Jman

It was just grounded enough to be relatable but still weird enough to be interested. Also Helga is one of the few Western examples of a tsundere done correctly.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-reviews/krapopolis-review-dan-harmons-new-fox-animated-comedy-is-atypically-bland-1235597413/ No word what this means for the new Rick and Morty season.

The dude that just won his UFC fight with a second round rear naked choke had a big Shenron tattoo on his back. Even after meeting with and sparring with people inspired by it, it still is funny just to see how popular Dragonball is in combat sports circles.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/one-piece-jamie-lee-curtis-dr-kureha-netflix-1235597579/ Jamie Lee Curtis seems to have Dr. Kureha locked up as soon as SAG gets their contract.

God I hope not. It's just...what are we even doing anymore? I don't even remember if it was this bad in 2007 where the one thing keeping the block afloat was Naruto. Hell, this right now would be like 2007 in the timeline where the Naruto movie came out in 2007, and got great reviews and did equivalent box office to Batman Begins. Please, someone point to some positive signs here, because I'm trying to find something to hang my hat on.

Happy birthday everyone.

Toonami as a block right now is between a rock (Crunchyroll and Sony's rather worrying monopoly) and a hard place (Netflix seeing anime as a growth sector and throwing massive amounts of cash at studios to make shows for someone very high up in their chain of command that's a weeb). Zaslav has made it clear that the block needs to make due with what it has, and what it has is FLCL, some old contracts, and the occasional Y7 show they didn't want on Cartoon Network proper so they could air another rerun of Teen Titans Go or Craig of the Creek. Granted FLCL and two dollars will get you a cup of coffee, but DeMarco doesn't have the means to license manga of any value or even of a niche like Netflix does (which is why I'm convinced sometime next year Netflix is just going to announce a Gigant anime as a blatant middle finger to Toonami and what it can do) and the warchest Crunchyroll has is closed as they seem to be taking steps to ensure that they control it more tightly. None of that excuses DeMarco comparing FLCL to Star Wars. But he really has no other cards to play.

He does admit it’s in the hands of Production IG. He also flatly rejects making any more Naoto stories unless the original director returns, although DeMarco wants him too. One dignity for the franchise at least.

That’s definitely to mooch off Hulu airing it.

Good news on the comedy front. Bob’s a reliable hand.

When it comes to acquisitions, I wonder if it’s time to accept that there are no more that Toonami can rent out. None that DeMarco wants anyway. So that leaves DC content, and making originals. The problem with DC is convincing Warner to break out the good stuff and not just the kids cartoon, and the problem with the originals is finding the right talent and stories. It is telling that there’s a lot of shows when they’re announced that people automatically think “Netflix”, like the Fist of the North Star remake or “Crunchyroll” if it’s a big Shounen adaptation. Toonami doesn’t command that respect or even notoriety when it comes to their originals. And FLCL seems to he the latest example of that. That and there’s just content to think about it. Netflix, Crunchyroll and Hulu all can get away with things Toonami can’t be it violence, sexual content, and just length. Toonami wouldn’t air the opening of the FOTNS remake and that should disqualify them immediately from airing it.

The latest chapter in the franchise critics have called “pointless”, “an ego trip for DeMarco” and “bad” debuts in two weeks.

How's that working out in the ratings for them? Toonami does not have Takashi Miike money, or the money for big name franchise remakes. But that should make it all the more imperative that they spend their money wisely. Maybe this is just me being a Chicken Little again, but it really does feel like 2024 is going to be Toonami's make or break year. They either get access to something consistent, be it funds for originals, DC organizing a more direct content pipeline (which is questionable given Amazon has the new Batman cartoon, Caped Crusader), or they're deemed a money sink by Zaslav and sign off one more time. When Toonami died in 2007, it was both the end of the initial anime boom in the country and the beginning of CN's Dark Age on the back of the ill-fated CN Real experiment. So I'm not in a hurry to repeat those days, even if most people might be confused if you tell them Toonami is still on, since that's something their parents watched back in the day.

Boy isn't that the $250,000 question. And it's not like Sentai is devoid of good material. They have both the Uruesi Yatsura remake and Oshi no Ko. I just hope 2023 is the year we finally put FLCL to rest for good. No FLCL Death Metal, FLCL Reggaeton, FLCL Dubstep, or anything else.

So FLCL was the only option? You couldn't make an original premise tailor made for the block? It had to be a license, and that license had to be FLCL? Toonami's track record with originals is pretty miserable, big names (Blade Runner) or original concepts. But there had to be something if DeMarco wasn't so in love with FLCL. You could make a compelling original or two without needing to have a big license from yesteryear or hire freaking Takeshi Miike to direct it. But FLCL was not the way to go.

Ichi the Killer, 13 Assassins, Audition, and Hostel among others. He’s a very prolific director of live action films, with Onimusha being his first anime. The Onimusha series has always used deceased actors for their characters, and sometimes living ones, like when the third game co-starred Jean Reno (The Professional). It’s just a lot more talent and money than FLCL, which begs the question why keep doing FLCL when they could do literally anything else if they’re going the originals route?

I’m presuming it was cheaper this way, especially given the art style. Is now a bad time to mention that Netflix’s newest CG anime is directed by freaking Takashi Miike? And for added fun it stars Toshiro Mifune, despite him being dead for almost 30 years. (It’s his likeness).

Y’all thought Rocky IV was out there.

Big budget ones. Netflix is apparently funding them at both ends of the ocean. Hence my desire for trailers with that “real” music.

If live action anime adaptations do get more popular, I’m hoping more of them use “real” music. I know there’s a science to using music to set the mood for trailers, like how The Continental uses Earth, Wind and Fire because it’s a 70s period piece, but I want to see something normally with instrumentals or J-Pop set to Chaka Khan or some instantly identifiable hard rock.

Trailer.

New intro, Jerry is a Bloodsport reference…still no word on the actors.

So while Toonami is occasionally hoping for handouts from Warner and Max, their deal to license older HBO shows to Netflix seems to be paying dividends. Ballers (about The Rock as a former NFL player turned agent) Band of Brothers, and The Pacific are all tearing up the ratings. I mean to be fair, it is Band of Brothers, while one of the greatest miniseries of all time, something Toonami isn't about to air, but it feels like they're getting left out in the cold for the short term dollar.