If the absolute mad man behind Johnny the Homicidal Maniac can be asked to write a kids show, I have no problem believing the equally insane guy being Sin City could have a comic adapted.
I remember Big Guy and Rusty quite fondly, it was one of my favorite shows growing up, and even my Dad loved it so. If you enjoy over-the-top action, epic one-liners, and the interactions of well-written characters, and don't mind the near-future sci-fi technobabble, then you will certainly enjoy Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. Also, I'm honestly kinda disappointed you never mentioned the theme song.
Tim Curry, like everything he's in, is the best thing about the show and completely steals it despite only being in about 2 episodes. Good stuff. The guy would voice a disney princess and still manage to pull it off expertly.
I think a big reason why Rusty never had Pinocchio Syndrome was because at no point does anyone (outside of Quark's D-Bag CEO) question or doubt that Rusty's feelings are anything but real and genuine. He never doubts himself in that regard or regrets the fact that he can feel emotions or think they're any less genuine than a human being. If anything he takes PRIDE in that he's able to feel and experience so much.
I'm not the only one who heaved a sigh of relief that Big Guy and Rusty still holds up, right? Rusty's a good example of how to do kid characters without making the audience want to boil them in oil, and the Big Guy manages that fine line between cheesy sincerity and utter seriousness. I can't recall a moment where the show ever went back on its particular charm, and I love it for that. Even if the DVD is cheap crap, I might just track it down sometime.
Alas, my Revolutionary War brain forces me to remember that the War wasn't for independence until 1776, Washington wasn't at Lexington OR Concord, and even if he was, he would've still considered himself a British citizen.
I like how, from a design standpoint, both Big Guy and Rusty look like the US answers to Gigantor and Astro Boy. In fact, both characters look like what a fictional US scientist during the height of 50s sci-fi would have designed upon being told "We need our own Gigantor! We need our own Astro Boy! For science! For MURRCA!" And then add on top of that the "giant robot pilot" element, and implemented in such a clever way, and... wow, I really like this, I really want to watch this. :D Also, I think Rusty embracing the fact that he's a robot might be another nod to Japanese sci-fi in general which, on average, tends to have more positive content regarding such matters. If there's one thing I believe really bogs down sci-fi, it's the over-prevalence of all these "rogue AI" and "renegade robot" ideas, and these ideas that machines are inferior and must strive to be human, etc. It gets annoying after a while, mainly because of the sheer human arrogance underlying all these ideas. EXCEL SAGAAAA~ HAIL ILPALAZZOOOOOOO~
It can easily be argued that Batman: the Brave and the Bold did what Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot did only a few years ago for a new generation of kids. And it lasted slightly longer, too. Hell, Batman and Blue Beetle's relationship sort of echoes that of Big Guy and Rusty's.
"Favorite anime of all time." Looks and raises eyebrows. "Why are you looking at me like that?" I died. The timing and forthought of that is brilliant.
"My favorite anime of all time" Raises a DVD of Excel Saga. Me: "Really?" A confused look on my face. I've seen it! "Why are looking at me like that?" OK, now I have got to see the next episode.
Why would one give looks to Sage for Excel Saga being one of his favorite anime of all time? >.> It deserves that title, easily. Few shows have pulled off such madcap humor so well.
I never got the impression that this show was super genuine about its patriotism. Even when I first saw it, it always came off to me as a bit sarcastic in a good natured way.
Best Lex Luthor joke.. Donald Trump. When I was kid I though that Lex becoming president was funny in its absurdity, when I'm grown man I see that on my own eyes, and it is not funny anymore 0_0
regardless of whether it broke him. holy terror killed any sympathy i might have had for the guy. there is such a thing as going too far... even to vent.
Sage, Big Guy and Rusty really was a great show. Thanks for sharing this with us all. It was a part of my childhood as well. The Insanity approves of this
I didn’t even remember this show existed until I was reminded of it about a week ago! It’s so weird when you’re blindsided by something you haven’t thought of in almost 2 decades!
There’s a similar show to this called symbiotic titan, I consider it an underrated cartoon because it was made by genndy terakovsky the guy who made samurai jack. It’s underrated because it’s in my opinion besides some cliches really good and it was never finished. It needs more love.
chase ross IIRC Symbionic Titan was shut down because of parental advocates finding out about its risque plotlines. Ironic that it was aimed at teenage audiences which those same kinds of plotlines would be both common and realistic for. Genndy has had a rough career..
shadowspider9 Where are the Symbionic Titan toys? Pretty sure they never produced any since its simplified animation style makes it very difficult to make anything but collectibles. I mean it's not impossible they made some, but I guarantee you toy sales were not the reason it was cancelled. It was the same reason Samurai Jack was cancelled BTW. The network didn't like the image it portrayed, so they put it into a later time slot and quietly cancelled it from their lineup.
I was out of high school when Big Guy & Rusty aired on Fox Kids (if I'm remembering the date right, at the least I was a high school senior) and I loved the show. I still do and I'm hoping to get this DVD someday now that I know about it.( I think Hulu had it for awhile too.) My childhood equivalent in the not-quite-anime category would be Mighty Orbots, basically "what if the Voltron lions were actually sentient robots instead of piloted mecha". I heard that one came out recently on DVD as well, and I really want it!
The brain spider episodes always got me as a kid. I don't know why, but both of his episodes were a real challenge to sit through and made my skin crawl.
Megas was two seasons of awesome TV without a single dud episode. I think it just ran into the problem a lot of these shows do where sometimes it's slightly too high brow in concept for most of the demographic it's targeting in its timeslot.
mokinokaro I wouldn’t say too high brow it’s basically giant robots fighting which anyone would love plus megas XLR was apart of those old kids would pick a pilot to be turned into a show so that’s probably not it but more issues behind the scenes like expense or something else
I don't think it was anything to do with the writing or anything like that. Cartoon Network has had a lot of trouble with keeping their action shows in general for the past 20 years. They seem to find them not as profitable or desirable as the easier to make, more child friendly comedies.
I make it a habit to spam Netflix's show request page with that show every once in a while. Weirdly despite being written off, you can still buy it on Xbox Live (And supposedly Itunes.). :|
Thanks so much for making this. You are one of very few people who grew up watching Big Guy and Rusty like my brother and I. Hearing Big Guy's voice is always a wonderful trip down Memory Lane. Bless you
I remember recording this series in full through its second run life during Fox Kids' ending days and enjoying it quite a bit though I should admit that I am a massive nerd when it comes to giant monsters and giant robots so I'm terribly bias in that regard. But YOU, Bennett, like Dr. Axel Donovan to my Dr. Neugog, actually gave me some food for thought on the series and how subversively joyful it could be. I totally agree that in an age where any form of fiction that goes out of its way to fun and lighthearted without being dumb about it only to have general audiences brush it off as 'cheesy' or 'a guilty pleasure' (two terms I despise) a show like Big Guy would be hard to sell. Very nice video and I look forward to your thoughts on Excel Saga.
So Big Guy, and American robot voiced by Optimus Prime (a character I find stands for what is right and good in the world), has a Japanese robot sidekick and they save the world together. As an American who has great respect for our Japanese ally, I like the symbolism of America and Japan trying to save the world together. EDIT - Aww, it is a mech where the voice synthesizer makes it sound like Optimus Prime.
Well, if you want to inspire hope and project leadership, as a mech, there's no better voice to do that with than that of Optimus Prime. Who else would you pick, Megatron? Starscream? SOUNDWAVE?!
This was one of my favorite Fox Kids show!! I was in my mid 30's and I loved it, my daughter was 2 or 3 years old and when the theme song would come on she started dancing. I started taping the entire series on VHS. I still look at them every now and then. ( Yes I have a working VHS player)
One of, if not the best animated series I have EVER had the pleasure of watching. Thank you, for reviewing this and showing it the honor it rightly deserves.
I don’t know about the rest of the modern audience of mass consumers, but I can’t help but have a triumphant tear in my eye every time I hear something so earnestly, sincerely, and bombastically patriotic come out of a character like Captain America, or The Big Guy.
no kidding, if its one thing that the last election proved is that many Americans are through with the pussy footing anti American dogma that was threatening this great country....and no, it does note prove that the majority of America are closet nazis. though one thing i would disagree with for this series is the anti capitalism message. capitalism is one of the things that had made America the powerhouse that it is,and almost every socialist program just drains the bank if our deficit is to prove anything (and how ultimately how disastrous it was Venezuela, it is as an example of the horrific pitfalls of socialism).
Can't help but make this political, eh comrade? The election proved two things: Hillary was an absolutely awful candidate. 2. Americans really easily fall for media and social network manipulation (and I'm not just talking about the Russians.) The way the right wing propaganda machine has gone into overdrive this year is extremely telling. They're terrified because the house of cards is collapsing.
As long as we remember that true patriotism isn't blindly agreeing with everything the government does. Nor does it mean attacking the government for every little thing just because you don't like the guy at the top or the current party in power. We need to acknowledge the bad, but we can't forget to also acknowledge the good. There is always room for improvement.
Surprised you didnt point out this show was produced by Duane Capizzi, same producer who showrunned MiB: The Series, Jackie Chan Adventures and Godzilla: The Series. Guy never gets his due among 90s Animation creative minds like Greg Wiseman, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, etc.
Maybe next time he does one of these months. Heck he might be able to cover both in a bit longer episode since I believe they had most of the same people behind them.
I must've not remembered Big Guy and Rusty all that well, but apparently I _did_ watch it here and there, having watched Fox Kids a lot. Goddamn, there were a lot of gems on that network that I overlooked or just forgotten. Wish I could tell my seven-year-old self to take it easy.
I remember watching this when I was 3 and I couldn't find any info on it. All I remembered was the time Rusty met his doppleganger, despite seeing so many episodes. I eventually gave up and figured that if it was so obscure that it probably wasn't that good. Thanks for bringing back this memory, Sage, and for once not shit on it.
While discussing Fox Kids, any chance of reviewing "The Pirates of Dark Water"? Definitely anime-esque, even if it's not as heavily-inspired as this one was.
@@jojidixonmidnightotaku2354 It was enjoyable while it lasted - th-cam.com/video/vVm2-UTfLks/w-d-xo.html Unfortunately, from what I've read about the production, it got cancelled due to production costs being *really* high.
I love how Big Guy's voice actor is basically doing a quite serviceable impression of 80s Peter Cullen. Cullen *was* the badass robot voice of the decade, voicing not just Optimus Prime and Ironhide, but also the giant robot from _Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs_ (in a voice much like Prime's) and KARR (KITT's evil twin). He also narrated and played King Alfor in _Voltron_.
As a Englishmen I say "WOO AMERICA!" I love this way of things. Its better than being a downer. Be prideful and bombastic but remember your heart for others, for that is your pride too. Love it.
Seriously. Why is patriotism seen as this big evil now? It's ridiculous. I tell ya man, We need more entertainment that lets us enjoy our countries more.....Thankfully for me, that entertainment is just around the corner in Metal Wolf Chaos XD. I cannot wait for that game.
I remember this show was awesome when I was a kid. I am glad it still holds up even if it can't be replicated now adays. Thanks for covering this Bennett. :)
Consider this, an entire generation has grown up along side the web version of the net. And some of the cynicism can be blamed on one September. It was either die a little inside, or start maturing faster.
While not being american myself.....the spirit that for the most part exhuded from this show was always infectious and i think you summed up what i really liked about a lot of 90s shows and its the essential optimism that was found and the variety that was found in them for me because ive kinda grown tired of the cynicsm that exists in a decent ammount of more mature cartoons these days. Plus i do miss how we couldve had a cartoon about almost anything back then and even with how generous Netflix is these days i feel it pales in comparison to what was being made back then in terms of what they choose to make a cartoon out of it was stupid and i loved it.
Loved this show, I was crushed when it didn't get another season. Glad it's finally available for home video, just put my order in. Lots of other great shows still unreleased.
Absolutely adored this show as a kid. Love the throwback feel of it. Finally read the comic a few years ago and it is also great. I neednto rewatch this series.
Great review and show. A lot of a fun an alcohol went into the making of this show. Good times! Also, fun note. The Pilot of Big Guy was voiced by Tom Hanks Brother Jim Hanks. We joked that it was like getting Tom Hanks on a budget!
To be fair, I was more than happy forgetting that damn thing for good. :P In a good game, we would have been fighting the colossal unstoppable robot, not have it turn the final battle into a complete joke!
Hey, I've watched Extreme Ghostbusters recently and as much 90s cheese as there is its still pretty great. XD Edit: Also as someone that loved Excel Saga, lets DO THIS! I'm down.
Extreme Ghostbusters was stupid fun. Despite the name, it wasn't really edgy and had a great cast. It was a lot better than the last years of the Real Ghostbusters when studio meddling struck.
Yeah. XGB, while not perfect, certainly did have its charms and is perhaps more than a little underrated. Phelous did a pretty good retrospective on it. You should check it out.
I remember seeing this show at least twice. One where Rusty felt pain and another where he teams up with another robot of himself whom he accidentally resetted by giving him an impossible command.
I actually do remember watching this as a kid, especially that one episode where Rusty wanted a real weapon that included the line, "You're my puppet, Rusty!" But really, if you're looking for something for Not-Quite-Anime month, give the Viewtiful Joe series a peek.
To the contrary, I think a slightly corny "truth, justice and the american way" sort of show like Big Guy and Rusty would be a smashing success these days. Slap an angle in the first ep of the return of the show of Rusty (now an old model and aware that Big Guy was never a robot but at peace with it) noting that he's getting too old for this and that America seems to have forgotten AMERICA!!! and wishing Big Guy were still around to be a symbol of that, but the Lt is old and in a desk job. Queue his spunky daughter he doesn't want being in the military taking up his mantle as Big Guy, Rusty being the mentor but pretending to be a sidekick again, and Rusty teaching rebellious. cynical teenage daughter (who's commentary on modern views) about AMERICA!! I would watch the hell out of that.
Big GUY...not Big Girl. We don't have to gender swap everything ! Why can't it be his rebellious SON ? At this point it'd be the exception to the norm with this weird and constant push to make girls more "Manly" and the constant heroes. ...otherwise, yeah, i'm down with this idea !
Hell ya! Excelsaga! I'm excited. Also thank you for your work saga on this and other videos. It really is a lot of fun watching these videos you make. ^-^
"Fun" fact, thanks to Tim Curry's portrayal as the brain eating giant mutant spider I was afraid of him (specifically his voice) for the better part of my childhood. Which also included prolific nightmares.
I would love to see The Big Guy & Rusty come back to comics. Especially with how many people love the atomic punk feel and able to take historical ideas, similar to Atomic Robo, and run with it
The idea back then was make a joke you want to stick and then make one that's worse to act as bait. They'll catch the bait and miss the first one. They've kinda stopped caring now thanks to the PG label that's on tv now for kids.
I wouldn't mind seeing a more mature version of Big Guy. Sticking closer to the comic's gore and death. I remember reading that book and going, "What miserable sicko wrote this, and the artwork is beautiful!". This was one of those stories that got me into reading comic books. I didn't watch the cartoon all that as a kid because of how shit gets dumbed down. But I am very surprised at how much is dumbed down, and how it continues on from the comics. So I'll be taking a look-see at the entire series today. Thanks for the wonderful review.
This is a big issue I have with the producers of today. I am NOT too cynical to enjoy a show like this anymore. I can't be the only one. Savvy be damned. It's the audience's fault for demanding originality out of everything. >_>
Yeah, it can get rather tiring of everything constantly winking at you in fictionland. "I know you've seen this before. It's silly right?" Well, yeah. Ever occurred to (the metaphorical) you that i wanna see it again?
Cyclical cycles of media churning out what a new audience believes to be the new big thing while eye rolling at what they consider old hat and outdated. Shits been going on since the 80’s and will continue going on, frankly I’m just glad we still have stayovers from those earlier eras that refuse to change their tone like SouthPark while new shows come about to thrive within the environment their given like adventure time and Ricardo and Mortimer.
I know that this show ran here on tv for at least a short bit but I missed it pretty much completely. Looks like I have to track it down some time to give it a watch.
Bennett this was a great episode! I oddly enough rarely look back at a show and realize it's shit, because I remember often times that it was shit or rather I just took it at the time for what it was. One movie I always go back to though was Samson and Sally. It was translated into Swedish, it's so dark it isn't amazing by any means but it's so dark for a kids movie. Think Fallout but from a Whales perspective. I have no idea what to make of it at all, kinda wish I had shows like you guys did Big Guy and Rusty looks awesome.
![[FULL EP.14] เซียนหรั่ง สอน มาร์ชจุ จับปูนา ฮากระจาย | เฮ็ดอย่างเซียนหรั่ง | One Playground](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/M8mPjd_T2lo/mqdefault.jpg)
As the voice of The Big Guy, I really appreciate your well done piece. Sorry it took me so long to see it. Thank you!
Thanks for being the voice of one heroic American!
Wait, are you really?
If the absolute mad man behind Johnny the Homicidal Maniac can be asked to write a kids show, I have no problem believing the equally insane guy being Sin City could have a comic adapted.
I remember Big Guy and Rusty quite fondly, it was one of my favorite shows growing up, and even my Dad loved it so. If you enjoy over-the-top action, epic one-liners, and the interactions of well-written characters, and don't mind the near-future sci-fi technobabble, then you will certainly enjoy Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot. Also, I'm honestly kinda disappointed you never mentioned the theme song.
Tim Curry, like everything he's in, is the best thing about the show and completely steals it despite only being in about 2 episodes. Good stuff. The guy would voice a disney princess and still manage to pull it off expertly.
I think a big reason why Rusty never had Pinocchio Syndrome was because at no point does anyone (outside of Quark's D-Bag CEO) question or doubt that Rusty's feelings are anything but real and genuine. He never doubts himself in that regard or regrets the fact that he can feel emotions or think they're any less genuine than a human being. If anything he takes PRIDE in that he's able to feel and experience so much.
I'm not the only one who heaved a sigh of relief that Big Guy and Rusty still holds up, right? Rusty's a good example of how to do kid characters without making the audience want to boil them in oil, and the Big Guy manages that fine line between cheesy sincerity and utter seriousness. I can't recall a moment where the show ever went back on its particular charm, and I love it for that. Even if the DVD is cheap crap, I might just track it down sometime.
Big guy and rusty: what happens when someone wonders what a show about great mazinger and astro boy would be like
"General Washington, sir, what are they?"
"Americans"
Damn straight, George.
Alas, my Revolutionary War brain forces me to remember that the War wasn't for independence until 1776, Washington wasn't at Lexington OR Concord, and even if he was, he would've still considered himself a British citizen.
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
I sense this episode was saved for the 4th of July for a reason. And that reason is ONE, SOLITARY gag.
Worth it.
Also... that shows intro should be played on every 4th of July.
"Candy Gram!"
THis show needs to be protected.
Agreed.
Good old nostalgia. This was, and still is, one of my favorite shows. Too bad it never got a proper finale.
Davien Clefton ,true bro .
I like how, from a design standpoint, both Big Guy and Rusty look like the US answers to Gigantor and Astro Boy. In fact, both characters look like what a fictional US scientist during the height of 50s sci-fi would have designed upon being told "We need our own Gigantor! We need our own Astro Boy! For science! For MURRCA!" And then add on top of that the "giant robot pilot" element, and implemented in such a clever way, and... wow, I really like this, I really want to watch this. :D
Also, I think Rusty embracing the fact that he's a robot might be another nod to Japanese sci-fi in general which, on average, tends to have more positive content regarding such matters. If there's one thing I believe really bogs down sci-fi, it's the over-prevalence of all these "rogue AI" and "renegade robot" ideas, and these ideas that machines are inferior and must strive to be human, etc. It gets annoying after a while, mainly because of the sheer human arrogance underlying all these ideas.
EXCEL SAGAAAA~ HAIL ILPALAZZOOOOOOO~
Big Guy and Rusty or “How can we make Frank Miller kid friendly”
"A Family Pitia"
Frank Miller: comic's weird crazy uncle. He has his moments of brilliance, shear lunacy and WTF-ness.
It can easily be argued that Batman: the Brave and the Bold did what Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot did only a few years ago for a new generation of kids. And it lasted slightly longer, too. Hell, Batman and Blue Beetle's relationship sort of echoes that of Big Guy and Rusty's.
"Favorite anime of all time."
Looks and raises eyebrows.
"Why are you looking at me like that?"
I died. The timing and forthought of that is brilliant.
Drayle88 Entertainment he said that exactly after i rose my eyebrows so meta.
"My favorite anime of all time" Raises a DVD of Excel Saga.
Me: "Really?" A confused look on my face. I've seen it!
"Why are looking at me like that?"
OK, now I have got to see the next episode.
Why would one give looks to Sage for Excel Saga being one of his favorite anime of all time? >.> It deserves that title, easily. Few shows have pulled off such madcap humor so well.
Me, feeling nostalgic: "you know what, I never did really watch Beetle Borgs as a kid."
Me after watching a couple episodes: "right. That's why."
To be a legend in history, the Big Guy and Rusty!
I never got the impression that this show was super genuine about its patriotism. Even when I first saw it, it always came off to me as a bit sarcastic in a good natured way.
9/11 basically broke Frank Miller's brain. He just went crazy after it.
Seems plausible.
Yeah this is more likely. After 9/11 his crazy just went full out into the open.
Best Lex Luthor joke.. Donald Trump. When I was kid I though that Lex becoming president was funny in its absurdity, when I'm grown man I see that on my own eyes, and it is not funny anymore 0_0
Miller said years after Holy Terror that he had neighbours killed in a terrorist attack, and that is what broke him.
regardless of whether it broke him.
holy terror killed any sympathy i might have had for the guy.
there is such a thing as going too far... even to vent.
Bobby: It's okay dad, no pain receptors
Hank: That boy ain't right
Bɪɢ Gᴜʏ: Dᴀᴍɴ ɪᴛ, Rᴜsᴛʏ.
That boy ain't right.
"Vaht are you talking about?"
Gahd-dangit Rusty - that boy just ain't right.
Sage, Big Guy and Rusty really was a great show. Thanks for sharing this with us all. It was a part of my childhood as well. The Insanity approves of this
Dang it Bobby!
Spanos That boy isn't right.
kiko485
That _robot_ boy aint right
That _boy robot_ ain't right
You leave my robot Rusty alone, he ain't much, but he's all I got.
I didn’t even remember this show existed until I was reminded of it about a week ago! It’s so weird when you’re blindsided by something you haven’t thought of in almost 2 decades!
So, can we expect more like this?
Men in Black?
C.O.P.S.?
Gargoyles?
Rosswell Conspiracies?
Exosquad
Bikermice from mars
Jace and the wheeled wariors
The list goes on. ;)
ONE MORE THING jackie chan adventures
EXTREME GHOSTBUSTERS
busymike I would freaking love a Thundercats review! A G.I Joe one would be pretty great as well.
How about a He-Man review or She-Ha?
There’s a similar show to this called symbiotic titan, I consider it an underrated cartoon because it was made by genndy terakovsky the guy who made samurai jack. It’s underrated because it’s in my opinion besides some cliches really good and it was never finished. It needs more love.
Symbiotic Titan is also great but didn't catch on thanks to how much CN shuffled it around the schedule. Something they're really bad for nowadays.
Another good show is megas xlr which is mainly a lot of fun and weirdly also another show involving a giant robot
chase ross IIRC Symbionic Titan was shut down because of parental advocates finding out about its risque plotlines.
Ironic that it was aimed at teenage audiences which those same kinds of plotlines would be both common and realistic for.
Genndy has had a rough career..
Sadly it was cancelled for the same reason a lot of cartoons are. Low toy sales.
shadowspider9 Where are the Symbionic Titan toys? Pretty sure they never produced any since its simplified animation style makes it very difficult to make anything but collectibles.
I mean it's not impossible they made some, but I guarantee you toy sales were not the reason it was cancelled.
It was the same reason Samurai Jack was cancelled BTW. The network didn't like the image it portrayed, so they put it into a later time slot and quietly cancelled it from their lineup.
I was out of high school when Big Guy & Rusty aired on Fox Kids (if I'm remembering the date right, at the least I was a high school senior) and I loved the show. I still do and I'm hoping to get this DVD someday now that I know about it.( I think Hulu had it for awhile too.) My childhood equivalent in the not-quite-anime category would be Mighty Orbots, basically "what if the Voltron lions were actually sentient robots instead of piloted mecha". I heard that one came out recently on DVD as well, and I really want it!
The brain spider episodes always got me as a kid. I don't know why, but both of his episodes were a real challenge to sit through and made my skin crawl.
Probably because of the tongue. And the fact the nephew's head grew bigger the more brains he drained.
I was like this with megas XLR
Megas was two seasons of awesome TV without a single dud episode. I think it just ran into the problem a lot of these shows do where sometimes it's slightly too high brow in concept for most of the demographic it's targeting in its timeslot.
mokinokaro I wouldn’t say too high brow it’s basically giant robots fighting which anyone would love plus megas XLR was apart of those old kids would pick a pilot to be turned into a show so that’s probably not it but more issues behind the scenes like expense or something else
I meant more in a lot of the jokes. It was a show running on a kids block with a lot of humor written for a teen and older demographic.
I don't think it was anything to do with the writing or anything like that. Cartoon Network has had a lot of trouble with keeping their action shows in general for the past 20 years. They seem to find them not as profitable or desirable as the easier to make, more child friendly comedies.
I make it a habit to spam Netflix's show request page with that show every once in a while.
Weirdly despite being written off, you can still buy it on Xbox Live (And supposedly Itunes.). :|
Thanks so much for making this. You are one of very few people who grew up watching Big Guy and Rusty like my brother and I. Hearing Big Guy's voice is always a wonderful trip down Memory Lane. Bless you
The only thing worthwhile Frank Miller has done in the last 20 years.
I remember recording this series in full through its second run life during Fox Kids' ending days and enjoying it quite a bit though I should admit that I am a massive nerd when it comes to giant monsters and giant robots so I'm terribly bias in that regard. But YOU, Bennett, like Dr. Axel Donovan to my Dr. Neugog, actually gave me some food for thought on the series and how subversively joyful it could be. I totally agree that in an age where any form of fiction that goes out of its way to fun and lighthearted without being dumb about it only to have general audiences brush it off as 'cheesy' or 'a guilty pleasure' (two terms I despise) a show like Big Guy would be hard to sell. Very nice video and I look forward to your thoughts on Excel Saga.
So Big Guy, and American robot voiced by Optimus Prime (a character I find stands for what is right and good in the world), has a Japanese robot sidekick and they save the world together.
As an American who has great respect for our Japanese ally, I like the symbolism of America and Japan trying to save the world together.
EDIT - Aww, it is a mech where the voice synthesizer makes it sound like Optimus Prime.
Well, if you want to inspire hope and project leadership, as a mech, there's no better voice to do that with than that of Optimus Prime. Who else would you pick, Megatron? Starscream? SOUNDWAVE?!
This was one of my favorite Fox Kids show!! I was in my mid 30's and I loved it, my daughter was 2 or 3 years old and when the theme song would come on she started dancing. I started taping the entire series on VHS. I still look at them every now and then. ( Yes I have a working VHS player)
One of, if not the best animated series I have EVER had the pleasure of watching. Thank you, for reviewing this and showing it the honor it rightly deserves.
I don’t know about the rest of the modern audience of mass consumers, but I can’t help but have a triumphant tear in my eye every time I hear something so earnestly, sincerely, and bombastically patriotic come out of a character like Captain America, or The Big Guy.
When it gets to that level it transcends being able to be seen as jingoism and just becomes something beautiful.
no kidding, if its one thing that the last election proved is that many Americans are through with the pussy footing anti American dogma that was threatening this great country....and no, it does note prove that the majority of America are closet nazis.
though one thing i would disagree with for this series is the anti capitalism message. capitalism is one of the things that had made America the powerhouse that it is,and almost every socialist program just drains the bank if our deficit is to prove anything (and how ultimately how disastrous it was Venezuela, it is as an example of the horrific pitfalls of socialism).
Can't help but make this political, eh comrade? The election proved two things: Hillary was an absolutely awful candidate. 2. Americans really easily fall for media and social network manipulation (and I'm not just talking about the Russians.)
The way the right wing propaganda machine has gone into overdrive this year is extremely telling. They're terrified because the house of cards is collapsing.
You said it best.We need patriotism to unite our country in these dark times of today's world.
As long as we remember that true patriotism isn't blindly agreeing with everything the government does. Nor does it mean attacking the government for every little thing just because you don't like the guy at the top or the current party in power.
We need to acknowledge the bad, but we can't forget to also acknowledge the good. There is always room for improvement.
Surprised you didnt point out this show was produced by Duane Capizzi, same producer who showrunned MiB: The Series, Jackie Chan Adventures and Godzilla: The Series. Guy never gets his due among 90s Animation creative minds like Greg Wiseman, Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, etc.
You should do the 1999 Godzilla Animated show and MIB Animated Show
Maybe next time he does one of these months. Heck he might be able to cover both in a bit longer episode since I believe they had most of the same people behind them.
I must've not remembered Big Guy and Rusty all that well, but apparently I _did_ watch it here and there, having watched Fox Kids a lot. Goddamn, there were a lot of gems on that network that I overlooked or just forgotten. Wish I could tell my seven-year-old self to take it easy.
Depending on how the interface with the Big Guy works, it could be the Lieutenant suffers from an odd form of cyber-psychosis when piloting the robot.
Awesome, a new Anime Abandon!! I've never heard of Big Guy and Rusty though.
I remember watching this when I was 3 and I couldn't find any info on it. All I remembered was the time Rusty met his doppleganger, despite seeing so many episodes. I eventually gave up and figured that if it was so obscure that it probably wasn't that good. Thanks for bringing back this memory, Sage, and for once not shit on it.
The greatest "how many fingers am I holding up" joke EVER is in this show!
"Thursday!" 😊
This, MIB and oddly enough Gozilla were some of the best cartoons in the 90's. They hold up in designs alone.
While discussing Fox Kids, any chance of reviewing "The Pirates of Dark Water"? Definitely anime-esque, even if it's not as heavily-inspired as this one was.
I remember the SNES Game I never knew it was a cartoon.
@@jojidixonmidnightotaku2354
It was enjoyable while it lasted - th-cam.com/video/vVm2-UTfLks/w-d-xo.html
Unfortunately, from what I've read about the production, it got cancelled due to production costs being *really* high.
I love how Big Guy's voice actor is basically doing a quite serviceable impression of 80s Peter Cullen. Cullen *was* the badass robot voice of the decade, voicing not just Optimus Prime and Ironhide, but also the giant robot from _Saber Rider and the Star Sheriffs_ (in a voice much like Prime's) and KARR (KITT's evil twin). He also narrated and played King Alfor in _Voltron_.
It's been so long since I was a kid and watched Big Guy and Rusty, this brought back so many good memories.
As a Englishmen I say "WOO AMERICA!" I love this way of things. Its better than being a downer. Be prideful and bombastic but remember your heart for others, for that is your pride too.
Love it.
Seriously. Why is patriotism seen as this big evil now? It's ridiculous. I tell ya man, We need more entertainment that lets us enjoy our countries more.....Thankfully for me, that entertainment is just around the corner in Metal Wolf Chaos XD. I cannot wait for that game.
3:25 One mooooooooore thing...
You forgot Jackie Chan Adventures. Capizzi did work on it.
I remember this show was awesome when I was a kid. I am glad it still holds up even if it can't be replicated now adays. Thanks for covering this Bennett. :)
To be fair, if I had a mech suit like Big Guy, I'd probably ham it the absolute hell up while in it too.
Consider this, an entire generation has grown up along side the web version of the net. And some of the cynicism can be blamed on one September. It was either die a little inside, or start maturing faster.
It's obvious that making Sin City broke Miller's mind.
While not being american myself.....the spirit that for the most part exhuded from this show was always infectious and i think you summed up what i really liked about a lot of 90s shows and its the essential optimism that was found and the variety that was found in them for me because ive kinda grown tired of the cynicsm that exists in a decent ammount of more mature cartoons these days. Plus i do miss how we couldve had a cartoon about almost anything back then and even with how generous Netflix is these days i feel it pales in comparison to what was being made back then in terms of what they choose to make a cartoon out of it was stupid and i loved it.
Loved this show, I was crushed when it didn't get another season. Glad it's finally available for home video, just put my order in. Lots of other great shows still unreleased.
a show that's a tribute to pulp and golden age scifi and comics, with a giant robot fighting monsters, WHY CANT THE POWER RANGERS HAVE THAT!?!!
agreed
Because Power Rangers is based on Japanese stock footage. It in fact reference a lot of Japanese stuff.
yeah
Holy shit, I thought I was the only one who knew about this show
Absolutely adored this show as a kid. Love the throwback feel of it. Finally read the comic a few years ago and it is also great. I neednto rewatch this series.
"The 90s just spoiled us for nightmare fuel, didn't it?"
that reminds me, I need to re-read Animorphs.
Why are you looking at me like that?...
Well.. it may have to do with the thing on you hand....
I am so happy *someone* remembered this show. It is basically what an actual, american flavored patriotic cartoon should be done.
You hit it on the nose with this one, Bennett... Big Guy and Rusty deserves another season!!! Great review!
Great review and show. A lot of a fun an alcohol went into the making of this show. Good times! Also, fun note. The Pilot of Big Guy was voiced by Tom Hanks Brother Jim Hanks. We joked that it was like getting Tom Hanks on a budget!
OMG, a liberty prime reference!! I love you, Bennett!!
To be fair, I was more than happy forgetting that damn thing for good. :P
In a good game, we would have been fighting the colossal unstoppable robot, not have it turn the final battle into a complete joke!
Hey, I've watched Extreme Ghostbusters recently and as much 90s cheese as there is its still pretty great. XD
Edit: Also as someone that loved Excel Saga, lets DO THIS! I'm down.
Extreme Ghostbusters was stupid fun. Despite the name, it wasn't really edgy and had a great cast. It was a lot better than the last years of the Real Ghostbusters when studio meddling struck.
Every time I think about Extreme ghost busters I sigh and lament that it setup the perfect template to follow to continue the film series.
Terminalsanity, likewise.
Yeah. XGB, while not perfect, certainly did have its charms and is perhaps more than a little underrated. Phelous did a pretty good retrospective on it. You should check it out.
I remember seeing this show at least twice. One where Rusty felt pain and another where he teams up with another robot of himself whom he accidentally resetted by giving him an impossible command.
I can't believe it took me until Ben spelled it out that I noticed his guns DO sound like fireworks going off. XD
Been looking forward to this~
It's like they wanted a character that made speeches like The Tick, but swerved into pure patriotic cheese instead of bizarre tangents.
I actually do remember watching this as a kid, especially that one episode where Rusty wanted a real weapon that included the line, "You're my puppet, Rusty!"
But really, if you're looking for something for Not-Quite-Anime month, give the Viewtiful Joe series a peek.
One of your best reviews in a while. I love it, thank you for sharing this with us.
To the contrary, I think a slightly corny "truth, justice and the american way" sort of show like Big Guy and Rusty would be a smashing success these days. Slap an angle in the first ep of the return of the show of Rusty (now an old model and aware that Big Guy was never a robot but at peace with it) noting that he's getting too old for this and that America seems to have forgotten AMERICA!!! and wishing Big Guy were still around to be a symbol of that, but the Lt is old and in a desk job. Queue his spunky daughter he doesn't want being in the military taking up his mantle as Big Guy, Rusty being the mentor but pretending to be a sidekick again, and Rusty teaching rebellious. cynical teenage daughter (who's commentary on modern views) about AMERICA!!
I would watch the hell out of that.
Big GUY...not Big Girl.
We don't have to gender swap everything !
Why can't it be his rebellious SON ? At this point it'd be the exception to the norm with this weird and constant push to make girls more "Manly" and the constant heroes.
...otherwise, yeah, i'm down with this idea !
its miller time technically
Andrew Viewtieful Tachibana
* Looks at watch *
Uh oh!
Hell ya! Excelsaga! I'm excited.
Also thank you for your work saga on this and other videos. It really is a lot of fun watching these videos you make. ^-^
SO GLAD I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO REMEMBERS THIS SHOW!!!
"Fun" fact, thanks to Tim Curry's portrayal as the brain eating giant mutant spider I was afraid of him (specifically his voice) for the better part of my childhood. Which also included prolific nightmares.
*Guy living in Ohio hears a Drew Carey show reference* thank you Sage!
Glad to see you're feeling better sage, thanks for reviewing this show it was one of my favorites as a kid.
"See you all in 2021" Wow !
Love of Mike.
The animation reminds me of Men in Black the animated series
made bu the same studio, who also did Extreme Ghostbusters and Godzilla TAS
It was made by Sony pictures animation who did both
Love the men in black theme
It is probably the same studio, yes. Also Godzilla cartoon looks like this too.
Yeah it something I noticed even when I was little.
I would love to see The Big Guy & Rusty come back to comics. Especially with how many people love the atomic punk feel and able to take historical ideas, similar to Atomic Robo, and run with it
So after excel saga the logic step is Puni Puni Poemy
damm I miss that show
This review got better and better the longer it ran. Great work!
I didn't know this channel existed until today and this is already in my top 5
I think another example of a good cartoon that stayed good is Animaniacs its even more fun for me now that I get the adult jokes.
How in the hell did the finger prints joke get past the censors?
The idea back then was make a joke you want to stick and then make one that's worse to act as bait. They'll catch the bait and miss the first one. They've kinda stopped caring now thanks to the PG label that's on tv now for kids.
You're the only good anime critic on TH-cam
hey now, Super Eyepatch Wolf does some decent work.
TheMindofRa He's boring and only smrevires generic anime that everyone likes
A King of the Hill reference on Anime Abandoned.....That's Awesome!!!
Man, you earned this like and subscription. Fantastic video.
I wouldn't mind seeing a more mature version of Big Guy. Sticking closer to the comic's gore and death. I remember reading that book and going, "What miserable sicko wrote this, and the artwork is beautiful!". This was one of those stories that got me into reading comic books. I didn't watch the cartoon all that as a kid because of how shit gets dumbed down. But I am very surprised at how much is dumbed down, and how it continues on from the comics. So I'll be taking a look-see at the entire series today. Thanks for the wonderful review.
Another great review good sir! I cannot wait to see the Excel Saga one, kinda been waiting for that one for a while now. :P
Ripping Friends only got better with age. I recently rewatched a pile of it, and can say that it's one of the best cartoons I ever watched
I remember when TV show painted the future as optimistic. I miss those days...
This is a big issue I have with the producers of today. I am NOT too cynical to enjoy a show like this anymore. I can't be the only one. Savvy be damned. It's the audience's fault for demanding originality out of everything. >_>
Yeah, it can get rather tiring of everything constantly winking at you in fictionland. "I know you've seen this before. It's silly right?" Well, yeah. Ever occurred to (the metaphorical) you that i wanna see it again?
Exactly!
Because plenty of people nowadays think ''true art is angsty''.
Cyclical cycles of media churning out what a new audience believes to be the new big thing while eye rolling at what they consider old hat and outdated.
Shits been going on since the 80’s and will continue going on, frankly I’m just glad we still have stayovers from those earlier eras that refuse to change their tone like SouthPark while new shows come about to thrive within the environment their given like adventure time and Ricardo and Mortimer.
I know that this show ran here on tv for at least a short bit but I missed it pretty much completely. Looks like I have to track it down some time to give it a watch.
If we could get a new season of Samurai Jack, we can get a new season of the Big Guy and Rusty.
I really miss this show, loved it
Bennett this was a great episode! I oddly enough rarely look back at a show and realize it's shit, because I remember often times that it was shit or rather I just took it at the time for what it was. One movie I always go back to though was Samson and Sally. It was translated into Swedish, it's so dark it isn't amazing by any means but it's so dark for a kids movie. Think Fallout but from a Whales perspective. I have no idea what to make of it at all, kinda wish I had shows like you guys did Big Guy and Rusty looks awesome.