Customer Reviews

The Big O, Vol. 1

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This show will appeal to kids because of the excellent animation and robot battles, but it is of far more value to more mature minds, who can appreciate the religious allusions, symbolism, deep characterization, subtle yet epic plot line, and genuinely witty dialogue that this series displays. The voice acting is top notch and very well implemented. Roger Smith's wry nature plays incredibly well off the characters he is always around such as (though not limited to): 1. Dorothy: a girlish female android who is genuinely hurt by Roger's scathing comments regarding her "unfeeling" robotic nature. There is a certain ammount of romantic tension between these two, and Roger's uncertainty makes their relationship awkward. 2. Norman: a butler who pretends to agree with everything he says, with a genuinely sarcastic nature 3. Angel: a completely mysterious free lance agent, who is always crossing Roger's path. 4. Schwarzwald: an insane, suicidal maniac, who knows many secrets. I love how he and Roger interract, because it is only around this bandaged, ranting mad-scientist that Roger acts dead-pan and cold. Since they are rivals, its very interesting and realistic for Roger to hide his true emotions. It also makes a very stark contrast. The plot is too complex to explain here, so I will simply say that it has the best themes I've ever seen in a cartoon.

Just adding my two cents to the great reviews already here!

I saw this series when it was broadcast on Cartoon Network a few years ago, and I was hooked on it from the first episode! I'm not usually a fan of big robots that duke it out in the streets, but the characters and the visual style of this anime really drew me in. I'm a big fan of Art Deco (same reason I liked Batman: The Animated Series, which shares some of the same production staff), and this series is loaded with it, from the buildings, to the vehicles, to the film noir feeling that pervades the entire series.

Roger Smith is probably one of the smoothest cats in anime, yet even he gets blindsided every now and then by questions from his unflappable robot maid/ward/royal pain in the keister, R. Dorothy Wayneright.

Case in point: Roger and Dorothy are investigating the kidnapping of the son of a prominent Paradigm industrialist (in the episode, "Beck Comes Back"). Discussing the son's parents, who met after losing their memories in the Event, Dorothy says she has two questions for Roger. The first one is, "Does losing your memory really make you that lonely?" Roger says it's a tough question to answer, but makes a go of it, then asks Dorothy what the 2nd question is. "Forget it," she says. "If you thought the last one was tough, this one is worse." Dorothy is damaged in the battle to retrieve the industrialist's son, and Roger asks Norman, his capable butler, to take care in repairing her so she can ask the question...and what is the question? "If you and I lost our memories, and we met, would we fall in love?" That one renders Roger speechless...

There are many such moments, as well as ones that speak a little too close to home, such as the dangers of genetic manipulation, nuclear holocaust, and evil that disguises itself as benevolence.

Luckily there is a second set of 13 episodes to help answer some of the questions raised by the first season! The voice acting is well done (you'll hear familiar voices if you're a fan of Cowboy Bebop) and the music is very cool. Enjoy!

Big O recently started showing on Cartoon Network's Toonami afternoon block of action cartoons and is already a hit. If its art and animation style remind you of Batman: The Animated Series, that's because the same animation team is responsible for both series.

There are also plot similarities, especially in the main character--freelance negotiator Roger Smith in a rich playboy/hero role reminiscent of Bruce Wayne--and his helping butler Norman. Adding flavor is Dorothy, an android modeled after a deceased young girl. Her dour expression and monotone voice never change, yet she still conveys some very human qualities in her growing affection for Roger, who takes her on in the pilot episode as his partner.

The show's snicker-inducing title comes from Big O, a giant robot Roger calls to aid him in his battles. The story takes place in Paradigm City, the last city left on Earth after some unknown cataclysm. All of the city's inhabitants mysteriously lost their memories 40 years ago, and the episodes are set against a theme of the citizens having come to terms with their lack of a history.

The mood is dark and depressing with a lot of wah-wah bluesy music, but the show is gripping and has interesting characters and plots. I highly recommend giving it a try.

Can someone find out what is the name of the piano ballad used in the background as Roger Smith comments to Instro the robot on how well the piano has been well cared for ("not a speck of dust on it").
Instro said that his father left it to him. Instro also comments on how he loved to play for his father back in the day.
It's also played from time to time by the sax, but I like the piano version better.

This isn't Gothem. This is Paradigm City... A City of Amnesia, where forty years ago everyone lost their memories. Enter Roger Smith, a sauve yet straightforward individual. He is a Negotiator, a middleman hired to negotiate terms for two different parties. Once he takes a job he doesn't quit until it's finished. He's a man with his own set of morals. His "rules" he calls them, and he's one for sticking to the rules. An ex-cop with the Military Police, He lothes the "Job" and despises the coperation that spawned it. The MP's "Parent Company" and Paradigm City are one in the same. This corprate Megaopolus stinks of an old forgotten past, and The Negotiator is stuck right in the middle of it. With the help of his trusty butler Norman, a android girl named R.(Robot)Dorthy Wainright, and the "Megadues" a giant robot called "Big O" perhapes Roger might just be able to figure it all out.

This isn't just an animated Noir film. And Smith isn't Bruce Wayne. The similarities end at their reserved cloths and fast cars. This series has got teeth. With plot twists that will leave you asking what's next. Great recuring charaters like the lovely Angle who is defintly much more than she seems. Great gagetry, Smith's sleek black sedan, the "Griffon" is a stylish rolling arsenal at Roger's command via remote wristwatch control. Great accompaning musical score. From the "Big O" theme to the soleful sax music used for incidental and panoramic scenes. Great dialoge and voice actors to boot. The scenes with Roger and Dorthy are some of the great ones. Dorthy is constantly exploring what is to be human, all the while pointing out Roger's shortcomings. Many in comic deadpan that will leave you laughing. Their relationship growing through the series. Finally I will say this. This series is definatly for people looking for something more than you average Saterday moring cartoon. This isn't kiddy stuff. This is thought provoking and mesmerising at the same time. -we have come to terms-

Big O is like I said above, a perfect blend of Batman: The Animated Series, James Bond, and Men in Black. The soundtrack is very soothing, reminding you of jazz. The animation is great. The robots are very detailed, looking very 50-ish. The main character, Roger Smith, could be compared to Pierce Brosnan, Bruce Wayne, or Alec Baldwin. My only complaint is that it's too short, only consisting of 13 episodes. And the last one is a cliff-hanger, so maybe there's a possibility of a 2nd season. Only time will tell. Semper Fi!

Big O is just one of those series that has both anime purists and casual fans split down the middle. Those against it attack its similarity to the Batman cartoon, as well as the cliche'd human-android relationship. Those for it cite the impeccable style and depth of the plotline, which may escape those who see only one or two episodes.

Although I myself am a big fan of Big O, I thought that the first four episodes did well to start off the series, but it could have been better. I advise those that buy this dvd to no hesitate and buy the other Big O dvd's when they are released, as this series is nothing unless you view all of the episodes.

This rating is of This particular dvd, and not the series as a whole. Mind you, the last few episodes are what make the whole series a classic, at least from this person's point of view.

Music: 5 stars Animation quality: 4 stars Story: 4 stars Extras: 4 stars

I kid you not. This is an excellent, well-crafted, brilliant piece of animation. The character design is familiar, yet creative and striking. The mecha design is campy, even schmaltzy, yet in that fun super-hero, retro kind of way that is the perfect blend of art-deco and big hunk o'robot combined in one. You will know this anime is different as soon as you see and hear the opening theme.

A sense of gothic, noir darkness pervades the whole series, yet it's never depressing, and never truly black, and every scene just drips with style, whether it be Roger's broad-shouldered, nip-waisted coat and boot cut pants, or Angel's pink catsuit and perfectly coiffed hair.

The humor is impeccably timed, present in mere glances of the eye of characters, or the inflection of voices. You will love each character as soon as you meet them (or love to hate them, as the case may be).

You will recognize elements of Batman, 007, and who knows what else in this series--you will also immediately recognize it is like nothing you have ever seen before, and you will be aching for more after the 13 episodes are through. I have read preview reviews for this DVD, and it is ranked as excellent in quality and truly beautiful, so this is a sound anime investment if there ever was one.

I cannot recommend this series enough, and consumers must let the producers know we are ravenous for the completion of this fine work. To never know the outcome of this series would be an immense disappointment for many, many animation fans and the anime genre as a whole.

From the creator of Giant Robo comes the ultimate in retro cool. This series is one of the great ones, one of the classics. It has a main character who's filthy rich, dressed to kill, has the gadgets of James Bond, the crime-fighting abilites of batman, negotiates with villains just to have some fun and...pilots a giant robot!

Like Giant Robo, the Big O itself is a throwback to old-school anime. Less high-tech and more steam-punk, the thing is clearly a mechanical iron hulking beast, rather than a fast-moving flying transformer. OLD SCHOOL. But there's more than just a tribute to old anime to be found here. The sense of style is very retro 1930's adn 40's. From the cars to the clothes to the buildings, everything has a retro look. And the characters themselves are drawn with a simple elegance than blends perfectly with that style.

The animation itself is more like a direct-to-video release than a TV show, and clearly had a very high budget. There is an incredible film-noir feel to everything thanks to the subdued color palette and stellar animation, which makes use of camera angles better than many a hollywood Oscar winner.

The brilliant musical score recalls everything from the Avengers to Batman to blues, jazz, and classical music (including opera). The sound of this show is not just there, it is engineered for effect, and the music always adds to the scene.

Of course it's really the story and the characters (to say nothing of the plot) which holds a good anime together, and this show does NOT disappoint. Roger Smith himself is more than just a sterotyped hero. As with all the other characters in this show, there is far more to him than what appears on the surface. His counterpart Dorothy (introduced in the first two episodes), is a perfect match for him, as her dour expression and pessimism counter his persistent cheerfulness and good nature. That and the fact that she can fight with, investigate with, and generally KEEP UP with him. Really Dorothy has to be one of the most interesting Androids ever conceived, as we constantly get hints that there is more going on in her head than what appears on the surface. There are of course many other wonderful characters introduced in this show, but two main ones take the cake in the first three episodes. Beck is a wonderfully pathetic excuse for a criminal masermind who comes to see himself as Roger's nemesis, but really just annoys everyone more than anything else (because defeating him isn't really a challenge for Roger and Dorothy), and Angel, who's mysterious agenda, deadly beautiful, and wonderful verbal sparring give Dorothy a run for her money in the department of love-interest.

The plot of the city with no memories in search of its past is very compelling, and the reference to memories beign uncovered and lost technology lends everything a somewhat magical, fightening undercurrent that makes the mysteries that much more compelling. As the plot slowly unfolds, we become more and more engrossed in the reality of Paradigm City, the city of amnesia.

The quality of writing and dialog in this fantasic anime really cannot be over-emphasized. I would have to call it an absolute tour-de-force of adventure, romance, and drama. Watch the whole series over and over, and you just might notice new aspects of the story and characters each time.

This volume contains the first four episodes. The first two epsidoes are about the criminal Beck and his hostage/blackmailing schemes involing the adriod R. Dorothy Waynewright and her makers/fathers. While good, they mainly serve to introude Beck and Dorothy, and are done in a different style from the rest of the series (no intro, and credits during hte beginning). The third episode begins the real meat of the series, and introduces Angel through a mysterious job for Roger to investigate a power plant for the Paradigm Power Management. That third episode features the main show intro, and shows if nothing else that the theme of monster/machine battles with the Big O are going to stay.

The fourth episode is the kicker though. Underground Terror establishes perhaps the real villain of the show, the scariest person Roger has to fight (a man covered with bandages like a mummy who has a nasty habit of burning things and raining down destruction upon innocents). It is in this episode that we finally get a little more insight into the past of Paradigm City, the loss of its memories, and just who and what exactly Roger and Dorothy are. Not that any questions are really answered, more are just raised. This episode might be my favorite of this volume because of the interaction between Dorothy and Roger.

This is an absolutely brilliant show. The amount of polish on every aspect is clear to see, and it features one of the finest English dubs you'll ever hear. David Lucas (Spike from Cowboy Bebop), and Lia Sargent (Battle Athletes Victory) give career-defining voicework in the main roles, and the voices of Beck and Angel in particular are also wonderful.

Anyone who's a fan of classic anime, giant robots, superheroes, or sci-fi will want to give this one a try. The only downside I can see is that at times the battles seem to overshadow or distract from the story, but that's a minor complaint at best in a show that deserves every animation fan's respect and admiration. Let negotiations begin!

"The Big O" is easily the best anime series to come along in the past ten years. It's film noir anime, with retro-styled characters and mecha, similar, somewhat, to "Giant Robo". However, with a complex and intriguing plotline, fully-realised characters, moody music, and a sense of humor that borders on sarcastic, "The Big O" strikes just the right note, blending many of the familiar with just a little bit of the unique to create a series that simply blew me away. I've not been this excited about watching anime in about 15 years.

Please, Bandai & Sunrise, produce more episodes! I'll be purchasing this DVD and any other "Big O" merchandise you have to offer.