Customer Reviews

The Big O, Vol. 4

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

 

 

First off; that never-produced second season of Big O is finally just around the corner! The pay-off to season one's pent up pressure will finally be released! Two years after its American network airing, 'tis 'bout bloody time!

I've been catching this series again on Adult Swim as of late, with some of its (mercifully) restored edits. An aside: This was the anime that *got* me hooked on anime. A two-year binge thenceforth followed in which I exposed myself to dozens of other series/OAVs/Movies. Some ja ne sais quoi about Big O in particular just engrossed me. Mayhaps it'll do the same for you, or already has!

The homages to Batman are very overt and at times quite literal: The dapper Bruce Wayne-esque Roger Smith, diplomatic plutocrat by day, maverick vigilantte by night. Norman, the butler, is the benevolent shadow that assists Roger behind the scenes whilst saving enough time to prepare dinner and turn down the sheets. Then there's Roger and his grudging relationship of mutual respect with "legitimate" law enforcement. And of course, we have the cartel of deranged villians that Roger has to put up with, each with their own maniacal plan concerning Paradigm City.

Big O has its own sylistic flourishes. Big O ditches the superhero spandex and costumes; Roger Smith is still in his double-breasted suit when he climbs into his megadeuce to save the day; that blond loony Beck is the Joker without the face-paint. Paradigm City is a semi-inhabited dilapiated metropolis, a crumbling gothic expanse filled with stories of forgotten pasts, people, and events, waiting to be exumed, which in itself is more mysterious and ominous than Gotham City. And instead of a sidekick, Roger Smith has his charge Dorothy, a well-mannered android debuntante with a red bob in a sensible/elegant black dress who deadpans all her lines. Yet, she occassionally emotes in an understated fashion that's particularly satisfying in that way that AI creations become, if only for a moment, "human." Dorothy's scenes of romantic tension betwixt she and Roger are also precious.

As for the bad bits of this anime, well, it *is* a mecha-anime after all, which means, sooner or later in the episode, big robots are going to stomp around blowing stuff up. Occassionally it gets overblown, overlong, and silly. It's a necessary evil. Thankfully it's underplayed compared to Big O's mecha breatheren, and the allure of Paradigm City is never compromised. On the otherhand character development is rather slipshod; new dimensions of Roger Smith don't really crop up (one gets the impression he prefers it this way, considering his views on Paradigm City), and much of the supporting cast are mere caricatures (take the noir-cliche of Angel, the femme fatal with the dangerous past and double-edged motives). Dorothy is the sole expection here, and the most interesting character.

Nutshell: Big O is surprisingly watchable, sometimes mature, sub-noir anime (even if it occassionally apes the vibe of Cowboy Bebop). A definite gem in the anime mine. If not a diamond, than definitely, say, an amythest.

Hang on to your wrist watches giant robot fans! The epic conclusion to the first season of The Big O is crazy stuff. While previous episodes have been introducing ideas and developing characters (whilst showing off some awesome giant-robot action, noir atmosphere and super-heroism), these three episodes kick things up a notch yet again. Hold on tight, cause things are about to get scary...

The first episode of the three is all about a holiday that reminds us all of one we know, but that's just on the surface. What it's really about is how Dorothy and Roger's relationship is continuing to grow and change, and Dorothy is trying to figure out how to make Roger love her while Roger is trying to figure out how to show Dorothy that he cares about her (with a little help from Norman). The whole giant plant/monster thing is certainly DIFFERENT, but the best thing about it is how it starts to show us that Alex Rosewater is up to something (that involves the end of the world of Paradigm). A great episode just because of the scenes between Roger and Dorothy (like her and Roger's reaction when she can't ride in an elevator because she weighs too much).

The second episode is all about the return of everyone's favorite mummified psychopath, and ANOTHER giant monster he has managed to unearth. His plan? To destroy the Paradigm domes and their inhabitants (innocent or no). This one is a disturbing episode, particularly when the rich fools who go to a suspicious party find their faces on fire from the masks they are wearing and leap from the top of a high-rise. The battle at hte end of this one is more brutal than many previous ones, and at this point it's clear that Roger is not playing games and the madman must be stopped at all costs. A very powerful episode.

That showdown episode does tie in with the final episode, where a series of mysterious killings are all marked with the same phrase the Big O displays at startup, and everything is somehow connected to Roger, Dorothy, the Megadeus, and the memories that were lost in the destruction of the world 40 years ago. This episode is disturbing, frightening, confusing, and brutal. It's also brilliant. There are just so many things going on at once that it's hard to keep them all straight. Dorothy is missing for most of the episode, the murders are being investigated, memories are starting to pop up in young people's minds, Roger is trying to figure out how he is connected to all of this (and why he can pilot the Big O), Angel is warning Roger is back off... and the killer wants Roger dead. Of course the climax of the episode is the best part, when THREE Megadeuses attack the city, Alex Rosewater smiles that his schemes are coming true, Roger is wounded (and barely conscious), Dorothy is by Roger's side, and it's looking like the end of the world is drawing near. Awesome. The series COULD have ended this way, as indeed this episode answers many questions and raises many more, both satisfying you and leaving you hungry for a sequel.

Really though, these episodes were meant to tie into a second season, and the last episode will be quite confusing until you have actually seen the second season. What are those three Megadeuses? What is Alex Rosewater up to? Just who is Angel? What are those memories that Roger has? And why DID everyone lose their memories? If you really want everything to make sense, you've GOT to see the second season of The Big O. Till then...It's showtime!

Start looking for "The Big O II" Vol 1,2&3 DVD's.And I hope there will be a Vol.4 as well. "The Big O II" Vol 1 starts up from the ending of the "The Big O" Vol 4 DVD.

I've been an anime fan for a long time, and I never really liked the Giant Robot genre. But Big-O isn't just robots fighting, there's a ton of psychological aspects and mysteries that capture your attention and get you into the series. I started watching this on Cartoon Network a year or two ago, and ever since I've been hooked- the fanfiction, the fanart, the japanese version. I adore this series. This DVD also really leaves you on a cliffhanger, and wanting more. A second season is supposedly coming out soon. If you like this series, you might also like Serial Experiments Lain.

If your reading this, then you probobly own, or have seen discs 1-3 so i'm not gonna talk aobut the series much, cause by now you know if you like it or not. In the series of 4 discs this is the one to see above all others, the last episode sums up a good 75% of everthing thats been happening. IT clears up alot of questions and gives some quick backround into a lot of characters. However the series ends on a monster of a cliffhanger for sure. And thats it. no 2nd season was ever produced, it may someday, but at the moment does not exist. So when it ends, you go.."wow that was cool!But what the hell's going on?" So you kinda have to use your imagination to end the series. But if you've bought some of the other discs and liked them definately buy this one. The disc is standard fare, the extras, picture and audio are all the same as before. But these are the 3 episodes you should see, they really shed alot of light on the story, as well as create a bunch more questions. The 3 epsiodes are
-a threat is brought upon the city promising destruction. it's the xmas episode.
-Schzartwald gets himself a mega dues. Not one of those cheezy homeade bots either. this is like another Big O.
-Roger smith learns about the past of paradigm, and the same thing that happened 40 years ago happens again.

Buy it, love it. get upset at the ending. and write sunrise entertainment and tell them to make more episodes.

This is it, the last trio of epsiodes that brings up more questions rather than answers. The last two epsiodes are a real mind trip and makes you want to do two things. One, take a step back and say "Woah" and two, take a second look at the epsiodes to see if you miss anything. While this series dose end with one ot the biggest cliffhangers that I have ever seen before, and while you don't know how it end you do get the feeling that things are going to be a little, despite the fact that you don't know for sure. While this did make me a little upset that there was only 13 epsiodes, half the scripted epsiodes which were 26. It was still a fun and wild ride.

Volume 4 contains the final 3 episodes of "The Big O". They do a good job capping off the gradual build-up of tension throughout the previous episodes, and even though the last episode is a little cryptic and is a cliffhanger leading to other episodes that were never made, it's still exciting. Read my reviews of the previous 3 volumes for a summary of the series as a whole, and while you're at it, order them: they're highly entertaining and definitely a good time.

I think this is a very underrated series. Most of my friends think Big O [stinks], but I love it, despite some of the obvious drawbacks.

First of all, the drawing style [is bad], I admit that. Looks slightly American, and some of the characters are cartoonish, not the realistic portrayal shown by other anime. However, I like how the background and tone is set, expressing the emotionlessness of Paradigm City.

The plot rules. Earlier someone mentioned the movie "Dark City" in their review, and I think that Dark City and Big O have many things alike. The plot is dark, mysterious, a psychological thriller.

I'd recommend this for average anime fans. Most extreme anime otakus don't like this kind of simple style and plot.

First of all, if you want action this is the best of the four volumes. It gets very confusing near the end, but I'm sure it will pay off in the second season. These final episodes are the coolest, and one of the best things is that it introduces the fact that there are other Bigs;Roger isn't the only one with an awesome megadeus. I don't like the last episode though. It's scary.(laughs)

That's a question I'm sure you'll be asking yourself if you sit down, watch it through to the end, and think about it for a little bit. This DVD concludes the series with some of the most climactic battles and even a few romantic scenes too. Though the series was brief, nontheless, it was a classic in my opinion. Pretty much, take Batman's character, add a little bit of Gundam Wing flare, put an android in, and set it in a future a la Final Fantasy 7 or Xenogears, and you have the entire series. I suggest that you see it for yourself, to understand what I mean.