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The Big O



The Big O's most commented upon influence is DC Comics' Batman.[11][12][26] Sunrise, the series production studio, was a subcontractor for Warner Bros. Animation's Batman: The Animated Series,[27][28] and Toonami promos acknowledged the Dark Knight's influence on Roger Smith.[29]

"Showtime!" In an homage to Giant Robo, Roger uses his wristwatch to summon Big O.
"Showtime!" In an homage to Giant Robo, Roger uses his wristwatch to summon Big O.

Roger Smith is a pastiche of the Bruce Wayne persona and the Dark Knight Batman. The 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 let into his mansion without his permission. 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."[30] Among Roger's gadgetry is the Griffon, a large, black hi-tech sedan comparable to the Batmobile, a grappling cable that shoots out his wristwatch and the giant robot Angel calls "Roger's alter ego."[31]

The Big O's cast of supporting characters includes Norman, Roger's faithful mechanically-inclined butler who fills the role of Alfred Pennyworth; R. Dorothy Wayneright, who plays the role of the sidekick; and Dan Dastun, a good honest cop who, like Jim Gordon, is a friend to the hero.

The other major influence is Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Giant Robo.[26][27][32] Before working on The Big O, Kazuyoshi Katayama and other animators were staffers on the Giant Robo OVA. The feature, a "retro chic" homage to Yokoyama's career, took seven years to produce and suffered low sales and high running costs. Frustrated with the experience, the staff looked to make The Big O the series they hoped Giant Robo would be.[15]

Like Giant Robo, the megadeuses of Big O are metal behemoths. The designs are strange and "more macho than practical,"[33] sporting big stovepipe arms and exposed rivets. Unlike the giants of other mecha series, the megadeuses do not exhibit ninja-like speed nor grace. Instead, the robots are armed with "old school" weaponry such as missiles, piston powered punches, machine guns and laser cannons.[34]

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Media

Companion book

The Big O Visual: The official companion to the TV series (ISBN 4-57-529579-5) was published by Futabasha in 2003. The book contains full-color artwork, character bios and concept art, mecha sketches, video/LD/DVD jacket illustrations, history on the making of The Big O, staff interviews, "Roger's Monologues" comic strip and the original script for the final episode of the series.

Audio drama

"Walking Together On The Yellow Brick Road" was released by Victor Entertainment on September 21, 2000. The drama CD was written by series head writer Chiaki J. Konaka and featured the series' voice cast.[35]

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Reception

The Big O premiered on October 13, 1999. The show was not a hit in its native Japan, rather it was reduced from an outlined 26 episodes to 13 episodes. Western audiences were more receptive and the series achieved the success its creators were looking for.[36][5] In an interview with AnimePlay Magazine, Keiichi Sato said "This is exactly as we had planned", referring to the success overseas.[11]

Several words appear constantly in the English-language reviews; adjectives like "hip,"[23] "sleek,"[37] "stylish," [38] "classy,"[33] and, above all, "cool"[39][38][36] serve to describe the artwork, the concept, and the series itself. Reviewers have pointed out references and homages to various works of fiction, namely Batman,[26][40] Giant Robo,[21][33] the works of Isaac Asimov,[22][23] Fritz Lang's Metropolis,[21] James Bond,[41][42] and Cowboy Bebop.[43][44] But "while saying that may cause one to think the show is completely derivative", reads an article at Anime on DVD, The Big O still manages to stand out as something original amongst the other numerous cookie-cutter anime shows." One reviewer cites the extensive homages as one of the series problems and calls to unoriginality on the creators part.[45]

The first season's reception was positive. Anime on DVD recommends it as an essential series.[41] Chris Beveridge of the aforementioned site gave an A- to Vols. 1 and 2, and a B+ to Vols. 3 and 4.[46] The review at the Anime Academy gave it a grade of 83, listing the series high points being "unique", the "interesting characters" and the "nice action."[17] Mike Toole of Anime Jump, who gave it a 4.5 (out of a possible 5) stars writes The Big O is a thoroughly excellent series."[21] Reviewers,[21][47][41] and fans alike,[5][6] agree the season's downfall was the ending, or its lack thereof. The dangling plot threads frustrated the viewers and prompted Cartoon Network's involvement in the production of further episodes.[6]

The look and feel of the show received a big enhancement in the second season.[48] This time around, the animation is "near OVA quality"[49] and the artwork "far more lush and detailed."[36] Also enhanced are the troubles of the first season. The giant robot battles still seem out of place to some,[45][50] while others praise the "over-the-top-ness" of their execution.[17][39]

For some reviewers, the second season "doesn't quite match the first"[51] addressing to "something" missing in these episodes.[45] Andy Patrizio of IGN points out changes in Roger Smith's character, who "lost some of his cool and his very funny side in the second season." Like a repeat of season one, this season's ending is considered its downfall.[52][53] Chris Beveridge of Anime on DVD wonders if this was head writer "Konaka's attempt to throw his hat into the ring for creating one of the most confusing and oblique endings of any series." Patrizio states "the creators watched The Truman Show and The Matrix a few times too many." The reviewer at Japan Hero does not think the payoff was worth it, writing "the audience had been waiting on pins and needles for so long, and practically every episode upped the tension and suspense at least a little bit, if not a whole lot, and then we come to the big IT-moment, and... well, there it is. For me, it was honestly a little of a disappointment."

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References

  1. ^ Note the series uses the spelling "Memory" (メモリー Memorī?) instead of "memory" (記憶 kioku?).
  2. ^ "Winter Night Phantom". Keiichi Hasegawa (writer). The Big O. WOWOW. 1999-12-15. No. 10.
  3. ^ a b c "Birth of the Big O". The Big O DVD Volume 1. Bandai Entertainment.
  4. ^ THE BIG O! Chiaki J. Konaka Interview (Archive). Anime Jump (2001). Retrieved on 2007-01-01.
  5. ^ a b c d e Chiaki J. Konaka. The Big O (production notes) (Japanese). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
  6. ^ a b c Comic-con Adult Swim News. Anime News Network (2002-08-04). Retrieved on 2006-11-18.
  7. ^ Ask John: How Much Influence do Americans Have in Anime Co-Productions?. Anime Nation (2008-05-13). Retrieved on 2008-05-13.
  8. ^ More Big O. Anime News Network (2003-06-09). Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  9. ^ Ask Kim Manning -- And what is up with Big O Season 3?. adult swim. Retrieved on 2006-12-03.
  10. ^ McCarter, Charles. The Big-O Original Sound Score. EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga. Retrieved on 2006-12-15.
  11. ^ a b c d e Shimura, Shinichi. (2004). Anime rebel with a cause: The Big O's Keiichi Sato. AnimePlay, 5, 22-26.
  12. ^ a b c d Penedo, Nicolas. The Big O, un animé sous influence. AnimeLand. Retrieved on 2006-12-16. (French)
  13. ^ McCarter, Charles. The Big O! CD Single. EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga. Retrieved on 2006-12-08.
  14. ^ On his website, Rui Nagai names Queen as one of this favorites bands.(Japanese)
  15. ^ a b Anime Central 2003 Panel. A Fan's View. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  16. ^ a b The Big O section at Hitoshi Ariga's site (Japanese). Retrieved on 2007-08-01.
  17. ^ a b c d Big O Review. Anime Academy. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  18. ^ a b c d e f Silver, A. & Ursini, J. "What is 'Noir'?" In Film Noir. Los Angeles, CA: Taschen Books. ISBN 3-8228-2261-2
  19. ^ a b c The Big O. anime and manga for Australia. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  20. ^ The series name resembles The Big Sleep (1946). Other "Big" film noirs include The Big Clock (1948), The Big Steal (1949), The Big Heat (1953), and The Big Combo (1955).
  21. ^ a b c d e Toole, Mike (2003-09-24). The Big O vols. 1-4. Anime Jump. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  22. ^ a b Beveridge, Chris (2001-06-19). Anime on DVD Reviews: The Big O Vol. #1. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  23. ^ a b c The Big O Complete Collection DVD Review. DVD Vision Japan. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  24. ^ Interview with Eddie Muller. SFJAZZ (2006-05-17). Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  25. ^ Rafferty, T. (November 2, 2003) The Last Word in Alienation: I Just Don't Remember. The New York Times.
  26. ^ a b c The Big O Preview. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  27. ^ a b Clements, J. & McCarthy, H. (2001). The Anime Encyclopedia: A Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917. Berkley, CA: Stone Bridge Press. ISBN 1-88-065664-7.
  28. ^ For detail on which episodes Sunrise worked on, see The World's Finest.
  29. ^ 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
  30. ^ "Missing Cat". Keiichi Hasegawa (writer). The Big O. WOWOW. 1999-12-01. No. 08.
  31. ^ "Negotiations with the Dead". Chiaki J. Konaka (writer). The Big O. Sun Television. 2003-01-09. No. 15.
  32. ^ Patten, Fred (2001-06-15). New from Japan: The Big O Volumes 1 - 4. Animation World Magazine. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  33. ^ a b c Rhee, Keith (2000-02-03). The Big O. EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  34. ^ Hayward, Keith. Super Robot Review: The Big O. Japan Hero. Retrieved on 2006-11-23.
  35. ^ An English-language translation of the script can be found at Konaka's website.
  36. ^ a b c Arseneau, Adam (2004-03-05). The Big O II: Paradigm Lost (Volume 1) Review. DVD Verdict. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  37. ^ Byun, Bryan (2004-09-30). The Big O II: Missing Pieces (Volume 2) Review. DVD Verdict. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  38. ^ a b Shelton, Andrew. Big O Review. Anime Meta-Review. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  39. ^ a b Shepard, Chris. Big O Review. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  40. ^ Forbes, Jake (January 2001). The Big-O. Animefringe. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  41. ^ a b c Anime on DVD Recommends: The Big O. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-04.
  42. ^ The Toonami promo "Recipe of Justice" calls the series "one part Bond." It is available for download at Toonami Digital Arsenal.
  43. ^ Robinson, Tasha (2001-04-02). Big O. SCI FI Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  44. ^ Steven Blum voices Spike Spiegel in the English-language version of Cowboy Bebop. Wendee Lee voices Faye Valentine.
  45. ^ a b c The Big O/The Big O II. The Anime Review. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  46. ^ The Big-O (Meta Review). Meta Anime Review Project. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  47. ^ Beveridge, Chris (2001-12-18). Anime on DVD Reviews: The Big O Vol. #4. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  48. ^ Beveridge, Chris (2003-11-03). Anime on DVD Reviews: The Big O II Vol. #1. Anime on DVD. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  49. ^ Divers, Allen (2004-01-20). The Big O II DVD 1: Paradigm Lost. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  50. ^ Robinson, Tasha (2004-01-12). The Big O II. SCI FI Weekly. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  51. ^ Patrizio, Andy (2004-06-25). The Big O II - Aggressive Negotiations Review. IGN. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  52. ^ Super Robot Reviews: The Big O II: 2nd Season. Japan Hero. Retrieved on 2006-11-11.
  53. ^ Beveridge, Chris. Big O II Vol. #4 (of 4). AnimeOnDVD.com. Retrieved on 2006-12-29.

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External links


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The Big O



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