The Big O

The Big O (Japanese: THE ビッグオー, Hepburn: Tha Biggu Ō?) is a Japanese animated television series created by director Kazuyoshi Katayama and designer Keiichi Sato for Sunrise Studios. The writing staff was assembled by the series' head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka.

The story takes place forty years after a mysterious occurrence causes the residents of Paradigm City to lose their memories. The series follows Roger Smith, Paradigm City's top Negotiator. He provides this much needed service with the help of a Gynoid named R. Dorothy Wayneright and his butler Norman Burg. When the need arises, Roger calls upon Big O, a giant relic from the city's past.

The television series is designed as a tribute to Japanese and Western shows from the 1960s and 1970s. The series is done in the style of film noir and combines the feel of a detective show with the mecha genre of anime. The setpieces are reminiscent of Toho monster movies and the score is an eclectic mix of styles and musical homages.

The Big O premiered 13 October 1999 on WOWOW satellite television. It finished its run on 19 January 2000. The English language version premiered on Cartoon Network on 2 April 2001. Originally the 26 episode series it is now, low viewership in Japan cut it down to the first 13 episodes. However, positive fan response internationally resulted in a second season co-produced by Cartoon Network, Sunrise, and Bandai Visual consisting of the remaining 13. Season two premiered on Japan's SUN-TV on January 2003, with the American premiere taking place seven months later.