New Behind-The-Scenes Info on The Big-O Season 2

[LightningCount]

ANNCast at animenewsnetwork.com ran an interview with the co-creator of Toonami, Jason DeMarco. A small bit of new info came out about The Big-O's history. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/anncast ... -27/.85411

Starts at 30:35 - The new info, abbreviated here: "...My contribution was more...steering the story a little bit. Because it was going to be even crazier...I will confess, we sort of asked the creators, 'Can you pull back a teensy bit...You don't have to tell people why things are happening, but you do have to tell them what is happening'...It sort of changed the way...the shape of the show a little bit..."

There are also a few tidbits on IGPX and Space Dandy.

But now more than ever, I really want to know more about what was changed, and what Season 3 would have been.

[Deacon Blues]

Where does this notion of a "Season 3" even come from? There was never any indication from the get go that there would be one... the show ended the way it did for a reason.

[LightningCount]

Where does this notion of a "Season 3" even come from? There was never any indication from the get go that there would be one... the show ended the way it did for a reason.

Here is the evidence I've compiled over the years regarding Season 3:

**6/9/2003: Animenewsnetwork.com
"More Big O"
According to Television Week, Cartoon Network has an option for 26 more episodes of "The Big O" should the series do well on Adult Swim. That's 26 additional episodes after the 13 new ones.

**Sometime between 11/2003 and 9/2004
Head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka, had the Big-O logo up on his website on a sidebar with the statement, "Do you want to see 3rd?"

**1/5/2005 Toonzone.net Interview with CN Producer Sean Akins
ToonZone: Toonami's helped get new episodes of some old shows on the air, like ReBoot and The Big O. Are there any series you'd like to see continued?

Sean Akins (CN Producer): The Big O, we co-produced that second season. I thought it was a great project, I liked it a lot. But I think it's a little bit too cerebral. It started off on Toonami and moved to Adult Swim, and it did okay but it wasn't really burning it up. I would love to see that finished, but I think the likelihood of that is slim to none. Mainly, these days we're trying to make new shows, co-produce new shows, and get some new things on the air instead of looking back.

**12/6/2005 Letter Response
I received this email inquiry response from head writer, Chiaki J. Konaka:
Hello.
Thank you for enjoying "The Big-O".
Unfortunately, there is no project about the "Season 3".
But If you and fans of "The Big-O" want it,
The staff of "The Big-O" could be reunion.
Regards.
cjk

**2/2006 Kim Manning's Ask Adult Swim Q&A
Question: And what is up with Big O Season 3?
Answer: I wasn't in on this, so I asked Jason DeMarco, who was involved in production for season 2, and here's what he said: "Unfortunately, I don't think it can happen. The ratings and DVD sales in the US and Japan were middling. The only reason Bandai made season 2 was because we asked them to, as a matter of fact. I myself am happy with the ending of the story in season 2, though the writer, Chiaki Konaka, told me he did have another idea for season 3....there you go!"

**Extras:
There are some additional hints in "The Big O Official Guide" book with unused art assets and an alternate ending script to the last episode of Season 2. The latter has been detailed most recently here: http://seventhstyle.com/2013/05/20/the- ... -happened/

[teslashark]

The Big O's ending is posed to leave a possibility to have a third season or a sequel. We know that Paradigm City can reset its time, but there is still an unexplored post-apocalyptic world outside.

[Deacon Blues]

I always took it that it was part of the act... to make people think there was something out there that wasn't. *shrug*

I don't know why people obsess over it. I think it's hilarious how many conclusions can be made about the ending... that's how shows should end.

[LightningCount]

I always took it that it was part of the act... to make people think there was something out there that wasn't. *shrug*

I don't know why people obsess over it. I think it's hilarious how many conclusions can be made about the ending... that's how shows should end.

I understand the sentiment. I do think the S2 ending that is has a nice mystique, but there is also a lot of potential left in the material. Especially in the late revelations. Still, maybe things are better left unsaid. Hard to know. But I would be interested to hear what would have been done with those developments, especially since it was said to be "crazier." And also, especially since there was so much goodwill to start with at S2 that they thought they might extend it an additional 26 episodes before the new 13 ones had even aired!

[teslashark]

I always took it that it was part of the act... to make people think there was something out there that wasn't. *shrug*

I don't know why people obsess over it. I think it's hilarious how many conclusions can be made about the ending... that's how shows should end.

There's still the "real" past, which did exist until something happened at the underground world expo.