Gephyrophillia | Page One #4

Originally Posted on 03/17/2002 by Jeff Harris

Today is the fifth anniversary of Toonami.

Really, it is! On Monday, March 17, 1997 at 4 PM EST, Toonami premiered on Cartoon Network's weekday lineup with a mix of old-school action, CGI graphics, and classic anime shows. Of course over the years, the definition of the block blurred a bit (you know, there are people that think that Toonami is supposed to be an ALL ANIME block . . . silly otakus ^_^), but overall, the block kept its course kicking butt and taking names.

At times, however, the block had a few crises that would have doomed any inferior block. In the fall of 1998, Toonami became home to a very unpopular collection of DC Comics shows known as the Superman/Batman Adventures (a collection of Filmation shorts not to be confused with the New Batman/Superman Adventures produced by WB Animation), confusing scheduling gaffes with Sailor Moon and DBZ, and the cancellation of the Saturday Toonami lineup. Throughout 2001, Toonami had its ups and downs, though it seemed like the downs were in the majority. In 2002, Toonami begins a brand new chapter, going back to its roots and, this fall, its exclusivity to Cartoon Network.

This fall (perhaps as early as this summer), there will be only ONE home for the action block known as Toonami, and it isn't The WB. As Scooby-Doo's presence on Kids' WB's Toonami block may have been considered a slap in the face to every red-blooded Toonami fan, it may be considered as THE FINAL NAIL of the Kids' WB Toonami's coffin. A new order has begun, and in the near future, the third hour of Toonami, the ORIGINAL launch hour of 4 PM, will be Toonami on Cartoon Network once again. And it's about time!

Also this fall, two brand new series with old-school ties will be a part of Toonami. A brand new Masters of the Universe series (tentatively having a July preview date, though it may premiere in September) and the long-awaited Transformers series (in the tradition of the original Marvel/Hasbro/Takara/Toei Generation One series) Armada will make their home on Toonami alongside more Gundam, Dragon Ball, and Dragon Ball Z. Oh, and did I mention that Toonami technically comes on seven days a week now?

No?

Well, let me analyze that.

Toonami
The original, and still the best. Mondays through Fridays, starting March 18, the weekday lineup will look like this:

5.0 - Zoids
5.5 - Dragon Ball
6.0 - Dragon Ball Z
6.5 - Batman Beyond

Toonami Midnight Run
Mondays through Thursdays at Midnight (EST/PST):

12.0 - DBZ 12.5 - Dragon Ball

Toonami Super Saturdays
Saturday afternoons at 1 PM (EST/PST):

1.0 - 3.0: Dragon Ball Z

Toonami Rising Sun
Saturday Late Nights (Sunday Mornings) at 2 AM (EST/PST) immediately following Adult Swim's Action Saturday Block and followed by Boomeraction (Toonami's Roulette meets the Boomerang network):

2.0 - Superman
2.5 - Batman

Yeah, that Adult Swim lineup on Saturday nights has become very, very popular in its own right, giving the masses cool anime shows that would probably never find a home on Toonami like Cowboy Bebop and those that would never find a cable home period, like Yu Yu Hakusho. If you haven't checked it out, well, check out the block.

Let's see. GI Joe is a popular comic book as is Frank Miller's reinterpretation of The Dark Knight. A collective group of DC Comics heroes are on every Saturday. Hulk Hogan is fighting at the WWF's Wrestlemania. E.T. is in theaters. Transformers and He-Man are in toy stores and soon on television screens. The President of the United States is bulking up the military budget. And the Whammy is part of a popular game show (please tell me that I'm not the only one hyped about the new Press Your Luck coming in April on Game Show Network). I think it's safe to say that 80s are back in a big way, and in the Absolution Station section later tonight, the resurgence will be examined. Plus, on a more solemn note, I want to post words of appreciation about the passing of the last surviving member of the "Termite Terrace" animators of Leon Schlesinger's animation studio, the one who made a frog dance, a rabbit sing opera, and an uncaring lowlife find a heart. I'm talking about Charles M. Jones, one of the greatest directors to ever live.

Now, if you excuse me, I'm going to get some birthday cake. What? No cake? Blast! Oh well. Until we are one.

Later.

Jeff Harris
Webmaster
March 17, 2002