We may feel that Toonami belongs to the fans, but it doesn't, and it never did. We had fans who created and controlled the block, and the fans that watch are forever grateful for their works. I wrote about Toonami to honor them and the concept they created because, at the time, it was a very innovative one. The original mission statement was to bring you the finest action cartoons on the planet under one roof. Nowadays, Toonami only brings a few fine shows to the block while cluttering it up with scat that fans didn't want to see, like Pokemon, Wulin Warriors, and a few others.

Toonami reached its zenith in 2000 and been tumbling ever since. They either took small tumbles like scheduling the live-action Batman movie or skipping episodes of MAR and The Prince of Tennis or taking massive tumbles like taking Mobile Suit Gundam, Gundam SEED, Yu Yu Hakusho, and IGPX off the block, acquiring shows like Wulin Warriors sight unseen, or just placing shows like Pokemon on the block. The Network also confused Toonami with Miguzi from time to time until they cancelled the latter block in 2007. If The Network had their way, the entire network would be wall-to-wall Cartoon Network originals, as they're planning to make their weekday lineups in the fall of 2007.

Maybe I'm just too old now, but I find myself not caring as much about Toonami at 29 as I did when I was 19. I stayed in the game longer than many of my peers who had abandoned Toonami years ago. I don't see myself celebrating Toonami's 15th anniversary in five years because I will be way too old to care. I've already reached that status myself.

I had hoped that Toonami would get better, but it's becoming stagnant. The Network only recognizes Naruto and wouldn't be disappointed if Naruto was the only show that remained on Toonami. The fans want great shows on the Toonami lineup. The fans want greater variety on Toonami. The fans don't want Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh on Toonami. But as I have said, The Network doesn't care about the fans, unless they're boys ages 6 - 12.

Toonami will still be around in the years to come, and I wish Sean, Jason, and the rest of the Toonami crew congratulations on doing a great job of creating a fine action block that has been around longer than many members of the target demographic have been alive. But as of this moment, I can no longer give my heart and soul to the block.

The Toonami I became a fan of on day one is gone, replaced by something that's more flash than substance and no personality at all. The Toonami of 2007 may have a few shows that's dedicated to older viewers, but there's no connection with the viewers anymore. I know I'm not the only one who feels that way, but I'm probably the only one to freely admit it. The Network has turned the living, breathing Toonami block into a soulless entity, and that's a shame. It's pretty and all, but it's not the same Toonami.

It's time for me to move on, away from Toonami, here at The X Bridge. There are plenty of other sites that have more of a connection to Toonami nowadays than I do. Think of this not as a goodbye but rather a graduation. If it wasn't for Toonami, I wouldn't be here today. It's like high school. You'll go to reunions, but you know those days are long gone. I'm graduating.

Today, my evolution continues. I'm ready to move on to newer challenges and I'm looking to grow as a human being. I will look back at Toonami with fondness, but I won't turn back to covering the block the way I have over the years. It's time to move on, time to put aside something I enjoyed in my teen years (well, last teen year) and 20s and look at the world at large and find my place in this world.

For the readers who've trusted me to make the occasional opinions about Toonami, I thank you. I hope you will stick around for the continuation of my evolution.

Happy birthday Toonami, and farewell. It's been fun.