The Big O

The Big O
Anime DVD Review

The Big O has been often described as 'What if you combined Batman and Giant Robo?' But it is way more than that. It is pure, hardcore, literary-quality science fiction wrapped in style and sophistication, referencing everything from Isaac Asimov to Kurt Vonnegut. Meet Roger Smith, a man who fights crime in a double breasted all black suit, and he's got a giant robot (but does he control it, or does it control him?). Roger's companion is a female android who is more like MTV's Daria than anything else. She's like nothing you've ever seen in anime before. Be in awe of Dorothy, her power, her magnificence, her improbable size to mass ratio, her sardonic monotone comments, and her hidden, but deeply felt emotion.

The Big O: Outstanding!Simply put, The Big O is everything that we admire about Anime. It has taken American pop culture references and made them its own. Then it augments satire with some brilliantly executed scripts that actually make you think. Combined with one of the most intense, dramatic and downright gothic soundtracks ever recorded, (and one of the most hysterical opening theme songs ever), The Big O is both parody, homage, and something unique all it's own. It may be one of the best anime series ever made, and at a mere 13 episodes, it ends with you screaming for more.

Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, Summer 2002

Big O Soundtrack
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Big O Soundtrack
Anime Soundtrack Review

Awesome, magnificent, powerful and earthshattering are some of the adjectives we could use to describe this soundtrack. But mere words are unable to express the sheer scale of this seminal work. Running the gamut from subtle to audacious, this is simply the greatest music made for any anime since Yamato.

Big O SoundtrackThanks to a full orchestra, the music actually sounds "big", and you feel the power in the notes. Track 4 "Name of God" will send a chill down your spine and leave you with goosebumps. Yes, it's that good. Included, of course, is R. Dorothy's "wake up Roger!" piano solo. Stick that in your alarm clock bucky. Big O rocks, and this soundtrack will rock your house.

Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, November 2003

Big O: Sound Score II for Second Season
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Big O: Sound Score II
for Second Season
Anime Soundtrack Review

We had already reviewed the first season, and its soundtrack, but when Cartoon Network co-produced an entirely new season of Big O, out come some more stunning music. This collection includes some re-ochestrated favorites from the first season as well as the new music from Season 2, PLUS, welcome bits that were heard in episodes from both, but never made it to the first album.
Our Dorothy!
Basically, it's great stuff overall. Gothic, jazzy, fun and somber, it's the music that really makes Big O the show that it is (that is, apart from a killer storyline, amazing art direction, and of course, everyone's favorite sardonic android...) Big O rulez.

Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, June 2008

anime source

Convention Coverage: Anime Festival Asia 2008
Over the weekend of November 22-23, the country of Singapore held one of its signature anime expositions. Anime-Source.com ASRT Staff Member Jsy3k attended the 2-day con with camera in-hand. Read on to see his coverage of the press preview-day and his impressions of the weekend overall.

Living in Japan: The Cost of Living
The latest installment in my series educating the anime/manga-fans out there about the realities of living in Japan. This month, we're talking about money and how far a couple hundred thousand yen will get you. Don't get too excited though... it may sound like a lot... until you realize that one yen is only equal to about one US penny.

What's New this Week: Even More Manga!

Do you come around Anime-Source every now and then? Well, we'd like to thank you. Like any work or production, we would love to hear feed back. What would you like to see more of? What don't you like? Is there a section you visit more than others?

The manga staff have kindly put together new manga for you to read. Four awesome titles to put on your list.

What's New this Week: Survey Results!

Hey folks. Our front news page has been swarming with activity and I'm sure you know why. One of our biggest events had recently ended. Now the results are complete! How did your picks do this year? Any surprises? If you missed out on voting this year, I guess you'll have to wait another year. But don't worry! We have vast ideas for surveys, so stick around and see what we bring up.

Releasing the survey results wasn't the only thing that happened. "Read More" to find out what other updates have occurred.

With the first 50 characters taken care of in
Wave 1, I'm sure everyone is now looking forward to the rest. Well, wait no more!
It's that wonderful time of year again when we announce the results of one of our biggest fan-surveys of the year!! In October, we opened the polls asking members and visitors to vote for their Favorite Characters of All-Time. This is the third year we've done this, and though the procedure has generally been the same each time, the results are always drastically different.

Did you vote? Did your characters place well? It's time to find out!!


Have you eagerly waited for the next set of results? Well, here you have it. So far, you have probably seen the top characters for ranks 100-25. Are we giving you the rest? NOT YET! "Read More" to find the link to the article for Wave 3.