The series detailed an Earth in the future when some type of cataclysmic event (or invasion) took place. The people and robots all had their memories erased and had to muddle through as best they could. The first season took place forty years after that event, and as the series progressed, clues were discovered that help the lead character, Roger Smith, figure out what took place. He is a former military man who has assumed the role of a negotiator, a man that is something of a combination bodyguard, private eye, and general fix-it man that is hired by people to take care of things for them. The city is under a series of large domes to protect the citizens from the harsh elements and there are other cities around the world that have similar problems. Roger also has the distinction of controlling a large mega-deux, a mech robot with astounding powers, in a fashion by piloting it as emergencies arise.

Season one lasted only thirteen episodes and left with a cliffhanger ending where Roger and his robot were fighting three large robots from somewhere else. Whether the producers ran out of money, the ratings weren't high enough, or any of the other reasons a series is left unfinished took place, the uproar of the ending caused an American company to finance another set of episodes to finish it all out. A worthy task considering that fans are often treated like cattle in terms of what we're subjected to, and how our wishes are routinely ignored.

In the latest DVD, The Big O II: Paradigm Lost (vol. 1), the four episodes pick up a while after the last series ended. Thankfully, while a bit confusing, it also provided a lot of exposition in order to bring new fans up to speed. The anime style was similar to the new Batman series (they were made by the same people I believe), which is a bit retro in nature. The writing was good enough that I even went out and ordered the first four DVD's from the first release, soon to arrive for my personal enjoyment (not bad considering how thrifty I've become lately). Here's a breakdown of the episodes by the events taking place, without too many spoilers for you, and numbering them as though they are in order with the first set of discs:

Episode Fourteen: Roger The Wanderer: This episode recapped much of what took place in the first series. Roger is lost in Paradigm City and doesn't remember anything of the events that took place previously. He runs around town and eventually comes to grips with his place in the world. Most of the episode is told through flashbacks, which are sometimes hard to follow, but by the end, I had a good idea of exactly what was going on.

Episode Fifteen: Negotiation With The Dead: Roger takes an assignment to look for an android that looks like Dorothy but has the ability to kill, something of a rarity in this advanced world based on Asimov's I, Robot themes. Roger teams up with Angel, a competitor of sorts, in order to solve a case that may break the entire mystery behind the event of forty years ago. Perhaps the last person alive with an intact memory is up for grabs and while Roger fights another mega-deux for survival, will he also be able to save this one man?

Episode Sixteen: Day Of The Advent: Some of Roger's enemies from the past appear and they appear to have him figured out. As he seeks to discover what they know about the lost memories, they send an old satellite, an "Angel", to destroy the area outside of the town, where the poor people live. The people are hoping it's something with the answers, having lost all knowledge of man-made satellites, and only Roger and the Big O can save them.

Episode Seventeen: Leviathan: Roger is taken to task by the corporation officials who insist he fulfill his contract that might lead to answers of the questions many have. While he waits for the next attack, by means of the Black Mega-Deux, Roger uses his detective abilities to scout out the city in order to solve the mystery. As more clues appear, it becomes apparent that he's getting close and that upsets some people. Trapped without the means to contact the Big O, Roger must fend for himself in order to save the day when another mega-deux attacks the city.

The show was impressive on several levels to me. The technical aspects were certainly solid and even with the minimalist animation style employed here, it looked really good. Further, the audio was a notch or two above what I've been used to in some series, particularly with the English 5.1 track. While a few more extras would've been nice, I appreciated that there were four full episodes when a lot of companies are cheaping out and only giving three per DVD. I guess the fact that I ordered the four previous discs tells you that I think this one was worth a rating of Highly Recommended. I hope the rest of the series is as good as this disc and maintains a high level of overall quality.

Picture: The picture was presented in the standard 1.33: ratio full frame color that is the current industry standard. It was crisp and clear with no artifacts or other visual problems worth mentioning. Considering how new the series is, I kind of expected as much but you never know how producers will cut corners.

Sound: The audio was presented with a choice of a 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround English track or a 2.0 Dolby Digital track for either English or Japanese (with optional English subtitles on each of them). This is a new series and I expected a lot out of it. Thankfully, the folks at Bandai didn't let me down as there was a lot of separation between the channels, a rich bass track, and some rather solid special effects tracks to go with well-made music tracks. I think the 5.1 track was the best in terms of overall quality but the original language track had plenty of appeal too.

Extras: The extras were somewhat minimal this time but compensated for by the inclusion of four episodes on the DVD. There were three trailers, an image gallery, some credits and a paper insert that had some pictures of the show. I'd have preferred an insert with detailed background data and some interviews on the DVD but considering the history of the show, it's surprising it was made at all.

Final Thoughts: I think this was well worth such a strong recommendation based on the content and technical qualities presented in the disc. The futuristic setting contrasted the retro feel of the story and made me really want to find out more of what happened to the characters, both before (in the previous series) and after (those that lie ahead). As engaging as it was, I think a lot of people are going to appreciate it as a thoughtful series that doesn't rely too heavily on the robot battles, taking the high road instead with solid writing and direction. Big O II is a breath of fresh air in a crowded market, hopefully signifying a sign of better things to come.