OwlChemist81

Part of the reason I'm tempted is so I can read half of his posts without getting spoiled.

The hell?! I didn't know that! That brings the first half status quo numbers down to 3.76 and 34%. If we get a dub premiere on 5/5, that shoots it up to 4.08 and 36.9%. BTW, note the corrections I made for 2017. Somehow I failed to take into account that DBS premiered at 8 PM or 8:30 PM for most of 2017, which means that most of the Toonami airings were technically RERUNS despite the fact that Toonami aired topicals for them, and that completely changed the complexion of my argument! But thanks for your watchful eye. Now I'm tempted to watch Gundam IBO #49 and #50 ahead just to see how all this ends, though!

How in the hell could I forget about Samurai Jack Season 5? Though technically speaking it was a WORLD premiere, not a dub premiere. But I also made one OTHER HUGE error: DBS was only a dub premiere on Toonami, strictly speaking, on July 22 and the first 3 weeks of December, since it got prime-time sneak premieres at 8 PM or 8:30 PM for most of the year. Also taking into account a small error I made regarding DBZKFC's last dub premiere (first DVD set came out 4/25/17), that makes the true breakdown for 2017 as follows: Jan 7-Mar 4: DBZKFC; HxH (2 total) Mar 11-Apr 15 (excluding Apr 1): Jack; DBZKFC; HxH (1 world, 2 dub, 3 total)Apr 22 only: Jack; DBZKFC; AoTS2; HxH (1 world, 3 dub, 4 total) Apr 29-May 20: Jack; AoTS2; HxH (1 world, 2 dub, 3 total) Jun 3-Jun 10: AoTS2; HxH (2 total)Jun 17-Jul 15: AoTS2; HxH; Lupin (3 total) Jul 22: DBS; AoTS2; HxH; Lupin (4 total)Jul 29-Aug 12: HxH; Lupin (2 total)Aug 19-Sep 30: JoJoSC; HxH; Lupin (3 total)Oct 7-Nov 18: JoJoSC; Gundam IBO; HxH; Lupin (4 total) Oct 7-Dec 16: DBS; JoJoSC; Gundam IBO; HxH; Lupin (5 total) The average number of dub or world premieres for normal weeks in 2017 was 2.97. So far, through the first 4 months of 2018, that average is 4.06, MUCH higher. What happens from there depends whether or not we get another dub premiere to replace Gundam IBO. With one like Re:Zero joining the block, the average for the first half of 2018 shoots up to 4.24. Without it, it falls to 3.92, STILL almost a full show ahead of last year. It is also important to note that percentage-wise, 3 dub premieres in 2018 is lower than in 2017, since this year the block is usually 11 shows long. So even without Re:Zero or another dub premiere joining the block on May 5, the first half percentage would be 35.4%, which is still quite a bit higher than 32.5%. So in conclusion, the next show on the block wouldn't really NEED to be a dub premiere, theoretically.

Possibly the funniest thing about the JoJo bath scene was that Carrie Keranen was voicing the woman who was bathing lil' Polnareff, who was voiced by Erica Mendez, who most of us recognize as Gon, got her start on Toonami as Ryuko on KILL la KILL! Of course, Carrie voiced Satsuki, so it was like a KILL la KILL leads reunion out of nowhere! And over on Hunter x Hunter, I should have known having Zach Aguilar (Genos from One-Punch Man) voice Colt was telegraphing something, since he seems to be leading the rebellion against the newly born king, who is voiced by none other than Max Mittelman, Saitama from One-Punch Man! This of course makes perfect sense, since the king can knock almost anyone out with ONE PUUUUUUUUUNCH--or should I say "SLAAAAAAP" of his mighty tail! And maybe THIS is why Pop Team Epic couldn't air on Toonami yet, because it would have spoiled Orga's death? But I REALLY don't want PTE replacing IBO.

Exactly. Therefore, as I'm most psyched for Re:Zero, I think I would be most surprised if it turned out to be anything BESIDES Re:Zero. As much as I dig having Space Dandy back on the block, I can't state enough how great it would have been to have had a dub premiere of Darling in the Franxx on the block beginning that week, and maybe THEN Black Clover should have been knocked down to 1 AM? But more likely than not, they weren't even looking at Franxx yet, and that mystery show that was to replace Lupin is none other than Re:Zero!

Hmm, that ALSO seems to point to a probable Re:Zero premiere on Toonami on May 5th at 12:30! The question is: since I believe the first episode is an hour long, if they've got an AoTS2-ish deal going on, where it has to air on Toonami a day or two before it streams, then maybe Black Clover will get pre-empted that night? Also, with the first set of episodes coming out mid-June, and that set containing episodes 1-12, at least it would be a dub premiere until FLCL 2 hits, and then once that's over, we'd likely have AOT S3, so that would keep the 4-or-more train rolling! Finally, as much hate as y'all wanna give Boruto, at least that would be a dub premiere, as probably would Naruto Shippuden as well once it passes a certain point. Don't think we'll get there this year or even next year though!

That certainly gives the advantage to Re:Zero, then. We currently have 4 dub premieres on the block (DBS, JoJo: SC, Gundam IBO, and HxH). When we lose Gundam IBO, we need another dub premiere. Most of the other shows that people are throwing out there (Star Blazers, MHA, Pop Team Epic) would NOT be dub premieres. I think that matters. JoJo replaced AOT S2; that was also a dub premiere (and a "simul-dub" at that.) Gundam IBO replaced Tokyo Ghoul, which was NOT a dub premiere, but at the time we also had Lupin, which WAS a dub premiere. (So in 4th Quarter 2017 we actually had 5 dub premieres.) Here are the number of dub premieres we had in each stage of 2017: Jan 7-Apr 15: DBS; DBZKai; HxH (3 total) Apr 22-Jun 10: DBS; AoTS2; HxH (3 total) Jun 17-Jul 22: DBS; AoTS2; HxH; Lupin (4 total) Jul 29-Aug 12: DBS; HxH; Lupin (3 total) Aug 19-Sep 30: DBS; JoJo: SC; HxH; Lupin (4 total) Oct 7-Dec 16: DBS; JoJo: SC; Gundam IBO; HxH; Lupin (5 total) It turns out that in at least half of 2017, we only had 3 dub premieres. Of course, in January, we lost Lupin, which was replaced by a rerun (Space Dandy), and now this May 5 we lose Gundam IBO. Could it be replaced by a non-dub premiere? With FLCL S2 and hopefully AoTS3 coming, sure! Even though we haven't been down to 3 dub premieres in over 6 months, at least the former of those is the rarest type of premiere: a WORLD premiere! And, there is a chance that Re:Zero would only be a dub premiere for part of its run on Toonami (rumors are that a DVD/BD release may be coming early summer), but even so, at least it would be until those two shows impact the block! It is also remarkable to note that 2017 is the first year we actually had at least 3 dub premieres on the block during all non-marathon weeks. In both 2015 and 2016, there were numerous times the number of dub premieres was only 2. So we certainly COULD go back to 3 in 2018, but I kinda doubt we will! It seems that the bar has been raised to 4 or more--at least I hope!

Yes, Alternative. His character was even in the sneak peek, though of course not voiced by him yet!

Funny that the opener of this show aired back-to-back with THAT episode of JoJo!

I still like it, but I don't like it as much as I did up until the midpoint of season 2 after the Mobile Armor was vanquished. It really bums me out that it really does appear to be taking the "chicken" way out, rather than building to a stunning gambit by McGillis to try to get Gjallarhorn to respect his rule militarily by awakening a whole bunch of Mobile Armors on earth and forcing Tekkadan to battle them, a battle with only a few surviving. Nope, it's the confused lone wolf Mikazuki vs. Rustal and his goons, after Orga got taken out Mafia-style by even more cowardly goons. Then again, Orga never actually battled in a mech so it was actually a fitting death for him, unlike Lafter. Even so, I'm looking forward to it the next 2 weeks to see how this mess all turns out!

That's fair, but I think it was more likely a contractual agreement that the video play before 12:30, and somehow JoJo was the best target. I don't get it because it knocked both it and Gundam WAY out of whack on DVR, but it's possible. And as for where the woman went, maybe she never really intended to take a bath with Polnareff and just gave him a piggyback ride, then disappeared. I guess maybe we'll find out next week!

The last episode sets up a conflict between Alucard/Hellsing and the survivors of the Iscariot organization in what would be called the "10th Crusade." That could be a backdrop for new chapters of the story. It would be really cool if it ended up going for 13 OVAs someday instead of 10! It was a certain episode of Pre-Flight where they were talking about worlds in which you could tell new stories. Getting back to Gundam IBO, I wonder if it will end up like that in the end, the sort of series in which you could tell new stories. But I hear there might be a movie somehow...

Soooo, if you whack something with a guitar, does it really make a noise like that?

And finally, the ANN review for this episode: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/mobile-suit-gundam-iron-blooded-orphans/episode-48/.113630 Believe it or not, ANN's reviewer actually rated Black Clover HIGHER this week! It got a "B"; this episode got a "B-".

Except for Subtitles night, I'm afraid not.

Gotta admit this is pretty cool. Well, on to Space Dandy!

Naruto really needs a medic now!

"Of COURSE I'm winded--I just beat the shit out of Naruto!"

Anybody watching Ballmastrz?

"This is for the Land of Fire, and this is for Guren, and this is for Toad Oil..."

Here's this episode's ANN review: https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/black-clover/episode-18/.127455 It got a "B".

Wait, Gon and Killua splitting up!? SOOOOOOOO much stuff happened in this episode!

I have just received word that the King is voiced by none other than Max Mittleman! So Saitama is the King, and Genos is Colt. They're going at it in an alternate reality!

HAIL TO THE KING! Colt is surrendering!?

Keep fighting, Asta! On to Hunter x Hunter!