Gephyrophillia | Page One #11

Originally Posted on 06/13/2002 by Jeff Harris

Transformers.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.

Two franchises that have a part in the hearts of children of the '80s. We played with their toys. We had them plastered all over our walls. We read their comics. We went to their movies (though the MotU live-action flick had a LOT of flaws). Most importantly, we watched their cartoons.

Apparently, the boys and girls at Williams Street were raised in the same decade as I was and had a similar fondness for these franchises. Apparently, the new generation of designers and toymakers at both Hasbro and Mattel had fond memories of these shows as I did. Come August, all of these fans will hope a new generation of viewers will have as much fun as they did back in the day.

Toonami 5.0 is here!

It may have taken a long time to actually make an dent on the public consciousness, but the summer of '02 has brought the block back to its original cynical roots as well as a return to its familiar 4 PM slot. Toonami jumpstarted on June 3 with the premiere of that hamster show. July 1 will bring another chapter in the Gundam saga, G Gundam, taking over the 5 PM weekday slot. The original chapter of Zoids which had been a morning exclusive for a while now will join the block on that day as well, replacing the tournament world of Zoids Zero. Afterall, we can't have two tournament shows back to back, unless it's repeats of the World Martial Arts Tournaments on both Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z, and it's not like that happens every day. On Friday, August 16 at 4 PM EST/PST, the power of Grayskull will be unleashed when the heroes and villians of Eternia make their triumph return to the world stage with the premiere of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. The reintroduction of the popular characters are only a small part of Toonami. A week after settling in its regular Friday slot at 4 PM, another reintroduction in the Transformers legacy, Armada, will premiere at 6:30 PM EST. Fridays have become the source of a real power on Toonami. In November, the power will expand to weekdays with MotU and Transformers back to back, but that's a while from now, so let's reflect on the moment at hand.

Old school rhythm with new school rules. Toonami 5.0. The world seems right again.

Until we are one, later.

Jeff Harris
Webmaster
June 13, 2002