Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #135

Originally Posted on 11/14/2005 by Jeff Harris

In memory of Eddy Guerrero, a wrestler who fought many personal demons and began life anew. Rest in peace, hermano.

Hey, Cartoon Network. How are you doing?

I know you guys are reading because I could see you in my site's stats. Since I know you're there and probably wondering what I have to say in the light of my previous comments. Nothing major, at least to me, but it is something worth saying.

As of Saturday, November 19, 2005, you have no more excuses.

Don't say you can't, because it's obvious that you can.

Oh? I didn't make myself clear? Okay, you asked for it.

You have no more excuses to continue business as usual for Cartoon Network nor Toonami as a result of the scheduling of 1989's classic movie Batman. You may think I'm just referring to the fact that Batman is airing on Toonami, but you're wrong. I've already talked about live-action programming's place on Cartoon Network, so that's a "been there, done that" thing for me. What I'm talking about is what it's placement on the lineup signifies.

Batman will be the first TV-14 program to air on Toonami, not to mention the first TV-14 program to air outside of Adult Swim. So, by an odd occurance, more people are complaining about the fact that the live-action Batman movie is airing on Toonami (and oddly not the fact that the announcer said this was the FIRST live-action movie, meaning more's on the way) rather than the film's content in the movie. With that said, there is a TV-14 rated program on Toonami this Saturday. And there should be no excuse to not air any more on the block.

Clearly shows that feel "out of place" on Adult Swim would benefit from a Toonami airing. Two of FUNimation's recent Adult Swim properties, Case Closed and Full Metal Alchemist, both featured young teens in dominant roles on a mature series. InuYasha is pretty much a teen-driven drama with demonic battles. They all had moderate success. However, they aren't on the marquee action block, Toonami. Yu Yu Hakusho, the only Adult Swim show to crossover to Toonami, did have a decrease in viewership during its two-year run on Toonami. Of course, part of it may have had to do with the TV-Y7 edits made on the show once it migrated to Toonami. I'm not saying that Toonami should air TV-14 Adult Swim action shows relatively uncut, but Cartoon Network has no excuse NOT to air them.

Another thing Cartoon Network has no excuse in not doing is air promotions for Adult Swim programming in the daylight on Cartoon Network. The Batman promos have aired in all hours of the day with the TV-14 V rating prominent in the first few seconds of the promo, so there's no excuse not to air promos for the other TV-14 and under shows on Adult Swim, including Futurama, Family Guy, American Dad, most of the Williams Street-made shows, and most of the the action shows. That means TV-MA-rated shows like The Boondocks, Robot Chicken, Stroker and Hoop, and Ghost In The Shell will be subjected to just nighttime promotion. Cartoon Network has no excuse not to do that any more.

I'm not exactly jumping high about the fact that Batman is airing on Cartoon Network (there are SO many other movies I'd rather see air on Toonami), but in actuality, the live-action movies are doing, in essence, what Cartoon Network has tried to do in recent years . . . build the network into an all-ages channel. I never expected to see TV-PG films and programming in the daylight hours nor TV-14 programming on Toonami (so, Toonami IS for teens afterall), and hopefully, Cartoon Network will continue to go in that direction without relying on live-action programming.

Afterall, Cartoon is your first name.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
Webmaster/EiC/Lead Writer, The X Bridge
November 14, 2005