TLDR;
The Dub Talk podcast discusses the English dub of the anime series "The Big O," praising its direction, script writing, and voice acting. The hosts highlight the unique blend of noir, mecha, and Americana in the series, as well as the performances of the voice actors, including Steve Blum, Leah Sargent, and Michael McConnohie. They also touch on the show's production history, cultural impact, and overall quality, recommending it as a timeless classic.
- The dub is praised for its strong direction and script writing, capturing the noir atmosphere and adult tone of the series.
- The voice acting is highlighted, with specific actors and their roles discussed in detail.
- "The Big O" is described as a unique blend of various genres and influences, making it a standout anime series.
Disclaimer [0:04]
The podcast episode contains language and situations that may not be appropriate for all audiences, and listener discretion is advised. It also contains spoilers for the first season of "The Big O." The views and opinions expressed are those of the individual participants and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Dub Talk podcast as a whole.
Intro to The Big O [0:53]
The hosts introduce the episode's topic: "The Big O," a noirish mecha anime series from the Toonami era. They describe it as an underrated gem and a melting pot of ideas, highlighting its unique design philosophy rooted in 1920s-30s noir, 1960s kaiju, and 1950s-60s sci-fi schlock. The series is considered a tribute to cinema, similar to "Cowboy Bebop" but in a different way.
Production Facts and Personal Connection [1:49]
"The Big O" was created by Sunrise in 1999 after their giant robo project, Giant Robo didn't perform well. Sunrise was commissioned to do in-between work on a Warner Brothers animation series, drawing inspiration from the designs of "Batman: The Animated Series" and "Giant Robo." Keiichi Sato, who later directed "Tiger and Bunny" and "Rage of Bahamut Genesis," supervised the animation direction and character designs. The speaker expresses personal admiration for the series, noting its uniqueness and impact.
Toonami Airing and Tokusatsu Comparison [5:14]
"The Big O" aired on Toonami around 2001, alongside "Blue Submarine No. 6," which blew the minds of viewers. The speaker compares the show to tokusatsu, describing it as a cartoon where Batman is a tokusatsu hero. The speaker, who was into American comics before anime, found it cool to see something so batmany done in an anime style.
Theme Song Shenanigans [8:23]
The Sentai blu-ray release of "The Big O" features an opening theme song called "Big O The Show Must Go On" by Runa, which is different from the original opening for season one. The original opening song, also by Runa, was a blatant rip-off of Queen's theme for the "Flash Gordon" movie. Season two had a jazzy instrumental opening that was an obvious rip-off of the theme from "UFO," a Gerry Anderson show from the 70s. The original season two opening didn't make it to home video due to copyright concerns.
Focus on Season 1 and Popularity [11:42]
The podcast focuses on the first season of "The Big O," considering the two seasons as different shows. The second season was only made because Adult Swim supported it. "The Big O" was a flop in Japan but gained popularity in the United States, similar to "Trigun."
ADR Director and Script Writers [12:35]
The ADR director for "The Big O" is Kevin Seymour, and the script writers are Leah Sargent and Mary C. Mason. The direction and script writing are very strong, representing a sweet spot in dubbing where accuracy and interpretation are balanced. The show is rooted in 1940s-50s Americana and references pop culture from various time periods.
Casting and Tone [14:50]
The casting is spot-on, with characters sounding like their voices ought to be coming out of the character designs. The deliveries are a little rough in a couple of places, but that's just 90s dubbing. The script writing feels rooted in reality and takes its noir vibes seriously, with adults talking like adults. The show is made for adults in the sense of tone and pace, rather than being overtly sexual or violent.
Personal Enjoyment and Dub Quality [16:51]
The speaker expresses personal enjoyment of the dub, having watched it at a young age. The casting is really spot on, everyone's well directed, and the script complements everything really well. The show has a Bogart-era film sound to it.
Kevin Seymour's Significance [18:08]
Kevin Seymour's significance in the anime dubbing community is acknowledged, with his direction giving "The Big O" more polish than "Trigun" and "Outlaw Star." Many of the actors were TV actors before they were dub actors, which contributes to the detective noir feel of the show.
Tertiary Characters: Alex Rosewater and Big Ear [21:26]
Alex Rosewater, voiced by Michael Forrest, is compared to Xanatos from "Gargoyles," while Big Ear, voiced by Jameson Price, is the informant for Roger Smith. Jameson Price is known for his roles in "Fate/Zero," "Megalobox," and "Persona 5," while Michael Forrest is best known as Apollo from "Star Trek."
Jameson Price and Michael Forrest Performances [24:19]
Jameson Price's performance as Big Ear is praised for his great deep baritone, while Michael Forrest's portrayal of Alex Rosewater is noted for his cagey and sinister demeanor. Michael Forrest was in the 1967 "Star Trek" series. Many of these actors are TV actors, which is where a lot of the Harmony Gold and Streamline people came from.
Villains: Schwarzwald and Beck Gold [31:40]
The main villains of the first season are Schwarzwald, voiced by Michael McConnohie, and Beck Gold, voiced by Robert Buchholz. Robert Buchholz is also known as Gene Starwind from "Outlaw Star" and is now a dubbing director. Michael McConnohie has been Charles zi Britannia, King Walter in "Seven Deadly Sins," and Captain Teneal in "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure."
Michael McConnohie and Robert Buchholz Performances [34:49]
Michael McConnohie's performance as Schwarzwald is praised for his over-the-top and boisterous portrayal, while Robert Buchholz's performance as Beck Gold is considered one of the weakest. Beck Gold shows up a few more times in season two and gets even more cartoonish.
Campy Villains and Memorable Scenes [37:09]
Both Schwarzwald and Beck are extremely campy and boisterous, with great performances to match. Beck's comedic appearances provide a palette cleanser in the dark and serious show. Michael McConnohie's Schwarzwald is beautifully menacing, especially in the episode where he returns with his own giant robot.
Allies: Dan Dawson, Angel, and Norman Burg [44:44]
Dan Dawson is voiced by Peter Lurie, Angel is voiced by Wendy Lee, and Norman Burg is voiced by Milton James. Peter Lurie was Leatherhead in the 2012 "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" TV show, Wendy Lee is known for her roles as Faye Valentine and Haruhi Suzumiya, and Milton James mostly does video games.
Peter Lurie, Wendy Lee, and Milton James Performances [47:05]
Peter Lurie plays the straight man to Roger Smith's antics, Wendy Lee does a great job as Angel, and Milton James is excellent as Norman, the doting butler. Milton James is fantastic, with his voice being nearly one to one for the character.
Dan Dawson's Weariness and Norman's Britishness [54:29]
Peter Lurie's performance captures Dan Dawson's weariness, while Wendy Lee is fun and bounces off Roger well. Milton James, despite being American, delivers an aggressively British performance as Norman, reminiscent of Alfred Pennyworth.
Main Characters: Dorothy Wainwright and Roger Smith [1:01:15]
Dorothy Wainwright is voiced by Leah Sargent, and Roger Smith is voiced by Steve Blum. Leah Sargent has been Judy in "Cowboy Bebop" and Millie in "Trigun," while Steve Blum is known for his roles as Spike Spiegel and Wolverine.
Leah Sargent as Dorothy and Steve Blum as Roger [1:03:59]
Leah Sargent is perfect as Dorothy, maintaining artificiality without being monotonous. Steve Blum is too good as Roger, with his noir narration and portrayal of a rich layabout. Their repartee is really well done.
Dorothy's Humanity and Roger's Duality [1:15:27]
Dorothy has some understanding of how humans behave and tries to emulate it, while Steve Blum does a great job with the duality of Roger Smith, balancing the cool negotiator with the sloppy bachelor. The dynamic between the characters feels organic.
Final Thoughts on the Dub [1:19:58]
The Big O is timeless and still holds up well. The dub is well done by people who get the genre and understand how to deliver the lines. The world feels alive, and everyone interacts like an adult.
Lasting Legacy and Recommendation [1:21:27]
The Big O is a wonderful show with well-grounded and mature character dynamics. It is a product of every decade of American pop culture and is not referenced or utilized enough in US pop culture. The dub is really solid, and the show is great TV.
Minor Roles and Overall Quality [1:23:40]
Even the minor characters are great, with Kirk Thornton giving a phenomenal performance as R. Instro. The show is completely worth your time.
Streaming and Blu-ray Availability [1:25:57]
The dub of The Big O can be found for streaming on High Dive and Verve. Sentai has put out a very nice blu-ray set that has season one and season two.
Patron Shout-outs [1:27:45]
Thank you to our lovely patrons for supporting what we do. Thank you to our five dollar tier B Morris, Crimson Echidna, Michelle Travis, Miraculous Corazon, and Nico Robin but with Yowie hands. And thank you and thank you to our our members at our ten dollar tier Anthony Simpson, Carly Leicester Cow, Jacob Wilson, J2 aka Jared, Julia W, and Marissa Lente.
Plugs and Sign-offs [1:28:47]
Roots of Justice can be found on Twitter at roots of justice, where they retweet animal pics and talk general fandom stuff. Amon can be found on Twitter at duel us, where they talk about movies, books, comic books, and music. Like the watcher is working on a webcomic and other writing projects, with updates posted on Twitter at like the watcher. The unofficial dusty old songs for this episode are Flash Theme by Queen and the theme from UFO. The official one is the album I Robot by the Alan Parsons Project. Make sure to follow us at the dub talk twitter, subscribe to that patreon hit that bell. We've got audio podcasts now in a couple of places you can find us on podbean if you're not into the youtube thing.