Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #25

Originally Posted on 02/05/2003 by Jeff Harris

Fresh of the high created by last week's hell-freezing announcement about Toonami Giant Robot Week (in case you've been in the dark or just got defrosted yourself, click here), Cartoon Network unleashes the March schedule, and if you think the high is going to continue, you might want to consider going through withdrawal.

Kinda.

Let me break it down.

The bad news is that the Third Hour of Toonami is gone again starting on Monday, March 3, taking with it Zoids: Chaotic Century (a show many people considered last year's Show of the Year). The good news is that there's a new Toonami lineup in place weekdays from 5 to 7 PM EST/PST and, presumably, Saturdays from 7 PM to 2 AM EST/PST starting on March 8 (unless that remains the "Batman bumper block").

Yu-Yu Hakusho, a popular series currently shown on Adult Swim, will now be a Toonami exclusive on March 3. The series, about a once-dead spirit detective named Yusaske, will be the first TV-PG series to air in the daylight (BTW, the first TV-PG program outside of primetime was The Iron Giant, which will conclude Giant Robot Week on Friday, February 28 at 8 PM EST). That is, if you believe the grids. I rarely do, but this time, it could have some juice, adding fire to the rumor that Cartoon Network will shed its "kids' network" motif in 2003. Of course TNT's scheduling of Adult Swim after the All-Star Game will add to that fire as well.

So, breaking down the lineup starting March 3:

5.0 - Transformers Armada (New Episodes)
5.5 - G Gundam
6.0 - Yu Yu Hakusho (New To Toonami with NEW EPISODES coming)
6.5 - Dragon Ball Z (New Episodes Beginning March 17)

Whoa, let me rewind that last bit . . .

6.5 - Dragon Ball Z (New Episodes Beginning March 17)

The final episodes of Toonami's marquee series are finally premiering on Monday, March 17, Toonami's sixth anniversary. At long last, the Buu Saga is at its zenith, and the end is near for the Earth and all its citizens. Can Goku, revived and ready for action, save the planet one more time with his strange, ever-evolving powers from the now superiorly powerful Kid Buu? Five years of Dragonball Z on Toonami wind down in a little over a month.

Oh, and weekday Toonami becomes 100% anime. Just thought I'd add that for the otakus who wanted it.

Now, the Saturday prime-time lineup has been the focus of controversy as of late. At first, the lineup was going to be Toonami the week after Adult Swim merged their comedy and action blocks into one almost daily block. However, the Toonami name was missing and Saturday nights relegated into a generic action lineup, aka the "Batman Bumper Block" due to its continuous use of the Batman Cartoon Network ID bumper (confusing since Batman: The Animated Series wasn't even on the lineup). So, the new action lineup, if it's Toonami will be:

7.0 PM EST/PST - Max Steel (new to Toonami if this is Toonami Saturdays)
7.5 - Dragonball
8.0 - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (new episodes)
8.5 - Zoids: New Century/Zero (return to Toonami)
9.0 - Transformers Armada (new episodes)
9.5 - G Gundam
10.0 - Justice League Widescreen hour (new to Toonami if this is Toonami)
11.0 - Batman Beyond (return to Toonami)
11.5 - Superman (return to Toonami)
12.0 - .hack//SIGN (new episodes)
12.5 - Gundam 0080 (return to Toonami)
1.0 - GI Joe (either Toonami or out of the block)
1.5- Superfriends (either Toonami or Boomeraction)

Take that Toonami schedule with a grain of salt, because as we have seen, things could change at the flip of the switch. Just ask schedule watchers last month. On Toonami, never assume anything unless you see it on a press release or an announcement. Or better yet, just watch for yourself.

What do I think about the new schedule? Instead of feeling fits of anger and rage, I could only muster one word about the new lineup.

Meh.

I'm not exactly thrilled with the new lineup nor am I disappointed. The loss of the Third Hour would have been big in another life, but in these last couple of months, it was filled with old reruns. It is shameful that Zoids: Chaotic Century won't get a full run on the block with the Final Four that premiered earlier in the year, but for now, I could live with that. Toonami will basically be composed with new episodes of Toonami shows. New DBZ. New Armada. And yes, new Yu Yu Hakusho after the initial episodes have finished. Saturdays will have new Masters of the Universe and hopefully, the months ahead will bring new episodes of Justice League. I'm not completely bitter about the loss of the Third Hour again, and I'm kind of surprised about that. It's not like it'll be gone for good, and most likely by the summer, it'll be back, hopefully bringing new shows to the block (and yeah, there are a LOT of shows being rumored to come to the block later in the year, but I'll talk about that later). It's just another chapter in the book of Toonami, one that seems more optimistic than the last cutdown in 2001.

Until we are one, later.
Jeff Harris
CNX Creator/Webmaster
February 5, 2003