The Big O - Review

He wears black, has lots of gadgets, a butler, an awesome car, is rich...

AND HE IS NOT BATMAN!!!

Nope. He's Roger Smith, negotiator. A much needed job in the amnesiac city of Paradigm. And when negotiation turns to brawn, he commands the behemoth known as the Big O.

The story goes like this: 40 years ago, all mankind lost its memories. On that very day, civilization collapsed. In the domed city of Paradigm, standing below a grim sky; disaster is brewing as the forces of the ancient world are revealed little by little in the mysterious form of memories.

Inspired by retro shows such as batman, thunderbirds, starsky & hutch and 70's spy flicks, The Big O features a very unique (for an anime) aesthetic that combines the modern mayhem of giant robots with the sweet and elegant style of art deco. The series itself also plays like a noir/detective drama with the main character's monologues and existential angst present in every nook and cranny of the dark city of paradigm.

Retro-references run amok in this anime. Even the first season intro song is a homage to Queen's Flash Gordon song. The Big O is also very unique in the sense it was funded by an American company. The first season was left in a cliffhanger, and it looked like a second season was not going to be made. But Cartoon Network gave the money to finish it. Thumbs up for Cartoon Network.

Japanese animation is known for it's lack of respect for genres. The big O combines the art style of American shows like Batman (Many of the Japanese people that worked on the old Batman cartoon worked on The Big O) and Art Deco with the cheesy antics of giant robot anime. Add film noir to the mix, spice it up with mystery and a sprinkle of obscure biblical references, mix, stir and enjoy.

And talk about cryptic! The series really gets confusing and difficult to understand by the end. But it's not all about hard-to-understand psychological mumbo-jumbo. Heck no, The Big O has something for everyone. From the retro style to the loveable characters. From the brooding mystery to the non-stop action. The Big O is a series I recommend Thoroughly. It's one of my all-time favourites.

The Big O gets 5 out of 5 stars of retro goodness.

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