The Big O

If you are an anime fan who has been searching for a show that combines giant mecha action anime with all the cool film noir tropes of a classic P.I. story, than look no further than the Big O. When this show was first described to me I thought that there was no way you could combine two genres that could not be more opposite. But somehow, this show manages to combine theme beautifully. The characters are cool, the dialogue is sharp, the setting is incredibly interesting, the main character is basically Batman if he were a private eye and had a giant robot, the ... colors are muted,and the soundtrack is full of Blues and a lot of sweet, sweet Saxophone. It is a film noir fans dream come to life.
Plus the awesome giant robot fights are all cool and full of bad ass moments. Despite the shows age the animation holds up fairly decently. The stories of the episodes that have nothing to do with the main plot are all interesting and emotional. The first season is amazing and definately deserves a watch if you are a fan of more old school 90s anime.
Unfortunately, the over arching plot is confusing, overly complicated, and full of dumb twists. This is the main reasons why season 2 is so disappointing. Season 2's focus is pretty much entirely on the main plot, and all of the awesome film noir elements that made the first season so great are gone. The second season is bright, colorful, and has ZERO SAXOPHONE. The second season is not god awful by any means but there is a big drop in quality. I suspect this change in tone is due to the fact that the show was cancelled after the first season and got a revival a few years later. The creative team probably wanted to, or were forced, to change some things to appeal to a bigger audience but I feel it back fired.
The second season (episodes 14-26) is okay, but I honestly think it could be ignored entirely.
For me the first season is a masterpiece. It takes two genres I loved on their own and expertly combines them into something truly unique.

Another solid block of nostalgia, I didn't get around to finishing "The Big O" until many years after the show had run its course. Certainly trope-ridden and unashamedly inspired by many outside elements, the art, characters, and ending certainly stand above mediocrity.

Paradigm City, a place where forty years ago, everyone lost their memories. My name is Roger Smith, and I'm a negotiator..
Accompanied by a soft piano and saxophone, our main character takes center stage. Smooth talking Smith, accompanied by his mercurial butler, sarcastic android Dorothy and backed up by the ubiquitous "Megaduece" Big O takes on Paradigms dark side, composed of criminals, ... cutthroats and it's very past.

The episodes are a fun mix of a little detective work and Mecha combat/destruction. The slow reveal of the cities past and development of characters is kindly treated, and I found myself happily re-watching the series just to revisit the interactions and growth of both. The ending is an unmistakably polarizing event for many I've spoken to. Respected or hated, it IS sad to know that a third season was at least at some point a distant possibility; though one website comically points out that this would have likely resulted in even more confusing plot threads.
The element of mystery that is prevalent could frustrate some viewers whom see it as a glossing over details or never explaining itself. I find that the airs Big O puts on is part of a neo-noir charm. It's not a labyrinth of complexity and depth, but a comfortable amount of detail that's style with respectable substance


The art is wonderful, the hard edges and colors giving a severity to the backgrounds and characters. Much like the acclaimed animated Batman series, this helps the minimal amount of animation stand out, as the gloomy city evokes a tangible moodiness in all of it's shadows. True the animation itself may not be all that much to right home about, and the occasional guffaw that interrupts the sleekness is noticeable. Overall the art compliments and enhances the story and characters.

The soundtrack belts bluesy melodies and classical pieces at the right moments. An ominous, wistful tone is very present here, and helps establish the city. The fight scenes are accompanied by appropriately energetic and loud bits. As for sound effects, nothing superhuman, all proper. The voice work in the dub is great. Not much cringe-worthy "Engrish" is present, and Roger's quips can be genuinely funny. The dialogue can take on Saturday Morning Superhero Special quality, but when the tone is series it's played straight without much narm.

Roger isn't particularly complicated, but a fun character to see go about his business and relationships. The supporting cast each have their own quirks, but make nice compliments to Roger and one another. Roger's rogue gallery is an interesting sort: not-Lupin III Beck, the forever preaching and philosophical Schartz, and vaguely Joker-esque Alan. All mix well in an assortment of tales and interactions, the series even bringing one-shot characters to the forefront with old concepts that still seem interesting.

I don't hesitate to re-watch The Big O because I know it delivers. The end of the second season compromises outright explaining the plot with a stereotypical, drawn-out soliloquy to instead require the viewer to think just a little bit. An understandably foreign concept in a standard giant-robot-punch-everything anime, but not an unwelcome one. Otherwise the episodes are varied and entertaining.


If I read correctly, the show is supposed to re-air on television sometime this year (2014) One can only hope that a renewed interest might breathe some life into a third season. If not I'll drop the $100 to get the complete set one of these days, as I can't find a pressing reason not to own this classic.

Many years ago watching the programing block adult swim I, like many others came across the Big O for the first time. I don’t know what it was that drew me to the show, could have been the music, the action, or the cast of characters. I may never know why I was so drawn to the Big O all those years ago but upon watching the show a couple of times since then ,I can see why it has become one of my favorite anime. Directed by Kazuyoshi Katayama, The Big O is a 1999 produced by sunrise entertainment also known for the ... Gundam franchise and Cowboy Bebop.
The Big O takes place in paradigm city, they last habit for human civilization. 40 years prior to the events in the story a cataclysmic event wiped out most of the world and the memories of everyone. What happened to these memories and the rest of the world are just a few of the mysteries in the Big O. Our man hero in this show is Roger Smith, handsome, Rich, and a Giant fighting robot pilot. Roger is the only thing stopping the destruction of the city that has lost its memories.
Roger Smith is paradigm city’s top negotiator. Hostage negotiations, stopping terrorist’s attacks, bargaining with god himself not to destroy the entire universe, oh don’t forget punching the stuffing out of giant mechs and Godzilla monsters is all routine for our protagonist here. Rodger smith is a man of rules and a man of style, always in a sharp black suit, calm cool and collected. Voiced by Steve Blum, Roger Smith from his dress, to his car he is class personified. Behind every great man there is a great woman, and although not really a woman R. Dorthy has Roger’s back. She’s funny, sturdy, charming in a strange way, oh did I mention she’s an android. And I love it. R. Dorothy and Rodger smith play off each other very well witch also adds some comic relief along with a compelling “will they, won’t they relationship” with the moral question of “ can a human find love with an android? Although she is an android, Dorothy seems to have more emotions than her human counterparts, sometimes you forget that she even is an android but the show reminds you now and again. Another important part of the cast is Angel. Angel is an agent for Paradigm Corporation. She’s also a love interest for Roger smith. Their relationship is very similar to Batman and Catwoman. There’s a lot that The Big O and batman share in common probably because sunrise helped animated Batman the Animated series. Rounding out the cast we have the butler Norman and police Chief Dan Datsun. Norman Burg is in charge of cleaning and maintaining Rogers’s house and making repairs to The Big O being the only one who has the memories to do so. Norman is pretty much Alfred Pennyworth from Batman lore. Dan Datsun is the police chief of Paradigm city. He has a strong moral code and is responsible for maintaining the safety of his city but often times the military police are outmatched and must rely on The Big O to save the day.
One of the best things about the big o is the quality of the audio. Everything from the voice acting to the sounds effects sounds great and the sound track good lord .The soundtrack is not only unique but it’s straight epic, the outro song is one of the best ones I’ve ever listened to and overall the Big O soundtrack is my second favorite of all time, and is something I would listen too outside of the show itself.
Visually in my opinion big o is a great looking show, with its own flare inspired by film noir with dark backgrounds and washed out colors. The big O stands out in every way possible from the giant robots (they look awesome) the character designs (they look awesome) all around to the environmental design and overall art style. Speaking of style the giant robot fights are fantastic in every step the big O makes you can feel the weight and strength that it has. Every piston punch delivered has great impact, this isn’t your ordinary flying, laser sword wielding Gundam, the big o is a tank, it hits hard and is cumbersome and slow but damn it hits really dam hard. The big O is expertly directed with great shots that just leaves me amazed it’s just a great looking show all around.
It’s no surprise that The Big O is one of my favorite anime series, it looks great, sounds great, and has a very interesting plot and solid characters. Did I mention great giant robot fights? Because there’s a lot of great giant robot fights. Although it is not perfect The Big O has its own loveable charm and style that gives me a calm and relaxed feeling that I’ve never gotten from a show made from the past decade. The Big O is definitely worth a watch.

I'm baffled by the low reviews on MAL for The Big O. To this day I find it to be one of the most beautiful animated series of all time.

I don't think it deserves a 10 due to a few production errs. For instance, a few of the villains were designed a bit cheaply, and clearly there are differences in production quality across certain scenes. While I understand the complaints made about the final episodes of each season, I personally liked the endings to both seasons. Also, the intro theme song is TOO similar to Queen's Flash Gordon, and seems out of place (but still ... better than 99% of anime intros).

Aside from these things, I can only rave. Very few anime (or any production) have such a unique aesthetic. Yes, Roger Smith is batman and Big O is Giant Robo. As they're fucking meant to be! The Big O takes these two classics (both of which the creators had been working on) and creates something completely new in the perfect noir setting of Paradigm City. In a way, the Big O is one the best fan-fiction anime series of all time. The Big O takes a collection of aspects and themes from these 2 staples and constructs an extremely well-blended new genre (gothic-mecha-noir?), highlighting certain pieces of the Batman and Giant Robo stories that were never focal before.

But Big O is not by any means a rehash. Roger Smith's life is not quite as luxurious as Bruce Wayne, as he has his job as the city's "negotiator". His history (which I won't spoil) aligns itself with the intriguing amnesic history of Paradigm City. The supporting characters (aside from Norman) are all original and well-crafted. In fact, Dorothy may overshadow Roger in terms of an interesting character, and her existential crisis is a nice parallelism to the crux of the internal conflicts found in the residents of Paradigm City.

I shouldn't have to say much about the music and animation.They are both phenomenal, and boast originality, quality, and aesthetic. Watch the first episode, and you should agree within a few minutes.

The Big O remains as one of the most underrated anime’s of all time, incorporating the pros of the East and the West to create something truly magnificent. A grandiose, retro mecha-tale with one of the most unique and interesting worlds seen in anime. A high recommendation for fans of the golden age of mecha anime, following in the footsteps of Hideaki Anno’s Neon Genesis Evangelion. As my last rewatch of 2024, I can happily say The Big O has moved up exponentially on my list of the finest anime’s of all time, with my current second viewing coming 2 years after my initial discovery ... of the show.

A twist of the Neo-Noir genre, The Big O takes us to the City of Amnesia, a greatly complex and unique setting unravelled as the show continues through its 26 episode run. On top of its Neo-Noir mystery, The Big O features some of the best high octane mecha action I’ve had the pleasure of viewing, however I must say it pales in comparison to its more subtle and narrative driven moments. It’s highly engaging to visit new and interesting locations within the world of the show, slowly learning its lore and backstory as its characters do the same. A masterful narrative choice for the show is its decision to make its characters basically as clueless to the lore as the audience, making its most shocking reveals and twists that much more impactful.

With some of the finest voice performances (personally I prefer the dubbed version as Steve Blum steals the show as always). Going hand in hand with its complex and expertly written characters, with subtlety being a rarity across anime, it’s a pleasant surprise to see the character arcs and overall narrative delivered with such gripping mystery through its uniquely crafted world building. The Shows protagonist ‘Rodger Smith’ is yet another addition to Steve Blums plethora of Suave and stylised characters, not reaching the popularity of the likes of Spike Spiegel, but a worthy successor in every way. However the true standout in characters is the shows lead female character ‘Dorothy Wayneright’. Who encapsulates every praise I have for the shows writing, an incredibly complex and lore filled character presented to us with such perfect pacing and execution it’s honestly quite astonishing. And on top of this, the character writing still has time to place brilliantly timed and written humour, especially through Rodger and Dorothy’s dynamic. The rest of The Big O’s supporting characters share these same positives, however it’s in its 2 leads where they truly shine.

It’s sadly rare you find an anime show with such attention to film form elements such as cinematography, but the Big O still finds the time to present its action and mystery with some spectacular shots. I cannot praise this show without mentioning Toshihiko Sahashi’s masterful composition for the show, with Sahashi being a familiar composer to fans of the mechs genre (through his work on Mobile Suit Gundam). It’s grand orchestral sound design gives its most dramatic moments the extra kick they needs to reach the heights they do.

Overall, The Big O stands as a shining example of the heights that can be reached if the talents of Eastern and Western animation collaborate, and I hope everyday someone will one day follow in its footsteps. An expertly designed show in every single way, and the best sleeper hit anime I show I could possibly recommend.

BIG O…SHOWTIME!

You may see me review this show and its score of ten, you may call it a bias: you'd be right. For you see, I'm not reviewing the show as a whole, meaning I'm not reviewing at all the twenty-six episodes, I'm reviewing the thirteen original episodes, all of which and in their own right are excellent themselves.
The OST, the animation, the world, the character's design and complex personalities, the english VA (because, in this reviewer's fuckdup mind, this is how the show is meant to be seen), everything is outstanding.
The selfawareness and sillyness of a mecha batman vs the complex and constantly moving plot ... of what is to come.
The second season is complete shit, don't watch it, don't even believe there is one, because there is none, they are lying to you.
If there were to be a second season, it would be a heartless cashgrab meant to dicktease people and steal from Evangelion (a terrible show in itself) which not only had the balls to drop any sort of intrigue, it teased a third season (if it were to ever exist which it doesn't).
So, in short, the first and ONLY season 10/10.

Big O is genuinely one of my favorite anime of all time. It's an enjoyable noir mystery with mechs and compelling characters that make the entire thing feel solid and well thought out.

The animation is very of-the-time but clean and nice to look at (especially in the blu-ray release, which I absolutely bought the moment that I could). The art style is more on the simple side for the characters themselves, but really shines when it comes to the mechs like Big O itself.

DO NOT go into this anime expecting a full on mecha anime. That's not what it is and not what ... it tries to be. It's a noir, first and foremost. The mystery and the characters are what bring this anime to life.

The Big O, where the O stands for organic. Not really, but if there is a single word that does help to characterise The Big O, organic would be a good contender. Compared to plenty of other anime out there, particular those that feature giant robots and far-off sci-fi settings, many of them can struggle to feel organic, and for the most part, such shows are typically impersonal, with the characters not being of much interest, and the large setpieces are their only selling point. The Big O is a rare case of a show that has both a good setting, and good characters.

On the ... surface, The Big O’s setting is nothing too remarkable, Paradigm City, a futuristic city that despite being several hundred years in the future, still looks like an Eastern European slum in a lot of places, in which some incident 40 years ago caused everyone to lose their memories. What really makes Paradigm City stand out is the attention to detail in the less explored areas. Hydroelectric dams, abandoned factories, and just about any place that is underground creates a very particular aesthetic that is evocative of Half Life. The sense of ambiguity and uneasiness from the danger of these mechanical powerhouses that appear to be hiding a whole lot more than they let on is undeniable, and, one particular feature I noticed was that the very edge of the frame was typically obscured by darkness, which just furthers the idea of a descent into unfamiliar territory. And, to stay on the subject of Half Life, the architecture appears to have taken as much from Half Life as the sound design, which is certainly a positive, because when it comes to sound design it’s not possible to outdo Half Life, which, both in HL and in The Big O, is at its best in the ambient sounds. The Big O itself, the titular mecha, takes its ambient noise directly from the sounds in Black Mesa’s science labs, which just might be the best companion they could have put in to the scenes with the mechas in them, which often have as much in the way of buildup than actual combat, which, given their general lack of ranged weaponry, was the right choice. Some people might enjoy watching boxing matches that go on for an entire hour, but it's not ideal when you've got a story to tell, and the rapid pace of the mechas that go down easily is enough to ensure that my attention is maintained, and they never go on for too long, which is more than I can say about a lot of other shows out there.

Seeing as I said that they were good, it’s probably about time I mentioned the characters, and The Big O wears its film noir influence on its sleeve. The main character, Roger Smith, is an MP (because it’s the future so regular police don’t exist anymore), who grew disenfranchised and became a private ‘Negotiator.’ With that said, Roger exhibits a very American attitude towards diplomacy, while he does try to come to an arrangement, I don’t think he once actually uses his negotiation skills to peacefully resolve a dispute, it more or less always ends with him getting into his giant robot and punching the fuck out of someone, because, taking a page out of Batman, he doesn’t carry a gun and doesn’t kill people, which is as stupid now as it was when Batman started doing it back in 1930. It certainly would have been tonally appropriate to see Roger go down the route of the vigilante private negotiator, but there’s nothing explicitly wrong with his pacifism, I suppose when it comes down to it, his personal rule that he doesn’t carry a gun seems a bit bizarre considering the man’s got rocket launchers in his car, and his butler’s got multiple machine guns and anti tank rifles in Roger’s basement, but I suppose such specifics aren’t something that he needs to concern himself with when he’s got a James Bond watch that lets him activate a giant robot any time he wants.

For the most part, the characters of The Big O aren’t terribly important, the rest of the lineup taken from every noir film includes MP chief who’s mates with Roger, femme fatale, charismatic criminal who seems to enjoy wearing yellow so much you’d think he’s cosplaying a bottle of mustard, the real criminal mastermind who’s been orchestrating everything, and Dorothy. There’s also a bunch of other incidental people who come and go, but when it really comes down to it, the dichotomy between Roger and Dorothy is what gives The Big O’s characters their staying power. It would be safe to blame Rei Ayanami for the vast number of androids in anime, all of whom happen to be pure shite, I do not think I could name a single character who falls under the category of ‘android who has a fragmented understanding of human behaviour and is very inexpressive’ that is actually good, or at least that would have been the case hitherto, because Dorothy gets the honour of being the only one ever conceived that is good. The most significant aspect of her character is that rather than having her character be a complete blank slate who seems to have been specifically programmed to never feel anything, she very clearly has a prevailing emotion, which is disdain, her eyes alone tell more of a story than some characters can through a ten minute monologue. As a furtherance of this, Dorothy actually develops as a character, changing her outward appearance and dialogue with others. Accounting for the fact that this is a place where everyone lost their memories, Dorothy’s interactions with Roger display an excellent idea of what constitutes ‘humanity’, such as when he criticises her for playing the piano in a ‘robotic’ way, and gets someone to teach her how to play ‘naturally’ (an android, amusingly enough), which is largely the same, since in both cases she was just following the notes on a music sheet. In any case, Dorothy is far more human and believable than most the human characters that the anime industry comes out with these days, and she is a rare case of a character who is moe by outcome and subsistence of a solid character, not by a pre-determined design choice that she should be that way.

So far, I have almost exclusively spoken positively of The Big O, which is somewhat reflective of my attitude towards it, for up until around episode 18, my opinion of it was exclusively positive. From this point onwards, the story stops focusing on single negotiations, most of which have little to do with each other, in the backdrop of Paradigm City, but instead, they focus on trying to create one big case, with the CEO of some huge company, who happens to be a megalomaniac who wants to rule the city, and also kill all poor people and foreigners, which I would describe as a less than exemplary character type. This is not to say that the closing 8 episodes of The Big O are bad by any means, they are still enjoyable, and seeing his struggle for power inside of the Big Fau is certainly enough to warrant watching the show to completion, but a better move would have been to retain the pacing and episode structure that preceded it.

When it comes down to it, The Big O is an excellent series, that raises the bar considerably for anime as a whole, with some of the best atmosphere, action setpieces, character writing, and sound design I have seen in a long time. There isn’t a single lackluster element that weighs down an otherwise good series, and it does a lot more than you would normally expect to see in a 26 episode series. It’s only let down by a closing quarter that features a weak arc, which is orchestrated by an even weaker antagonist. If either aspect were improved, I could easily see The Big O being one of my all time favourites.

The Big O is what you get if Batman TAS was written by the guy who did Serial Experiments Lain. From a modern day perspective looking at this in the present day, it's not too dissimilar to what happened when Madoka exploded in popularity a decade ago: i.e. You get a lot of shows either trying to capitalize on its success, or more generously speaking you have creators willing to explore more adult themes through a genre that has otherwise generally been associated with children's entertainment. After Evangelion became a household name, so too did many mecha shows began to incorporate more mature themes ... into their narratives, and The Big O stands out as being one of the more successful and memorable ones.

There are two distinct halves to The Big O, and the story behind its development is well known enough: Its creators wanted to do an episodic two-cour series, but got cut down into one-cour, only for US popularity to resurrect it years later with a mandate to conclude the series. So we have the first half of The Big O, which is a series of episodic mecha adventures with Roger the Negotiator solving everyday problems in a strange world, and the second half which picks up on the plot threads and world building from the first cour and attempts to tie them all up into a final conclusion.

The first half is decently entertaining, though fairly repetitive especially if you're watching an episode a day like I was. It follows a Monster of The Week formula with Roger piloting Big O to save the day at the end of each episode, and hints of worldbuilding are thrown in here and there to alleviate the monotony of it all. The slick presentation if anything saves this though. The art deco designs really do remind one of Batman TAS (that and Sunrise did animate a few episodes of it), and the soundtrack is good enough to keep you engaged with the action onscreen. Smooth jazz is so criminally underused anyway. The best episodes from these are the ones where Big O appears the least, ironically, where you get to see the characters under their spotlight more.

The second half is why The Big O has endured in Memory for so long, at least in Western anime fandoms. The elaborate further would be to soil the experience, but the show does succeed in making one ponder on the philosophical themes it incorporates, while still being immensely entertaining. And it really does go in some interesting directions, though the answer to your questions isn't gonna be given so easily. If you're familiar with Konaka Chiaki's other works, you'll be right at home. While the second half can feel like it's dragging a little, to the point where the one episodic episode felt out of place, it all culminates in such a memorable finale that, good or bad, will stick in your Memories for a long while.

At the very least, you gotta stick around for that smooth, smooth ED.

Cour 1: 6/10
Cour 2: 8/10
Average: 7/10

P.S:Come to think of it, the late 90s/early 00s were really teeming with media exploring similar themes to this. Even for mainstream US audiences we had stuff like The Matrix and The Truman Show. What was it about that time period...

Overview:
"The Big O" is probably one of the earliest examples of an anime drawing inspiration from Western media, in this case the immensely popular "Batman" franchise. The results are mixed- while the Western influences are definitely there, the overall style of the series is still undeniably Eastern, which works both for and against it in different ways, with a frequently confusing story, dated art and somewhat underdeveloped characters. While there is a good experience to be had here, I would personally think twice before expecting anything better than that.

Story (6.5/10):
The series is set in the fictional Paradigm City, also known as the "City of ... Amnesia", where people co-exist with androids and mysterious mechs called Megadeus. It's called such because, 40 years before the story begins, a mysterious disaster occurred that caused every single person to lose their memories. The cause of this was never uncovered, and people have adapted enough for it not to be much of an issue anymore, or at least, that's what they have you believe at first. The protagonist of this noir mystery is Roger Smith, a billionaire who works as a Negotiator, someone who's tasked with finding a resolution with the various troubles in the city, often calling in his Megadeus, the titular Big O for assistance. His duties bring him into conflict with the Paradigm Corporation, a shady company that manages daily activities in the city and is plotting something shady behind the scenes.

The series starts off episodic, with Roger frequently accepting jobs that have to do with his profession, often ending with him calling in the Big O for a final showdown. Overtime, however, a story arc becomes very apparent, particularly when Roger encounters Alex Rosewater, the mysterious leader of the Paradigm Corporation, and Angel, an equally mysterious agent who's about as morally ambiguous as a character can be. Overall, the story revolves largely around searching for answers and learning the truth as to why everyone lost their memories so long ago.

While the premise is intriguing at first, and remains such for a good portion of the series, the story unfortunately falls apart near the end because of a flaw that is all too common in storytelling- the fact that it simply doesn't know what it wants to be. Towards the end, things start to get very confusing, culminating in the final episode delivering an extremely ambiguous ending that asks more questions than it answers. In an anime like "Neon Genesis Evangelion", I would let something like this slide, but in this, an anime that's all about searching for answers and the truth, it's a serious problem, and ultimately causes the series to feel unfinished.

Art and Animation (7.5/10):
"The Big O"'s art is good enough for its time. While it's nowhere near as well-drawn as say, "Cowboy Bebop", there are some great shots and scenery to be taken in throughout the series. One thing that's worth noting, however, is that the second season came out about 3 years after the first, yet somehow looks either exactly the same or so similar that you'd have to look very hard to notice the difference, which is especially jarring considering the studio is Sunrise.

Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
The music is mostly nothing special. It consists mostly of the kind of ominous music you would expect to hear in a noir movie, though that isn't necessarily a bad thing as it does fit the tone of the series. The opening theme is rather forgettable, though I did develop quite a liking to the ending theme. The best part of this category, however, is the voice acting. Not only do we have the legendary Steve Blum voicing Roger, but we have a number of great other talents such as Wendee Lee as Angel and Crispin Freeman in a menacing antagonist role in the second season. It gets to the point that the voice acting carries the series at times, and is the big reason why this category gets the highest marks from me.

Characters (7/10):
The influence of Batman in Roger Smith should be obvious to anyone familiar with the character; not only is he a billionaire who dresses in black and drives around a noir-esque city in a car with concealed gadgetry, but he even has an elderly butler who looks after him (more on him later). Oh, and he doesn't use guns. Perhaps his most defining trait is that he is very strict and methodical, having a very clear set of rules that dictate everything from his day-to-day life to how he expects others to behave around him; among these are that those who stay in his house must wear black, only women can enter his mansion unconditionally, that those who lack sincerity must leave, and that he only uses force as a last resort. All of these give a very good idea of the kind of person he is, helped a great deal by Steve Blum's performance. Likable as he is, however, there were times when I found myself wondering exactly what his motivations were, as despite claiming he's fine with having lost his memory, there are a few scenes that suggest this isn't the case. Unfortunately, several things are still left ambiguous about him by the end, leaving him as yet another mystery that never gets truly unpacked.

Ultimately, my favourite character would have to be Roger's robot assistant, R. Dorothy Wayneright, who meets and moves in with him at the start of the series. It's obvious from the start that she's far from emotionless, as she is very sarcastic, to the point that calling Roger a louse is pretty much her catchphrase, though she does so in a playful manner. Despite this, she's also a very straightforward person who gets along rather well with just about everyone, even those she doesn't particularly trust. She even shows genuine fear and even jealousy on occasions. All in all, despite being an android, she is ironically the most human of the entire cast, and out of everyone, it's her character arc that feels the most complete.

Next up is the mysterious Angel, who crosses Roger's path on occasion (more frequently as the series progresses) and develops a highly belligerent relationship with him. Despite being a secret agent, however, she has a tendency to panic in the first season, though she becomes much more competent in the second, which is good because that's when she starts to appear regularly. Sadly, she proves herself to be an enigma even by this show's standards, as very little is made clear about her other than her actual personality, which is best described as a femme fatale with an ultimately good heart. There's also Norman Burg, who is to Roger as Alfred is to Batman, with the difference being that he can hold his own in a fight and even seems to be something of a thrill-seeker, and Dan Dastun, a police chief and Roger's old friend who is very similar to him in some ways and completely different in others. None of these are quite as likable as Dorothy or Roger, but they're still far from unlikable. Beyond these characters, there's a nice array of recurring characters and villains, though anything noteworthy about them is best left unsaid.

Enjoyment (7/10):
"The Big O" is an exciting series for the most part, with Roger calling in the Big O for a fight almost once an episode, and these fights are easily one of the best parts of the series. That being said, it can get a bit repetitive after a while, and makes you wonder how Roger is the best at what he does if he has to call in his ace in the hole so often. Being what it is, the series also ventures into some very dark places, especially near the end, and just like everything else about the ending, exactly how happy it is is open to anyone's interpretation.

Overall:
"The Big O" may try to be anime's answer to "Batman", but it ultimately comes off more as a poor man's "Evangelion" with a few shades of "Cowboy Bebop", saved mainly by some great action scenes and fine voice performances. Fans of film noir or mecha anime should enjoy it, but the former will be most likely be disappointed by the lack of resolution to the show's mysteries.

Score:
6.5+7.5+8.5+7+7=36.5/50=7.3/10

PART ONE
EPISODES 1-13

The first anime review I ever wrote was written four years ago and focused on The Big O. Needless to say you don’t see it on this site because it was a terribly written piece of crap comprised of two hundred words, one hundred of which laughed at the fact the robots in the series are called “Mega Deuces”. Get it? Like big poops.

God I was a stupid sixteen year old.

As this is the beginning of a series of reviews focusing on anime that I’ve neglected to critique for this site, I found it only fitting to rectify my getting rid of my ... shitty Big O review and replacing it with one that is written with more intelligence and a better understanding of anime. Seriously, Big O was maybe the fifteenth anime I’d watched all the way through in my life at that point.

The first thirteen episodes of Big O were released in 1999 by Sunrise Studios and was co-produced by the now defunct Bandai Entertainment. Most people know of it from childhoods long past as it aired on Adult Swim in 2001, which is where I initially saw it.

Roger Smith is our protagonist, a negotiator in Paradigm City. Forty years ago everyone in the city lost their memories but life continued anyway. Inside the city, domes were built for the rich to live under while the poor are forced to live outside in squalor. Androids walk among humans and giant robots called Mega Deuces appear, seemingly whenever someone remembers something they should have forgotten. The idea here is that random memories pop up in the minds of certain people, kind of like a glitch, that leads them to combat the dictatorship of the Paradigm Corporation and Alex Rosewater.

At least, that’s what I take out of it. The plot is convoluted as hell and only gets worse as the series progresses. What is initially a seemingly intelligent and interesting mystery quickly devolves into a mind-numbing experience, especially once you get to episode thirteen, where everything begins to go nuts.

The initial run of episodes introduces us to the main players. Roger is a rich, gentlemanly type a la Bruce Wayne. He has a butler named Norman. In the first episode Roger picks up an android girl named Dorothy. There’s also a mysterious blond woman who works as Rosewater’s secretary but has an agenda of her own.

As a negotiator Roger deals with all kinds of situations, most of which involving kidnapping though some have to do with getting a person to accept a severance check or helping lower the price of fish. After the job is taken you can expect some human drama ended with a battle between Roger’s giant robot, Big O, and another robot or kaiju.

The emphasis on the story here is that it is very episodic and formulaic but it never gets boring. There’s a good array of stories that all contain some sort of mysterious element beyond the norm. The few recurring bad guys are not the most interesting but are good for what they are and most of the minor characters throughout aren’t boring.

The biggest allure of Big O is the style. Sunrise did some contract work on Batman: The Animated Series and you can definitely see the influence (and if you can’t, you’re blind). The western animation style is interesting and the approach to the style is where a lot of the mystery comes from. It’s a great study of noir with blacks and whites, shadow and light clashing to provide one of my favorite animation styles of all time. The gothic architecture outside combined with the strange, futuristic design inside the domes gives it a dream-like quality of two worlds meshed into one. On top of that, the character design and archetypes help build that air of noir that fans of my reviews know I love.

But even then Big O isn’t done impressing you with genre artistry. The robot designs of the show are some of the most memorable in anime and when Big O comes out to play, you know you’re in for a show. I love how the military police shoots at the robots from below, not affecting them at all as buildings are destroyed, cars are crushed, and huge swathes of destruction are left in the wake of each battle. It’s a throwback to Godzilla and classic kaiju movies.

One of my favorite parts of the whole series is how much Roger seems like a good guy yet in the first episode his Mega Deuce bursts from the ground and through an apartment building, probably killing dozens of people and destroying thousands of dollars of property. As the series progresses, you wonder why Roger cares so much about saving a couple of people on a Ferris wheel when he just punched into the air so hard the shockwave blew holes through three buildings.

This blend of genres works immensely in a style as well as a writing sense and is helped even further by the fantastic soundtrack. The iconic opening is a cheesy ode to Flash Gordon while the ending is a strange but pleasant love song duet. The music during the show ranges from classical compositions to jazz to cheesy monster movie music. A bit more variety of songs would have been nice but what is here is definitely worthy of a download.

The first half of The Big O is a very well-rounded experience. It has the cheesiness of classic Batman combined with the feeling of a crime movie of the 1940’s and the excitement of a giant monster movie. Every episode is interesting and decently written with my personal favorite being a very poetic crime drama centered on a military policeman’s dreams of watching an old French movie. It’s the kind of show that revels in appealing to fans of classical animation, movies, and music.

But the last episode is where things fall apart, as I mentioned. Roger starts having memories of certain events, people are being killed off who are remembering things they shouldn’t, a farmer implies that he was the one who implanted those memories and starts making abstract and weird metaphors about tomatoes; everything gets wacked out. And it’s not bad in any way, it just starts to feel overwhelming. There are biblical references, visual and spoken metaphors, and it’s all topped off by a final moment that makes no sense to me.

The series was originally intended to be 26 episodes but failed pretty miserably in Japan. When it played on Adult Swim though it became a huge hit. And I can understand that. This is a show that most likely has a lot more appeal to a western audience. Not only is the animation style familiar and classic, but the style of story and world is very western too. With the words “To be continued” at the end of episode thirteen, it had to be pretty sad for Sunrise when the show wouldn’t be greenlit to finish its run.

But Cartoon Network jumped in to provide support and a second season was aired in 2003.

As an aside I really want to own the DVD for this series but it’s out of production because of Bandai Animation going under. Currently Sentai Filmworks has the rights to the show and I’m sure they’ll be releasing it on Blu-Ray at some point. Most likely it’ll be sold as two separate seasons and cost sixty dollars for each one because fuck consumers who don’t want to spend ridiculous prices for their anime DVDs (I’m looking at you Kill la Kill release). But that’s a completely unrelated rant….

The Big O’s first half is an excellent show. I enjoyed the hell out of it and I hope it is resurrected soon and interest returns. Nowadays it’s an underappreciated gem, shadowed by the more contemporary Cowboy Bebop and Trigun. But to me, it’s better than both.

PART TWO
EPISODES 14-26
Here’s the half of Big O that ultimately decides whether or not you love it or hate it. While the first half had confusing ideas and may have been hard to follow at points, it was still a solid and enjoyable episodic experience with unique style and memorable characters. The second season amps up the confusion in what has to be the most mind-bendingly crazy finale of any anime I’ve ever seen.

This second season starts where the first one left off with Roger and Big O battling three Megadeuces who come in from the sea. This is where things heat up for the series as a whole. We are introduced to a group of people known as the Union who are battling Paradigm City’s leadership and attempting to take fragments of memories. Roger’s negotiations through the first part of the second season has him facing off against Rosewater as well as the leader of the Union.

While the season starts confusing, it falls back into the same episodic nature of the previous season pretty quickly though there is an overarching story. Roger takes a contract to negotiate, human drama, giant robot battle.

But then there’s the last few episodes…

The Big O II has a finale that has left people baffled for as long as it has been around. Four years ago after watching it I had to Google what the fuck I’d just seen and was taken to a ten thousand word essay on all the major symbolism and what the ending means. But I think it was looking much too hard into it.

The memory fragments are individual people, most of which we actually meet. They’re the ones who can pilot the Bigs because they are basically reincarnations of people of forty years before (right before the memory wipe). Gordon Rosewater was in charge of the government at the time and he and his fellow politicians genetically engineered perfect people without knowledge of the past not only as a social experiment but as a complacency measure. The defects were sent into the wastelands where they would form the Union, a people angered by the fact they were cast aside despite having the capacity to remember…

That’s a more literal interpretation and I don’t think it’s what we’re meant to be thinking. I want to say that this is a meta anime, perhaps the most meta anime ever made. Near the end we see that Angel’s childhood home was merely a set being recorded by cameras. The clouds above the city, a perpetual feature of Paradigm, clear up and it’s nothing but studio lighting. Roger mentions not needing memories to define himself as a human.

This is an anime about a bunch of people realizing they’re in an anime.

It’s a simple idea and this theory works from the start. Why else would nobody have memories of the past? Because the show was written from a starting point. The characters all live in a present with superficial memories added in to give them character. It’s kind of like watching a three-dimensional character trying to understand why he’s in a world of two-dimensional characters.

Gordon Rosewater is the scripter. He is where these characters all come from, their father. He takes the good tomatoes (ideas) and puts them in the main city to be our heroes. He takes the defective tomatoes and tosses them into the wasteland where they plot against their creator.He keeps one favorite defective tomato and puts him in a place of power because it’s hard not to love a favorite, even if he may have issues.

What does that make Angel? She’s the director. She manipulates the story. We see her play both sides but never get truly close to either. We see Roger try to reason with her about being a person before the world is reset. The negotiation Roger was always meant to do from the beginning was negotiate with God. The angel inside The Big O may be a messenger of the director–a memory fragment from the director.

We see a small scene at the very end with Angel manipulating the controls of the city outside of what she’s doing in the city. Definitely a directing role. We also see Roger and Dorothy there for negotiations. So perhaps it worked and Roger has negotiated with Venus enough that he has transcended the anime and become a true character. And Dorothy is there too because what’s a Roger without a Dorothy? Perhaps she holds his memories?

We see Roger being manufactured like a robot and then see concept designs of Dorothy and a doll of her standing atop them. This is the creative process, the work being done before placing the characters on the stage.

I think it’s all about anime characters realizing they’re in an anime.

Mind=Blown.

Usually shows this pretentious and hard to understand leave people with a bitter taste in their mouth, something I can occasionally understand, especially when an anime is trying so hard. But I don’t think Big O is trying too hard to be smart, I feel it is inherently smart. Tons of things were hinted at early on in the series and I think there’s a lot of meaning to be found if you really crack the show open even further than I have. The idea of the anime being a huge “meta” experience may not even be correct. I like shows that leave you thinking and interpreting. These are the anime that stay with me long after they’re over and make me want to watch again to see if I missed something the last time.

Season two of The Big O may be better than its predecessor in most rights. The characters are even better with an entertaining Joker-esque baddie as well as the return of first season favorites, the plot is even more exciting, and the conclusion is satisfying in a weird, abstract kind of way.

The Big O is one of the greatest anime ever made. The characters are all entertaining and memorable, the plot is great, the design, action, and music are all damn near perfect. To me, it only fails in two departments (which are truthfully the same complaint for two areas). Too much reuse of music (even though the music is absolutely stellar) and too much reuse of footage.

If you haven’t seen The Big O, drop everything you’re watching and commit yourself to it. It’s one of my favorite anime of all time and the entire series overall is about to get a score I’ve bestowed only a few times before.

I might be scoring in a very bias way, but this was one of my favorite shows growing up as a kid. Whenever it came on, on adult swim, I would stay up for hours just to watch this show and all of it's re-runs while I was in elementary school. It was one of the most complex and entertaining, yet simple shows I ever watched. The character development was just so nice and the transitions of each episode just got you always craving more because they would leave you with so little yet so much information. My favorite thing about it is that they ... added a bit of a "Her" twist to the story between the relationship of Dorthy and Roger Smith. God, I love this show so much. But, don't get my wrong. I watched this show about three whole times as a kid and once more in middle school before I got the plot of this. It might take a synopsis for some people, but most of the time, others will understand this show the first time around.

Think of Big-O like an episode of Batman the animated series only diffrence is there's no main villian & Bruce Wyane does'nt have a giant robot the art style of Big-o & Batman are very hand & hand there's very little diffrence, & the simularites are great Norman being Alfred the dependiple butler at any coast, Roger is Bruce the millionaire &man with plenty of free time, & Dorethy Barbara the girl living with Bruce helping when needed just not related to the butler & Barbara wasn't an android, the way the city & people are portrayed is greatly the same city in ruins & ... never sees the light of day so an finatualy powerful man comes to save the city in his own way if you like the old Batamn series you are guarantee to like Big-O an anime with class, giant robots, & lovley piano meoldies

Art: The first thing I noticed was the the unique art style. It may look dated to some viewers, but I was a fan of the film noir-themed art direction. Many of the character designs reminded me of Western cartoons I had grown up with and I didn't mind the subdued colors.

OST: It was fair and suited the majority of the show's episodes. I like instrumental or orchestra music so I may be biased. Although, I didn't find the OP/ED to be all that memorable.

Characters: Roger Smith started the series as the enigmatic Negotiator and ends the series on a similar note. ... I never got a clear sense of his background or motivations. I know it could be a major theme related to Memories but it felt incomplete in the end. R. Dorothy was supposed to be a major supporting character but she had limited screen time and I wished I understood her better. I agree with some of comparisons made to Batman/Iron Man made by other reviewers. The minor characters do get a small side story related to them per episode but it was focused on the two I mentioned.

Plot: The first arc of the story line was fairly entertaining with us following Smith with his cases and the mecha fights usually solves everything. I can't say I liked the second arc with the overall plot holes and unresolved ending. I tried to look up extra info just in case i missed some facts during my watching but nothing useful came up in my searches. I almost expected a epilogue for some kind of resolution for the characters but it ended up disappointing me.

Final note: Entertaining series worth watching for the art style but don't expect a overreaching plot or elaborate characterizations.

The Big O starts out a stylish, oddball fusion of hardboiled detective fiction and tokusatsu style superheroics, but gradually evolves into something altogether weirder and more existential. It is partially successful in this.

First, the positives. The Big O aims to capture a very particular vibe, and succeeds. It's got interesting shot composition, a distinct visual style, and an achingly cool soundtrack of mostly jazz and funk. Most of the episodes consist of Roger looking into some case on behalf of a client, occasionally aided by an arsenal of gadgets, before a climax where he gets into the Big O and fights another giant robot in ... the middle of the city, and the show absolutely sells the idea that these two things belong together. The Big O itself is a fantastically designed super robot, and you get a real sense of it's weight and immensity whenever it's on screen. The Big O itself, and the rest of the setting, has a wonderful retro futurist analogue technology feel, all buttons and switches and levers. Over the course of the series the function of each control in Big O's cockpit is clearly shown, which makes it feel a lot more real than many other mecha. There's a lot of fun, sparky chemistry between the main cast of characters, particularly between Roger and the deadpan android Dorothy.

However, vibes only go so far. The stories of the standalone episodes often feel truncated to accommodate the mandatory giant robot fights, and the main plot is often not well explained, particularly the ending which may leave many viewers completely lost. There's also an excessive amount of time spent on characters having conversations which sound mysterious but tell the audience nothing, which adds to the vibes, but detracts from one's ability to understand anything that's happening, and twenty-six episodes is arguably too long for a show taking this kind of approach.

The things Big O is certainly worth a try for fans of mecha, or those who are intrigued by it's unique style, but if the first episode doesn't hook you in I personally wouldn't recommend continuing with it; everything that makes the show good is right there from the off.

CAST IN THE NAME OF GOD
YE NOT GUILTY
"Big O! Action!"

The Big O is probably my favorite Mecha ever, and definitely a true classic in general. Imagine if Batman piloted a giant mecha in Gotham City. Only in this city, humans and androids live together side by side, and everyone, (humans and androids), has lost their memory from all events further back than 40 years ago, when some horrific cataclysm happened. The world of Big O has a very Art Deco, retro noir feel to it. People use rotary phones, but they also have a kind of ray-punk
esque, technology with vacuum tubes, computers with lots of wires and typewriter like keys, and retro-looking ... giant robots. If Cyberpunk, Raypunkm and Diselpunk, combined and made a desaturated noir detective story, this is what you'd get. It's fantastic.

The characters stand out the most. Each is mature, acts like an adult, and there's a real sense of mystery and paranoia in the city they live in, as people both don't remember what happened 40 years ago, but some mysteriously do seem to recover fragments of "memory" which often makes them a target. Most of our main characters seem to have a more mysterious past than the viewer, or even the characters themselves, realize. And most of the characters are terrified of finding out what is truly in that hidden past. Each character both is what they are now, but also an enigma because of what lies hidden within them.

Our hero, Roger Smith is a professional negotiator by day, secret giant robot pilot by night. Slick, black suit wearing, and genuinely gentlemanly. The two ladies in his life are android named Dorthy, a mysterious blonde woman named Angel. His best male friend is an old police Colonel former comrade, and his butler. The mecha battles are fantastic. One of the things I usually hate about mecha anime, is that the giant robots usually don't move and feel like they actually are huge and have mass. In the Big O, the mecha are huge, lumbering, slow moving, and pneumatic and mechanical in their feel. These are not Gundam race cars. These are slow lumbering tanks. And the result is fantastic as you really feel a sense of weight and power behind them when things are damaged and destroyed.

But the mecha is in some ways not the primary aspect of the story. As you work your way through the episodes, you keep getting little hints of the wider mystery of this world and characters and more reveals. In season 2 things start to really ramp up with the story.

The music is fantastic too, with some of the most memorably soundtracks of any anime. Tracks are recycled, but tastefully so, and it always adds to the tension and excitement.

Overall, I highly recommend this anime, a true noir, and not to be missed for a mecha. Even if you don't like mecha (and I usually don't), you will probably like this.

What is The Big O? Is is a episodic robot action show featuring villains and monsters alike? Is it a show contemplating the effects on a population if their memories were completely wiped? Is it a take on the view of God and how humans are just puppets part of a grand play? Or is it about the intense fear and disgust of tomatoes? If you answered yes to all of the questions, you would be correct. Who would have thought a show that on the surface looks and feels like a homage to batman, could be actually about many other deeper topics; like if ... androids have rights, or do memories define who we are or do we define our memories? This show has a great cast of characters and I'm still surprised about the fact that cartoon network was involved. Has to be one of the greatest animated shows from cartoon network, and I wished I could've watched this as a kid. I'd say the weakest point to this show was it's ending, even if thought provoking, it didn't explain everything to it's end, as some points have been left for the viewer to think about. All in all, I'd recommend anyone remotely interested in the batman motif or mech shows to give this a watch.

I typically never write reviews, but I came across this precise anime after a couple of months of not watching any shows. I was able to finish watching season 1 within two days, and I was intrigued the whole time. I am neither a big fan of Mecha anime for some reason, but I couldn't help but love this one. It included everything I typically want in an anime: great characters, soundtrack, and action. The ending left me a bit puzzled, but again there is a season 2, and I am sure my confusion will be cleared after watching the second part!! I definitely recommend ... watching this anime :)
(I also want to say that the art style may not be everyone's cup of tea but I loved it)

a true noir, and tonally perfect in that regard (think "the third man"). not super concerned with answering questions, just drip feeding you atmosphere and little mysterious tidbits as it drags you along. also shockingly funny. dorothy and roger make a great pair, and their rapport/potential romance only gets better as the series progresses.

the ending is apparently controversial, but i thought that (without spoiling anything) it couldn't have finished any other way. the final episode is really a reflection on how you the viewer are *supposed* to watch the big o. it's no secret that a lot of "mystery" television relies more on speculation ... and implication than enclosed, tightly structured plots with definitive answers. the ending of this tries to explain, i think successfully, why we find them compelling anyway.

The Big O is truly a unique masterpiece of storytelling and art. Its such a big twist for an ending that left the watcher with a grim and upsetting, yet calming feeling. It leaves no answers, it leaves it entirely up to the ready to decide, but its not hard to determine what the ending means truly.

The thing about this anime is, i feel as if there was a different ending planned when it was originally made versus when it actually ends. Theres so many questions left unanswered, and that is truly upsetting. But even still, the ending we're given is just as good, ... and is filling for what we went through with the seasons.

There's no stone left unturned for characters in this, everyone is dealt with magnificently and given their arc, and even expanded on after the fact. It's truly a loving a wonderful piece of film. So much love went into this anime with western film classics and so obviously batman, but its just its blended so perfectly to be its own thing. I'm left wanting even more after it finished, of the aesthetics of this show, the style, the setting, the characters, the story telling; nothing truly has come close to matching the Big O in this regard. It has this western dark film noir setting that I just haven't been able to find in other animes at all, and which i find truly alluring and enticing to search for and embrace again and again.

Please watch this anime. You will be happy you did.