Blatch

So this got announced on air last week, and yet nobody made a big deal about it. I've only seen one mention on here in the Shenmue thread. But yes, a new installment of this non-canonical TIE only Poke could love is happening, tying into Toonami's 25th birthday. Here's the promo: Seems more fitting of the series' title, don't ya think? Catch it for the next four weeks, starting tonight at 1:00A.

Yup, it's me again. This week, we continue the adventures of Reg and Riko with them paying a visit to the Seeker Camp. I mean, it's not like they have any choice in the matter, now that Ozen the Unmovable has taken his extendable arms and is holding on tight. What mysterious secrets could this camp, and the blue-haired maid who lives here, hold? Perhaps they'll help us understand the Abyss just a little better...

The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode 8: "I want to show you my hidden heart." - TV-PG (review post here) Hackadoll the Animation Episode 1: "Personal Entertainment AI! HackaDoll!" - TV-14 Episode 2: "Please Let Us Be Idols!" - TV-PGS takt op.Destiny Episode 2: "Music -Reincarnation-" - TV-14V Good Luck Girl! Episode 4: "He Shrank, Didn't He?!" - TV-14DS Laid-Back Camp Episode 1: "Mount Fuji and Ramen Noodles" - TV-PG Episode 2: "Welcome to the Outdoor Activities Club!" - TV-PG Episode 3: "Mount Fuji and Relaxed Hot Pot Camp" - TV-PG Episode 4: "The Outdoor Activities Club and the Solo Camping Girl" - TV-PG Episode 5: "Two Camps, Two Campers' Views" - TV-PGS Episode 6: "Meat and Fall Colors and the Mystery Lake" - TV-G Episode 7: "A Night on the Lake Shore and Campers" - TV-PG I really wanted to get this one out the door, so there may be minor mistakes here and there. I bet you could forgive them. Next week... I mean, I didn't even include Nichijou in this post despite promising I would, so expect more of that. Plus more antics of aspiring idols (the next episode apparently features a punishment game, so ooh la la) and Tit-chiko becoming Cunny Ichiko.

I like how the OP doesn't even mention Fena, which might be the most kuso original of them all. Really, I think the biggest problem CR's originals have is that they're so scattershot. We've got western animation, adapdations of Korean comics, and then actual anime. And they're all wildly different in tone and animation styles. Several years after HGS was announced, this company still doesn't know what they want. It's especially damning if you compare this track record to the anime CR is merely on the production committees for. Remember back when they pumped some money into Kemono Friends and it became a big hit? Now they have ODDTAXI, which is cut from similar cloth (as in, funny animal people) and is just as successful. Makes you wish things could always be this simple.

FWIW, there's now another Blade Runner series in development; this time in live-action. That seems like better motivation to watch other Blade Runner media than DeMarco could provide.

Witch Hat Atelier 7 Atsumare! Fushigi Kenkyu-bu 85-94 As this thread goes, so does my effort. On the other hand, I'm not trying to shame anyone into posting here. Coming up soon(?): the first volume of Delicious in Dungeon, because Right Stuf shined on me and got a new shipment in.

Oh, I just use this website to nail down the time. I always send the thread right after it hits 12:00 a.m. my time... although, given that there hasn't been much competition for making threads in recent years, it's probably not necessary. 😗

At this point, there's not a lot to say. Let's continue watching Reg and Riko's journey into the Abyss, as it gets progressively darker but stays rather beautiful. [remember kids: say no to dooming]

I think the only reason AEW is on TBS now is because TNT got the rights to the NHL, in addition to the NBA rights they've had for years. It helps to have a network free of preemptions from "actual" sports. And on top of this gratuitous use of acronyms, TBS hasn't used the "Very Funny" moniker for years. Also, Made in Abyss's finale is an hour long. No avoiding that. But either way, I think they could manage a 45-minute slot. Just garnish the episode with a Rick and Morty anime short.

MiA S2 probably isn't premiering in April, nevermind the fact that Sentai would need time to prepare the dub, but I appreciate your thinking. Personally, I wouldn't mind having another catalogue title replace it. Maybe this is finally the time to air Log Horizon? Yeah, I know Funi has the third season, but I don't care.

About the packaging budget being cut, here's what I don't understand: do they really need new animation for each bumps refresh? At this point, given that the current version of TOM has been around since the end of 2019, they should have enough footage that they can recycle it every so often, and the casual viewer would never know. Just have new dialogue for TOM and SARA along with new clips from the shows. Heck, if they want to be really frugal, they can even except the former. I just want to tune in for a show and see footage in the bumps that isn't from the first episode, because that's what's happened with Fena and Black Lotus(?) and now MiA, and in the case of the latter, it's going to be odd once we get into the later episodes.

Laid-Back Camp S1E1-7 (rewatch) Cowboy Bebop 22 (rewatch) My Dress-Up Darling 2-5 The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Episode 8: "I want to show you my hidden heart."

Okay, now we're off to the races. It's time to finally enter Abyss, passing through the zeroth layer that Riko had been exploring as part of her training, and heading down into the unknown fraught depths below. Who knows what awaits Riko and Reg on their journey? At least they now have each other, as I believe the good theme song says. After finishing off Black Lotus and getting accustomed to Shenmue, make sure to stick around for lots of great animated content on Toonami, such as this show, which is now back at 1:30. Blame the high brass at Toonami for their forced micromanagement. [blasphemy against the hooooooly spirit]

So much for not having an [as]/CR original lead off the block. They've made a lot of little schedule changes like this, shuffling around shows by one slot, and I find it annoying. But I doubt they're affecting the ratings much. Other than that, yay AoT. Exactly what most of us expected. Also, guess they have to redo the "shanty" promo for OP. Surprised Al didn't mention that.

They didn't seem to have any problems dubbing the last batch of episodes, and that was still during the pandemic. Plus, announcing shows with less than a week before their premiere is the new normal for Toonami. It's not a big deal. After that, the schedule should be completely locked in for two months, and I hope that tempers the dooming a bit.

If you're acknowledging you're the weird one, maybe you could be slightly less vocal about it? It feels like almost all the discussion in here the last few weeks, maybe even last couple of months, has stemmed from you and your fears for Toonami's future. I only respond because I have nothing better to do, and I don't have any good ideas for topics either. 😑

Ah yes, the dark days of when the block was almost wall-to-wall shonen. I don't miss it, even if I sometimes pine to return to our last normal year.

The problem with the idea that Toonami should start chasing obscure series is that people have been saying this for years. I don't know if this is falling on deaf ears or the fandom just isn't being vocal enough, but you'd think management would've caught on by now. As it stands, the block is doing much better than a few months ago, even if Made in Abyss is about it as far as older, non-shonen series are concerned, and I'm okay with that. Too bad their Crunchyroll originals haven't inspired confidence so far. Maybe if they continue to fail, that'll be what causes them start appealing to obscurity?

With two episodes to go, the best thing I can say about Blade Runner is that it hasn't actively insulted my intelligence... which, bizarrely, is also the worst thing I can say about it. Say what you will about Fena, but that show was memorable for all the wrong reasons. It's fascinating to look at from a trainwreck standpoint, from how thoroughly it squandered all that potential to its WTF ending. This one, on the other hand, is merely decent, and it hasn't resulted in much of a change in ratings.

Interesting that DeMarco singled out the packaging being affected by budget crunches. It feels like this has been the case for a while; seemingly every show gets new bumps when it premieres/airs a new season, and never again. I was really frustrated when AssClass S1 never got a refresh, even when other shows did. Then it happened again with Gridman, and seemingly every other show since. 😟 On the other hand, I'm negative at all about the fact that they'll have to air older stuff. Made in Abyss shows that the block can still pull out a winner every so often. If there was ever going to be a "prove it" moment for DeMarco and company to try and bring the balance of the block back to where it was in 2014-16 (and thus make it more palatable to fans like me), it's right now.

We now know that Riko sort of owes her life to the Abyss. And on top of that, the last episode ended on hell of a twist: her mother is seemingly still out there, or rather, down there. At this point, it seems inevitable that she'll begin her journey toward the bottom in an attempt to find Lyza as well as figure out Reg's origins.

Fena turned out a wet fart, and Black Lotus hasn't been inspiring confidence either (though I would at least say the latter's better). I can totally see Toonami's management getting cold feet and deciding they couldn't lead off with Shenmue. For one, it doesn't have the name recognition of their current world premiere. By the way, I've been updating my spreadsheet of all Toonami ratings plus lists of goodies, etc., and when I made the schedule grid for the start of this year, I found out that it looks really cool: So satisfying to watch the schedule take shape. My only nitpick is that shifting Made in Abyss to 1:00 for two episodes looks awkward. I wish they could've kept the AssClass double shot for two more weeks, just for consistency's sake, but I wouldn't be surprised if the contract didn't allow for it. Alternatively, they could've started MiA at 1:00 and kept up the Shippuden triple shot for a week, so the shift wouldn't be as jarring.

Now that we've gotten a cursory introduction to the bustling town of Orth and the gigantic pit that it surrounds, it's time to learn a little more about the Abyss, and exactly what is demanded of those who seek its treasures. Tellingly, Riko's only allowed to go down so far. And just what is up with Reg, anyway? He must be a particularly powerful relic of the Abyss, maybe even unique. Tune in at 1:00A for some good old-fashioned adventure, right before the return of One Piece.

Yup. Reminds me of Hunter × Hunter. On top of that, One Piece is rated Y7FV, which also applies to this week's episodes... at least until they're fixed.

Still nothing? Not even more chapters of One Piece? The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls After20 9-12 Witch Hat Atelier 1-6 Atsumare! Fushigi Kenkyu-bu 70-84 The Quintessential Quintuplets 42-48 Bokura wa Mahou Shonen 4-6