The Big O Season 3 -Explain Please

[EyeOfPain]

So if your not broke like me, and reeeaaaaally want a third season, buy out all your copies at a local store and then sell them on Ebay or something.

I think I may have actually considered doing that at one point...

[R. Daniel 01]

The tomato blitz was planned for August 2005, but then hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast and it was decided that sending a truckload of tomatoes to CN would be inappropriate.

And ever since then, the effort never resumed. The main reason why Season 3 isn't happening, in my opinion, is simply because nobody with any legitimate authority stepped up to lead SBO in 2006, when the fanbase enjoyed a noticeable renaissance (Big O went back into the AS rotation that year, right?).

As the webmaster of SBO, right now Zola is the leading figure. But she's often condescending, busy with programming jobs or, in her own words, "not that good of a leader," which she's proven in spades. She hasn't even taken any measures to prop up some other motivated, devoted fan into leadership. She's like the Medieval Pope, needed to anoint a king.

But there's been no anointing.

We organized a mailblitz with me leading that, and I managed to scrounge up 30 letters from various fans. But then, with my standards too high, and having nobody tell me to just send what we've got already (Zola could've done that, anybody could've), time passed and Jim Samples (to whom we addressed the letters) resigned (replaced by Stuart Snyder).

But that makes me wonder. Huh. Why don't I just scan all the signatures, change the names on the letters, and send them now, even though it's pretty late?

What do you think? Do I have some support? It is just ~30, BUT that's much more than 0.

Now, Gaddes and Citizen 9, I know what you think. I'm interested in what the other fans have to say. If just a few of you lend your support, I'd be thoroughly motivated to put the plan into action. I'd even make a video recording as satisfying proof.

[The Final Negotiator]

After following this thread, I'm now not sure which group I fall into...

Like Big Finale, I think the series ended on a good note. However, I do want to see a third season Why? The reason is simple: The writer wanted to do a 3rd season... (No disrespect intended, Gaddes - the last episode did bring the series in for a "solid landing".)

Now I've done some (mediocre) writing in my time (nothing published), and I can honestly say that it isn't easy to put one story together, let alone several. Looking at The Big O's two seasons, there were alot of details the writer had to "flesh out", even if you consider the "borrowed" material (in the proper way - in tribute, rather than plagiarizing, other series). So we can only assume that he had put some serious thought into how a 3rd season would play out.

 
So that makes me a "supporter", which I thought I was initially. On the other hand...

- If there is no 3rd season, it won't kill me. Maybe I'll be a little disappointed, but life is full of disappointments, minor and devastating. This would not devastate me. I don't feel "entitled" to anything.

- I won't fight tooth, nail, and tomato for a 3rd season. If you learned anything from this anime, it's "bargain in good faith"... Strong-arm tactics often encounter (and deserve) strong resistance... I will not be a party to any such campaign...

- R. Daniel, I admire your dedication, enthusiasm and resourcefulness, but they're being misused in this case. Please don't stoop to fabricating support for Big O. It will only send the wrong message, and far too many of those have already been sent. For networks, it's better to showcase actual fans of the show, with emphasis on numbers. Loyalty will only get you so far with them. Statistics work better in this case.  :) Now if you have a contact, feel free to send them brief fan opinions, but keep "fanatical" opinions at bay...

- I've seen the petition to which R. Daniel referred. Unfortunately, it's the spammed petition of which I spoke (they must have been very resourceful of spammers, too... ). Seeing the vandalizing of that petition is what started me thinking about a new petition. One that didn't scream "fan outrage", and instead implied "possible revenue" from a 3rd season. That thinking kind of morphed into a "list of good-natured fans".

- Galatea, you're correct that a list of aliases could be a detractor. I was hoping maybe just the volume of aliases in the list would interest someone. Kind of like saying "Here are a bunch of mature, computer literate people still talking about Big O. Possibly, they have enough money to at least support the sponsors of the show, if not also buy show merchandise." Emphasize the profitability of the endeavor. Then maybe they'll bite... Like a vendor/caterer at a Halloween party - you may not recognize the customers, but you know you'll be paid...


So where do I currently stand? Gee, it's starting to rain - I guess I'll stand here...

.The Final Negotiator.

[R. Daniel 01]

Please don't stoop to fabricating support for Big O.

Fabrication? I do have letters--they're just addressed to the wrong person. I feel that, since they took the trouble of sending the letters in the first place, it'd be reasonable to update them.

Although, a couple fans (UK Members) did send me their scanned signatures, for the express purpose of quickly reproducing them.

Now if you have a contact, feel free to send them brief fan opinions, but keep "fanatical" opinions at bay...

The letters aren't fanatical. Actually, they're cordial requests, with a logical appeal and a reference to Big O's good television ratings.

>-------------------------------------<

Does anybody want me to send the 30 letters, updated?

[The Final Negotiator]

Fabrication? I do have letters--they're just addressed to the wrong person. I feel that, since they took the trouble of sending the letters in the first place, it'd be reasonable to update them.

Although, a couple fans (UK Members) did send me their scanned signatures, for the express purpose of quickly reproducing them.

My apologies... Your "change the names" phrase was a little vague. You actually meant to "change the contact name" on all letters, not the senders' names... I wasn't saying you fabricated the letters. Ummm, yeah you can still send them, but I can't remember if you change the contact name or just send them verbatim with an extra "please forward to" letter attached. I know about forwarding e-mail but not letters. Hey guys, can I get a linguistics check here? It's OK to include the signatures in the letters, too.

The letters aren't fanatical. Actually, they're cordial requests, with a logical appeal and a reference to Big O's good television ratings.

Sorry, the talk of outraged fans and tomato-mailings has gotten me paranoid.  :-/  It sounds like you've organized a well thought-out  campaign, and your already one step ahead of me, with polite requests and ratings info.

>-------------------------------------<

Does anybody want me to send the 30 letters, updated?

Yes, if you can, please send them. Hopefully, they don't need "thousands" of signatures, just 30, who could potentially support sponsors and buy merchandise.

Sheesh, now I feel like a jerk... Sorry, R. Daniel. Sorry, everyone. Finale, if you don't mind, I think I'll ban myself this time...  :X *crawls in a hole*

.The Final Negotiar.

[The Ghost Of Ember]

Yes, if you can, please send them. Hopefully, they don't need "thousands" of signatures, just 30, who could potentially support sponsors and buy merchandise.

[...] a Dilbert Principle scenario and one letter ended up on some incompetent executives desk and viola suddenly it is a HUGE IMPORTANT THING!

Mind you, that actually has happened before.

My own idea's center around building a standard sheet for a paper petition that fans can print up and collect signatures for, particularly at their local Cons, and then scan in for massive damage, I mean, lists of names. As well, joke signatures can be easily cut out in a digital environment before the final petition is assembled. Also: actual paper and pen petitions are actually given some degree of credence. Not as much credence as actual money, but you know.  

The fact of the matter is Big O was on AS, and it is well recognized, and I suspect the average anime fan wouldn't mind seeing more if they knew that there was more to see. The problem is their not going to go out of their way to do anything about it. Not passionate enough. Which is why we've got to bring the stuff to them. Setting up panels at Cons wouldn't be a bad idea either, if such a thing were possible. I dunno the average costs of such a thing.

[The Big Finale]

then scan in for massive damage

"So here's this Giant Enemy Williams Street..."

[R. Daniel 01]

Heh. "No harm no foul," Final Negotiator.

Alrighty, then! I'll send the letters this weekend.

Setting up panels at Cons wouldn't be a bad idea either, if such a thing were possible. I dunno the average costs of such a thing.

Um yeah. Next Summer, you're coming to Otakon again, and we're doing that. It's friggin' just a half-hour walk from my Haus.

[Brooklyn Luckfield]

Well I will have to say this. the fact that Mike Lazzlo decided to make Squidbillies and Tom Goes to Mayor with the season 3 cash is a beyond lame.

[The Final Negotiator]

Well I will have to say this. the fact that Mike Lazzlo decided to make Squidbillies and Tom Goes to Mayor with the season 3 cash is a beyond lame.

The fact that I only have a fleeting memory of "Tom Goes...", and no memory of "Squidbillies" (except for maybe on TV listings), show's that Mike's move was not only way lame, but also a waste of cash...

However, I can honestly say that, after seeing The Big O promos (they can still be found online), if I had seen them for the first time, I would definitely check the show out.

.The Final Negotiator.

P.S. I've also considered a side-project to this campaign. Since some of my episodes are taped, I thought of watching the ads (?!? hear me out...), buying items advertised (mostly the inexpensive ones), and then sending either the receipt or a copy of the receipt to the seller, with a letter saying "I bought this because it's ad was during 'The Big O' on Cartoon Network".

   Example: See Wendy's ad for new burger.
                 Buy new burger, and ask for a receipt.
                 Send receipt to Wendy's Home Office, along with your "I bought this because of Big
                 O..." letter.

It could work. At least Big O would be earning them cash again... Alternatively, we could just send the receipts directly to CN.

[EyeOfPain]

Hmm, sending the receipts to the companies themselves seems like it would be more effective.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to send a copy of the receipt to CN in addition, though.

[R. Daniel 01]

Heh. That's a pretty clever idea. If you made a list of all the things advertised, I'd definitely try my hand at it.

[Sharpshooter005]

Mike's move was not only way lame, but also a waste of cash...

Most of their in house stuff costs practically nothing (squidbillies I know was, the other one I'm not sure of but can't see it being much of a financial drain)

If you want to pin it on any show, the last thing they really picked up which cost alot was the boondocks. Apparently the animation for that was actually pretty resource intensive, and not done by williams street so who knows what other fees were involved.

[Mike]

At least The Boondocks was actually a really good show. Tom Goes To The Mayor was so non-funny that it nearly drove thousands of people to suicide, thankfully it was only 15 minutes long so it ended just as people were finishing up the noose.

[Sharpshooter005]

At least The Boondocks was actually a really good show.

30 minutes of look they're sword fighting and saying the n-word

PS: White people, amirite?

Oh yeah, tour de force