The Edit List
Big O - ep. 11-13
by Kyle Pope,
The final Big O DVD has hit the street and this completes this series' list of edits.
Big O: Daemonseed
1) Scene of Roger's glass being filled with wine cut. Accompanying dialogue about Paradigm giving alms in the form of bread and wine also removed.
2) Scene of Oliver explaining that his grandfather was probably in Heaven cut.
3) Scene of Alex explaining Heaven's Day as originally celebrating the birth of god's son cut.
4) Scene of Dastun sitting on a tree root smoking a cigarette cut.
5) End title card changed from "Merry Xmas" to "We Have Come to Terms".
Even though it was monumentally obvious that Heaven's Day was Christmas CN was deathly afraid to let any religious references slip through. Of all the edits CN has subjected its various anime series to, these cuts for religious or politically correct reasons are the most frustrating. I may not like the edits for violence and sexuality but I can at least understand them. Cutting out references to Christmas in a Christmas episode however is totally beyond me.
Big O: Enemy is Another Big
1) Angel's cigarette digitally removed.
2) Scene of Angel bringing a cigarette to her lips cut.
3) Close-up of Angel's smile with a cigarette in her lips cut.
4) Schwarzwald's party edited to remove scenes of alcohol consumption.
5) Scene of burning partygoers throwing themselves from the windows cut.
6) Scene of Dorothy finding Angel's cigarette butt cut.
Minimally edited episode but the edits were telling. This was a dark episode centered around a dark character. The scenes of the debauchery taking place at Schwarzwald's masquerade ball did provide some insight into the motivations of the character. While enough of the message did get through, it was blunted by CN's attempt to clean up his little party.
Big O: R.D
1) Blood digitally removed from mirror and make-up table.
2) Shot of dancer's corpse cut.
3) All occurrences of the phrase "Cast in the Name of God, Ye Not Guilty" changed to "Cast in the Name of Good, Ye Not Guilty".
4) Shot of Dastun's murder scene photographs cut.
5) Scene of Dorothy remembering her discovery of Angel's cigarette butt cut.
6) Another shot of Dastun's murder scene photographs cut.
7) Blood digitally removed from murdered porter's locker.
8) Blood digitally removed from Gordon Rosewater's lab smock.
9) Not an Edit... Roger bleeds from his gunshot wound.
10) Blood on Roger's shirtsleeve digitally reduced.
11) Blood digitally removed from Roger's watch.
12) Blood digitally removed from Roger's arm and shirtsleeve.
13) End title card changed from "to be continued" to "We Have Come to Terms".
Well this episode clearly had just too much of the red stuff. Then with a serial killer on the loose you have to expect that. Since both Toonami and Adult Swim edit for blood I have to assume that US animation still has a way to go before it can deal with anime on an equal footing. Anyway we have reached the end of Big O. That is, of course, unless the Japanese realize that there is sufficient interest in the US to warrant continuing the series. I just hope that if they do continue it they stick to Japanese standards.
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