Cartoon Network, in an effort to corner the anime on TV market in the US (not like Fox or anybody gives them much competition), has picked up two more series. Cartoon Network will be airing The Big O and Candidate for Goddess (now called Pilot Candidate) sometime this fall.

I don't know much about either of these shows, since both are relatively new (new meaning only about a year old in Japan). Cartoon Network is really taking a chance on two series that haven't been established in Japan. Seeing as I know little of these series, we'll just use the official descriptions:

"The Big O is a series produced by Sunrise. The 13 episode Big O is a grittier anime offering centering around a city whose denizens have collectively lost their memories. Under police rule, the city is protected by a Batman-cum-James Bond character who brings in The Big O, a massive robot from the past, to help keep the peace. Bandai executive VP Ken Iyadomi says Big O has a very American feel, similar to that of Batman: The Animated Series ."

"A co-production between Bandai Visual and Xebec, the TV production unit of Japan's Production IG (best known for Ghost in the Shell), 12 episode Pilot Candidate is set in a school for spaceship pilots. Headed by a hotshot flyer named Zero, the pilots-in-training race to complete their driver's ed in time to save planet Zion from enemy attack. Unlike most other sci-fi anime series, Pilot's ships are rendered in CGI."

The new Bandai three-pack is undergoing a localization process to ensure the content is appropriate not only for the target audience (ie: butcher it as little as possible). The Big O and Pilot Candidate are coming pretty cheaply at $15,000 and $20,000 per episode respectively. It's not really a surprise Bandai has the domestic distribution rights to both of these series. I think I'm going to put on Cartoon Network and wait for these shows to air... hmm, they don't seem to be on. I guess I'll just wait and watch Scooby Doo for the next few months!