Gephyrophillia #208

Originally Posted on 09/09/2009 by Jeff Harris

Take a seat. We need to talk.

I know there's some . . . frustration about why the Toonami Forum hasn't returned. The archives of the original site are still being preserved, but I'm not sure I want to actually create a new forum of any kind at this time. Why? Because no matter what I do, no matter what I call it, no matter how much I beg and plead, people are still going to treat it as "the Toonami forum."

Here's the thing.

Toonami is not coming back at all. It was a great run, for the most part. However, I think it's safe to say that Toonami isn't coming back to Cartoon Network or anywhere else any time soon or later. I'm not saying it's impossible, but because of the lackluster treatment of the block in its final years as well as the fact that Cartoon Network canceled it almost a year ago (the branding left the internet almost nine months ago), I think we're likely to see Spongebob Squarepants on the Disney Channel before the return of Toonami to the airwaves.

That said, the Toonami revival/resurrection/return threads around the Toon Zone forums have been irksome, annoying, and downright toxic. On the flipside, the anti-Toonami/let Toonami die/Toonami's never coming back threads and responses is just as toxic if not more so. They're all counterproductive, incendiary, and, quite frankly, sad.

You can talk about anything else, but the last thing we need is to insult each other, bring in a lot of false hope, and constantly berate and tear each other apart. It's the clash of opinions that are the catalyst of why I'm in no real rush to bring back a new forum to Toon Zone nor anywhere else.

Plus, I'm more focused on transforming The X Bridge into a great site without the Toonami brand attached to it. I know it began life as a Toonami fan site, but in the six years since it's been The X Bridge, I've tried to shift it in a wider, better direction that's not bound by a single brand, especially a brand that, by all intentions, is not only a dormant brand, but one the powers-that-be aren't in any rush of returning to the airwaves. Considering the current powers-that-be are not only the ones that canceled Toonami in the first place but are really trying to rid themselves of anything with the letters "toon" in the name, the block is pretty much going to gather dust for the long run. And no, the return of Super Chunk isn't a harbinger for the return of Toonami in the immediate future. The X Bridge is more than Toonami, and with new articles, new features, and original creative content coming down the pike in the coming months, the site will become stronger without being tied down to Toonami.

Look, I miss Toonami too, but I've moved on and resigned to the fact that it won't return many moons ago. A lot of people need to move on too. Toonami belongs to the history books as does The Toonami Forum. The sun has risen on a world without a Toonami Forum. It was a great run, but someday, a better forum covering action-animation will come. I'm not sure when that day will be, but the Legacy of Toonami will be preserved for all time.

Take it light, and I'll see you in the funny papers.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
Creator/Webmaster, The X Bridge.