Big O Retrospective: Schwartzwald: The Heretical Prophet of Big O
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2022
- Now that the plot and setting of the Big O have been examined, we can get into the meat and potatoes of what makes this show so good: the characters. This will start a series of videos where we look at the main characters of the series and see what purpose they serve and how they tie into the themes of the show and to the viewers.
To start this series we will start with the examination of Schwartzwald, the mystery man debuting in Episode 4 and one which really stuck with me. We will see why here, and what we can learn from this bizarre man's mistakes and quest looking for "The Truth". And of course...
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And.....
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I always remember his speech on thought and how it has stuck with me over the years, it is definitely a truth I firmly believe in myself.
"Humans who lose the ability to think become creatures whose existence has no value. Wake up! Don't be afraid of knowledge! Think, you humans who are split into two worlds, unless you want the gulf between humans to expand into oblivion, you must think!" -Schwartzwald
I think that speech is what stuck with mew the most and eventually push me to re watch and review the Big O.
@@obscureanimememories6697 it's almost as though Schwartzwald's ghost is still moving others to seek the Truth long after he himself is gone his memory endures.
Schwartz would have loved to meet the Santa scientist from the Christmas episode. He claimed he regained ALL his memories from 40 years ago and MADE a tree. Lol
I would have loved it if they somehow worked Schwartzwald into the Christmas episode!
I think to some extent Schwarzwald always knew the truth. My personal theory is that the truth came to him in the form of conspiracy theories, which slowly drove him mad.
Perhaps his role and his actions were unplanned in the grand script, and his letter to Roger in the end was his way of shifting the cycle enough to make a change.
Something I've always wondered about is the fact that Dastun knew Seebach was German, despite people in paradigm seemingly not knowing about the foreign forces
I think he definitely knew a lot more then others and probably more then he let on. As for the German part, I always thought that either A) people knew there were other states before 40 years and perhaps Germany is one of the few remembered and they recognized the name was of German decent or B) it was a continuity error in the writing room as by episode 4, they probably hadn't thought everything through.
I think its implied that some knowledge of the old world is still in circulation, in regards to foreign countries and cultures, french is the language spoken by Sybil Rowan and her daughter both in the movie Daston saw as a kid and said to him when he had to kill his childhood friend.
Schwarzwald was meant to be Roger’s answer to The Joker, a crazed villain who takes amusement from his crimes, and his original design was a man in a suit and tie with bandages in the shape of a cross on his forehead. His character evolved a lot from that original vision, much for the better.
I never knew that, thanks for the neat behind the scenes information! I can understand how he evolved from a sort of Joker clone to a weird refined Psuedo-prophet, and I am glad he did. I am glad he became such a unique and iconic character.
@@obscureanimememories6697 also worth noting: Beck thinks of himself as the Joker of Big O, that he is Roger’s arch nemesis destined to destroy him. But Roger just thinks of Beck as sone annoying dweeb who keeps popping up. And this is why beck gets crazier and crazier in each episode he appears on.
Alan Gabriel is also a Joker clone. He even looks like the Joker.
And yet hos pursuit of tje truth paints him if we are going exclusive by villains the Riddler and his disfigured face and Big Duo's mask and him once being a righteous man with a family all homage Two Face, he also clearly has a splash of scarecrow thrown in there too, some say he is more similar to Hush he is not infact he predates Hush's existence by several years.
I'm so glad that I found this channel because I needed someone with a galaxy brain to explain to my smooth brain the deeper meaning behind all of the stuff and one of my favorite anime.
I'm glad I could help, though I must admit my brain is pretty average itself. I just like pondering
I just needed to hear it from someone else. Never have anyone to talk this deep about the show with. Nice to see someone make these into videos!
You got it right! This Lad had it, he knew it and everyone else blew it...or something.
I'm glad Schwartzwald was first character examination on this channel as he is just such a fascinating man. He knows he doesn't know and that we should know to want to know but don't know what is truly to be known. His character just has such an air of reverence and knowledge, even if we don't know in regards to what specifically.
My favorite guy
He is fascinating.
Perfect
완벽한 해석이었다.
I thank you for your high Praise!
On the topic of ghost Schwarzwald, in terms of literal plot mechanics it’s super ambiguous as to when exactly he died regardless of what Angel says. He DEFINITELY appears to have a physical body in episode 12, whereas in the episodes 24/25 he’s a ghost who appears as both a disembodied voice and incorporeal apparition that’s linked to Big Duo. You really can’t convince me he was dead in episode 12. Same goes for episode 13 where he’s clearly shown in a physical body using a typewriter.
On a thematic level, I think the reason Schwarzwald is “both alive and dead” during episodes 12 and 17 is because his past doesn’t matter, only what he’s doing in the present. I am VERY confident that Schwarzwald abandoning his past and identity completely to become Schwarzwald and seek out the truth is a core part of the show’s themes, but this particular aspect I'm a little tenuous on.
I always figured that Shwartzwald physically died sometime after episode 13 and that his appearances in 17 were a sort of flashback accompanying the Leviathan leaflets to sort of contextualize them. As for his metaphorical death, I think its fair to say Micheal Zeebach was dead before his first appearance, as he had already left his family by his debut in episode 4. I think him metaphorically dying and becoming Shwartzwald is a message about the dangers of fanatically seeking "THE Ultimate/universal" truth and ignoring one's own personal and smaller truth(s) while doing so, as everyone has their own truths and thus a one size fits all truth does not really exist. This is in line with Roger's reflection on Schwartzwald as he laments "did he not know there was probably more than one truth?".
@@obscureanimememories6697 Very close to my thoughts.
Merry Christmas, whatever that is. I just subscribed. My tux cat is named Roger Smith. I showed this series to my stepkids and both girls got their hair bobbed like Dorothy. The soundtrack is perfect. I'll be catching up on your content in my spare time. Cheers.
Happy Holidays! Thanks for the subscription, I'm really glad your family seems to like the Big O, and I'm really glad people still share it with others as I feel it is a bit of a lost masterpiece which needs more attention. Cheers!
It was all just a dream. Schwartzvald saw the cameras, and paid the price. He flew too high into the sun.
He got what he wanted, though it definitely wasn't what he expected.
Sch is my favorite character
I can see why. He's a fascinating mixture of good intentions, bad methods, and obsessive thinking. Its hard to see him as entirely good or evil and the complexity he brings, and the questions he raises greatly enrich the show.
@@obscureanimememories6697 yes I made character inspiration by him
Maybe this is in a different video, but you were talking about Waldy searching for a god. Isn't Angel supposed to literally be Satan? What with the scars on her back from wings, her being the true author of Metropolis, and Big Venus (with Venus representing Lucifer as the Lightbringer)? So, could that be the "god" he's looking for? He might not know that's the "god" of this world, and probably doesn't find out - but still. There used to be a google doc with explanations for like everything in the show. Wish I could find it again. The Lucifer bit was in there :).
I think I talked about Shwartzwald seeking "truth" in the video "Religion and Mythology in the Big O". I always interpreted his quest as one seeking a truly vague and cosmic force in control of things, something akin to fate itself. Like he doesn't really know what it is, just that humanity is not the be all end all, and he tries to find what is with no real concrete answer of what it would even look like. I interpreted this as the part of Angel which seeks guidance/answers through her own personal troubles yet isn't sure what form these might take. As for Angel herself, I view her as the subject of the story, as its her own creation which she uses to work through her own issues. While she is just a person, since the Big O is her creation, she could be viewed as the "god" of it and this wields immense power over it.