Rating: 
Summary: The Big O is a big success by this critic!!
Review: Big O that came out in 1999 by Sunrise and Bandai Entertainment who brought Gundam Wing, Macross and Gundam games is one of the greatest cartoons I've seen in the year 2000.
This is a great series, one of the newest Japan Anime in 2001 and surely one of the best cartoons out there.
American animators cannot emulate the Japan Anime cartoons and Big O is proof.
It's gritty, romantic, touching, action packed and full of stories, and that is in every episode!!
The star is Roger Smith who is the head negotiator in breaking or sealing criminal cases or any cases where the police or military is afraid to get involved in.
He lives in Paradigm city, a dark city that has been torn by crime, military action and corruption.
In only his first days on the job, he catches the idea of an attractive and elegant young lady called "Dorothy".
Dorothy is not you're average woman, she is a whiz on the piano and has a certain way with people. Oh yeah Dorothy is a robot.
She is virtually indestructible,yet her softness in characters reveals she is not made entirely of metal.
Dorothy is cared for by her Grandfather. The Grandfather knows Dorothy is a robot but he protects her like his own daughter.
A hoodlum by the name of Beck Gold plots to steal Dorothy and Smith (having suspicions about Dorothy) tries to intervene. Dorothy's Grandfather is shot and Beck kidnaps Dorothy .
Smith rescues her eventually and they develop a mutual friendship between man and machine.
The series works because of it's likeable characters, musical soundtrack which uses the piano to produce a feeling of what's going on in a scene,and above all incredible animation. The musical scences with the piano also convey a soothing feeling to a long day.
Smith controls an undercover machine knows as "Megadeus" which is Big O.
The series reminds me of Voltron because Megadeus fights many bosses in every episode in spectacular fashion.
The series has been dubbed in English and currently showing in Cartoon Network's lineup.
The dubbing is amazingly good. It's one of the best dubbing jobs, I've seen so far. David Lucas (Roger Smith), Lia Sargent(Dorothy) lend their great voices to this anime.
Made through Bandai and Sunrise which produced Gundam Wing and Macross, these guys just keep making the hits.
Initially 13 episodes were made leading to a cliffhanger where
the Big O meets other Giant Robots that guarded oldtime paradigm
city.
Well last year 13 new episodes including the final was realesed
totalling 26 eps on Cartoon Network. Several storylines like the
return of Roger Smith's enemy Beck Gold. There are also
some interesting twists as political bureacrats are also trying
take down the Big O, in fear of lost memories being uncovered.
The DVD for the collector's series features cool cover artwork
and rare interviews with the Japanese cast of the Big O.
Take it from this great critic, Big O is a big success.
Rating:
Summary: Big O's Great: Don't rely on the official Amazon Review
Review: Charles in the above review was completely wrong. Big O is much more deep than he make it out to be. At times it can be so complex that its confusing and begs to be watched again to understand it.(thats not a bad thing) As the members of the Adult Swim show blok on Cartoon Network will attest to on their message board. But Charles says "the stories lack plot depth and characterization" but then later says the plot is complex. He nneds to take a side and stick with it. The reason that most of the characters are not imediatly understandable is because You see more of them as the show goes on and additional information is revealed. In a city shrouded in mystery, it only makes sense for the characters to have the same qualitites and not just be readily apparent. It is a show that is worth watching and now that season 2 is out, more is explained and the show is pretty much resolved.
Rating:
Summary: Big O = Big Robots + Great Story
Review: Every one in Paradigm city lost their memories. Some try to let the past go, but others try to fight for answers. Roger, the negotiator, along with his Mega Deus, Big O, try to find the answers to the lost memories of paradigm without destroying the future. The setting of this series is unknown making it even more of a mystery. Overall this series has accomplished both an excellent story and one of the best robot action animes ever created. This is an anime that will make you think and the action will have you on the edge of your seat.This is a highly recommended anime that is a great addition to your collection. If you want a preview check the listings on Cartoon Network.
This is recommended for a more mature audience, not because of content but because of the overall story.
Rating:
Summary: We Have Come to Terms
Review: I absolutely LOVE this anime! There is something intriguing about the story line that makes it impossible not to watch. Roger Smith is a (very fine) negotiator that searches for answers to Paradigm City's loss of memories from 40 years prior. 'Big O' contains some awesome battle scenes with huge Medadeus robots. But with all of this action, I am always in suspense in each episode to see if Dorothy (a pretty android Roger has chose to look after) and Roger will ever let their feelings for one another show. I HIGHLY recommend 'Big O' for anyone who loves action and suspense with a good plot.
Rating:
Summary: Big O gets a big 5
Review: I have had a similar experience with Big O as some people. When it aired on Toonami on Cartoon Network, I wasn't really intrested and thought it was just another kid anime with huge robots. But when Cartoon Network started airing it on Adult Swim, I became intrigued and started to watch. It truly is a fascinating series with a deep and complex plot. Watching and waiting and wanting to know where Roger Smith goes and what clues he finds to what might of happen 40 years when everybody lost their memories is what made me record the show every night it was on. The series really picks up in the 2nd season and anyone who likes anime should give it shot and watch.
Rating:
Summary: Full of mystery and suspense
Review: I think "The Big O" is one of the best animes ever made. It has this sleek look to the art and everything is just so clean and smooth. Just by watching the anime, you are brought to a different world where things are always perfect. The music is also great in that it is expertly placed at the right moments for giving just the right feel. It also offers ear-appealing soundtracks throughout the episodes. Overall, I really like this anime because it presents an interesting alternate world and makes me ponder about if a place like Paradigm City could ever actually exist. Personally, I admire the protagonist Roger Smith for his style. Take a look at this anime and you won't regret it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Full of mystery and suspense
Review: I think "The Big O" is one of the best animes ever made. It has this sleek look to the art and everything is just so clean and smooth. Just by watching the anime, you are brought to a different world where things are always perfect. The music is also great in that it is expertly placed at the right moments for giving just the right feel. It also offers ear-appealing soundtracks throughout the episodes. Overall, I really like this anime because it presents an interesting alternate world and makes me ponder about if a place like Paradigm City could ever actually exist. Personally, I admire the protagonist Roger Smith for his style. Take a look at this anime and you won't regret it. Enjoy!
Rating:
Summary: Move over Gundam Wing!
Review: I'll start by making things simple. I never liked Mecha. When I flip on the TV and see Gundam Wing, I groan and flip to another channel. I always though that Mecha anime was always just the same tried-and-true formula - a bunch of people get together, each gets their own super-de-duper ultra robot, and they go off fighting the evil bureaucrats. Then, after a while, one of them might go insane, or fall in love with a princess, or turn on the others, or something that you feel like you'd see in a soap opera, not an anime. I used to hate Mecha. Then I saw Big O on Cartoon Network.
I was amazed, to put it the least. I believed Mecha to include lots of fights and 3,000 different guns per robot. So you could believe my surprise, first off, when I saw the first episode. There were no giant robots tearing up the streets as the opening credits die away. Rather, all you see is a limousine. Inside that limousine is Roger Smith. You hear Roger Smith's voice, explaining. He is a negotiator. Not a power-crazed lunatic, but a negotiator. He doesn't save worlds, he doesn't meet kings, but he just negotiates in Paradigm City, the city of amnesia. Roger is, through and through, a gentleman. He looks at the craziest person and asks for a fair deal. That amazed me. But what amazed me more was when he actually brought out the 'megadeuce' robot, Big O. It only had two weapons - the fists, and a hydraulic pump about the size of 3 people. That was it. After seeing that, I loved the show, and still love it to this day. Another great aspect of this show is the music. Like Cowboy Bebop before it, Big O somehow manages to incorporate the strangest music. Sonnatas play in the background as a politician gets shot. A single tenor sax plays a jazzy christmas melody as a plant destroys the city. It might sound odd, but it's amazing. The music adds to the stmosphere as much as the dusty, crumbled buildings do - and this is great music, folks. One of my favorite episodes of Big O had Dorothy Wainwright learning the piano - simply because it was so beautiful to hear the music that she played. Paradigm City in itself is also a totally unique idea for anime. Paradigm City is most comparable to Gotham City from Batman, but with a major twist - everyone forgets everything that happened to them 40 years ago. Now, this brings up some amazingly interesting questions - what are the memories that were forgotten? Do we even want to know what happened 40 years ago? Maybe, what if it was just better if we didn't know all the evil that caused what was all around us to happen? There are many secret crevices in Paradigm city - mansions with 2-foot thick steel walls containing mysterious secrets, small clips of memories lying in the least expected place, a city under the water, and, most focal to the plot, the mysterious death of Paradigm City's politicians. Whilst the plot, unfortunately, is sometimes a bit bizarre, and in other episodes appears completely forgotten, every other bit of the show makes up for those small problems. Please, folks, for the love of god, watch this show. You won't regret it one bit.
Rating:
Summary: I love it
Review: If I had a dollar for every episode of Big O I loved, i'd have many a dollar. It is the best show in the world. I hate anime, except for this and witch hunter robin. Anime sucks, but this one has a deeper meaning, it takes a very deep concept and visualises it, plus, they made batman and batman rocks!
Rating: 
Summary: Performing a Much-Needed Duty in the City of Amnesia
Review: If you were at all familiar with Cartoon Network's Toonami block or its late night Adult Swim in the past few years, it's likely that you have at least heard of The Big O. This Japanese anime series flopped in Japan but was quite well recieved stateside. So after its first 13 episode edited run on Toonami a few years back, fans were left hungry for more, and the cliffhanger ending didn't help either. Enter Cartoon Network Japan. U.S. fan response was so great that the cable network entered into a co-production deal with Sunrise Inc and Bandai visual. So now Big O has returned for a second uncut run on Adult Swim, in addition, the new season is airing Sundays at 11 pm starting August 3rd. This DVD set is a compilatiion of all 13 first-season episodes, which was brought fourth due the show's new beginning. Big O tells the story of Roger Smith, also known as "The Negotiator." He lives in a large mansion accompanied by his butler Norman, who aids not only in housekeeping, but also in keeping Roger prepared for action. He resides in the mysterious Paradigm City, a city where all of its citizens lost their memories 40 years ago. In addition to being Paradigm's best negotiator, he is the owner of the Big O, a gigantic robot, which he uses the protect the city from various threats. However, through his adventures, Roger is digging ever deeper into Paradigm's dark history. The Big O is a stylish show which mixes noir style and mecha action, with a Batman-like hero all while presenting a mystery into human existance that resembles the Matrix in some ways. The Big O has a visual style that is more American in nature, but is well animated. The voice acting is excellent, coming from the people who dubbed Cowboy Bebop. The music is good, accompanying the noir slyle and action scenes well. The mech fight scenes are not particularly amazing, but they still manage to excite you and hold interest well. Big O is a modern work of art that will interest you to no end with an exciting story and style to match.
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