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US Licencee: Bandai Entertainment
"Voldenuit" from the Anime on DVD forum wrote his thoughts on movies, books, etc. that he's found similaries with Big O:
I wanted to make this a thread where we can comment on the cultural references used in The Big O, as well as discussing them further. I loved all the little bits of references to old movies, books and other anime present in this series, and I believe that a failure to appreciate these subtle touches has made many people dismissive of this show as simply another Batman clone. So, without further ado, let's get at'em! FYI I am listing the source material first and then expositing on it. 1. Batman. Roger Smith is Bruce Wayne. Anyone can see that. He has the clothes, the mansion/penthouse, the butler, the car, the bat-a-rang on a string in his watch. They even look alike. Also, Dorothy's "surname" is WAYNEright. Wayne, right? A three year old with uncorrected astigmatism could see this one.
2. Asimov. More specifically, Asimov's robot novels, featuring human detective Elijah Baley and Spacer robot R. Daneel Olivaw. In the books, humans live in domed cities, and are afraid to venture outside. In TBO, humans live in domed cities and are loathe to venture outside.
3. Asimov. The honorific R. to be prefaced to the names of robots is something only Asimov used, to my knowledge. In fact, he only used them in the four Elijah and Daneel novels, and in a single short story, again featuring Elijah and Daneel*. Also, note the similarities between R. _D_aneel Oliva_W_ and R. _D_orothy _W_ayneright.
4. Dark City. In Paradigm city, all the inhabitants lost their memories 40 years ago. In Dark City, the inhabitants of the city live with manufactured memories without their knowledge.
5. Lupin. Angel is basically Fujiko. They look the same, act the same, and are both a hindrance and a great foil to the main character.
6. Film Noir. Countless references in the music, mood and style of the city and its inhabitants. Shots of alleyways, streetlights etc.
7. Cowboy Bebop. Dastun is Jet Black with even less hair (poor guy). He is a by-the-books guy who is continually flustered by the erratic actions of his (ex)partner. Sound familiar?
8. The Big Sleep. 1946 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall. Bogart is a PI who is hired by Bacall to protect her and to find out about her troublesome sister, but things get more complicated than they seem. This premise is very reminiscent of the first 2 episodes of TBO, as Smith is contracted by Dorothy to protect her, and feels obligated to continue searching for her "sister", Dorothy I. Of course, Bogart didn't have to deal with giant robots!
9. The Shadow. One sequence in TBO where they are hoisting a clock hand up to a clock tower strikes me as very reminiscent of the "construction site" in The Shadow where Kahn was hiding his base. I'm not too sure about this coz I haven't seen the film in a long time, and it wasn't particularly memorable.
10. Batman again. The relationship between Smith and Dastun is similar to the relationship between Batman and Commisioner Gorder, though of course, it is a lot more antagonistic.
Any more takers? I am sure the scene of Dorothy singing in the nightclub must have appeared in many, many movoies, but I am unable to name a reference outside Rebecca Rabbit's appearance in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Also, TBO seems to have taken a book out of many classic giant robot series and parody them. This is why I enjoy the short, requisite robot battles in almost every episode, because I see them as making fun of the genre rather than as a vital element of the show.
* For those who are interested, that short stoy was called "Mirror Image", and has appeared in the anthology "The Complete Robot". It is notable as the only short story appearance of Elijah and Daneel.
All names and images are property of their owner, and only used as a reference. Except where noted, text and layout ©2000-2004 Jeff DeMaagd.
Last Updated: 2004 September 5
Updated: 2001 July 15
Created: 2001 July 15