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Big O is the title of an anime television series. An excellent example of
cultural cross-fertilization, the artistic style of Big O is obviously based
on Warner Brothers' Batman: The Animated Series. The principal character of
Big O is Roger Smith, a professional freelance negotiator who is similar to
Bruce Wayne in that he is a wealthy and well-respected member of society
that has a secret life as a crime fighter. Unlike Batman, however, Roger
pilots a giant robot named "Big O" in the course of his crime fighting
activities.
Big O is set in Paradigm City, a domed metropolis with a mixture of
futuristic and contemporary features. According to the manga, nothing exists
outside the city. Forty years before the time Roger is Paradigm's famed
playboy negotiator, a mysterious occurrence known only as The Event
completely wiped out the memories of isolated city's inhabitants. There are
little to no clues as to what exactly took place during that fateful moment,
and it forced the people of Paradigm to start anew, severed ties and all;
this mystery is a central feature of the show. The Event's lingering
mysteries still haunt the Negotiator in nearly every case, and don't seem to
stop, even after 'we have come to terms'. The Event has been theorized by
many and seems to rear its head in every adventure unraveled before Roger,
his android housemate R. Dorothy Wayneright, his faithful butler Norman, and
the whole of Paradigm city.
One can presume there was some kind of war before the "Event". Pets are a
rare luxury, and insects are nonexistent, though they existed before the
Event. People sometimes remember small bits before they lost their memories.
In true Big O style, there is yet another mystery to ponder: Why the
entire storyline cuts off after thirteen heart-racing episodes, making it
seem like a short glimpse into Paradigm's existence with no other purpose.
Perhaps this, as well as the inexplicable event, was just one more facet of
the series, just another intriguing plot twist.
On August 3rd, 2003, the second season of Big O (co-produced by Cartoon
Network) debuted on Adult Swim, the second season continues the Big O
storyline past the last episode of the 1st season.
The second season makes more explicit the derivation of the plot for "Big
O" from the science-fiction classic movie, Metropolis. The titles from "Big
O" of "Negotiator", and the secretive group "The Union" are direct
references to characters in the "Metropolis" movie. Also of interest is the
numerous appearances of a black book labeled "Metropolis" which is
symbolically used to block a knife attack upon the "Negotiator" by the
leader of "The Union".
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