Toonami Article | Enter The Producer

Originally Posted 12/00 by Jeff Harris

When 2000 ended, I felt that the final thoughts of the year should come from someone from within the confines of the Absolution. Earlier that year, I conducted an interview with TOM, and the fans stayed on his every word. The character told the fans a lot of vital information about the inner workings of Toonami. Not only that, but I managed to get my virtual hands on one of the first images from The Intruder, the special event that basically changed the way we looked at the block. As you know, a lot of visual changes had taken place both on Toonami and aboard the Absolution. And as the year progressed since the interview, a lot of things have happened. A lot of premieres, a lot of events, and a lot of goodbyes. Not to mention a lot of rumors. Regardless, Toonami has seen it all.

I figured it was time to contact the man again.

By the time I made the transmission to the Ghost Planet Spaceship Absolution, I hit a snag. Sara, the Absolution's control unit, told me that TOM was in his stasis pod, powering up for the evening, but she had somebody in mind for me to talk to. Perhaps the one guy who knows just a little bit more about Toonami than anybody else. That guy?

Sean Akins, producer of the block and perhaps the coolest guy on the planet. Didn't know if I could keep my nervousness down with the questions I had in store to ask him. But since I did the same deal with TOM in the summertime, I think I had the skills to do this interview for the fans. So, I began transmission.

Introductions aside, I'm proceeding with the questions:

CNX (The X Bridge): Why is Gundam Wing off of Toonami all of a sudden? First it left Midnight Run without prior notice, then recently, it left the daily run. Is Gundam Wing gone forever, or is this just a brief hiatus?
Sean: Just on hiatus. We're in a position now to rotate shows in and out of the block, because we have more of them. It's a good way to keep a show from burning out too quickly, and something you'll probably see more of in the future.

This rumor has been circulating for weeks now about this series that fans have been anticipating for years is Toonami bound. Everybody who's a fan of Batman: The Animated Series and Superman have been anticipating the creators of those series to create a JLA series. WB Animation even revealed that the series is in the works. Now, some outlets have reported that JLA is coming to Toonami. To squelch the rumor, is this true?
There is talk of a new JLA series, still just "in the works". To speculate where it will run is premature. I will say Toonami is the home of action programming on Cartoon Network, makes perfect sense to me.

The Intruder (and the aftermath) were a visual feast for the eyes. A lot of fans enjoyed these adventures and would like to know if there will be a lot more adventures of TOM, Sara, and company on the block, perhaps making it a weekly thing?
Thanks. We're definitely working on more stuff. There's another event being planned for this year. Weekly is still some time away... That stuff is pretty hard to make . . . But you'll be seeing more all the time, as much as we can.

Whatever happened to Centipede? A lot of people had been anticipating this computer-animated series' arrival ever since it was announced last year. Is it still coming, or is Centipede on the pile of "could-have-beens?"
That announcement was a little too early I guess. I haven't heard anything about Centipede in a while.

In-Flight Movies is another good idea that was a long-time coming. Toonami movies every week. It seems to be over pretty soon according to the schedules, but when (if) it comes back, what kind of films are you anticipating coming to the movie franchise like the Sailor Moon or Tenchi movies?
We've done movies before, once anyway. And yes, the run completes soon. They should start up again in the spring. We're looking at both the Tenchi and Sailor Moon movies. We'll get any other good ones if we can.

Transformers is a well known and very respected series to many fans. Now with a major 80s nostalgia frenzy going at full blast, would this 80s masterpiece find its way to Toonami?
It's gonna be hard to get any old stuff on T.V. If it looks old people don't watch. Unless we do overnights or something like that, old titles just can't perform.

What does the future hold for the block as 2001 is just around the corner? Aside from the premieres of Mobile Suit Gundam, Outlaw Star, and ReBoot Season Four?
I can't show the cards, but a couple of shows that you guys haven't mentioned are coming. When they get a little closer I'll be more talkative.

Is Sailor Stars headed to Toonami next year? A lot of Sailor Moon fans are looking forward to the concluding season of Sailor Moon and next year seems like the best year to finish up the series.
Nothing official yet, but looks pretty good for a continued future with the scouts.

After the 77 episodes of Dragon Ball Z is over, there are just a few more episodes remaining. Will these episodes begin in the summer or will it begin in the fall? Also semi-related to this question, are the two DBZ specials (History of Trunks and Bardock: Father of Goku) going to air in the new year?
We have to wait and see. I hate to announce air dates so far in advance, too much work is still left to be done on those shows. I can just say you're gonna see 'em, not when.

Since the last interview, Toonami has somewhat become the media darling of Cartoon Network, which is very great news. Do you think the network will give the block just a little more airtime (even a Sunday edition, the only day untouched by the Toonami) in the new year?
I don't know about "darling" but it was a good year for us. I can't see us getting more time, but stranger things have happened.

How influential are the fans as well as fan-ran webpages (like this one or any others) to the decisions made at Toonami? Also, a particular site claimed that Toonami gave them permission to advertise a recent series premiere. Any truth to that?
I read the fan sites. Toonami always tries to pay attention to the fan-base and be responsive. I don't know about the series premiere, somebody might have just had a perfectly timed interview.

Probably a pipedream of mine, but the fans who post on the site's message board are curious about this next question. Would Toonami be willing to publish a monthly magazine ala Wizard (one of the few media outlets that HAVE mentioned the block by name) showcasing news, behind-the-scenes details, and items of interest for the Toonami fan?
That's a pipedream of mine as well, but easier said than done. I'll let you know.

What do you feel was Toonami's greatest accomplishment of 2000? How about what do you think Toonami could have done better?
The Intruder, without a doubt. No one ever did anything like that before. So many people busted their butts to get that event to go off. We had the highest ratings of all time, and Toonami.com did record traffic as well. So much was created, so much groundwork laid for the future. We might be able to squeeze a half hour special out of the animation as well. And I think everything we've ever done we could've done better.

I know you probably can't reveal any direct acquisitions to the block (blast me being an unofficial news source rather than an official one), so without diverging the name, could you give a slight hint of what's coming to Toonami that only a true fan would know?
It's just gonna be big, that's all I'll say.

Finally, do you have any closing thoughts to the interview?
I wanna say thanks for letting me speak. And thanks to the real fans out there, we're nothing without you. I hope we never let you guys down. Keep watching and we'll keep bringing it, viva revolution!

Just as soon as it began, the interview ended. Pretty cool guy, I must say. And if he's this optimistic about the future of Toonami in the year 2001, shouldn't we all?