Copyright © Sunrise

"	The name is Roger Smith. In Paradigm City, a city that has lost its memory, Roger performs a much-needed role as a negotiator. No case is too big for him to handle, but when the going gets tough and Roger gets into a pinch, he summons a relic of Paradigm City's unknown past: The Big O."

What happens when you take BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, take away the latex rubber outfit, and replace it with a giant robot? The answer, according to Sunrise, is THE BIG O. The oft-used description of BATMAN meets GIANT ROBO is right on the mark: from the simple yet stylized character designs and the film noir shading, to the retro-mecha styling of the "Megadeus"-class of combat robots, THE BIG O feels like the right blend of the two favorite shows.
The impression I get from Roger Smith is that of Bruce Wayne crossed with James Bond, with a touch of fashionable surliness thrown in for good measure. Roger exudes class—it's not often you see a protagonist fight crime with slicked-back hair and a double-breasted business suit. In addition to his sharp dress and a sense of showmanship, Roger's high-tech gadgetry adds a touch of James Bond flair to the show, be it the wire-shooting wristwatch or the optically-guided rockets mounted in his limousine.
But this is also a giant robot show, and the design of The Big O harkens back to the era when mecha were more macho than practical, with stove pipe limbs and rivet-and-bolt construction. The Big O looks positively buff, sporting muscular forearms of Popeye proportions, and the built-in pile-drivers are a nice touch. The combination of dueling giant robots and a city filled with tall buildings also makes for plenty of property damage—much to the chagrin of the police chief, who winces each time the Big O slams an enemy robot into a near-by building.
As to how Paradigm City lost its memory isn't made clear in the beginning; all that is told is of an unknown incident that occurred 40 years ago, wiping out the memory of its citizens. While people eventually figured out how to use electricity and currency and learned how to survive, the question burns in the mind of our characters—what exactly happened? The quest for Paradigm City's lost past provides a recurring plot element and a sense of intrigue to the otherwise episodic nature of the show. As the show progresses, little glimpses and hints are dropped here and there, and this reviewer hopes that it'll all lead up to a startling revelation.
While most of the limelight focuses on Roger and his exploits, my personal favorite character would have to be R. Dorothy Wayneright, Roger's android assistant. She reminds me a great deal of NADESICO's Ruri, with a perpetual look of ennui and a quiet, surly demeanor. Dorothy's disdain for Roger's sometimes show-off attitude is quite obvious, and the deadpan delivery of her lines as she and Roger bicker are oftentimes quite humorous. But there is also a very human side to R. Dorothy that emerges every now and then, as shown when she adopts a stray cat in the episode "Missing Cat".
If the show looks and feels maddeningly familiar to U.S. viewers, it should: the same studio actually worked on the production for half of the BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES series. A private investigator solving cases, giant robots exchanging blows in a city setting—neither of these ideas are terribly original, and the BATMAN influence is all too obvious. Yet THE BIG O somehow manages to combine the two elements, put a slight twist on it, and pull it off with aplomb and style.
Accompanying the stylized visual look is an equally classy soundtrack, which alternates from mood-setting blues piano music to rousing symphonic pieces that play when Roger summons the Big O to action. And while we're on the topic of the soundtrack, the opening song deserves special mention—it's a straight rip of Queen's FLASH GORDON theme song! The adaption sounds pretty darn cool, but Freddy Mercury would probably be spinning around in his grave.
Despite its somewhat derivative and episodic nature, THE BIG O has plenty of style and attitude to make it cool and enjoyable. If you're a fan of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES, I can almost guarantee you that you'll like this show as well. Sit back and enjoy the action, folks—as Roger Smith is fond of saying, "It's Showtime!"

Broadcast on WOWOW (non-scrambled)
Wednesdays 7:00PM