Big O (anime)
|
|
The Big O (THE ビッグオー) is the title of an anime television series, which also has a manga adaptation.
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 of Behemoth & 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.
Big O is set in Paradigm City, a domed 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 called 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.
Big O manga is published in English by Viz Communications. Both seasons of the anime series have been released on DVD by Bandai Entertainment.
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 over-all pace and tone. Still, the show remains popular and often appears in the Adult Swim lineup.
| Contents |
Finale Broadcast Goof
Due to a mix-up, the final episode of Big O was not shown on its scheduled American air date. It was pre-empted by another episode from the second season. This event prompted an Atlanta, GA-dwelling fan (Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are located in Atlanta) to make a picket sign reading "Big O is not pleased" and walk down to the Williams Street headquarters of Adult Swim that night in protest. A week later, the beginning of the alternate episode was shown, but a few seconds in, a message from Adult Swim appeared on the screen, making a joke and apologizing to viewers. The final episode then began.
Episode List
Season 1
- 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
- ACT 14 -- Roger The Wanderer
- ACT 15 -- Negotiation with the Dead
- ACT 16 -- Day of the Advent
- ACT 17 -- Leviathan
- ACT 18 -- The Greatest Villian
- 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
External links
- AnimeLuvers (http://www.animeluvers.com/page8.htm) Big O Reviews, Pictures, and more
- http://www.freewebs.com/seebach/ - FAQ Concerning future episodes of "The Big O"
- http://www.savebigo.com - A campaign to get a Big O Season Three
- http://sqn.com/metrop26.html - Analysis of Metropolis for the purpose of comparing to the plot of "Big O"
- http://the-big-o.net - Formerly the official website of Big O.
- http://www.paradigm-city.com - An English language fan site for Big O information and fan works.ja:THE ビッグオー