latch on to faith even when it is incomplete and only bits and pieces are left? If we’re all actors, are we bound to fulfill our roles no matter what? Does a robot have a soul? Are we doomed to repeat our past?

Zinv’s Take:

If you were to ask me what “is” Big O in one word, I’d have to say classic. Maybe not in the sense of age, but in pure polish. The music is a big draw for me and ties everything together. It’s often reminiscent of film noir, detective/police story, slow jazz, spy fiction, but then switches up into heavy drums and grand entrances with strings/brass that can only add to Roger’s declaration “Big O It’s Showtime!” as the mecha blows out of the ground to do battle. Later on they throw in some rock guitar which to a degree illustrates the split between the S1 and S2. There’s even slower organ and real piano pieces for slower scenes. Overall it’s grand and fitting in all the places it needs to be.

The art style hits in the nail on the head, Paradigm is a town that may not entirely be in ruin, but it is largely slum and a mere shadow of some former glory age. The people are drawn indistinct, barely discernible faces, an indicator of the name less and faceless masses. Both reflecting their own lack of identity without memories and their impact on the grand story that is unfolding. The mecha are all big lumbering heavy machines, not fast like Gundams, lending themselves more towards Giant Robo. The enemies are colorful and distinct, much like Batman villains, eccentric and deadly. In fact if you recall the old Batman: Mask of the Phantasm movie, it’s like that but a bit better and longer.

The voice actors were cream of the crop from the early 2000’s as well. Steve Blum (Spike – Bebop, Tom – Toonami) plays Roger up to the fullest. Both when he’s cocky and in the thrill of battle, when he is angry and dolling out one liners about the rules of his house, or when he’s broken, fearful, and defeated. Other notables: Alan Oppenheimer, Wendee Lee, Lia Sargent, Chrispin Freeman, Michelle Ruff, Mona Marshall, Kirk Thornton, Bob Papenbrook, Sherry Lynn, Peter Spellos, Joe Romersa, Joshua Freedman, to name a few. All this talent shows, there’s not a single voice that doesn’t fit the character.

Some of the side stories are more poignant than the main plotline itself. Such as for the blind girl Laura in Daemonseed, or Dan Dastan’s police story of memory fragments the ends climatically.

Alternative Take:

If there were to be complaints against Big O, it would have to be pertaining to season two. The pacing steps up 2-3 notches in speed and the side stories are all nearly done away with to focus on the main plot line dealing with the fate of the city/world and Rosewaters. The religious tones shift dramatically from an undertone to a much more heavy handed approach that, back in the day, did little more than confuse viewers. To be clear the series is chock full of Christian references right from the beginning. But they were always lurking as a question mark, setting, background item, or terminology. In the second season we’re getting frequent monologing from the New Testament, a lot more imagery, much less that one of the characters is directly alluded to being lucifer.

To be clear, I think in my older self now who’s read through the Bible and is much more cognisant of how mass media treats Christian material in general, I appreciate that they tried to present it legitimately (as possible anyway) and yet use it as a “artifact” of hope. On another level you could draw a parallel that it was an allegory, being that scriptures could be used for good, or distorted and misinterpreted for evil purposes. The series is better for it having been there, it just got over the top and used as a crutch in places of the S2.

The issue is more that Big O, felt that it stopped being “Big O” and became an action anime laden with too many references (at least for the age group watching at that time). With a lot of leeway, I’d almost compare it to the noticeable change between Star Wars 4-6 and the prequels. The fans reacted to some degree in the same way. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t watch it, just that don’t expect more of exactly the same thing. It’s like when a webcomic or manga gets taken over by another author. The cast is the same, the plot is a continuation, but it just feels off. Ironically, ordering the S2, sealed the fate of Big O, as it’s been said that in the companion guide book the ending was different and left the option of a continuation.

If you’re interested in some of the fan base’s theories of the ending (after watching of course), you can jump down to the bottom of this archived page here: http://kiserai.net/bigo/

Both soundtracks are on Grooveshark.

(And yes I was deliberately more vague about the plot this go around, so you’ll get to experience it for yourself.)

Verdict:

Overall – Solid 8.6

S1 – 8.4

S2 – 7.2

Zinv Says: “Vous êtes si gentil”

Have good walking shoes. It’s all concrete floor there.

Try to go with friends, going alone cons can be fairly boring.

Expect that if you want in a event room, a signing, to see anything, go eat… whatever, add 20% “be there early” time to whatever your first thought was… because everyone else already thought that too, and seating is always limited.

Generally ACEN was hard to get around between the dealers hall and event rooms, as they had it years past split over the

skybridges from the convention center and hotel. Those bridges are absolutely packed non stop. They also are not air conditioned.

Bring more money than you initially think, cause you’ll probably want to buy stuff, but don’t show it off either. Remember a lot

can be bought online cheaper than at Con. You should be looking at stuff like clothes, where you don’t get to try it on online… or rare items like limited prints, signings, out of print DVDs or books, or stuff that you just can’t get easily.

Pictures! Video! Whatever you can take. There’s two Tenchi panels! Schmooze! Promote! Conquer! Win!

If you get winded or bored, need to catch your breath, find a video room. They’re always about 60% full and you might find some new ridiculously awesome show to check into. People generally aren’t being jerks and talking in there either.

Go to the AMV contest, same reasoning as above.

Go to panels you know nothing about, learn something new! If it sucks, you can leave!

Get a current programming sheet and all manner of booklet stuff from info booths if registration didn’t give it to you. The schedule changes last minute, better know about it.

Keep all things in your pockets… if you set it down it’s gone. If it’s not physically tied to you in a secure way, it’s gone.

Oh yeah, if you shoot me an address, I’ll send you 25 of the forum cards so you can toss them at people at the panels.