Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #97

Originally Posted on 01/21/2004 by Jeff Harris

Fact: Gundam SEED, perhaps the biggest Gundam series since Gundam Wing in Japan, is coming to Cartoon Network this spring. Where it will be headed is a mystery. Well, not so much a mystery. It's not coming to Adult Swim as at least two people thought it would, but one of the action blocks, either Saturday or Toonami. After SD Gundam, it is nice to see a Gundam series that goes back to its traditional roots in the US.

Fact: Jetix is premiering on both ABC Family and Toon Disney on Saturday, February 14. Now, while it is known that ABC Family's Jetix lineup will be the morning lineup, Toon Disney's Jetix is a complete mystery, and for the time being, no shows have been revealed. Now, after looking at the listings for that day, Toon Disney has put a placehold for the block at 3 PM EST/PST. Currently, that slot has "TBD" by it. Apparently, the slot has been determined. It's just that we don't know what's going to end up in the slot. Still, it is kind of funny. An afternoon action slot on Saturdays. Could Toon Disney actually make it work? And if so, will they keep it up?

Also, there's a little similarity between the way that Jetix is currently being promoted with the way that Toonami was introduced. Both had strange, ambiguous things floating around (Toonami's strange thing was Clyde49 and Jetix has this silvery orb with an anime-inspired eye) and both just had their premiere dates on it (Toonami: March 17 and Jetix: February 14). I have no clue what shows Toon Disney would put on their Jetix lineup, but if an outside anime like Sailor Moon (probably the best show to draw in fans to the block as well as girls who are reluctant to watch action) or something else ends up on Jetix, I'll be impressed.

Fact: Detective Conan is coming to Adult Swim this spring, perhaps on April 17 as part of the new Adult Swim Saturday lineup. Granted this was definitely an either/or acquisition because of its content (a whole lot of murders are found on this show) and its lead hero, a master detective who has been turned into a kid. The thing about Japanese programming is that shows like Detective Conan, One Piece, InuYasha, Dragon Ball Z, and others like them are family entertainment while in America, they tend to target an older "mature" audience. Maybe the Japanese are more mature than Americans. Either that or call it an ill-effect of living in a puritanical, scared society like ours which still has this idiotic belief that animation is just for kids and believes that we should be living in the society that was created on 50s television but never really existed. America will probably never be ready for completely uncut anime on broadcast and cable television in all hours of the day. Hell, Pokemon is edited on American television, and that's one of the biggest kid-friendly shows in the US now. Okay, maybe something like Fist of the North Star or Hellsing would never, ever fly in the daytime (which is why I'm thankful that The Action Channel exists), but animation that are generally targeted for family audiences shouldn't be restricted because of cultural differences. That's how we as a society could grow.

Well, that and I don't think that Detective Conan should be buried in a late-night slot. It's not a slam against Adult Swim, and heaven knows I don't want the series on Toonami either (to be honest, mystery adventures aren't really Toonami's department). Ever seen Monk? Great show on USA. Anyway, this series and Detective Conan has a lot of similarities (humor, unique leads with brilliant minds, strong supporting casts, and a few dark moments, usually murders). An acquisition like Detective Conan is one reason why I would support an hour expansion on weeknights and Sundays because it's just as good as Monk, if not better. Still, Detective Conan was definitely a series I was anticipating coming to Cartoon Network, and lo and behold, it has.

Fact: ANX has a major facelift! Code Matrix and Mr. Obsession over at Absolution NeXt has updated the interface of the almost year-old Toonami site. One of the major updates added is the first TICA section in a couple of years. Last place I saw one of those sections was on an old site who name escapes me (translation: I need to put my TICA section up pretty soon). Great job, and you guys should check it out.

Fact: I'll be back in a couple of days with a real update. I have so much work to catch up on, so, y'all have a nice day.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
January 21, 2004 (blows out candles)