Gephyrophillia | Watch This Space #140

Originally Posted on 03/17/2006 by Jeff Harris

It's been almost a decade since Toonami first graced the Cartoon Network channelscape.

Let me put that into perspective.

The youngest members of the desired demographics of the Toonami block weren't even born when the block and the oldest desired demographics were either four or five.

A lot can happen in nine years, and a lot has.

Thundercats and Voltron made their triumphant return to television.

Robotech would follow. Beast Wars was still a pretty new series in syndication. Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, a pair of shows languishing in syndication morning hell, were revived as if they were brand new.

ReBoot returned to America with a season unseen by American eyes. A new face with a simple name took over the controls. Dragon Ball Z finally showed what happened after Goku laid the smackdown on the weaker members of the Ginyu Squad. Ronin Warriors also returned from syndication hell.

The US premiere of Castle in the Sky took place in New York at a children's film festival months after Princess Mononoke was promoted heavily on one channel block. Gundams arrived in America as did a pair of very close, yet very pretty, soldiers and a teen named Tenchi who has numerous interstellar women drawn to him. A Dark Knight descended in the light of the rising sun. A hero died and was reborn n a matter of hours. The Man of Steel also flew into the afternoon block. We saw a Dr. Moreau-esque island while we rode in a blue submarine while anticipating the last dance of a familiar friend.

An outlaw named Gene who also wore a browncoat brought in a new millennium, immediately becoming a star. A familiar-looking yet different type of hero brought in a new order for a world without memories of what's out there on The Big O. A coup took place changing everybody's perceptions and, in a way, solidifying the fans under one voice. A cute, yet unwelcome card guardian named Sakura came with better treatment than her original home. An album of remixed yet familiar tunes was released, but it didn't have much success. A theatrical promo under one voice was released, and it would be the only time two blocks with the same name would be mentioned together. Two sides of the Gundam saga were revealed on the same day. By the end of the month, a false voice was seen by the nation, mocking the original and paying no respect to those that came before. On a lighter note, the original adventures of Goku were revealed for the first time in ages. Summer hit a high note with a night full of musical moments. Days later, the second block was born bringing in another group of outlaws.

A week later, September 11 happened.

Everything changed. Shows were replaced or preemptied. Gundam was an immediate casualty. The Absolution got trapped by a space trash compactor and got saved. A futuristic Batman emerged as a glimmer of hope. Daemon took over the Web and nearly got away with it. Megabyte nearly married Dot and ReBoot gave us the ultimate cliffhanger.

The second block got into the action game with a lot of premieres and the return of some favorites. The Joker infected SARA, temporarily disabling the Absolution. A cute, yet misplaced hamster named Hamtaro was seen, hoping not to get squished by falling debris. The false block was mercifully killed a year after its arrival, just in time for a fantasy-driven action series called Zoids: Chaotic Century to etch a place in the history of the block. A different kind of Gundam arrived to the afternoon, and they're fighting hard. Nostalgia brings a trio of brands from decades past (two of them in a new, exciting format while the other in a its original form) as Prince Adam receives the power of Grayskull, the Autobots begin their search for Minicons, and a special operation codenamed G.I. Joe begins their war on terror by taking on Cobra. A samurai the locals dubbed Jack arrived as the sun set on another year.

The last episodes of Zoids airs as does the last Midnight Run. Change is in the air as network heads begin to leave a crumbling empire. The purveyor of the coup is also forced out as a result of the resignation of a major figurehead. A series that takes place in a video game world makes a quick stop before heading to Saturday nights. Hell freezes over as Evangelion, Nadesico, and Dai-Guard invade the last week of the shortest month. A day after their invasion, a new Saturday night block premieres, siphoning many familiar shows and premiering new ones throughout the year. The afternoon block siphons a show themselves in the form of a team of spirit detectives. The third incarnation of the channel's host is revealed while a notorious assassin named Kenshin also makes his first steps in this new atmosphere. We said goodbye to the marquee show of the block, Dragon Ball Z and hello to an international group of cyborg heroes. An awkward, yet comical version of the Gundam franchise also arrived in bite-sized form. A team of rookie robot fighters also made a test run. The final adventures of Goku begin with the premiere of Dragon Ball GT.

A team of familiar DC Comics heroes make a stand in the daylight for the first time. A comical parody of card-battle shows called Duel Masters makes a stop on the afternoon block. A week later, a revamp of the original anime star Astro Boy made a home in the afternoons, the final major premiere in the afternoons. Toonami ends its daily run and ascends to a once-a-week airing while the third block takes its place and turns it into a new direction. A master martial artist takes his place on Jackie Chan Adventures while the new generation of Gundam is seeded on the new block. A future-born alien machine is sent back in time and pimped out by a Jersey-born grease monkey on Megas XLR. The younger heroes of the DC Universe begin new adventures while the older heroes join together becoming united and Unlimited. A Rave-olution begins. Jedis and the samurai, in his final adventures, invade for one special night.

D.I.C.E. was rolled, but it came out snake-eyes. The lost episodes of the Grand Tour aired, but not before the final episode (which was almost skipped) aired, giving viewers a more satisfying end to the Dragon Ball Saga. A boy and his demon named Zatch Bell arrive just as the weather begins to warm up. The second half of the Clone Wars is seen one week, while the entire saga airs with no chapter cards attached to them another. A different kind of Dark Knight begins his patrol in the nighttime. A 4Kids refugee called One Piece places its anchor on the block and actually becoming more popular on Saturday nights than Saturday mornings. Toonami takes a hold on the network's summer preview. A better Transformers show, Cybertron, premieres briefly. The Justice League takes on the Government and nearly loses. The Teen Titans take on a demonic force and faced a similar fate. An evil movie named Yu-Gi-Oh premieres on the block and temporarily finds a home in the nighttime. Luckily, the knuckleheaded ninja of the Village Hidden in the Leaves named Naruto breaks the hold and brings a sense of stability and a real voice back to the block. A week later, a quartet of stories changes the direction of the League. The younger heroes finds themselves in a similar predicament with a group of villians banding together in the final chapter. A strange afroed hero named Bo-Bobo takes on a world where hair is illegal. The Dark Knight takes on the Prince of Darkness Dracula and a vampirized Joker, who's even deadlier in this persona. The team of young robot fighters are now a team of young robot fighter/racers competing in the IGPX. Yet another different kind of Dark Knight arrives, but he's a lot more fleshy and real, very unanimated (and I don't just mean his neck). The young ninja Naruto unleashed his true power as the moon reaches the highest point.

The uncut version of DBZ is replaced with the older, familiar, "shouldn't these be atomized?" cuts of the series. The card parody reaches its second version. The Titans reach a sad end. A puppet show airs impressing nobody with its lame voice artistry. The League returns for its climatic end as the racers end their first season as the champions. New adventures of the Straw Hat crew begin as they set a permanent port in their nighttime slot.

A lot can happen in nine years.

But where is Toonami headed this year? After all, Cartoon Network has dubbed 2006 the year of Toonami with promises of new animated movies that's solidifying the block's connection to comics as well as manga, from Marvel favorites like Ultimate Avengers, Dr. Strange, and Iron Man to a Dark Horse favortie Hellboy. Anime properties are also coming, but all involved are keeping quiet. Don't worry, the silence won't last long.

In the meantime, realize that for the first time in a long time, Toonami is at a comfortable place. The network feels that the audience is maturing and that the block is ready to ascend to the place where they intended it to be when the relaunched it in 2004. The success of Naruto, Zatch Bell, IGPX, and One Piece are testaments to that. Toonami is going to take chances and planning on taking the block to unseen horizons.

I mean, geez, Toonami's airing four Miyazaki movies over the next four weeks. Finally, anime that actually has a plot that is intelligable and not for laughs nor exploitation. These movies are beautifully done and are something worth watching. A Month of Miyazaki is an event that has Toonami written all over it.

As a guy who has watched the block since day one and chronicled the block online for almost eight years, I'm actually excited about the direction Toonami is taking in 2006. In fact, it's one of the few bright spots I can find on Cartoon Network. I wouldn't be surprised if tbe block expands this summer.

With a celebratory tone, I say happy birthday Toonami. To those men and women behind the scenes of Toonami, the unseen masses that work hard every week to bring a night of excellence, thank you and, despite the Yu-Gi-Oh and '89 Batman airings, job well done and much success in the year ahead. The tenth year begins now, and I'll be watching.

*end transmission*

Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
March 17, 2006