Birth of the Big O
Keith "JC" Hayward (with permission from Bandai Entertainment)

Please note all text boxes are notes by August Ragone (Henshin Online) on what some of the items being talked about refer to.

Character and Mecha Designer Keichi Satou and Director Kazuyoshi Katayama reveal how the Big O was created! For more info on the Big O stop by the official sites here & here.

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Satou: It started first as a gimmick for a toy. That is, the only clear ideas I had were the world looking like Gotham City and having a robot destroy buildings in the streets. Of course, I already had an idea it was going to be piloted by a man in black suit like Roger. Mr. Katayama had just come out of a project....

Katayama: I just had finished "Those Who Hunt Elves" and was having a relaxing new year.

Satou: I was busy with "City Hunter: Goodbye My Sweetheart" and another project. So I went to Mr. Katayama and got him involved saying something like "Wouldn't it be fun to see toys made based on our own robot?"

Katayama: That's right.

Satou: So I asked him to put his images into drawings. I myself am an animator. But the situation did not allow me to do it myself.

Katayama: He said something like "I've got to make a presentation quick. Could you please draw an image board?" So I was playing with some ideas until I got really count up in "City Hunter" production.

Satou: That was about the time when I started asking him to make a new pilot and layout designs.

Katayama: In March or April of 1997, when we were about to really start moving, "Sentimental Journey" production started.

"Long, Long Days of Presentations...."

Katayama: When I first heard the story, I was told, as soon as the designs are set, the toys will be out. Even Mr. Izumi of Bandai said, "Right On!"

Satou: Then, he was blasted into pieces at a meeting at Bandai. We were called into a meeting and told "We understand the weird design and its impact. But there is no assurance as a toy." We basically underestimated the business side of it. So, we thought, "We need a transforming part for the robot," and went back to Bandai. They said, "What's with the adding and removing of different hands?" "Who wants a cargo containger stuck in the robot?" Around then, we decided to throw in some "Thunderbirds" flavor and Katayama drew a vehicle with the style of TB-2. They said, "You don't understand us at all."

Katayama: We were slashed into bits upon our return.

Satou: We were getting tired of rejections and started to resign ourselves to deal only with Bandai Visual. Katayama: Yes... we had enough of the toy idea.

Satou: So we totally changed our attitude.

Katayama: But we decided to talk with Bandai Hobby division, in case the presentation to Bandai Visual fell through.

Satou: Sunrise, as a company, needed some safeguards. About that time Mr. Nakamura became involved.

Katayama: Mr. Izumi was called back to Bandai head-quarters, and Mr.Nakamura came instead.

Katayama: He then, looked as though representing Sunrise and Bandai... and stood....

"...in your way?"

Satou: If I were Masked Rider V3, Mr. Nakamura was Riderman.

Katayama: Around the time, there was a suggestion that we needed more robots to increase the toy sales. That brought about the creation of Big Duo. "Is it true that Mr. Satoh came up with the name "Big O" when he was a child?

Satou: That's right!

Katayama: I thought it came from "Heibon Punch Oh!" (an old men's entertainment magazine)?

Satou: No. It is actually from "Daitetsujin 17"(Great Iron Giant 17).

Katayama: The one that goes "Oh! Oh! Oh!...."

Satou: Yes. Yes. Yes...LOL!

"The body design is a little unusual, isn't it?

Katayama: Ever since Gundam, all body parts -- chest, stomach, and hips, etc. -- have been square.

Satou: Composed of blocks and looking rather industrial.

Katayama: I hated those. That's why we decided not to separate the
chest and hip fromt eh body.

Satou: My first sketch had neither waist nor chest. Also, Eva affected us alot. After seing its waist composed of vertebra-like pieces we agreed "this won't be another block type". So we went for multiple joints. That was because we can always over-emphasize in animation. But, our intention was that it cannot twist its body alot... so we decided to make it rather like a robot suit.

Katayama: Like in live action shows where the robot is a guy in a suit, we rationalized by having two differeint suits - one for straight standing and other for action scenes.

Satou: I told everybody that "if you want to move the joints, feel free to wrinkle it." Everybody was too scared to attempt it though.

"I have never heard of a title that was in development this long."

Satou: We owe a great deal to Sunrise for that. They took good care of us.

Katayama: They were very patient in that they did not sell it in bits and pieces.

Satou: Mr. Sashida also said (later) that, although he did not know how to sell it, he always knew it would make it as a complete property. I complain to him that he should have said that when we needed it most.

"Sorry, but we are running out of space. Let's talk briefly about episode 1."

Katayama: Instead of big action scenes, I would like people to see the hidden aspects, but they aren't anything you should watch for. Roger's normal life-style is reflected in how he pilots the robot. I intended to make in animation what we saw in TV shows like, "Oretachi wa Tenshi da" (We Are Angels) and "Tantei Monogatari"(Detective Story) when we were children. I want people to feel what we felt as children. If people don't feel that way we didn't do a good job.

Satou: It sounds corny to say this after it's already on video/DVD but I would like people to first enjoy the atmosphere of the show. Let's say... take it easy. Just watch it and hopefully you feel "I want to watch the next episode too." Also, I would like people to enjoy how robots with funny 3D curves move. For example, in episode 1 you must wonder why you have to make something like this move, but I am basically saying "I am different from Syd Mead."

Katayama: Watch Dorothy. It has been a long time since we had an edge female character in animation. I think we made her lovable in these stories.