Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space - Toonami '04 First Impressions

Originally Posted on 03/17/2003 by Jeff Harris

Day one of the new Toonami attitude has come and gone, and I have a few things to say about it.

Okay, what makes me an expert on Toonami? To be honest, I don't know. I mean, I've been a fan of the block since I saw the first promos back in February 1997. I also created one of the interweb's first Toonami fanpages (you're knee-deep in it), chronicling the block's history since July 10, 1998. I've even been interviewed by WIRED Magazine back in 2001 about Toonami fandom.

Okay, that doesn't make me an expert, that makes me a geek. But I do know what I'm talking about, so, here are my thoughts about the new Toonami. There's a lot of deja-vu moments I enjoyed, and some I didn't.

Pluses:

- TOM is bigger, as is his base of operations, the Absolution II. He's also more of a host than he has ever been. Yeah, he's still basically a button-pusher, but this model is a little more personable towards viewers, lightly warmer and less mechanical. He's no longer bound by just saying when the show goes to and comes back from commercials. In short, TOM's actually getting more detailed with the block, kind of like the olden days when TOM and his predecessor Moltar talked about what we're watching and what's ahead. Gone are the rotating data screens which showcased TOM's ability to be a drone but not his ability to speak. Guess his vocal chips and Toonami programing memory has finally worked together.

- The eyecatches has also eliminated much of the clutter the most recent looks of the block had surrounding it. Basically, it was an action scene with a brief glimpse of TOM saying the show will be right back and will return followed by more of the scene. No logo following it. This is very much like the Toonami of yore . . . pre-September 1997 Toonami to be precise, when Moltar did the voiceover behind the action scenes.

- Also, the "slanted Impact" font has returned to the data screens. Last seen on Toonami around May 1998, the "slanted Impact" font made a brief return during Masters of the Universe and Transformers Armada's Saturday night re-run. Basically, it's a simple font which wasn't loud or exaggerated like the previous title font and the current neo-Gothic title font, and it's very effective in regular data screens. As a long-time viewer and fan, it was nice of Williams Street bring back old-school tendencies back to the graphical interface of Toonami.

- If it wasn't for the promos, you wouldn't have known there was a new Toonami logo. The logo's nice, but it was rarely seen today, and to be honest, that's not a bad thing. It's not as streamlined or commercialized as the previous one was, but maybe this neo-Gothic Toonami logo will have some getting used to by those within the production facilities. Plus, it's not as adaptable as the previous logo. Could you imagine "Blood" or "Bubbles" done with the current logo? I'll admit, the new logo font looks rather regal, especially in the "Later" graphic.

Minuses:

The abbreviated opening kind of surprised me. I didn't expect to see a personal voiceover followed by business as usual. Kind of a letdown compared to the previous opening, the makeshift opening of 2001, the first TOM-era openings, and all the Moltar-era openings (though I have to admit, anything's better than the pipes opening of 2000). Wonder if they're delaying the real opening until March 31 when the conclusion of the Endgame comic is uploaded.

They recycled a lot of music in three of the four openings for Toonami, which is kind of a shame. Some of us have heard many of these themes many times too many, and as good as they are, some folks would want to hear something new and different. Nothing against Joe Boyd Vigil, the musician behind many of the TOM-era themes, but one would have figured that with a brand new Toonami, you wouldn't have used the same old music. Something new added to the playlist would have been nice.

I'm openly optimistic about this new look. It's certainly better than the previous interface in the way the shows are presented. Then again, this is only day one, and a lot could change between now and then. Regardless, it's gonna be fun!

Until we are one, later.
Jeff Harris
CNX Creator/Webmaster
March 17, 2003