The Big O

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article is about The Big O anime series. For other uses, see Big O.

The Big O
Genre	Film noir, Science fiction, Action adventure, Psychological thriller
TV anime
Directed by	Kazuyoshi Katayama
Studio	Sunrise
Network	Animax, WOWOW Cartoon Network
Original run	1999 – 2003
No. of episodes	26
Manga
Authored by	Hitoshi Ariga
Publisher	Kodansha Viz Media
Serialized in	Magazine ZKC
Original run	16 December 1999 –
No. of volumes	5 (6 when republished in America)

The Big O (THE ビッグオー, The Biggu Ō^?) is a TV anime series produced by Sunrise, Inc. It was directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama (animation director, Giant Robo), with character and mecha designs by Keiichi Sato (original concept, KARAS), and script by Chiaki J. Konaka (Serial Experiments Lain, Armitage III).

40 years prior to the events of the series, a mysterious occurrence caused the residents of Paradigm City to lose their memories. But they manage to make do and go on living, trying their hardest at a life without knowledge of what did or didn't happen.

The series follows Roger Smith, Paradigm City's top Negotiator. He provides this much needed service with the help of an android named R. Dorothy Wayneright and his butler Norman Burg. When the need arises, Roger calls upon The Big O, a giant relic from the city's history that may hold the key to its future.

The series premiered on October 13, 1999 on WOWOW satellite television. It finished its run on January 19, 2000. The English-language version premiered on the American Cartoon Network on April 2, 2001. Originally a thirteen-episode series, positive fan response internationally resulted in a second season co-produced by Cartoon Network, Sunrise, and Bandai Visual. The Big O: Season Two premiered on Japan's SUN-TV on January 2003, with the American premiere taking place seven months later.

Contents 1 Plot 2 Characters 3 Setting 4 Production and design 4.1 The development 4.2 The style 4.3 The influences 4.4 The symbolism 5 Notes and References 6 External links

[edit] Plot

See also: List of The Big O media

The Big O revolves around the concept of memories. A memory is a record of a thing or an event stored in the brain of an organism. But in Paradigm City, the "City of Amnesia," memories are much more. Memories are a precious thing and "just like nightmares," Roger says, "can appear when you least expect them." Memories embody the lost knowledge of its citizens. Memories can take the form of records from before the Event, or forgotten artifacts (Act:04) of times gone by. Memories can manifest themselves as mere recollection, hallucinations or a recurring dream (Act:10).

The Big O: Season One is episodic, each Act presents how different citizens of Paradigm deal with the resurgence of these Memories, in a way to determine if people truly are "ruled by their memories."

Season One ends by introducing elements that will come into play during Season Two. The existence of people outside of Paradigm City. The book "Metropolis" written by Gordon Rosewater, Paradigm's founder. The World destroyed by a Cataclysm. The Power of God wielded by Man. Giant robots run amok. The truth, the lies, behind them all.

The Big O: Season Two takes a more arc-based approach. Whereas Season One episodes ended with a "We have come to terms" or "No side," Season Two episodes are designed "To be continued." These episodes move Alex Rosewater, CEO of the Paradigm Corporation, center stage as a direct antagonist to The Negotiator. It also introduces The Union, a new faction in the War of Paradigm City. In Season Two, Paradigm City becomes a grand stage where past, and future, memories play themselves out.

[edit] Characters

Main article: Characters of The Big O

Roger Smith is the series protagonist. He is the Negotiator. His job entails finding a resolution for the troubles of the City of Amnesia. He'd negotiate anything for anyone, but he is a professional and expects the parts to behave professionally. And when memories betray the people and force them to reawaken monstrosities of the city's past, Roger's only option is to fight back with a monstrosity of his own, the black megadeus Big O.

Voiced by: Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese), Steven Blum (English)

R. Dorothy Wayneright is Roger's assistant. Introduced in Act:01 as Dorothy Soldano, daughter of rich scientist Miguel Soldano, she is later revealed to be an android constructed by him. Her actual "father" would be Timothy Wayneright, the man who commissioned her construction and father of the real Dorothy Wayneright. To show her gratitude, and as a form of payment for Roger's help, she decides to move in with him and help out Norman with the chores.

Voiced by: Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Lia Sargent (English)

Norman Burg is Roger's butler. Forty years ago he, along with all of Paradigm, lost all memories, but he wouldn't think twice before going once more unto the breach for his master. Resourceful and talented, he is also caretaker of the Big O. Norman's skills give him a purpose and a mission to accomplish for Roger.

Voiced by: Motomu Kiyokawa (Japanese), Milton James (English) in Season One, Alan Oppenheimer (English) in Season Two

Dan Dastun is the middle-aged Chief of the Military Police, introduced in Act:01. He is Roger's former commander, but they still maintain contact with each other. Dastun resents the opinion some have of his job, calling him a "lapdog" of the Paradigm Corporation, but is proud of what he does. No matter how big the threat, the Military Police are needed in Paradigm.

Voiced by: Tesshou Genda (Japanese), Peter Lurie (English)

Angel is the beautiful woman Roger encounters throughout the series. Introduced in Act:03 as Casey Jenkins, investigator for Paradigm Power Management, then again in Act:04 as Patricia Lovejoy, secretary for the publisher of Paradigm Press. Angel's true identity is a mystery, her motives questionable and her allegiance to no one but herself.

Voiced by: Emi Shinohara (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)

[edit] Setting

The main setting of the show is Paradigm City, located next to a sea and a vast desert wasteland. The city itself is divided into the higher-income population residing inside the domes and the remainder of the population, whether poor or not, living outside the domes. At many times during the series Alex Rosewater, head of the Paradigm Corporation, alludes to the fact that he either does not care about those living outside the domes, or that the city would be better off without them. Androids coexist with the human inhabitants of Paradigm City; their numbers are actually fairly low and they're something of a rarity, but there are enough of them that denizens of the city are not shocked about them and don't treat it as particularly unusual to encounter one.

It appears that each dome has its own "sun," a source of light that orbits along the outside of the dome which rises and sets just as the natural sun would. The structure of the domes themselves also become important during some of Roger Smith's battles in the Big O, such as his fight against Schwarzwald in "Act 12".

Roger travels to various areas of the city to meet with his clients as well as get information from an informant called Big Ear at the "Speakeasy", a bar/pub outside the domes. He also travels to Paradigm Dome for a few jobs, although he despises the company and its headquarters.

Beyond Paradigm City, there is nothing: whatever happened in The Event 40 years ago turned the rest of the world into an endless desert, and Paradigm City is believed to be all that remains, to the point that its inhabitants scoff at the idea of surviving "foreigners" as simply myth. Paradigm City itself is essentially a city-state, with fields immediately surrounding the city (within driving distance) where crops are grown to feed those within. However, during the course of the series a group called "The Union" surfaces which appears to be made up of foreigners who are infiltrating the city. However, in the surreal final episodes their actual status as foreigners is called into question. Although Union members themselves believe they are really from outside of Paradigm City, it is suggested but not substantiated that they are really clones or androids produced as an experiment within the city, and then cast out, and whoever they think they are working for doesn't exist.

It is clear from evidence shown in the series that Paradigm City may be modeled after New York City. Some of the evidence:

• In episode 1 (Roger the Negotiator), as Roger is traveling to the site of the meeting with Beck, the World Trade Center can be seen in the distance. (Remember that the series premiered in Japan before 2001.)
• In episode 5 (Bring Back My Ghost), it is mentioned that Officer Fraizer fell into the Hudson River.
• In episode 12 (Enemy Is Another Big!), one of the battle scenes is supposedly fought at JFK airport and is mentioned as JFK Mark by Dan Dastun.
• In episode 17 (Leviathan), the remnants of the Coney Island amusement park and the Cyclone roller coaster are clearly shown.
• In episode 19 (Eyewitness), an android killer is shown wearing a New York Yankees baseball cap.
• In episode 20 (Stripes), Angel finds herself drawn to the ruins of Grand Central Terminal.
• Also in episode 20 (Stripes), Big Fau rises out of the ground through the Washington Arch.
• In several episodes Roger pays Big-Ear for his services with what would appear to be US currency.
• Whenever he visits Big Ear, Roger drives over what appears to be the Brooklyn Bridge
• Aerial shots of Paradigm echo the geography of the west side of Manhattan.

Although Paradigm City might be New York City, or an imitation of it, it is much more expansive than the New York City of today. While there are recognizable landmarks from New York City's past, i.e. the Grand Central Terminal building apparently expanded in all directions and within the old boundaries itself. Paradigm City was actually "founded" on the ruins of an earlier city; details are scarce but it appears that Paradigm City is considered to have been founded when the domes were constructed and order re-established after chaos ensuing The Event, but that much of the city predates that. The ruins that the "new" Paradigm City was built on were meant to sustain a much larger population than the current city supports: the city is only filled to about half the capacity that it could potentially sustain. As a result, giant robot battles that cause massive property damage aren't much of a problem, as they either destroy abandoned buildings, or people displaced from destroyed buildings can easily find more that are available.

The old underground subway and maintenance systems were abandoned after The Event, as everyone was afraid to go below the surface of the city. Many believe, rightly, that hidden secrets from before The Event lurk in these unexplored warrens. Secret laboratories and other installations from before The Event are tucked away in the underground, where none dare look. Roger Smith is unafraid to use the old subway system as a means of quickly transporting Big O around Paradigm City as needed: an immense tank-like vehicle that contains the Big O uses the subway tracks to maneuver around the city and then raise the Big O on a platform so that it may burst forth from underground. As a result, no one can track Big O's movements to Roger's house. However, even Roger has only mapped out the basic subway grid to use to move Big O around, and even to Roger almost all of the underground is an entirely separate world that he is afraid to go into. In episode 4, Roger ventured further down than ever had before, and found that the deeper you go the more modern the surroundings become; newer installations were built below the older ones. Thus while the tunnels near the surface are simply old subway lines, the regions very deep down are from right before the Event and house exotic technologies that are unknown on the surface, such as the ruined Archetype found by Schwarzwald.

The inhabitants of Paradigm City appear to only remember bits and pieces of what religion was like before the Event, though numerous episodes show its inhabitants practicing Christianity, or at least Christianity in some shape or form, as people congregate in meeting places with crucifixes prominently displayed. However, it is revealed in episode 11 that no one (rather, almost no one) clearly remembers what Christmas is at all, and several old cathedrals now stand in ruins, their original purpose unknown (some of the elderly occasionally feel compelled to stand in front of them and sing scraps of hymns, but they don't clearly remember why they do this). Half based on vague memories of a holiday on December 25th, and half as a celebration to commemorate the founding of Paradigm City (which happened around the same time of the year), Christmas Day is now celebrated as "Heaven's Day". Heaven's Day is apparently an almost entirely secular holiday, which started out as an annual celebration of he founding of the city by giving bread and wine to the poor. As the city grew more prosperous over the course of 40 years, people started giving presents to the ones they loved, and it grew into a commercial shopping extravaganza not unlike modern day Christmas celebrations. The inhabitants of the city still put up generic Christmas decorations like decorated Christmas trees and streamers, but they don't really know the underlying reason behind all of this. However, Alex Rosewater at least knew that the real reason for the celebration was that "it's the day God's son was born". Whether he was referring to a memory of the original holiday, or to himself in comparison to his father is unknown.

[edit] Production and design

When The Big O first premiered back in 1999, there was nothing quite like it. The Big O combines film noir, pulp fiction and giant robots in a way never before seen in the anime world.^[1] The Big O draws from a number of sources, some more obvious than others. First of all, there's Batman,^[2][3] with the cast of The Big O being clear analogues of The Dark Knight and his allies. The works of Isaac Asimov,^[4][5] and Mitsuteru Yokoyama^[6][7] inspired the show's visual design. Other influences mentioned are Fritz Lang's Metropolis,^[6] James Bond,^[8] and Cowboy Bebop.^[9] But that's not to say the show is derivative. In fact, The Big O "still manages to stand out as something original amongst the other numerous cookie-cutter anime shows."^[8]

[edit] The development

Development of the retro-styled series began in 1996. Keiichi Sato came up with the concept of The Big O:^[10] a giant city-smashing robot, piloted by a man in black, in a Gotham-like environment.^[11] He later met up with Kazuyoshi Katayama, who had just finished directing Those Who Hunt Elves, and started bouncing ideas off each other. But when things "were about to really start moving," production on Katayama's Sentimental Journey began, putting plans on-hold. Sato was also heavily involved with his work on City Hunter.

Sato admits it all started as "a gimmick for a toy." They tried including detachable hands, a cargo container and a vehicle with a Thunderbirds-style design.^[10] But the representatives at Bandai Hobby Division didn't see the same potential. From there on, the dealings would be with Bandai Visual. But Sunrise still needed some safeguards and requested more robots be designed to increase toy sales.

In 1999, with the designs complete, Chiaki J. Konaka was brought on as head writer. Konaka came up with the concept of a "town without memory," and worked on the characterization of R. Dorothy. Konaka and his writing staff scripted a 26-episodes series. The series premiered on October 13, 1999 on WOWOW. When word came the series would be shortened to 13, the writers decided to end it with a cliffhanger, hoping the next 13 episodes would be picked up.^[12] In 2001, The Big O premiered on Cartoon Network's Toonami lineup.

Season Two

The series garnered positive fan response internationally, and the American fanbase asked for more.^[12] This resulted in a second season co-produced by Cartoon Network, Sunrise, and Bandai Visual. The Big O: Season Two premiered on Japan's SUN-TV on January 2003, with the American premiere taking place seven months later in the adult swim lineup.^[13] All the scripts from Season Two were written by Konaka.

Along with the 13-episodes of The Big O: Season Two, Cartoon Network had an option for 26 additional episodes.^[14] But Jason DeMarco, executive producer for Season Two, doesn't think it can happen. The middling ratings and DVD sales in the United States and Japan have made it impossible, though Chiaki Konaka has gone on record as to having an idea for a third season.^[15]

[edit] The style

"My name is Roger Smith..." This line begins The Big O with a Phillip Marlowe-style voiceover, quickly establishing the series' film noir stylistics. Like Jake 'J.J' Gittes before him, or every other hard-boiled private eye for that matter, Roger Smith is canny and cynical. A disillusioned cop-turned-negotiator, his job has more in common with detective-style work than straight-forward negotiating, especially considering cases like "Bring Back My Ghost" or "Negotiation with the Dead".

Amnesia is a common plot device in film noir, far more common than in real life.^[16] The Big O takes it steps further. "One day 40 years ago, everyone here lost their memory of everything before that day."

In true noir-fashion, the hero encounters a femme fatale, a woman who deceptively misleads and ensnares him or other males in order to gain some end they would not freely help her achieve. The role of the femme fatale in The Big O is played by Angel.

[edit] The influences

What happens when you take Batman:The Animated Series, take away the latex rubber outfit, and replace it with a giant robot? The answer [...] is THE BIG O.

—Keith Rhee, EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga

There's no denying the similarities between Batman and The Big O. Sunrise, The Big O's production studio, was a subcontractor for Warner Bros. Animation's Batman: The Animated Series.^[17] Even Toonami promos acknowledged the Dark Knight's influence on Roger Smith.^[18]

Roger Smith is a pastiche of the Bruce Wayne persona and the Dark Knight Batman. His character design is pure Wayne, complete with slicked-back hair and double-breasted business suit. Like Bruce, Roger prides himself in being a rich playboy to the extent that one of his household's rules is "only women may be led into this mansion without my permission." (Act:01) Like Batman, Roger Smith carries a no-gun policy, albeit more flexible. Unlike the personal motives of the Batman, Roger enforces this rule for "it's all part of being a gentleman." (Act:08) Among Roger's gadgetry is the Griffon, a large, black hi-tech sedan comparable to the Batmobile, and a grappling cable that shoots out his wristwatch. Finally, in Act:15, Angel refers to The Big O as Roger's alter-ego.

The Big O's cast of supporting characters features Norman, Roger's faithful mechanically-inclined butler who fills the role of Alfred Pennyworth. The role of the sidekick is played by R. Dorothy Wayneright, taken in by Roger in Act:02. And then there's Dan Dastun, Chief of the Military Police. A good, honest cop who, like Jim Gordon, is a friend to the hero.

If Roger Smith is Batman, then Big O is Giant Robo.^[19] Released in seven volumes over the span of six years, the Giant Robo OVA's "retro chic steampunk" style of science-fiction influenced The Big O.^[20] Members of the Big O staff, including series director Kazuyoshi Katayama, worked on the Giant Robo OVA; frustrated with its long-delayed production, the staff focused its energies into making The Big O "good."^[21]

Like Giant Robo, the megadeuses [sic] of Big O are metal behemoths. The designs are strange and "more macho than practical,"^[7] sporting big stovepipe arms and exposed rivets. Unlike the giants of other robot anime, the megadeuses don't exhibit ninja-like speed nor grace. But for what they lack in agility, they more than make-up in power:^[22] missiles, piston powered punches, machine guns, laser cannons, it's all there. The character designs also take a cue from Giant Robo.^[23] Roger looks like a grown-up Daisaku Kusama, right down to the wristwatch. Angel follows in Ginrei's footsteps as a sexy secret agent-type character. And Schwarzwald's trenchcoat and bandages look resembles that of Kenji Murasame in Volume 5 of the OVA.

Other influences

In the episode "The Greatest Villain," the series also pokes fun at the classic mecha series Getter Robo with the introduction of the RX-3 robot. Piloted by Beck and his two henchmen, the RX-3 transforms from a group of vehicles to a giant robot in a sequence almost identical to that of Getter Robo. The Big O also possesses a chest-mounted laser weapon similar to those wielded by classic Super Robots Mazinger Z, Steel Jeeg, and Grendizer, among others. The series also draws strongly from Brave Raideen, establishing The Big O as an ancient, powerful robot with strongly implied sentience and unknown origins.

The show also makes biblical analogies, referencing Behemoth and Leviathan, and Big Duo's declaration of "Ye Guilty" with regard to Alan Gabriel. The show also seems to draw from Plato's The Republic, as it references the "watchdogs" of Paradigm City while showing Roger Smith in his fight for justice. Schwarzwald strongly resembles the Gnostic figure Enoch, who pursues knowledge and ultimate truth at his own expense, and witnesses heavenly light, as shown to him by God himself. Roger Smith is often compared to Jesus in several ways, most notably that he acts as a "Negotiator" between the Director and the residents of Paradigm, much in the same way that Jesus acts as an advocate between mankind and God; Roger Smith is also imprisoned in a cross-shaped restraint by Beck, wields the "power of God" in the same manner that Jesus wields the Holy Spirit, and is the only character in the series to be judged "NOT GUILTY" by a Megadeus (other than Schwarzwald, whose ability to pilot Big Duo is never fully explained; thus it is possible that he, too, is NOT GUILTY), comparitive to Jesus as the only man who is "not guilty" of sin.

[edit] The symbolism

Speculation about the meaning of the series varies widely. It contains many metaphorical relationships to elements of film and theater production, prompting some to believe that the entire reality of Paradigm City was a fabrication by one or more of the characters. 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.^{[citation needed]} Other viewers, however, are satisfied with the ambiguous ending and feel a third season would divert from the show's overall pace and tone.^{[citation needed]}

Running themes which appear throughout the show include the nature of memories, and finding and accepting one's personal identity. The latter is exemplified by the recurring phrase, "We have come to terms," the persistent metaphor of artificially grown tomatoes,^[24] and the power of God wielded by human hands (as illustrated by the phrase, "Cast in the Name of God, Ye Not Guilty," and variations flashed across the cockpit screens of the various megadeuses)^{[citation needed]}

[edit] Notes and References

1. ^ Big O Review. Anime Academy. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
2. ^ The Big O Preview. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
3. ^ Forbes, Jake (January 2001). The Big-O. Animefringe. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
4. ^ Beveridge, Chris (2001-06-19). Anime on DVD Reviews: The Big O Vol. #1. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
5. ^ The Big O Complete Collection DVD Review. DVD Vision Japan. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
6. ^ ^{a b} Toole, Mike (2003-09-24). The Big O vols. 1-4. Anime Jump. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
7. ^ ^{a b} Rhee, Keith (2000-02-03). The Big O. EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
8. ^ ^{a b} Anime on DVD Recommends: The Big O. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
9. ^ Robinson, Tasha (2001-04-02). Big O. SCI FI Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
10. ^ ^{a b} Hayward, Keith. Birth of the Big O. Japan Hero. Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
11. ^ The name Big-O came from the opening of Daitetsujin 17. You can watch it here
12. ^ ^{a b} Chiaki J. Konaka. The Big O (production notes) (Japanese). Retrieved on 2006-11-18. A translation can be found at the Season 3 FAQ
13. ^ Comic-con Adult Swim News. Anime News Network (2002-08-04). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
14. ^ More Big O. Anime News Network (2003-06-09). Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
15. ^ Ask Kim Manning -- And what is up with Big O Season 3?. adult swim. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
16. ^ Rafferty, Terrence (2003-11-02). "The Last Word in Alienation: I Just Don't Remember". nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
17. ^ For detail on which episodes Sunrise worked on, see The World's Finest.
18. ^ For the Batman: The Animated Series promo "Like a Shadow", Toonami used the tagline "Good guys wear black." The Big O promo was named "Good Guys Still Wear Black" as a reference to Batman. You can download them both at Toonami Digital Arsenal.
19. ^ Protoculture Addicts first described The Big O as a cross between Batman and Giant Robo.
20. ^ Patten, Fred (2001-06-15). New from Japan: The Big O Volumes 1 - 4. Animation World Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
21. ^ Anime Central 2003 Panel. A Fan's View. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
22. ^ Hayward, Keith. Super Robot Review: The Big O. Japan Hero. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
23. ^ See The Big O Visual: Official Companion to "The Big-O" TV series, pp. 26-27.
24. ^ Stripes Recap. TV.com. Retrieved on September 4, 2006.

[edit] External links

Official sites

• Bandai Entertainment: The Big O's Region 1 DVD publisher.
• Madman Entertainment: Australian DVD publisher.
• Adult Swim: The Big O's US broadcaster
• Toonami UK: UK broadcaster
• VIZ Media: The English manga's North American publisher.

Fansites

• Paradigm City Where Original Big O Content Is More Than Just a Memory
• The Big O Season 3 FAQ FAQ concerning future episodes of The Big O
• Save Big O Supports a third season of The Big O

Miscellaneous

• The Big O (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• The Big O (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• The Big O at IMDb

The Big O
Characters
Roger Smith | R. Dorothy Wayneright | Norman Burg | Alex Rosewater | Gordon Rosewater | Michael Seebach | Megadeus