Editing The Big O (section)

==Production and release==
{{See also|List of The Big O episodes}}

Development of the [[retro]]-styled series began in 1996. [[Keiichi Sato]] came up with the concept of ''The Big O'': a giant city-smashing robot, piloted by a man in black, in a [[Gotham City|Gotham]]-like environment. He later met up with Kazuyoshi Katayama, who had just finished directing ''[[Those Who Hunt Elves]]'', and started work on the layouts and character designs. But when things "were about to really start moving," production on Katayama's ''[[Sentimental Journey (anime)|Sentimental Journey]]'' began, putting plans on hold. Meanwhile, Sato was heavily involved with his work on ''[[City Hunter]]''.<ref name="birth">{{cite AV media notes|title=The Big O Vol. 1|orig-year=1999|author=Kazuyoshi Katayama|publisher =Bandai Entertainment|year=2001}}</ref> The initial story idea revolved around a cataclysm (caused by a meteorite impact) that destroyed most of human civilization.<ref name="artbook" /> The setting would be a city that survived, where the protagonist pilots a giant robot engineered from the meteorite's recovered [[superalloy]] to battle against the authority in charge of the surviving city.<ref name="artbook" />

Sato admits it all started as "a gimmick for a toy" but the representatives at Bandai Hobby Division did not see the same [[toyetic|potential]].<ref name="birth"/> From there on, the dealings would be with [[Bandai Visual]], but [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] still needed some safeguards and requested more robots be designed to increase prospective toy sales. In 1999, with the designs complete, [[Chiaki J. Konaka]] was brought on as head writer. Among other things, Konaka came up with the idea of "a town without memory" and his writing staff put together the outline for a 26-episodes series.<ref name="Konakajump">{{cite web|url=http://www.animejump.com/cgi-bin/go.cgi?go=features/big-o/konaka|title=THE BIG O! Chiaki J. Konaka Interview|publisher=Anime Jump|year=2001|access-date=2007-01-01|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030629040803/http://www.animejump.com/cgi-bin/go.cgi?go=features%2Fbig-o%2Fkonaka|archive-date=2003-06-29|url-status=dead }}</ref> Konaka deliberately chose to present the setting, Paradigm City, as a city of amnesiacs to avoid needing to develop lore for the origin of the show's mecha.<ref name="artbook" /> When Cartoon Network later offered funding for the second season, its representatives requested that the story be satisfactorily finished at the end of this season; this prompted Konaka to continue developing the concept of the amnesiac city as its central theme.<ref name="artbook" />

''The Big O'' premiered on October 13, 1999, on [[Wowow]]. When the production staff was informed the series would be shortened to 13 episodes, the writers decided to end it with a [[cliffhanger]], hoping the next 13 episodes would be picked up.<ref name="konaka">{{cite web|url = http://www.konaka.com/alice6/big-o/|title = ''The Big O'' (production notes)|access-date = 2006-11-18|author = Chiaki J. Konaka|language = ja|archive-date = 2007-06-07|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070607221323/http://www.konaka.com/alice6/big-o/|url-status = live }}</ref> In April 2001, ''The Big O'' premiered on [[Cartoon Network]]'s [[Toonami]] lineup.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-03-27/large-toonami-updates|title=Large Toonami Updates|publisher=Anime News Network|work=News|date=2001-03-27|access-date=2009-08-06|archive-date=2008-05-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080527080326/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2001-03-27/large-toonami-updates|url-status=live}}</ref>

The series garnered positive fan response internationally that resulted in a second season co-produced by Cartoon Network and Sunrise. Season two premiered on Japan's [[Sun Television]] in January 2003, with the American premiere taking place seven months later as an [[Adult Swim]] exclusive.<ref name="konaka"/><ref name = "comiccon">{{cite news|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-08-04/comic-con-adult-swim|title = Comic-con Adult Swim News|date = 2002-08-04|access-date = 2006-11-18|work = Anime News Network|archive-date = 2007-10-12|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012184435/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2002-08-04/comic-con-adult-swim|url-status = live }}</ref> The second season would not be seen on Toonami until July 27, 2013, 10 years after it began airing on Adult Swim.

The second season was scripted by Chiaki Konaka with input from the American producers.<ref name="konaka"/><ref name="askjohn">{{cite web|url = http://www.animenation.net/blog/2008/05/13/ask-john-how-much-influence-do-americans-have-in-anime-co-productions/|title = Ask John: How Much Influence do Americans Have in Anime Co-Productions?|date = 2008-05-13|access-date = 2008-05-13|publisher = [[Anime Nation]]|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080517004631/http://www.animenation.net/blog/2008/05/13/ask-john-how-much-influence-do-americans-have-in-anime-co-productions/|archive-date = 2008-05-17 }}</ref>  Cartoon Network raised two requests for the second season: more action and reveal the mystery in the first season, although Kazuyoshi Katayama admitted that he did not intend to reveal it, just to make an anthology of adventures set in the universe.<ref>{{cite news|title=Anime x Tokusatsu: The Big O|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51efiPMmg5Q|access-date=19 October 2019|work=CHO Japan|date=2013-08-29|archive-date=2017-11-29|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129083239/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51efiPMmg5Q&gl=US&hl=en|url-status=live }}</ref> Along with the 13 episodes of season two, Cartoon Network had an [[Option (films)|option]] for 26 additional episodes to be written by Konaka,<ref name="moreBigO">{{cite news|url = http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-06-09/more-big-o|title = More Big O|access-date = 2006-12-03|date = 2003-06-09|work = Anime News Network|archive-date = 2007-10-12|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071012184447/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2003-06-09/more-big-o|url-status = live }}</ref> but according to Jason DeMarco, executive producer for season two, the middling ratings and DVD sales in the United States and Japan made any further episodes impossible to be produced.<ref name = "askAS">{{cite web|url = http://www.adultswim.com/williams/askas/kim.html|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070930211715/http://www.adultswim.com/williams/askas/kim.html|archive-date = 2007-09-30|title = Ask Kim Manning -- And what is up with ''Big O'' Season 3?|access-date = 2006-12-03|publisher = [[Adult Swim]] }}</ref>

Following the closure of Bandai Entertainment by parent company in 2012, [[Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] announced at [[Otakon]] 2013 that [[Sentai Filmworks]] rescued both seasons of ''The Big O''. On June 20, 2017, Sentai Filmworks released both seasons on Blu-ray.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sentai Filmworks Schedules Big O Blu-ray Release for June|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-21/sentai-filmworks-schedules-big-o-blu-ray-release-for-june/.112527|work=Anime News Network|access-date=2017-06-22|archive-date=2017-06-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170606063011/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-02-21/sentai-filmworks-schedules-big-o-blu-ray-release-for-june/.112527|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=North American Anime, Manga Releases, June 18–24|url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-06-20/north-american-anime-manga-releases-june-18-24/.117776|work=Anime News Network|access-date=2017-06-22|archive-date=2017-06-24|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170624161116/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-06-20/north-american-anime-manga-releases-june-18-24/.117776|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Music===
{{main|Music of The Big O}}
''The Big O'' was scored by ''[[Geidai]]'' alumnus [[Toshihiko Sahashi]]. His composition is richly symphonic and [[classical music|classical]], with a number of pieces delving into [[electronica]] and [[jazz]].<ref name="theEX-OST">{{cite web|url = http://www.ex.org/5.4/33-cd_big-o.html|title = ''The Big-O'' Original Sound Score|last = McCarter|first = Charles|access-date = 2006-12-15|publisher = EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga|url-status = dead|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070209174450/http://www.ex.org/5.4/33-cd_big-o.html|archive-date = 2007-02-09 }}</ref> Chosen because of his "frightening amount of musical knowledge about TV dramas overseas,"<ref name = "AnimePlay"/> Sahashi integrates musical homages into the soundtrack. The background music draws from ''[[film noir]]'', [[spy film]]s and [[sci-fi]] television series like ''[[The Twilight Zone (1959 TV series)|The Twilight Zone]]''. The battle themes are reminiscent of [[Akira Ifukube]]'s compositions for the ''[[Godzilla]]'' series.<ref name = "influences"/>

The first opening theme is the [[Queen (band)|Queen]]-influenced "Big-O!".<ref name="theEX-Single">{{cite web|url=http://www.ex.org/5.3/51-cd_bigo.html|title=The Big O! CD Single|access-date=2006-12-08|last=McCarter|first=Charles|publisher=EX: The Online World of Anime & Manga|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061207103143/http://www.ex.org/5.3/51-cd_bigo.html|archive-date=2006-12-07 }}</ref> Composed, arranged and performed by Rui Nagai, the song resembles [[Flash (song)|the theme]] to the ''[[Flash Gordon (film)|Flash Gordon]]'' film. The second opening theme is "Respect," composed by Sahashi. The track is an homage to the music of ''[[UFO (British TV series)|UFO]]'', composed by [[Barry Gray]].<ref name="ACen03"/> In 2007, Rui Nagai composed "Big-O! Show Must Go On," a 1960s [[hard rock]] piece, for [[Animax]]'s reruns of the show; this composition replaced the original opening themes for the Blu-Ray release of the series. The closing theme is the slow love ballad "And Forever..." written by Chie and composed by Ken Shima. The duet is performed by Robbie Danzie and Naoki Takao.

Along with Sahashi's original compositions, the soundtrack features [[Frédéric Chopin|Chopin]]'s [[Preludes (Chopin)|Prelude]] No. 15 and a jazz saxophone rendition of "[[Jingle Bells]]." The complete score was released in two volumes by [[Victor Entertainment]].