The Big O Part 1 Episodes 1-4

Welcome to Paradigm City.  40 years ago, an event occurred that wiped the memories of every citizen.  The only tepid connections are a series of Giant Robots known as Megadeus’ that rise to terrorize Paradigm City.  Only one force for good stands in their way.  His name is Roger Smith, the Negotiator.  But unknown to the people of Paradigm, when negotiating fails, Roger has a secret weapon up his sleeve, an unstoppable Megadeus at his command.  Can Roger Smith and the Big O protect the city and uncover the mystery of its long forgotten past?

 
Welcome Dear Readers to the beginning of YEAR 10 of the Gundam Anime Corner.  And today, we’re kicking off this historic year of Anime Reviews with one simple question: What if Bruce Wayne had a Giant Robot instead of being Batman?  The answer is, you get THE BIG O!!!!  Yep for the next few weeks were going to be look at this Toonami/Adult Swim legend that did something few Anime had managed to do back in the early 2000s: get revived from cancellation in Japan due to its overwhelming popularity in the US.  But I’ll talk more about that the further we get in.  For now, how does this Mecha Classic get started and what is it doing differently compared to most other titles in the Mecha Genre?  The answer to the latter is, a lot and it’s so good for it already.
 
From the very first moments of The Big O’s premiere, you can feel the unique difference when it comes to its approach to Mecha.  The key most element is the Film Noir aesthetic.  I don’t think I’ve ever seen a Mecha Anime where a detective story was at the center of it.  It gives an added layer of complexity in addition to grabbing the viewers eye with how dismal yet amazing Paradigm City looks.  This domes and skyscrapers look directly inspired by Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (I’d say as well as the Metropolis Anime film based on the Osamu Tezuka Manga but that came out a couple years after Big O’s First Season).  The level of tech on display isn’t super futuristic like Gundam, but rather it’s a mix of futuristic and steampunk.  You can also tell that Megadeuses (the Mecha of this world), like Big O, take a lot of effort to pilot.  These behemoths aren’t fast moving machines but rather closer to old school giants who walk slow but pack one helluva punch and the effort required to do so shows everytime Roger throws one.
 
Speaking of Roger I might as well just address this right now cause it might cause a minor issue with these reviews.  Arguably the biggest reason The Big O hit it big with Western audiences is because it’s visual style and tone feel very heavily inspired by the 1992 Batman: The Animated Series by Bruce Timm.  One need look no further than Roger Smith himself to see the influences of Billionaire Bruce Wayne from his wardrobe to his smooth operator attitude to his freaking gadget laden car.  Watching these first four episodes it’s not hard to see the comparisons between Big O and Batman and I’m going to try my best not to say “Oh yeah this is just like what happened with BTAS or this character is an homage or was inspired by this Batman character.”  Even if it is a huge part of its identity (and Western success), it feels a bit wrong to talk about The Big O with that on the mind when there’s so much else to discuss that makes this show work.  So yeah tl;dr, I’ll try to keep the Batman references down…but no promises.  Ok back to the review.
 
Being a huge fan of Blade Runner, I love the neo noir detective approach to the world of Paradigm City.  Roger’s narraration offers insight and yet soothing calm, mostly thanks to one of the coolest Anime VO’s of all time doing his voice for the English Dub: Steve Mother F’ing Blum.  You pair that with the jazz and blues inspired tracks that play during the non action segments you’ve got a modern day detective drama set in a city straight out of a 40s or 50s radio drama (actually Toshihiko Sahashi’s music is easily one of The Big O’s most awesome elements).  There’s a lot of Paradigm City for Roger to explore too, from the dingy and rundown streets of the homeless to the much better looking Domed Cities of the rich to the long lost underground that no one wants to explore (Roger learns this the hard way in Episode 4).  Everywhere you go, the mystery of the incident 40 years prior lingers linger like a shadow even darker than the shadings in the animation.  Just what the heck happened to this city?  Probably even more on my mind: how is Roger able to pilot the Big O and have all the resources able to maintain and transport it beneath the city?  Sigh, alright, I’ve gotta ask it and I know I said I’d try to avoid these kind of references but the question must be asked: Where does Roger get those wonderful toys?  All those questions and more are sure to be addressed…or will they?
 
Let’s talk about the cast.  As another character played by the legendary Steve Blum, Roger Smith is another one of those Anime characters you’d love to be when you grow up: handsome, well dressed, possessing limitless gadgets and a Giant Robot for good measure.  While his negotiations seem to hardly work out the way he wants, Roger is still a man of meticulous planning, as seen in the Premeire when his client is double crossed and he manages to keep his clients money away from the would be thieves.  We also learn he was once part of Paradigms Military Police, under the command of Major Dastun, hence why Rogers clearly got some combat training.  Dastun doesn’t give off the vibe of incompetent Military Officer who cant do much but complain about the Big O’s interference.  He seems like a good cop and while he chides Rogers decision to quit being an MP, there’s still a large amount of respect and care for his former subordinate present in their interactions.  And then there’s Dorothy.  Probably one of the best looking androids in Anime rocking her maid outfit, Dorothy might sound monotone and cold but her scenes with Roger show she’s a lot more complex than that.  The girls got snark, often calling out the little things in Rogers lifestyle, including his all black wardrobe.  But, much like Blade Runner, you can tell Dorothy is searching for something to explain her existence and see if there’s more to her than nuts and bolts.  Roger also has a trusted Butler named Norman…but I’ll be honest he’s the least interesting of the characters introduced, mostly just around to be a “Yes man” and convey random intel to Roger.  Roger’s nameless bar contact, who I’ll just refer to as “The Contact” for now, has more mystery and interest to me than Norman at the moment. 
 
Feel like I’ve spent more time talking about the world than I have the Mecha of this Mecha Anime, so let’s talk about them next.  I LOVE the retro designs of every giant robot we see in the first four episodes and each threat the Big O goes up against is always different.  At one point, Roger even fights a monstrous mutated Electric Eel for some proper Godzilla Kaiju action.  Like I said, there’s a very 20’s futurist style to the Mecha from how bulky they are to the blank eyes one faces like Big O’s.  It adds a layer of history to each bot.  The Big O might look well maintained and cared for but its still old as heck (at least 40 years old if it had something to do with that ever illusive Incident).  The designers also aren’t scared to make the Megadeus’ scary themselves.  Big O’s opponent under the city in Episode 4, the skeletal Archtype, is probably one of the terrifying Mecha I’ve ever seen its dark eyes, jagged teeth and insect like movements.  Honestly, while I can see each new Megadeus as a Monster of the Week, I do hope we see the Archetype again later in the series, it’s too memorable a villain to just have around once.  And again, these are slow moving giants but the Anime does a good job at making every punch thrown and connecting feel like an act of nature.  There’s weight and power to each Megadeus and the destructon they leave behind can be terrifying…so how the heck do they keep rebuilding the city streets so quickly when Roger’s Mech pops up from the sewers?
 
Four episodes in and I can see why this show took off in the US and became a mega hit on Toonami.  Gorgeous animation and retro scifi aesthetics; a cooler than cool lead hero; an intriguing mystery; a sense of scale, danger and coolness to every Mecha battle as well as their unique designs, The Big O has something special going for it and I cant wait to dig more into its world over the next couple of weeks.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m gonna go relax to the soothing sounds of Toshihiko Sahashi’s before jumping back into more of The Big O, This Friday right here at the Gundam Anime Corner.