Watch The Big O

TV-PG
2001
2 Seasons
7.5 (2,407)

The Big O is a Japanese animated television series that aired on TV Tokyo from 1999 to 2003. The show features a stellar cast of voice actors, including Jamieson Price, Alan Oppenheimer, Crispin Freeman, Michael Forest, Michael McConnohie, Emi Shinohara, Goro Naya, Issei Futamata, Katsunosuke Hori, Mitsuru Miyamoto, Kijokava Motomu, Richard Barnes, Tsuji Shinpachi, Unsho Ishizuka, and Wendee Lee.

The Big O is set in the city of Paradigm, a metropolis that has been rebuilt after a mysterious event known as "the Event." The city is surrounded by a massive wall, and nobody can remember what happened before the Event. The main character of the show is Roger Smith, a negotiator who is hired to help solve problems in Paradigm. Roger is assisted by his butler, Norman, and his giant robot, the Big O.

The show combines elements of film noir, retro-futurism, and mecha anime to create a unique and compelling world. The art direction is particularly impressive, with a mix of dark, moody cityscapes and bold, colorful mecha designs. The music is also notable, featuring a jazzy soundtrack that perfectly complements the show's noir aesthetic.

Throughout the series, Roger takes on various cases, each of which involves some sort of conflict with robots known as Megadeuses. These Megadeuses are massive, powerful machines that seem to have a will of their own. Roger must use his negotiating skills to try and prevent the Megadeuses from causing destruction in the city.

As the show progresses, more information about the Event is revealed, and Roger begins to uncover a larger conspiracy at play in Paradigm. There are also hints of a deeper connection between the Megadeuses and Roger's own past.

The characters in The Big O are well-developed and compelling. Roger is a suave and confident negotiator, but he also has a mysterious and tragic past that haunts him throughout the series. His butler Norman is a loyal and dutiful servant, but he also has his own secrets that are gradually revealed. The other characters in the show, both human and robot, are equally fascinating.

The action in The Big O is exciting and well-choreographed, with some impressive fight scenes between the Big O and the Megadeuses. The use of mecha in the show is particularly interesting, as the Megadeuses are not simply mindless machines, but seem to have their own motivations and personalities.

Overall, The Big O is a captivating and well-crafted anime that combines elements of several different genres to create something truly unique. The art direction, music, and characters are all top-notch, and the plot is engaging and full of twists and turns. If you're a fan of mecha anime, film noir, or retro-futuristic sci-fi, The Big O is definitely worth checking out.

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Seasons

2 1

13. The Show Must Go On

November 2, 2003

Roger Smith must do everything he can in order to stop Alex Rosewater from completing his mad vision of utopia, though Big Fau proves to be a tougher opponent than anything he's fought before. When all hope seems lost for Roger, many of his friends come together in order to do what they can to help him succeed, though will their strengths be enough to warrant victory? Meanwhile, Gordon Rosewater takes Angel to the place where the world was created, in which he reveals to her the true scope of her purpose, though what Angel decides to do next will be the ultimate factor in what happens to Paradigm City.

12. The War of Paradigm City

October 19, 2003

Alex Rosewater begins to establish his new world order, as with the full functionality of Big Fau, he considers himself the world's god and he plans to re-craft the world in order to make the perfect utopia. Meanwhile, Gordon Rosewater tells Roger, Angel and Vera the truth about Paradigm City and their own existence, though the new information proves to be too much for Angel to handle.

11. The Big Fight

October 12, 2003

Much to Roger's surprise, Big Duo is fully functional again and it has gotten in Roger's way in order to prevent him from going after Dorothy. The Big Duo has improved quite a lot since Roger's last fight, though Roger is determined to get Dorothy back and he does everything he can in order to get past Big Duo, though he gets some unexpected help from a former enemy. Meanwhile, Alex Rosewater attempts to get Beck to help him finish Big Fau, though Beck continues to contemplate if he should really go so low as to help him obtain what he wants.

10. Twisted Memories

October 5, 2003

Alan Gabriel takes Beck Gold out of his prison cell and offers to let him go for good if he does the Paradigm Corporation a small favor: capturing Dorothy Wayneright, in which Beck accepts because he's in no position to decline the offer. Since Roger was away visiting Gordon Rosewater, Norman is left to defend the Smith estate from the onslaught of armed machines, though his ammo supplies soon start to run dry as he hopes Roger will return in time to save the day.

9. Hydra

September 28, 2003

After discovering that Alex Rosewater's Big Fau is incomplete, Roger decides to accept his invitation to dinner in order to better understand what his true intentions are. Meanwhile, Angel visits the Smith estate in hopes of speaking to Roger, though when she discovers that Roger isn't there, she decides to speak with Dorothy about the events that had occurred several days earlier.

8. The Third Big

September 21, 2003

Roger discovers that Dorothy is in danger and he takes Big O's advice and heads off to rescue her. He commandeers Dan Dastun's police vehicle and rushes to the subway tunnel that she is located in, though when he arrives, he discovers that a twisted individual named Alan Gabriel is responsible for many of the strange events that have been taking place recently. Roger rushes back to finish his fight with the MegaDeus after the encounter, though the arrival of Alex Rosewater's own Big causes him to change his plans.

7. Stripes

September 14, 2003

After speaking with Gordon Rosewater, Roger begins to contemplate on his own existence, though Angel soon shows up and offers him some comfort. Meanwhile, Dorothy is attempting to find the source of a song she has been hearing, though what Dorothy discovers may just put her life in jeopardy. To make matters worse for Roger, another MegaDeus has been seen roaming through the city, in which it is attempting to destroy the Paradigm Corporation.

6. Eyewitness

September 7, 2003

There has been an assassin in Paradigm City who has only been targeting androids, though the military police are baffled. The Paradigm Corporation sends their own private detective in order to assist Dan Dastun in the investigation, though the two don't get along too well and they each have their own methods of investigation. However, the two get a break in the case when Dorothy manages to get a visual recording of the assassin, though as they head off to investigate, Roger tries to figure out a method of getting Dorothy out of the police precinct.

5. The Greatest Villian

August 31, 2003

Things take a turn for the worse as the Smith estate when Roger mysteriously goes missing during a meeting with some foreign individuals. In hopes of finding the criminal, Dan Dastun and Norman set up a system of trying to locate the criminals, though when Dorothy decides to take up the role of Negotiator, Roger finds the roles reversed as it's up to her to come to his rescue.

4. Leviathan

August 24, 2003

Michael Seebach has been spreading pamphlets that speak of the world's end, in which Roger is hired to figure out the true purpose of the pamphlets. However, when he decides to look around in areas where he isn't permitted to be, he discovers what Alex Rosewater has actually been doing and he isn't too happy about it. Meanwhile, the MegaDeus Leviathan is coming ever closer to Paradigm City and with Roger still at Alex's place, Dan Dastun decides to do what he can to slow Leviathan down.

3. Day of the Advent

August 17, 2003

Roger is hired by some townspeople when the Paradigm Corporation confiscates a mysterious object that has fallen from the sky. The citizens believe the object is a sign of prosperity and that good things are on their way, though the fact that the Paradigm Corporation took the object troubles them. Roger decides to investigate the issue and negotiate with the Paradigm Corporation in order to see what the object really is, though what he discovers puts both him and Angel in jeopardy.

2. Negotiations with the Dead

August 10, 2003

Many retired senators have been assassinated recently, so Roger is hired to try to negotiate with the assassin in an attempt to spare an elderly statesman's life. However, when he discovers that the assassin is connected to many of the previous attacks on Paradigm, he decides to investigate a tip that may just point him in the right direction, though things take a turn for the worse when he realizes that Dorothy's creator may have been involved in what is taking place.

1. Roger the Wanderer

August 3, 2003

During a fight with three MegaDeuses, Roger begins to lose consciousness and he awakes to discover that he's in Paradigm City. However, this Paradigm City isn't like the one he used to know, as there are no domes and everybody seems to actually have their memories. Roger attempts to figure out why his is in this strange place and how he can get back to the real world, though as he recalls back on his life, he once again begins to question his own existence.

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