Mr. Idea Box

Okay, this show's concept has got me interested in checking out the first episode. It at least has that going for them. And hey, since Viz is footing the bill, maybe that Ranma 1/2 remake could do what the original couldn't and air on Toonami. But in all seriousness, if Rooster Fighter wasn't based on a manga, it still would've been an Adult Swim project anyhow.

You did it. You son of a cactus, you did it.

Yeah, that sounds about right. And hey, if it did premiere Fridays at 7pm, that happens to be the old CCF timeslot in general terms. Works well with Checkered Past having Brak for a host. A shame on my part, but if it has to happen, I can't stop it. I just hope it turns out to be a good show on its own merits, as a significant portion of its viewers will bitch and moan about its unfitting timeslot. Actually, I did the numbers on Swordsmith Village. If it did run in August, it would have to air at 1 AM in October or take a break for the month and continue in November. That's not getting into the 52-minute season finale, meaning they'd have to air it commercial-free or give it a 90-minute timeslot. In all fairness, you have a point on airing Swordsmith right after the Mugen Train marathon and reruns of Entertainment District. Reasonable predictions, and ones I could find myself tolerating. I'm glad Sailor Moon would remain a Rewind exclusive in your case, but pairing OG Naruto with Junji Ito's Uzumaki? That's just stupid enough to work.

Yeah, that's on me for adding too many reruns, and especially for overlooking IFG. But I'm the type of guy who would prefer Invincible Fight Girl to stay on Cartoon Network, honestly speaking. At least you don't expect Uzumaki to be delayed again, but Two Piece for an extra month and a half is a bitter pill to swallow. As much as I'd hate to admit it, Mashle feels like a January pickup. But in the event where MHA and Demon Slayer are both premiering in November, or one of them and some other anime, IFG would have to be in next year's position. Given the trappings of modern-day Toonami, it wouldn't faze me if Daima becomes a late 2024 pickup. Whichever the case, it appears the Nov-Dec 2024 schedule could be this: 12.0: Invincible Fight Girl / Dragon Ball Daima / My Hero Academia / Demon Slayer 12.5: My Hero Academia / Demon Slayer 1.0: One Piece 1.5: Sailor Moon 2.0: Naruto 2.5: Dragon Ball Z Kai 3.0: Either reruns or regular AS programming. No kidding. Duck Dodgers, Freakazoid, 2 Stupid Dogs, The Mask, Police Academy, GoBots, The Real Ghostbusters, Ed Grimley, and Mister T. And I've heard they've picked up Super Friends and Frankenstein Jr. now. Still, they are planning to shake things up in the Fall, so I wouldn't expect that Saturday night lineup to stay the exact same. I just hope it's better than what Toonami might be planning.

I'll take the middle ground in this case. But this is good advice nonetheless. Well, to each their own. But I'm still holding out hope that Toonami Rewind doesn't become the back half of Saturdays.

It looks like Fall begins in August this year on Toonami, between Rick and Morty: The Anime premiering, The Venture Bros. taking up the 3:30 AM timeslot, and Naruto Shippuden ending its monolithic run on the block. As such, I have two predictions on the block's future for the last few months of 2024. One positive and one negative. POSITIVE PREDICTION: August: Naruto Shippuden airs its last four episodes on an August 10th marathon sending it off. Its slot is replaced by the delayed second season of IGPX. Rick and Morty: The Anime premieres alongside a second pickup, the current prediction being Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village Arc. September: Ninja Kamui's rerun cycle is replaced with either Primal or Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. Primal is the more likely option. Meanwhile, Toonami Rewind airs a fourth show to its lineup at 5 PM, this one being an American cartoon. October: Uzumaki makes its long-awaited debut on Toonami. November: After a Day of the Dead marathon of both Uzumaki and Housing Complex C, we finally get My Hero Academia's seventh season. Maybe something new at 12:30, too. December: Making its return to Toonami's shores, Cowboy Bebop replaces IGPX in time for Christmas. NEGATIVE PREDICTION: August: We get another marathon on the 10th. Shippuden airs its final episode on August 31st. Instead of getting a second premiere at 12:30, the usual suspects (One Piece, Shippuden, Kai, etc.) get bumped up a half-hour to make sure Rick and Morty only airs one single new episode a week, even if it's not a real season of the show. September: It turns out that Toonami Rewind was not as successful as they had hoped, as Sailor Moon and original Naruto join DBZ Kai as early-morning filler for the main Toonami block. IGPX never airs its remastered second season on Toonami, as Demarco outright promotes the Discotek Blu-Ray release on Facebook. But at least we get a fresh rerun cycle at 3 AM, right? October: As a consequence of Rick and Morty never airing two episodes a night, Uzumaki is held back another year, and the 26th has a Rick and Morty marathon instead. November: Toonami has a choice between Demon Slayer: Swordsmith Village or Season 7 of My Hero Academia as their holiday premiere. They choose Demon Slayer, all but confirming MHA remains a streaming exclusive for its last two seasons. December: No changes, as there isn't any room on the schedule until January 2025. Considering the timing for August 2024, I have my suspicions the Negative prediction is what actually happens. Not saying Toonami's dead, but I'll be spending my Saturday nights watching MeTV Toons instead.

DING DING DING! We have a winner! Unfortunately, the loser is us.

May whoever gets casted as Kureha have mercy from whichever deity she believes in, because she's never gonna get it from the One Piece fandom.

I guess any WB property that would get a revival or new project would have to be on a streaming service only, assuming this is true. Let's hope the linear channel half is what Discovery becomes in this instance.

In a world that has samurai rabbits and bovine cowboys, somehow Naruto fits in pretty well in the Ninja Turtles universe. It helps that he's technically a humanoid fox himself, as far as the rest of the village was concerned.

Just checked the Swimpedia page for Toonami in 2024, and... It looks like they really ARE skipping episodes. Maybe I'm wrong, and they just forgot to change it. But my gut tells me Episodes 8-19 aren't airing on Toonami Rewind.

Don't forget! We're getting two Sailor Moon episodes starting next week! (Two moons in a week? Which Sailor Scout is the protagonist, again?)

At least it's something new for Checkered Past. I can't complain about the different direction if it brings some nuance to the block. And hey, at least Space Ghost Coast to Coast is technically Cartoon Network's first original series.

Well, I expected Rick and Morty to invade Toonami in August. I didn't expect it to be in the middle of that month, though. The dub's on Thursdays, while Toonami gets the sub? And they're airing the subtitled version at Midnight? I mean, I'm not really that surprised, but it still feels weird. I don't know what would air in the rest of August, but my predictions have been shifted from this announcement. Sentai Filmworks is dubbing the show? Well, that makes anything from HiDive a lot likelier in the future, especially now that subbed anime has a chance at Midnight for some reason. Yeah, it's a lot to take in.

Honestly, I'm surprised it took Canada as long as they did to rename Teletoon into Cartoon Network, given the USA channel is in shambles at best.

On the one hand, Invincible Fight Girl being on Adult Swim pains me. On the other hand, Rooster Fighter might get some actual recognition from this reveal, as it's the first time I've heard it.

Oh right, I forgot about that. Then again, I made a conscious choice not to watch the debate.

If One Piece can't make the Top 400 at 1 AM, I'd hate to see what it does at 12:30.

Well, I would certainly be surprised to see this on Toonami, as it was under my radar when the first two seasons were there. Like, on the one hand, Fire Force would be cheaper to license, even with Crunchyroll dubbing it. On the other hand, Toonami probably doesn't have the budget for more than MHA and One Piece, specifically in Sony's case.

On the one hand, getting Sailor Moon back-to-back would be a great change to the schedule, and one I would welcome. On the other hand, I have a sad suspicion this means Toonami Rewind is getting turned into late-night filler. Please let this not be the case.

I understand that you're upset about how far Toonami and Demarco have fallen over the past few years. Sometimes, I can even find some common ground with your thought process. But I am legitimately getting tired of the doomposting whenever something bad happens on Toonami's turf. Really, I am. Can't this section on the site appreciate the stuff we have? A three-hour block Saturdays at Midnight, a Friday evening block for retro viewers, all while cable television is declining. Frankly, it should be a miracle Toonami is still a thing in 2024. I gotta ask: What would you prefer? An action/anime block run by an out-of-touch executive, or no action or anime blocks on any TV set? Because I'm starting to think that's a trick question.

Man, the next year and change is going to be rough for Toonami's bread and butter, isn't it? My Hero Academia has a handful of manga chapters left, meaning Season 8 will likely be its last. Dr. Stone and Demon Slayer are starting to wrap up. One Piece is looking to be a golden goose for Netflix, even if the Toonami run is hundreds of episodes behind the current age. Naruto Shippuden is ending in two months. Scavengers Reign was sold for pennies on the dollar, making it strange bedfellows with Gear 5 Luffy. People are still wary about Toonami Rewind's success, to the point where some people practically expect its programs to be dumped to the back alley of Saturday nights. To say nothing about the American animated projects, which are all subject to being written off before they come out. As such, during a tumultuous time for the Toonami legacy, and in honor of the 20th Anniversary of Saturday Night Toonami, I want to voice my opinions for what I do (and do not) want to see looking forward. 1.) More Programming Variety This seems to be a catch-all term, so let me elaborate. At this current junction on the Absolution, shows based on Shonen Jump properties take up between 7 and 9 time slots on two blocks, with at least three separate episodes given to Dragon Ball Z Kai alone. I think I can speak for the majority when I say the anime industry has moved beyond relying on Shonen manga for easy money. Magical girl properties like Pretty Cure and Jewelpet are seeing a comeback, while comedy manga can still find a footing in this modern market. Barring that, I do hope for more American animation in Toonami's future, as My Adventures with Superman is successful enough to gain a third season. Yes, even with the impending rise of James Gunn. Heck, as long as I'm stating my desires, bring in animation from outside the West and East. I know that's a longshot, but there are animation studios from other countries besides Japan, United States, and Canada. 2.) An Expansion on Toonami Rewind On the other end of the coin, I think Toonami Rewind is a great concept, getting to provide the next generation a taste of what the Toonami Faithful used to watch growing up. However, I feel like cutting into Checkered Past might not work going forward. Now that the third installment of Beavis and Butthead is moving to Comedy Central, I have a feeling The Mouse is itching to make FXX the exclusive home for adult animation. As such, expanding Toonami Rewind would be a great way to fill two more hours of airtime. In fact, try this on for size... Monday Thru Thursday: 7.0: Samurai Jack 7.5: Sailor Moon 8.0: Dragon Ball Z Kai 8.5: Naruto Classic Friday: 7.0: Invincible Fight Girl (New!) 7.5: Totally Spies (2024) (New!) 8.0: Dragon Ball Z Kai 8.5: InuYasha Not exactly the best way to expand, but it still provides a respite from the work week. And if we have no choice but to air Invincible Fight Girl on Toonami, I'm honestly hoping they do it this way. 3.) Wasted Slot Potential To wrap things up, here's something that I don't want to see. I do not want Toonami to consistently marathon one of their shows into the grave. It happened with the original Dragon Ball Z back in the early 2000s. It happened with Naruto three years later. And from the looks of things, it may be happening with Ninja Kamui nowadays. Look, I get it. No one is watching television at 3 in the morning. I understand. But do you have to fill in space with shows you just finished premiering? Honest question here. If you don't want to shrink back to a two-hour block on Saturdays, that's perfectly fine. There's a lot of options just waiting at your fingertips. Primal has a third season renewal, and that already has nearly half a year covered by itself. Cowboy Bebop's never going away, and Toonami Rewind would censor some of the material. If FLCL isn't getting new seasons anytime soon, reruns shall suffice. Ditto that for Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. Heck, you guys have a second season of IGPX just waiting in the wings. Why don't you use that to fill space? I guess what I want to say is...I want Toonami to last as long as possible, and the only way they can do that is by expanding their horizons. Hopefully, they can take these lessons to heart. Or maybe they'll become even more stagnant than they were in 2008. But what do I know? I'm just a guy on the Internet. And if one Jeff Harris is keeping an eye open, you and your words matter more than you think. My two cents here.

UZUMAKI HALLOWEEN SWEEP LET'S GO!

I hope this bodes well for their take on Jonny Quest. If Space Ghost can break the chains of Williams Street, so can he.

On the one hand, I have a feeling Sony would want these to be Alamo Drafthouse exclusives for a while. On the other hand, if these movies do air on Toonami, I hope it would be like the Attack on Titan finale duology and it only takes a year and a half to air them. But I'd be okay with spacing them out to one movie a year, truthfully.