City of Amnesia

I've been thinking. Not everyone is for season 3, while many are for it. And an Ova, while it would be appreciated, might not answer all our questions. So here's an interesting little thought; what if Big O have a prequel? there are quite a few questions that could only be answered by a 3rd season or OVA. But many questions we have about Big O could easily be answered in a 5-6 episode prequel.
Questions like these:
Why does Norman where an eye patch? And what did he mean by "I've been watching you and Big O longer then you realize Master Roger"? (opening to the second season). Why did Roger leave the MP? It was hinted at by Dastun that he may have been using Big O even before he quit. What was the human Dorothy like and how did she die? where did the union come from? Why, other then lose of memories, did Beck become a criminal? Why do all the characters, save Angel and Dorothy, act like they are older then 40? How did Roger become a millionaire when he was a poor homeless man. Are the people of Paradigm even human (ep. 26 for reference).

Do you think a prequel is a good idea? Could it answer all these questions and even some we haven't thought of? Or would it be a waste and not answer anything?

Personally, there are two things I would like if there was ever a chance to revive The Big O series.

1) A Season 3 which continues the plot from Season 2.
2) A prequel series that takes place in the same Paradigm City, but within the years following The Event. A season about what was happening when the domes were being built, Gordon Rosewater was in charge, and the early anti-gov't underground was active.

I'm currently running an RPG based off of what I think would happen maybe 10 years after The Event. It's an interesting way of seeing the city before Roger Smith.

Hmm.  I feel like a prequel may end up ruining some of the mystery.  I mean, I like the idea, but I also really like the ambiguity and mystery that the series sets up.  It would have to be done very carefully.  I feel like sometimes prequels end up being disappointing because the answers they give are less interesting than not knowing.  Another problem is that if you already know how the story ends, a prequel can sometimes feel unnecessary and boring.  But, I do agree that it would be nice to see something that takes place closer to when The Event occurs and doesn't try to show us too much about the characters we're already familiar with.  Show us Gordon Rosewater and what was going on under him, but maybe only hint at some of the other characters, or don't introduce them until towards the end. 

This. As much as I love Roger, I would love to see what happened before he came onto the scene and how everyone adjusted during the event (because amnesia? Someone has to properly know how to set up and run a government somehow, right?) and how it effected people personally.

But one with answers about Roger and such would still be an interesting concept too. About his childhood and parents/how he inherited everything (including Big O)/how he became such a stud/etc.

These ideas are better then what I had in mind. maybe we could appeal to Japan Bandai. Big O is actually really popular in Japan (contrary to what we have been told, it was a huge success over there. And a lot of Japanese people want to see it continued. This is according to my native Japanese friend Takako.) I can speak, read and write in Japanese rather well, though you wouldn't know it from my grades (my teacher teaches way to fast for me.) Maybe if we compose a proper Japanese letter and get signatures Bandai would read it, maybe even consider it.

Well the problem there is that (assuming this information isn't already out-dated) Bandai doesn't currently OWN the rights to another season of Big O. Cartoon Network does... and probably more specifically the people at Adult Swim but I can't remember if it actually can be departmentalized like that.

I don't know if you are aware of this, but several years ago there was a letter-writing campaign called "Save Big O" and it did... stuff... to try and persuade CN to consider another season. It never got anywhere and really stopped being productive after the first year or so of trying.

What would probably be more successful is for someone to actual either interview (or have a meeting with) one of the people in-the-know at CN and see just what their current mentality on their asset (i.e. The Big O anime) happens to be. You have to realize that the budget proposal that would have been Big O III is long gone, so right now it's a matter of viewership and money (I would assume). Passionate fans or not, if it won't bring in the numbers Bleach or Family Guy do, then it probably isn't on their radar... especially 7-8 years later.

true. SBO's campaign is different then what I have in mind. remember they also planned to drive a tomato truck in front of the building. I can't remember if they planned to throw them at Lazo or not however.
What I have in mind is a simple letter asking whether or not they would be able to make a prequel given the standards. I've noticed a recent disinterest in Family Guy. Many people my own age and older sighting that it "just isn't funny anymore" and "the gags are getting old" or "there still making Family Guy? I thought it was dead", and even this "I only watched the chicken fighting episodes, other then that I don't give a rats ass about the show". So most people I know, and even many on online forums find the show to stupid to bother with anymore saying it's become like the Simpson's. As to Bleach a lot of people think that it's become like DBZ, where more episodes are being bumped out when the show could've ended a season or two back and viewers would have been happy with it. I've also seen many forums hating AS for not having better shows, saying that they are looking for real in-depth adult anime with mature topics. Not the lame old comedy shows that are typical of AS.
 
I haven't noticed this with Big O. Big O is actually rising in popularity right now. I find that when I mention it on other forums there will be at least 10-15 people asking me "you like Big O too?! Awesome! Lets talk about it." At the AS forums the Big O section has seen an increase in topics, asking all sorts of questions. Ranging from "I think this character is awesome" to "So what are your thought's about what happened in tonight's episode?" There has been a recent increase of in-depth fan fiction at fanfiction.net, and a large amount of new fan art on Deviant art. New products are also being released in Japan that are Big O related. The new $150 Big O model kit comes to mind, as well as the new $30 konoko sugi SD Big O model kit and toy line that are currently in production. Also, as far as I know, AS only owns the rights to Big O in America, not Japan. Otherwise I doubt the new toy lines and model kits would be in production. I've even heard talk of capsule toy's, though I'm not sure how true the rumors are.

Knowing this I'm sure a letter would get a response. Maybe not the one we are hoping for, but a response none the less.

Wow, you are really generalizing there.  I'm pretty sure that Family Guy is the highest rated show on Adult Swim, and their target audience are the highly sought after 18-35 year old males, which I'm guessing includes people your age (as well as mine).  Bleach is, I believe the highest among the anime (I could be wrong, but I know it has very strong ratings, regardless of where it ranks).  Adult Swim doesn't show a lot of anime because no one watches it.  It's really that simple.  I recall them showing a bump saying something along those lines a couple years back.  It was something like, "We would love to show more anime, but no one watches it."  Their comedy shows are what people are watching.  Family Guy, Robot Chicken, even their God-awful live-action shows, tend to get better ratings than the anime they show. 

I wouldn't say that just because you've noticed more people taking an interest in Big O means that they are new to it.  And I don't know where you're getting the idea that there's an increase in fanwork, because when I try to search for Big O fanart on DeviantArt, it doesn't show me anything new, just the popular ones from several years ago. 

My point is, if you intend to write a letter, you're going to need more concrete numbers.  No one's going to listen to a bunch of generalizations with nothing to back them up.  I'll be frank with you, I don't think anyone's going to listen anyway.  If they were interested in continuing the story, they would have years ago. 

I think the most depressing thing is reruns of Family Guy get better ratings than Anime. I think FG reruns get around 800k+. I just wish AS would pick up some better Anime. I think Heroic Age, or some other decently paced show would do decently. 

Could you imagine Baccano! on [as]? I'd love that.

But you know what I'd really love... MORE BIG O. Yeah, still want more of that awesome shit.

Actually, Baccano! would be a great choice. It's very western friendly, but yeah, I'd love some more Big O.

MOAR!
Because MOAR!
*too lazy to find the demotivational poster right now*

lol for Char.
Also Tifara click the newest button under search bar on DA. In the past 3 weeks some really interesting new Big O work has been added. Saw a pretty awesome pic of Shwarwald on there.
And yes I may be in the 18-35 age range, but all my guy friends, and even some girl friends, have stated that Family Guy is stagnated. I have a friend that used to watch every episode, even reruns, but he himself stated the "it's just not funny anymore, it has become like ATHF or 12oz mouse. To stupid to bother watching." My anime loving friends, who love stuff like Bleach and DBZ, have said that Bleach is getting old fast, and trying to imitate DBZ. The Buu saga should come to mind here. A big fat ass piece of play doh was the bad guy. I quit watching AS all together, practically because I don't have cable or satellite, I even quit watching clips on the site, but also because most the stuff on there is shit. Just plain shit. Does anyone even remember the dumb "Tom goes to the Mayer" show or that one show where they put some kid on a leash and starved him? (Can't even remember the name, but the graphics looked like a kid puked on a piece of paper).

That's not to say I don't like some shows. Robot chicken I find hilarious, but I couldn't watch it all the time. the original 25 episodes of Bleach I thought were good. GITS is awesome, and I do like inuyasha. And Big O is obvious, but most of there stuff looks like a kid did it. I don't wanna watch a kid made show. I want to watch a mature show with a point to it.

Tom goes to Mayer was pure trash but apparently it was popular enough to get Tim and Eric their own show and several spin offs, some of which have been canned, so some good news. Every joke in Tom goes to Mayer was always based on the fact that Tom was a goody goody. Example: while on a trip to a Dam he calls it the "Darn". Grade A comedy gold I tell you.

I searched through 1440 submissions on DA, dating back to Feb. 28.  I only found seven Big O pieces, three by the same artist. 

Look, I get it, you and your friends don't like Family Guy and you're tired of Bleach.  Great, I get it, you're all too mature for that stuff, whatever.  But the fact is, there are literally hundreds of thousands of other people who DO like those shows and are giving them huge ratings that the network can't ignore.  Some people just want to watch something crudely animated that is also funny and doesn't make them tear their hair out trying to figure out what is going on.  Or, as you call it, "a kid made show". 

The thing is, every time they air anime, it gets dismal ratings.  Now, that this may be due to the time slot that they banish their anime to, or because they choose anime that no one wants to see anyway, etc.  But there's no way of knowing and they don't really care anyway.  All they see are numbers.  So in order to speak their language and get through to them, you need numbers to show them.  You can't just make up arbitrary statistics like "Everyone my age hates Family Guy" or "Big O is more popular now".  How can you prove it?  That's all I'm saying. 

Tifaria is wisdom. And Char and Graham, I like your spirit. I think Vogler's ideas are cool, but it would be even better if the third season simply incorporated lengthy pre-event flashbacks or visions. Best of both worlds.

Hey man, Save Big O... sent some letters. We needed a dynamic firebrand who CARED... we needed an adult with his life in order, so he could put aside a few hours every week and focus. Yet we were all students, generally unmotivated, or had too many issues clashing at once. So it never went anywhere.

I tried to keep it going, myself. I chatted up the webs and accumulated like twenty signatures. But with so few signatures... and without an energetic community to keep me happy and interested, principles fell by the wayside.

What's with all this ignorance about the tomato drive? There was no throwing intended. The plan was still pretty dumb, I'll agree there. Not to mention, Zola hasn't done anything with the money, as far as I know, and likely never will.

I enjoy the current state of the SBO page. It has promised that the site would return "later this week" for two years. I'm surprised it still exists.

That's something Big O fandom sorely needs. I guess once people has discussed it to death and every little theory explored it's a bit tough to keep folks interested. I kinda wish AS would pick up Heroman for broadcast once it get's picked up. It's got Stan Lee's name on it and I'd imagine it would be pretty popular.

About Heroman: fo rizzles. Fo rizzley rizzles.


If the show has a tangible enough connection to our real lives, and if enough stimulating stuff gets posted on the forum, it's definitely possible.

Oh, wow, I did not know that.  That's... hmm.


It's funny, though, there are plenty of series that have been discussed to death (Evangelion is the first thing I can think of.  Oh, and Utena still has a very active fandom that continues to write critical analysis of the show) and have been over for far longer than Big O, yet still have dedicated fans that are invested in the work.  I mean, new Eva merchandise comes out all the time, and they just did that movie remake of it.  Utena just released a really nice tenth anniversary box set that I wish they'd bring over here. 

So what's the difference?  Why did people abandon this show?  Was it really because they had discussed it enough?  How do you go about attracting new fans to a show that's been over for seven years?  And if you do attract those fans, what do you do with them then?  What else is there to offer?  How do old fans, who really have discussed it to death and are probably tired of rehashing the same old stuff, attract new fans and not get annoyed by them? 

Some things to ponder, I guess.  It's something I wonder about myself every once in a while. 

Well we could always use some more thoughtful people like you. ;)


If a show is good enough, fans will emerge from the ether. This has been proven by my sister's generation. I have no idea how they discovered Big O, but according to her, kids seven years younger than myself have mentioned it and doodled it in class.

Good fanworks can generate interest. The implication of good fanwork is that a story and its characters are exceptionally robust. People will say, "woah what's all this about?" and check out the source material.

I think Big O lacks personal dilemmas. I really like that you brought up Utena and Evangelion. Would it be safe to say that those shows are primarily character-driven? Big O has very little of that; the characters mostly keep their issues to themselves and don't let them interfere with the plot at hand. They also don't have many connections, let alone friends. With so few recurring characters of any depth, I guess it's not surprising that Big O doesn't inspire such widespread loyalty. Big O has atmosphere and attitude, but its soul is hidden. Yes, no?

Hahaha, thanks!  But, you know, I'm actually a good example of what I'm talking about!  I tend to show up around here sporadically, like... once a year or something.  Or maybe longer, I usually lose count.  Back in the day I was really active, but since then I just sorta show up whenever and inevitably disappear into the abyss of the Internet after a while. 

I think you have a really good point about characters!  Yes, I think the appeal of Eva and Utena and a lot of other anime (or even live-action shows, for that matter) is the characters.  They give you something to relate to, or to project yourself onto.  Fanfiction and fanart often depict the more human aspects of the works they're inspired by, rather than the atmosphere.  For example, in searching through Big O fanart, I notice that most of it is depictions of characters and very little of the mech.  Fanfiction was, at least back during the show's heyday, more concerned with the Roger/Dorothy relationship than anything else.  I always find it interesting that in any given fandom, the pairings are the things people are most concerned with, even when none are defined, the fans will often force relationships upon characters in order to give them something to draw/write about. 

Big O's characters are such mysteries, it can be difficult to relate to them.  I wouldn't say that they necessarily lack depth, but rather that it's so vital to the story that you not know too much about them, and maybe that does prevent fans from feeling too close to them.  However, it certainly never stopped people from arguing over Roger/Dorothy v. Roger/Angel.  But I do think that maybe a lot of people were put off by the focus on the mystery and atmosphere.  They should have been intrigued by it, but some people just don't have the patience to stick it out.  It's tricky.  How do you balance that out?   

Well I'm sure if interesting things get said and done, you'll find yourself contributing more regularly. :P

What you say about the character stuff is true. Though, I'm positive that 90% of the pairing fanfiction is written by females. I'd write about good pairings and be part of the 10% exception, but I find it best not to tamper with character relationships.

Whenever I read attempts at Roger x Dorothy, it's never genuine. Those two need an earth-moving, plot-shattering event to make any move towards one another, considering all the issues with Dorothy that Sharpshooter005 would gladly start shouting. Even though Angel doesn't interest me at all, she and Roger would make a much better fit. His body belongs with Angel... but his heart... with Dorothy! lolz.


I'm not so sure. After discussing Big O and, similarly, Jin-Roh with irl friends, my position has shifted. Increasingly, the mystery aspect of Big O feels like parlor tricks. There are people who lack patience as you mentioned, but there are others who dismiss Big O's emphasis on atmosphere as a case of style over substance, and I fear that they are essentially correct.


I think, to balance it out, there's just no substitute for hard work. Characters must really confront their mysteries, or have their mysteries tugged at with some discomfort, and decide whether to actively perpetuate the mystery and push the pryers away, or to share the mystery with someone new and potentially resolve it. Roger the Wanderer teased us very well, but perhaps it should have come at us much earlier, and definitely it should have had more tangible consequences.

After a point, reliance on mystery just feels like a cop-out.

I hope we're not getting too off-topic here!  We've strayed a ways from the prequel question now. 


I can't prove it, but I do believe that you are correct in your belief that females write most pairing fanfics.  Or maybe I should say that the more popular stories tend to be written by females.  I only remember a few Big O fan authors being male (on PCF, anyway; I can't speak for fanfiction.net or other venues), but someone feel free to correct me. 

And I wholeheartedly agree that Roger/Dorothy always comes across as... weird.  Like, Dorothy tends to be written out of character in order to fit the situation the author has created.  I'm not opposed to them, but I feel like people get so concerned with the relationship that they sort of throw out all the characterization the show set up in order to get them together.  I'm really fascinated by the way fans treat the characters they love.  Seems like pairings take over almost any given fandom (Bleach fandom has been pretty crazy lately with pairing "wars" that basically consist of people harassing each other online about the pairings they like, and has gotten pretty nasty), to the point where people seem to be ignoring the story and focusing more on the relationships.  They feel free to infer things that are not there and to force characters together who the author has made clear will not end up together (Harry Potter fandom in particular.  Oh man).  I just find it so fascinating the way people do that.  I would really love to read some academic studies on the psychology of fans or something.   


Hahahaha!  I kind of agree, though!  Roger and Angel are very pretty together, but Dorothy and him have a, a thing, or something.  I dunno how to say it.


Hmm.  I guess I see it less as a reliance on the mystery and more like the mystery is the genre that the story is in, so that's just how it is.  I do agree that towards the end the mystery part started getting annoying and the second season never had the same feel as the first.  I greatly enjoyed the episodic nature of the first season and felt like it pulled off the mystery atmosphere a lot better.  The second season I will concede was relying too much on setting up questions that it never answered. 

It's been just the two of us conversing back and forth for a while. I'm beginning to feel a little odd. Also, I agree this has spun off-topic. This more or less our chat-box, haha.

Man, that Bleach shit doesn't even surprise me. I have nothing but negative feelings towards all things Bleach. Most people chime, "Well I liked the first 25!" so maybe it was indeed good at first.



Yeah, they're fantasies first and stories maybe later. They reflect the desires of the author.



Smells like overkill, or impossible, but yeah so would I.


Yeah. You're right. Meh I just wish... the mystery got tugged at, got prodded at little more often. I can't stop whining about it.

The only way to do anything constructive about my stupid yearning is to finish writing my darned Season 3!

>.> ...
I think the reason fans pair Roger/Dorothy is because regardless of how wrong it may seem, they do have a thing as Tifara mentioned. That "thing" they have is saving each others asses when things get rough, or when they could end up dead with out each others help. I do agree Angel and Roger would be better, but they have yet to enter a situation where they need each other to live or survive.
That's what connects Roger and Dorothy, every time they get in trouble, the other will come to the rescue.
the mystery in Big O kept me hooked. I know people get impatient, but one should watch something till the end, regardless of patience. In my own experience things get better with time.

Four words: Rocky Horror Picture Show.