Big 0 2 Volume 1: Paradigm Lost

Not Listing a Voice Cast:

What the box says:

The Big O caused quite a stir when it debuted in America. With its unique style, amazing characters, and captivating story, it garnered a unique and fanatical audience. And because of its popularity in the U.S., a second series was born. Now, you can own a piece of anime history.

When last we saw Roger Smith, he was about to defend his home of Paraigm City against 3 invading robots. Now, the battle is over, and Roger Smith seems to have lost his memory. He is plagued by doubts about who he is and the world he lives in, and he keeps havign strange flashbacks to - what, exactly?

This new season of the Big O has it all: A mystery to unravel. Old enemies to fight. New enemies to discover. And more clues to the cataclysmic even that happened forty years ago.

Plot:

Episode 14

Roger is in Big O and about to fight the 3 Megadeuses approaching Paradigm City. Several flashbacks ensue. Big O loses an arm. The military police open fire on all of the Megadeuses. Suddenly, Roger forgets everything.

In a subway, Roger is a crazy beggar. Flashback to Paradigm City before everyone lost their memories. Roger remembers the Megadeus fight. Wandering around the city, he heads to the building where his home was. However, it is a bank managed by Beck.

Coming soon: Anime for the Fey Guy...

Later, Roger is still wandering the streets when he spots Dorothy who doesn’t recognize him. Monologue about how Roger quit the military police, found Big O, and built his home ensues.

Suddenly some sort of play about Roger meeting Norman, his butler, begins. Norman has been maintaining Big O.

Roger has no proof of Big O and unsure of reality and has no value. Angel pulls up and she recognizes him. Driving into a tunnel, Roger is getting terrified. He must face the terror in himself.

Suddenly, Roger is back in Big O in the middle of the fight with the other 3 Megadeuses.

Alex Rosewater, head of the Paradigm Corporation, has his scarecrow-joker, Alan Gabriel retrieve the damaged mecha.

Big O heads off.

Episode 15

40 years ago, all the people and robots lost their memories.

Norman is repairing the damage to Big O.

Roger meets with Mrs. Fitzgerald. She wants him to negotiate with an assassin. Her husband’s friends have been killed then him. She takes Dorothy and Roger to meet her husband. A number of 20 year olds have the memories of a number of old senators.

Apparently, the assassin was RD, an android identical to Dorothy, another android. Roger checks with his snitches that don’t have any data on how to build androids or Megadeuses.

Norman finishes repairs t Big O.

Roger and Dorothy head to where Dorothy Wayneright was born. Exploring the deserted mansion, Dorothy collapses. An android attacks Roger who is saved by Angel.

Dorothy is rebooted. The identical memories that have been recovered are from dead people. However, Roscoe Fitzgerald didn’t lose his memories. Norman calls Roger about the new Megadeus.

The cops head to the scene. Dorothy, Roger, and Angel head there, too. The cops open fire on the evil megadeus to no avail. However, the giant mecha does a good job of dispatching the tanks.

Big O emerges to beat-down the evil mecha.

Angel and Dorothy pay a visit to Roscoe Fitzgerald. Dorothy realizes that Roscoe is an android.

Big O contends with the megadeus. The gatling gun arm attachment of Big O finishes off the megadeus.

Later, Roscoe is about to give Roger the disc of memories when Joker lookalike, Alan Gabriel, steals the disc and blows Roscoe’s head off.

Mrs. Fitzgerald starts collecting the pieces to rebuild him.

Episode 16

A meteor crashes into the city. Roger heads to the scene. The wreckage was taken away. Norman calls Roger about a new client, Jim McGowan. During their meeting, Jim reveals it was an angel that fell and was taken by the Paradigm Corporation. He’s sure that everyone should be saved not just those in the domes.

Angel finds Roger. They spot some divers and follow them into a factory where a number of megadeuses where kept. Roger realizes that Angel is from outside of Paradigm City. They manage to escape from the factory.

Roger and Angel head to the Paradigm Corporation headquarters.

The people are rejoicing about the angel.

Alan Gabriel greets Roger and angel. Roger chases the pseudo-Joker.

Elsewhere, Jim McGowan is preaching to the crowd.

Alex Rosewater greets Roger. The wreckage is just the first part. The bulk will be crashing soon. Alex doesn’t care if the impact kills everyone outside the domes. Roger barely is able to contact Dastun. Roger calls Big O.

Dastun can’t get any of the people off the streets.

Big O readies for the incoming angel. Pulse beam isn’t stopping it. He manages to punch it dead on back into orbit. The people rejoice as some of the wreckage falls to the ground like snow.

Episode 17

Schwarzwald is philosophizing. Imagine a Conehead wrapped in bandages. The city is flocked with newsletters.

Roger is hired by Alex Rosewater to stop Schwarzwald.

Roger heads to Schwarzwald’s former lair. Flashback to previous encounter, the megadeus is gone.

A sandstorm heads for Paradigm City.

Roger finds megadeuses being repaired and are from a foreign country. Alex Rosewater arrives.

Elsewhere, Dorothy is chattering on the street.

A dragon megadeus appears from the sand.

Alex claims to be better to pilot a megadeus than Roger. He’s also jamming Roger’s radio watch.

Dorothy is unable to convince the dragon mecha to quit attacking the city. Big O emerges on the street. Roger finds Dorothy who’s been piloting Big O.

Mecha smackdown ensues.

One Giant Mecha Tittty-Twister Coming Up

Roger learns from Angel reveals that it wasn’t Schwarzwald in Paradigm City and the body was found elsewhere.

What I say:

Welcome to the first week of Mecha Month. It has been a couple of years since I've done any kind of theme month like Future Shock Month and of course the immortal Sonny Chiba Month. Well, this month, I'm going to be reviewing the entire Big O 2 series. A giant mecha fighting others isn't ninja enough for you? I'd love to see an anime about a 500 foot ninja robot doing dropkicks on a flock or gaggle of disposable monsters. Live action is easy with the 100 different Mighty Morphin Power Ranger series.

Yes, Big O was pretty much ignored over in Japan. However, it did a lot better when on Cartoon Network. The last episode which had Roger in Big O facing down 3 other Megadeuses with no conclusion was a pretty low series ending. It did well enough for Bandai to do another season. That brings us to Big O 2. Still not sure if the Big O is a capital O of a zero.

How to explain Big O without going to discuss much of the original Big O series is a challenge. Though it has been a couple years since I've watched it. Take a Japanese anime series that resembles the animation style Batman:Animated Series. Give a millionaire a giant mecha, police officer (vaguely reminiscient of Commissioner Gordon), trusty elderly butler (ala Alfred with an eyepatch), and a sidekick android, you get Roger Smith. When one of the villains looks like Scarecrow with the personality of psychopathic Joker, it just makes one of Roger's villains even more like the Brundlefly fusion of a Batman's rogue gallery. How can he not be considered Bruce Wayne the way he goes around protecting Paradigm City? Paradigm City is Gotham City.

However, while Batman is the secret identity of Bruce Wayne, back in Big O, no one in the city knew who piloted the black megadeus. However, at this point in Big O 2, it seems like everyone in the town knows about Roger Smith piloting Big O or at least Dastun, Alex Rosewater, Roger's sidekicks: Norman and Dorothy, and the enemies (Beck, Schwartwald...) Ar this point, it seems like the only people who don't know about Roger piloting Big O are a couple of little old ladies who live 23 blocks away from Roger and some guy named Chuck.

40 years ago, something mysterious happened, and everyone lost their memories. The reason of why everyone lost their memories seems to be the key fuel to this season. It appears that most of the world has died or was killed. Roger Smith use to work for the military police before some terrible incident forced him to quit. He became a negotiator (though not in the same caliber of Samuel L. Jackson.) In this city, a negotiator is a very high profile and risk profession.

Any series with a giant mecha will have said giant mecha unleashing a keg of whoopin' and a side order of beatdown...Nothing wrong with pointless violence when giant robots smack each other around...Pretty much each episode has Roger working on a case when some enemy megadeus appears. Roger summons Big O and promptly whoops the evil megadeus. Well, they also throw in the backstory of how some people's memories are returning.

The flashbacks do get a bit jarring and hard to follow. The flashbacks while do offer some hints to the background of the series. They do more harm than good by offering flashbacks that have little to do adn are just more confusing than handing a first grader a book on advanced particle physics. Have to admit, I was expecting something a bit more action oriented and less philosophical. Cutting from the middle of a fight to something almost like It's a Wonderful Life showing how the world would be without Roger Smith was a bit of a disappointment.

The opening credits are out of a 1960s James Bond movie. Well, you're not going to have something like Casino Royale's opening. It is still an awfully swanky opening for an anime. Though any song with lyrics like "Big O..Big O" isn't going to be award-caliber. Though if Isaac Hayes sang it like Shaft, it should deserve an Oscar..."He's a mecha pilotin' man and no one repairs his mecha but his butler...Roger Smith..."

Well, by the end of this month, hopefully you'll have a Big O too in a non Kristie Alley fashion. That concludes this week's completely out of date attempt at pop culture humor reference. Never try to be contemporary...Please consult your local search engine to hopefully find an explanation for any unknown grasped attempts at humor. Same sideorderofninjas channel, same sideorderofninajs time...Next week, I still haven't learnt my lesson so more of Mecha Month.

Quotable Dialogue
"You don't have what it takes to pilot a Big, negotiator."
"I have simply called it the Great Big 'O'."
"Isn't it about time you reconsidered your "no guns" policy, Negotiator?"
"Oh dear, I believes I've been scolded."
"You just don't have what it takes to be a Dominus Megadeum."
Morals of the Story
All giant mecha are full of tomatoes.
People regularly applaud bank managers.
All future cities must have giant domes.
Android hair bands are flash lights.
Mecha have retractable katanas.
Brief cases have built in rocket powered grappeling hooks.
All women wear Emma Peel body suits.
"Churches need android organ players.