by Eboni Manning

Created on: August 14, 2007

The Big O is an action intensive amine that poses some very interesting questions. Can a city without a history survive? Can a corrupt company really take over the known world? How many similarities can a show share with Batman, before the DC Comics people start getting indignant? If you're intrigued, and you'd like to know the answers to these burning conundrums, then rent the DVD series and take a trip to Paradigm City.

Forty years ago, an unexplained phenomenon, referred to in the series as "The Event," caused every living citizen on Earth to lose all memory of the past up to that point. The powerful Paradigm Corporation has built a domed namesake city, seeking to isolate it from the outside world, so that the populous is very dependent on them. The corporation also seeks to collect "memories," documents, photographs, and other relics that might give the citizens clues to unlock their lost pasts. Paradigm City dwellers are also under the unsubstantiated impression that the rest of the world has been obliterated; only the domes and the immediate vicinity are populated.
Roger Smith is the city's top negotiator. He does just as his job title implies, negotiating deals between two parties who need to settle a dispute. He's a freelancer; his loyalty is only to his current client.
The similarities between Roger Smith and Bruce Wayne are uncanny and impossible to ignore. Both men live alone in large, well appointed homes with a trusted elderly butler. (Roger's butler is Norman, while Bruce's is Alfred.) Even the two butlers look similar; both are smartly dressed, white haired men with British accents. Roger also drives a sleek automobile that could easily be mistaken for the Bat Mobile, what with its bulletproof, color changing nature and its advanced weapons systems.
Early in the series, Roger encounters an android named R. Dorothy Wainright. She was built by an aging scientist as a replacement for the daughter he lost shortly after "The Event." Circumstances conspire to cross their paths, and R. Dorothy ends up joining Roger, becoming his housekeeper at home and his cohort during negotiating jobs. Her advanced intelligence and calculating nature come in handy when dealing with uncooperative people.
When the situation calls for even more serious powers of persuasion, Roger enlists the services of The Big O, his huge fighting robot. The other residents of the city refer to this walking arsenal as Megaduese. His old fashioned manually operated limbs and missile systems are a tribute to some of the classic fighting robots of anime yesteryear.
The show itself takes on a very film noire style. The main character often makes visits to the office of a police officer, who is an old collegue. Many such scenes depict Roger standing in front of a window, with the light filtering through Venetian blinds onto his face. Roger also serves as narrator for the series, and each time his soliloquy is spoken, the same jazz saxophone piece can be heard, underscoring his words.
If you like Batman, film noir, fast cars, or even just men who hear black, then you should check out The Big O. The fast paced, stand alone storylines of the first season are sure to keep your interest. The second season, which features one continuous storyline, and was produced due the popularity of the first, has yet to be released on DVD. But that shouldn't stop you from visiting the lovely city where the residents have no past and parking for your robot is always free.

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