Blatch

Hah, good call. Definitely. There have been some days where I wonder whether or not *ahem* everyone's going to make it, much less myself. Makes me wonder how Poke has been faring nowadays.

Pessimistic as I may be, I wouldn't say I'm dooming. At the end of the day, I think Toonami's going to stay the course. It's just a matter of whether or not it has stuff I want to watch. And if they manage to get something like Ushio & Tora for November, that's some good cookin', so I'll tune in. Definitely agree with this, especially the bumps part. It'd be nice if they could go back to changing them every month rather than having one or two sets of bumps for each show's entire run. On the other hand, I do think there are some shows left in their rerun pool that could use some more love. They got HD tapes for Ghost in the Shell: Stand-Alone Complex that they've only used once (or nonce, in S1E6's case), and the first batch of FLCL sequels haven't been rerun since right after their initial airings. Put one of those down there along with The Promised Neverland S2, which seems likely to take up a slot in November assuming they don't cut anything.

Yeah, okay. Now I have no idea why I said that. In a way, I have been holding the staff accountable for years, literal years now. (Crazy to think that we can now use this timeframe in regards to the modern version of Toonami!) I just haven't been too vocal about it. For years, the staff has shown an unwillingness to dive into the back catalogues of the companies they work with. I know I've been ragging on them to get lesser-known titles from Sentai, but even when Funi hadn't been bought out by Sony and their oldies were still available, rarely did they ever take from that well. They've also done about as well when it comes to simuldubs and other bleeding-edge shows. All the way back in 2016 I was really hoping they'd get Re:Zero, which turned out to be a big fat one. And then they didn't get any other isekai shows as the genre was increasing in popularity, instead opting to stick with SAO (which isn't really an isekai, but you understand this shtick). So when people are saying this block could get something like Call of the Night, I tend to roll my eyes at it. I think them getting Made in Abyss was a minor miracle, which is a reason why I haven't been too optimistic about Season 2 coming to the block. Then there was the whole matter of them saying they were going to get "non-action shows", which resulted in exactly two pick-ups: Food Wars! and Pop Team Epic, and the latter wasn't even their call; Kim Manning really wanted them to air it, back when she was calling the shots for CN or whatever. Now I assume that was the staff talking out of their ass to explain the pool of possible content decreasing. So that's not a good track record in recent history. But here's the thing: despite those issues being prevalent, Toonami has usually futzed their way into success. In other words, they've still put out interesting schedules featuring shows I want to watch. Among other shows, MiA was a godsend, Gridman was cool, I've finally come around on Lupin after not finishing the previous two series, and all of the recent co-productions were (or are, in HCC's seeming case) at least watchable. Now it looks like, outside of the co-pros, we might not even get that. And there's no one to blame other than whoever's programming things. I have no idea how much sway DeMarco has nowadays, but I bet his fingerprints, which preclude a lack of risk-taking (granted, right now it's primarily apathy toward Sentai), continue to dot what gets put on the block. And if so, I think that's unfortunate. If there were ever a time for some fresh talent to start running the show, it's now, because now is the time when making Toonami an attractive block actually counts. Besides, are we counting on more co-pros that will probably be no better than decent to save the block? Especially not when two of them are more FLCL sequels. 🥴 And as for YashaHime, it could be in the contract they signed that they get dibs on future seasons once Viz has them ready. Maybe WBD can veto that, but if that's the case, they didn't do it for S2.

If the only new thing we have for the last two months of the year is YashaHime, that would be galling. Even last year had Blade Runner: Black Lotus in addition to other premieres. Though it's not like I could blame the staff for this, and I would try not to anyway. And it's not like I'd watch the new Bleach series if Toonami shows it... or would I? 😳

Well, yeah, I knew what they were doing last night. But I figured it could be a precursor to cramming an extra slot in. So my DVR recording of Lupin may have been fucked up, though I have it set to record the last minute before and first one after each show, so maybe I got it up to the ending credits.

This could be something, or it could be a red herring and they're actually doing it to fit a bonus rerun at the end of the block... maybe Ghost in the Shell or something. I do like the idea of less ads on the block, but it makes me wonder how the bumps are going to work.

The thing that stood out to me in this premiere was the fact that it emphasized otaku interests, between the various figurines and cute girl fan art and one character was even playing a Bandori clone. It feels like this show is being made by younger talents than what we've been seeing, which is a nice change of pace. And it looks like we're in for some nice and trashy horror over the remaining episodes, plus some interesting historical allusions (which the show is likely making up, but you never know).

It would be especially fitting because Viz hardly has anything of their own right now. It's all titles related to older series they have, plus the very occasional bone thrown their way from Crunchyroll, like Jujutsu Kaisen. I feel like most people don't realize CR isn't putting it out on home video themselves.

Did you do some day drinking today or were you four drinks deep when DeMarco originally said that? So yeah, disappointing we get no Dawn of the Deep Soul before Halloween, but I was bullish on that idea. The Promised Neverland coming back is a wild swing, but given that they're down three originals due to the recent write-offs, it makes sense. The [as] website only has Season 2, so they'll probably start with the first four. I can totally see this being a prelude to a full rerun in November. As far as new stuff is concerned, I'm thinking it's Bleach: TYBW or bust. I can't see them putting on anything else outside of a possible Sentai catalogue pick, whether they'd have the money for it or not. And I don't think we're getting any movies unless they're DC, because that would take a good chunk out of the budget (which ties into a long-standing theory I have that Toonami only aired Children Who Chase Lost Voices because Sentai offered it for a really really good price, maybe even free).

Touhou Hifuu Club: The Sealed Esoteric History 2 Birdie Wing -Golf Girl's Story- 8 Lycoris Recoil 2 [beer me!]

AFAIK, Netflix has exclusively done union dubs for their anime since 2019. I'm not sure how things would work, but it probably wouldn't be an issue to lure in the necessary actors from the Texas-based talent pool.

Bleach: TYBW? At this point, I'm most curious about how much Toonami has left in the budget for the rest of the year, because we know they didn't have much to start with. It could be that they only have enough to get one more new show for the rest of the year. If it comes to that, hopefully it's Viz that comes through in the clutch and gives them a really good deal for more Bleach.

No exclamation points for this one? I would've expected nothing less from the guy who loves any and all horror abime on Toonami. Hey, once Made in Abyss ends, maybe we can get a Hellsing Ultimate rerun. 😛 I'll be watching this tonight, which will be a combination of it airing at midnight and the fact that Sundays at my job are really chill, so I can afford less sleep.

Another month without an omnibus, going on two now. But I won't let that happen. The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Episode 15: "When the spell is broken..." - TV-PG Birdie Wing -Golf Girl's Story- Episode 6: "Rebellion's Cry" - TV-14L Episode 7: "Purple Bullet" - TV-PGLV Episode 8: "Final Bullet" - TV-14L Touhou Hifuu Club ~The Sealed Esoteric History~ Episode 1: "Moon" - TV-PGLV Laid-Back Camp Season 2 Episode 11: "Izu Camping!! On the Way" Episode 12: "Izu Camping!!! Birthdays!" - TV-PG Episode 13: "I'm [We're] Home" - TV-PG (man it feels like I finished this rewatch ages ago) Interviews with Monster Girls Episode 6: "The Takanashi Sisters are Undeniable" - TV-PGD Episode 7: "Succubus-san is Inquisitive" - TV-14D Episode 8: "Demi-chans Want to Learn": TV-PGDV Last Period -the journey to the end of the despair- Episode 6: "Confessions of a Mask" - TV-PG Episode 7: "Animal Land" - TV-PG takt op.Destiny Episode 8: "Destiny -Cosette-" - TV-14V Lycoris Recoil Episode 1: "Easy does it" - TV-14V Girls' Last Tour (three): "Encounter / City / Streetlights" - TV-PGV And that'll do it. This time it was a matter of me thinking this post would be too skimpy and piling on two more Demi-chans episodes to compensate, and I didn't get to that until after the recent Crunchyroll controversy which incurred a delay. Also, GLT had to do with it, sort of. I can never expect when these are going to happen. It seems that all of these posts are corresponding with anniversaries of certain things I like. So without further ado: happy birthday, Trey Anastasio. Who knows if he's ever thought about the finer points of content ratings. And even I don't know what my next post is gonna be like, because we've got, like, three shows I've previously rated coming back. [backwards down the venus line?]

Hell yeah. If I didn't know this was the last stand-alone episode before finishing up the story, I think I would've been able to tell. Lots of unexpected swings, like Jigen being called "Dandy", and you gotta love sexy mermaid Fujiko. I could quickly see why blueraven1999 didn't like it, though I was cool with it. If anything, the shipfic writer's tendency to talk out loud and make up elaborate stories in her head made me wonder if she was neurodivergent. [no episode this time; hifuu club #2 is next up]

And that deals a blow to my hopes of Made in Abyss S2. This was probably just a happy coincidence that allows them to finish the refund without having to expand the block for one night. Well see what the schedule is like on October 29, but at this point I'm thinking of skipping a potential Toonami run and getting it over with via HIDIVE. Related point: these three shows being written off thins the rerun library for Toonami. Who knows what they'll put on in November? At this point I wouldn't be surprised if Lupin the 3rd, Part VI gets a rerun just because. Maybe they were savvy enough to write one into the contract for that show and others?

Would there be a chance that Crunchyroll could take whatever rights they have and commission a S2 with it? Then again, they're a mess right now too. So the three CR co-pros are gone. I'll preach for the choir and say that I'm sad Shenmue isn't getting continued, at least for now, while the other two are no big loss. I do think it's interesting on Blade Runner's end because Black Lotus is being continued through a comic book, while Amazon has commissioned a new live-action series of it. It would be funny if the latter ends up mentioning this show that you can no longer legally stream, and who knows if you'll be able to buy it by then. It makes the GameRant scoop about how WBD isn't going to touch Toonami ring hollow, don't you think? Or maybe we're just being paranoid. I do think that if Uzumaki needs to be delayed one more time, WBD will try to can it rather than see it out. The only thing that could save it in that case is having to comply with a contract signed on the JP side.

I would've went for something referencing The Oblongs. [down in the valley near a chemical spill... or is it "by"?]

Lycoris Recoil 1 Girls' Last Tour 3 (rewatch) Birdie Wing -Golf Girl's Story- 8 Interviews with Monster Girls 7/8 I just want to say that I like how Birdie Wing's title has the words "Girl's" and "Golf" reversed. I bet a few people have mentally swapped those two, because, if only to me, it feels like a more natural phrasing.

I may have been on the ASMB for a few years, but I don't have a whole lot of memories from it. The biggest one is the Ben/Gman arguments that would go on for many pages at a time. I also remember John quite well, and in fact I thought a lot of his posts were more interesting than the Toonami ratings analysis. Since I rarely left the Toonami folder, I wasn't exposed to the clientele at large until the switch to NodeBB happened. Too bad that coincided with the political chaos of 2016, not to mention possibly the peak of Amy Schumer's career. I've got enough insufferable BS on this forum. Judging by the fact that I got banned twice on the NodeBB forums, I'm guessing I was even worse there. Hey, at least I made sure to archive me and Poke's show reviews and other chat about content ratings. [woah, 2,500th post? fitting...]

Cool. Independent of everything else going on, I really need to use my HIDIVE subscription.

Well, this stinks. I stand in solidarity with any VA not working on this project, wether they got recast or are passing on it in protest. I also sympathize with everyone cancelling their CR subscriptions over this, but it's awkaard for me because I have a yearly subscription and I paid for mine a while ago. I want to keep watching shows (I was thinking two more episodes of Demi-chans and then I make the next content ratings post... hopefully that's what you were referring to, Poke), but now I have more of an appetite to watch things on other services. I heard he got barely a raise from that, maybe even nothing at all. But it did boost his morale because of all the fans who stood with him. It's apparently a great state with lots of great people (many Funi and Sentai VAs among them), but it's ruled by ass-backward politicians, which is nothing new for America. Not to get political or anything, but I hope that state gets bluer in the midterms.

Just for that, I decided to watch this last episode live. (Though I was also concerned I would be in agony thinking about getting home to watch it when I worked the next day.) And what a capper it was! On top of hitting the major plot beats I expected (mostly fighting the hellish lava golem Vidarr turned into), it was touching to see Spear struggle with his legacy and manage to contribute... something else to the world. That sex scene managed to be funny, poignant, and actually kind of awesome at the same time. I also enjoy the fact that Genndy's kid (or one of them) got to voice Spear and Mira's daughter. Hope this isn't the end, though with the current situation at WBD I feel it could go either way.

So how many of these shows do you think will be from Sentai? Because, outside of the shows Sketch mentioned, I can't see anything that the Sony behemoth would willingly give up. At least there are still some good pickings on their end. Kaiji is finally getting dubbed, though it's just as likely to show up on HIDIVE as Toonami. And there are a good number of catalog titles too. I'm still holding out hope that Log Horizon finally gets on the block, even if it's been spoiled by Funi taking Season 3.

Nice call. This episode makes too much sense not to air as a belated finale. The only reason it wasn't the actual finale was because it'd feel underwhelming. So MiA now airs its double-length finale on October 22. I'm thinking they'll have another double shot of Shippuden that day to fill Lupin's slot. All signs now point to October 29 as the day they premiere Dawn of the Deep Soul, maybe with a Housing Complex C marathon before or after, and I'm really hoping this happens because it would be vindication (sweet, sweet vindication... not to be confused with the ship) for putting off watching the movie for so long. Too bad I don't think I'll be able to watch it live, because I usually work on Sundays.