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The Big O (TV).


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G2KMaster



Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:30 pm Reply with quote


The Big O (TV)

Genres: action, mystery, psychological, science fiction
Themes: mecha, noir, robot girl

Plot Summary: Paradigm City is a place without a past. 40 years ago, something happened that wiped the memories of everyone in it. Unfortunately, the people of Paradigm City were very busy before then, making Megadueses(giant robots) and monsters. People who were born after the memory wipe are gaining/recovering memories of the past and using them to build newer threats. Roger Smith keeps Paradigm City safe with the help of The Big O (a faithful giant robot), his butler Norman and the android Dorothy, Roger keeps Paradigm City safe. As problems mount and more memories surface, Roger's past and Paradigm's future begin to become suspect...
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I have searched about ten times and I see that this forum doesn't have a topic on "The Big-O". So I am going to make one. Anyone else a fan of this mecha-genre anime? It was created back in 1999 and with particular success in America (more so than Japan), it led to a second season in 2003 and also Cartoon Network's first time in helping produce an anime - which boosted Adult Swim's rattings like crap through a goose (there was a time when there was no Family Guy at 11 - just the Big-O). So, anyone want to discuss it since the Adult Swim boards are the only other place to discuss it and the websites that supported The Big-O are now gone?

On the topic of a third season, I started a blog dedicated to getting a season 3 - though it seems to be a distant pipe dream (url=http://thebigorevolution.blogspot.com/) . In my opinion, it is all about the cash like buisness usualy is. Big-O is like an art house film - it will get critical acclaim up the butt. That doesn't neccesarily mean it is going to make money. Ratings were high for the series (Adult Swim said that the rattings were low but the fandom says the oppisite) but the DVD sales - like how Kim Manning said Jason DeMarco said - "were middling". This is not surprising since ratings in Japan was less than America and lots of reports of bootleg sets were said to have been made - injuring profit reapings. The only way I can realistically see even consideration for a season three to come back is if sales on merchandise sky rocket. So I suggest that if you want a third season, but they DVDs, get the new $200 chogokin figure, get the mangas, even import the "Paradigm Noise" novella. Plus - and I am going to start doing this - start watching Big-O when ever it comes on which as we see is comming on at 4:30. And hell, get these forums on fire. Who ever brought up the fan fic idea was nice. Atleast we still got commercial apperances, like the Adult Swim spot refrencing that since Japan has the live sized Gundam and Tetsuijin-28 (**BLEEP**), we should make a 1:1 Big-O. That was humorous.

On a good note, Soul of Chogokin just release a Big-O figure for the 10th anniversary. Nice to see merchandise still pumping!
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penguintruth



Joined: 08 Dec 2004
Posts: 8458
Location: Penguinopolis
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:39 pm Reply with quote
The Big O doesn't need an entire third season, in my opinion. The story doesn't really have enough steam for an entire third one, and as it is, you would have to retcon the ending of the second, because it's a rushed job version of what we would have gotten. If anything, a short OVA that cleared up some of the mess at the end would be fine.

Of course, Kim Manning and Mike Lazzo never really gave a damn about anime to begin with.


Last edited by penguintruth on Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:46 pm; edited 2 times in total
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EricDent



Joined: 28 May 2008
Posts: 997
Location: Georgetown, TX
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:43 pm Reply with quote
Hey! I see that you also posted to this site, as well as the Atari Forum! BTW the Atari Forum has an anime section (though it is really small when compared to this site).

I agree that a 3rd season would be nice, but it won't happen.
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DerekTheRed



Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 3544
Location: ::Points to hand::
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 6:34 pm Reply with quote
Hmmm, funny coincidence, I just finished this show for the first time the other day.

On the first season's discs, there is commentary by some of the creators. I can't remember who, exactly, but they were saying that the only reason Big O was made in the first place was because they had the idea for a Big O toy, which is what they really wanted to sell, and would need either a game or anime to market them with. So they went to Sunrise with their pitch and the TV series was born. So really, the first season was made up as a secondary effect to their true goal of making cool toys, and the second season was due to popularity in America. I got the impression that nobody in Japan was interested in developing the story at all.
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G2KMaster



Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:05 pm Reply with quote
DerekTheRed wrote:
I got the impression that nobody in Japan was interested in developing the story at all.


While most of what you said is true, the part which I quoted isn't. The creators have showed interest in expanding the series since the advent of the second season. In fact, in the official Big-O guide, there is alot of stuff that is exposed which rises alot more questions than just what the anime raised. It is Adult Swim's fault that we don't get more. But yes, the creators are interested. But it has been three years since they said that. But it is never too late. Plus, the voice actor for Roger Smith has also expressed interest in doing another season.

Plus, nice to see you here EricDent! Yes, I just got here. I heard about it and I thought I may come here to help get my coalition off the ground:

http://thebigorevolution.blogspot.com/
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DerekTheRed



Joined: 19 Dec 2007
Posts: 3544
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PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:22 pm Reply with quote
Actually, the part you quoted is about my opinion, so it's the only part guaranteed to be right. After listening to those interviews, I most definitely got the impression that nobody in Japan wanted to develop the story. You can't say "you're wrong, that isn't what you thought." Wink

Clearly, though, somebody was interested otherwise it wouldn't have been worth finishing.
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G2KMaster



Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:32 pm Reply with quote
Ok, it is your opinion, but keep in mind that the interview is very old. But with the new information I have bestowed upon you, have you changed your opinion (I got links to back up my information)?
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Kruszer



Joined: 19 Nov 2004
Posts: 7981
Location: Minnesota, USA
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:07 pm Reply with quote
You know, it's been so long I'm sure a lot of people like myself, just don't even care about it anymore or have forgotten most of what went on it. I don't know how much of a discussion you'll get or how much audience a 3rd season has left.

I liked it but to me it was one of those non-distinct, forgettable series that kind of went in one ear and out the other.
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Cosplaybunny



Joined: 10 Apr 2007
Posts: 224
PostPosted: Wed Nov 25, 2009 9:42 pm Reply with quote
I would love to see an OVA to tie up some of the loose ends of the series, but the ending of the series as it stands now is perfectly fine with me. It allows for different interpretations and discussions on the series which I tend to enjoy more than a series that wraps up everything nicely.
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G2KMaster



Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 12:30 am Reply with quote
Just a question; has anyone read the novel "Paradigm Noise" or the manga "Lost Memories"?
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bahamut623



Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 1463
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:06 am Reply with quote
A third season is so unlikely, but either way, I'm fine without out. It would be gravy, for sure, but I find the series to be pretty much perfect (it's tied for top favorite with Eureka 7) despite technically being incomplete. It's just one of those series that was bigger in the US than it was in Japan (which is why there is so little merchandise)...and it wasn't all the big in that US. That a second season got made was sort of a miracle to begin with. To those who say Adult Swim doesn't care about anime, it's because of them we even got season 2. Also, part of the reason it failed in Japan was a conflict between the story and how Bandai wanted to market it. Bandai wanted it to sell toys and attract a young audience, but the anime itself wasn't really a children's show, so I guess it had a hard time finding its audience. And the low ratings for season 2 in the US were also probably due to the fact that it had been too long since the first season, and now it's been even longer since the second season.

I'd say more about the series itself, but it's been a while since I last saw it. I remember the second time I was watching it I was learning about Renee Descartes at the time, and it made me giddy to see all the parallels in The Big O. It's such a great, solid series. I need to buy the DVDs. I so want that Chogokin figure, too...but it's $200.

I think the Lost Memories manga is basically more of the first manga, meaning it takes place a bit before the anime but is otherwise not super important to the series. I don't know anything about the novel, though. I'd like to read the first manga someday.
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G2KMaster



Joined: 25 Nov 2009
Posts: 10
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:15 am Reply with quote
bahamut623 wrote:
part of the reason it failed in Japan was a conflict between the story and how Bandai wanted to market it. Bandai wanted it to sell toys and attract a young audience, but the anime itself wasn't really a children's show, so I guess it had a hard time finding its audience. And the low ratings for season 2 in the US were also probably due to the fact that it had been too long since the first season, and now it's been even longer since the second season.


1. Where did you hear about the Bandai thing?
2. I always heard that the second season had high ratings due to the critical acclaim it got and that is what the folks over at the now dead Paradigm City forums said. Help?
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KyuuA4



Joined: 28 Sep 2006
Posts: 1361
Location: America, where anime and manga can be made
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:29 am Reply with quote
Cartoon Network should start producing its own anime OR doing another co-production. Premiering its own similar work will help boost the network's ratings.
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The Third Doctor



Joined: 09 Aug 2009
Posts: 70
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:39 am Reply with quote
Cosplaybunny wrote:
I would love to see an OVA to tie up some of the loose ends of the series, but the ending of the series as it stands now is perfectly fine with me. It allows for different interpretations and discussions on the series which I tend to enjoy more than a series that wraps up everything nicely.



I would love it if they would release a OVA to finish the story or makes sense of the ending which really was a disappointment imo. It really left more questions and explained very little. I got the feeling the writers just didn't give a damn near the end.
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bahamut623



Joined: 23 Jun 2005
Posts: 1463
PostPosted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 1:46 am Reply with quote
G2KMaster wrote:
bahamut623 wrote:
part of the reason it failed in Japan was a conflict between the story and how Bandai wanted to market it. Bandai wanted it to sell toys and attract a young audience, but the anime itself wasn't really a children's show, so I guess it had a hard time finding its audience. And the low ratings for season 2 in the US were also probably due to the fact that it had been too long since the first season, and now it's been even longer since the second season.


1. Where did you hear about the Bandai thing?
2. I always heard that the second season had high ratings due to the critical acclaim it got and that is what the folks over at the now dead Paradigm City forums said. Help?


1.I originally read about the Bandai thing on a website, which I'm pretty sure was Paradigm City, and they got it from the companion book. I read that years ago, so the details are pretty fuzzy. But I checked Wikipedia and it says something soratsimilar:
Quote:
Sato admits it all started as "a gimmick for a toy" but the representatives at Bandai Hobby Division did not see the same potential.[3] From there on, the dealings would be with Bandai Visual, but Sunrise still needed some safeguards and requested more robots be designed to increase prospective toy sales.


2. Wikipedia also describes the ratings and sales as "middling" in both the US and Japan. Not bad, but not really good.
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