Toonami 2005: The Shows
 Toonami 2005 created a sense of confusion and maturity. The confusion began with viewers and producers trying to figure out what the block is supposed to be. 4Kids Entertainment, a company that often causes the average Toonami fan to scream, had a pair of shows on Toonami in 2005, the popular-but-scorned One Piece and the most unlikely Toonami addition, Yu-Gi-Oh, which had a very brief appearance on the block. A pair of toyetic series, the M.A.S.K.-esque D.I.C.E. and Transformers: Cybertron, also had a short lifespans on Toonami. However, Toonami matured in droves in 2005. With shows like Teen Titans and Justice League Unlimited earning strong critical marks and earning new fans and newer shows making an impact. Naruto would be the first TV-PG series to air on Toonami since the uncut Gundam Wing episodes five years ago. A veteran Toonami series, Dragon Ball Z, also returned with TV-PG rated "uncut" episodes at the starting hour. The first series made exclusively for Toonami, IGPX, also debuted in 2005 marking an end to an interesting year on the block. Here's a list of the shows that made their premieres on Toonami in 2005:
D.I.C.E.
Toonami Premiere Date: January 8, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Xebec/Bandai
D.I.C.E. (DNA-Integrated Cybernetic Enterprises) is a team of young pilots of Dinobreakers, vehicles that can transform into dinosaurs. Many people have forgotten that this show even premiered in 2005 on Toonami, even many of the producers of the block.
Zatch Bell
Toonami Premiere Date: March, 2005
Producer/Distributor: ShoPro Entertainment (now Viz Media)
A bored genius teenager named Kiyo receives a present from his father, a little boy named Zatch Bell. Zatch isn't a mere little boy, but rather a Mamodo, a demon that came to Earth to fight other Mamodos to become the King of the Mamodos. Kind of like a cross between Pokemon and Highlander, and yet, like peanut butter and milk chocolate, the two tastes go great together.
The Batman
Toonami Premiere Date:April 2, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Cartoon Network/Warner Bros. Animation
The Batman, a masked vigilante who has been patrolling the streets of Gotham City for about two years, becomes the focus of a pair of Gotham City detectives (a friend of Bruce Wayne and a young import from Metropolis) and finds himself the target of many other costumed criminals in the city. This non-DCAU series has slowly grown in popularity over the year, most likely due to better scripts. On October 22, a theatrical version of the series, The Batman Vs. Dracula, made its world television debut on Toonami days after it came out on DVD.
One Piece
Toonami Premiere Date: April 23, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Toei/4Kids Entertainment
Monkey D. Luffy, a teenager cursed with the power to stretch his body after eating some magical fruit, is determined to become the King of Pirates with the help of his rowdy, yet loyal crew. He just has to remember to stay out of the water.
Transfomers: Cybertron
Toonami Premiere Date: July 9, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Gonzo/Hasbro
A group of alien robots calling themselves Autobots awaken on Earth and begin their search for a galactic key that will save their homeworld.
Yu-Gi-Oh
Toonami Premiere Date: August 6, 2005
Producer/Distributor: 4Kids Entertainment
A young teen, powered by a mysterious amulet known as the Millennium Puzzle, is the ultimate master at a card game known as Duel Monsters.
Naruto
Toonami Premiere Date: September 10, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Viz Media
A young teen with the spirit of a fox demon within him, has graduated the first round in training to become a ninja. Now he and two other students under the tutelege of an aloof-yet-strict instructor undergo the next level of training that brings each student closer to their goal. Believe it, this is the first TV-PG series to air on Toonami since 2000.
Bobobo-Bo Bo-Bobo
Toonami Premiere Date: October 1, 2005
Producers: Toei Animation
In a world where hair is forbidden, an afroed vigilante with mobile body hair protects the innocent and masters the mystical art of Snot Fo Yu. In what could be considered the most insane show ever to air on Toonami, this is also the second Toei series to be independently distributed by Toei themselves since the 2000 season of Sailor Moon (which was distributed by Cloverway, Toei's former North American division recently renamed Toei Animation USA).
IGPX
Premiere Date: November 5, 2005
Producer/Distributor: Production I.G./Bandai/Cartoon Network
Team Satomi begins their epic climb to the top of the IGPX robot racing league in the first original series made exclusively for Toonami based on the 2003 microseries event of the same name. With added starpower in the cast including Academy Award nominee Haley-Joel Osmond, Girlfight and The Fast and the Furious actress Michelle Rodriguez, Millennium's Lance Hendriksen, and Luke Skywalker and The Joker himself, Mark Hamill along with vocal imaging by Toonami icon Peter Cullen and a calvacade of popular anime voice artists, IGPX is one of the most visually pleasing series to ever air on Toonami.
Batman
Movie Premiere Date: November 19, 2005
Distributor: Warner Bros. Pictures
The 1989 theatrical classic which reintroduced the Dark Knight to the mainstream audiences (the people who still felt that the 60s Adam West series was who Batman really personified) made its network debut on Toonami. Although not a show nor a popular choice to the fanbase because it's live-action, its placement on the Toonami block (and its rating of TV-14 V, along with constant promotion throughout the entire programming day, a rarity for TV-14 programming on Cartoon Network) should be noted as a pivotal point in Toonami's history.
|
