The Big O The Big O is a retro-futuristic, neo-noir, mecha anime that was released on October 13th, 1999 by studio Sunrise. It was birthed by Giant Robo's unfortunate commercial failure and by creators' Kazuyoshi Katayama and Keiichi Sato's shared passion to create their own show much in the vein of Giant Robo. It pays tribute to animation and tokusatsu from the 70s and 60s and to the American audiences that Katayama and Sato felt were key to anime's acceptance and continued growth.
Kazuyoshi Katayama Co-creator and director of The Big O. An "established Pro of robot dramas," Katayama pulled from his experience and appreciation of retro Toku to build an anime that would appeal to young and old and to be a wonderful homage to 60s pop-culture. His directorial style uses harsh angles and claustrophobically composed shots, typically to enunciate mechanical detail.
Keiichi Sato Co-creator and character/mechanical designer for Big O. Outside of wanting to make a show with the same heart as Giant Robo, Sato also wanted to make a toy show that could be marketed differently than GUNDAM--and whether that toy idea failed or not, he wanted to make a show completely different than any other robot anime on TV to truly make it memorable. His unorthodox design language stems from wanting viewers to know that "[he] is not Syd Mead."
Chiaki J. Konaka Series supervisor and main writer. Konaka is best known for his work on Serial Experiments Lain and Digimon Tamers. His darker writing style matches his appreciation for Lovecraftian mythology and he implements elritch tones into his works. He is also responsible for the creation of R. Dorothy Wayneright.
Hitoshi Ariga Writer and illustrator of the Big O manga series. Most notable for his continued work in the Pokemon franchise as a designer and illustrator and the MegaMan franchise as writer and illustrator. Loves his cat.