Acclaimed boutique home video label Discotek Media is preparing a massive wave of classic home media re-releases, highlighted by a legendary sci-fi title that defined the golden age of Toonami.
In a recent announcement shared on X (formerly Twitter), the publisher revealed its upcoming October lineup of Blu-ray and DVD titles, featuring several beloved cult-classic anime and genre series.
Fans can currently secure pre-orders for high-definition editions of the mecha staple The Big O, alongside Toradora!, Penguindrum, Lupin the 3rd: Part II through Part IV, Outlanders, and Digimon Frontier. The slate is rounded out by special Blu-ray re-releases of New Female Scorpion #701, the nostalgic animated cult favorite Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends, and the tokusatsu classic Kamen Rider Super-1.
Undoubtedly, the crown jewel of this wave is The Big O, a quintessential pillar of late-1990s and early-2000s television programming. Developed for Studio Sunrise by character designer Keiichi Sato and director Kazuyoshi Katayama, the series unfolds inside Paradigm City, a sprawling, futuristic metropolis overseen by the omnipotent Paradigm Corporation.
The city’s entire population lost their recollections during a cataclysmic event 40 years prior that seemingly wiped out the rest of the planet. The narrative centers on Roger Smith, an elite negotiator operating alongside his loyal butler, Norman Burg, and R. Dorothy Wayneright—an intelligent young android whom Roger takes in after failing to rescue her creator from a dangerous terrorist faction.
When negotiations fail, Roger pilots the Big O, a devastating, giant mecha left behind as a relic of the forgotten era. He utilizes the colossal machine to protect Paradigm City from various threats, many of which are secretly orchestrated by the ambitious corporate chairman Alex Rosewater in his quest for supreme power.
Although its initial 13-episode run faced a muted response in Japan—resulting in a halved episode order—the noir-inspired mecha series achieved massive critical acclaim and a passionate following across Western markets. This overwhelming international enthusiasm ultimately paved the way for the production of a continuation, The Big O II, in 2003.
Discotek Media’s new Blu-ray wave—including The Big O, Toradora!, Penguindrum, Lupin the 3rd (Parts II–IV), Outlanders, Digimon Frontier, New Female Scorpion #701, Roswell Conspiracies: Aliens, Myths and Legends, and Kamen Rider Super-1—is available for pre-order now and will officially hit retail shelves on October 27, 2026.
- Release Date
- 1999 – 2003
- Network
- WOWOW Prime, Tokyo MX, Chiba TV
- Directors
- Ikuro Sato, Tooru Kitahata, Kazuyoshi Katayama, Masakazu Obara, Sumio Watanabe
- Writers
- Chiaki J. Konaka, Keiichi Hasegawa
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Mitsuru Miyamoto
Roger Smith (voice)
-
Akiko Yajima
R. Dorothy Wayneright (voice)