Discotek Media has released The Big O: The Complete Paradigm, a Blu-ray collection that brings together both seasons of the anime and all 26 episodes. The set is priced at $49.95 and includes the series in Japanese with English subtitles and in English dub. It is presented in 1.33:1 and 4:3 aspect ratios at 1080p high definition.
The release was announced in August as one of several major titles from Discotek for the year. Alongside The Big O: The Complete Paradigm, the company announced collected editions of Toradora!, Penguindrum, Lupin the 3rd: Part II-Part IV, Outlanders, Digimon Frontier, New Female Scorpion #701, Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends and Kamen Rider Super-1.
Created by Hajime Yatate, The Big O premiered in 1999 and introduced a mecha anime experience shaped by detective noir. It centers on Roger Smith, a professional negotiator in Paradigm City, where a mysterious event caused all citizens to lose their memories forty years earlier. With robot R. Dorothy Wayneright, butler Norman Burg and the towering mecha Big O, Roger takes on various contracts and begins uncovering secrets about the city and his own existence.
The series found a strong following with Western audiences and helped usher in a new wave of anime popularity across North America. Japanese viewership was much lower, and the original episode count was cut in half. Strong critical response and overseas popularity led to a second season, which gave the story its ending. No new The Big O anime has arrived since the interquel manga The Big O: Lost Memory ended in 2003, but the series retains a dedicated fan base and continues to draw new viewers.
Sources: Comic Book Resources.