The Big O

The Big O (THE ビッグオー 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 a 13-episode series, positive fan response internationally resulted in a second season co-produced by Cartoon Network, Sunrise, and Bandai Visual. Season two premiered on Japan's SUN-TV on January 2003, with the American premiere taking place seven months later.

Main Cast

 * Roger Smith - Mitsuru Miyamoto (Japanese), David Lucas (English)
 * Norman - Motomu Kiyokawa (Japanese), Richard Barnes (English)
 * Dan Dastun - Tesshō Genda (Japanese), Chuck Farley (English)
 * R. Dorothy - Akiko Yajima (Japanese), Lia Sargent (English)

Secondary Cast

 * Angel - Emi Shinohara (Japanese), Wendee Lee (English)
 * Beck - Yoshitada Ōtsuka (Japanese), Robert Wicks (English)
 * Big Ear - Shinpachi Tsuji (Japanese), James Lyon (English)

Minor Cast

 * Announcer - Kuniko Yoshioka (Japanese), Ethan Murray (English)
 * Beck's Henchman – Eiji Yanagisawa (Japanese)
 * Beck's Henchman – Kenji Hamada (Japanese)
 * Miguel Soldano - Kennichi Ogata (Japanese), Simon Isaacson (English)
 * Officer - Kenji Hamada (Japanese)
 * Timothy Wayneright - Takkoh Ishimori (Japanese)
 * Waiter - Hisao Egawa (Japanese)

Japanese

 * Hideto Ebihara
 * Eri Miyajima
 * Shizuka Arai

English

 * Elliott Reynolds
 * Georgette Rose
 * Guy Pinkham
 * Jane Alan
 * Joe Romersa
 * Meson LaPayote
 * Ray Michaels
 * Richard Plantagenet

Sven Mauriski – Osamu Saka Darres – Koji Ishii Old Man – Eiji Maruyama Old Man – Kazuo Oka Old Man – Koji Tobe

Devon Michaels