Jman

Comparison between the OG game footage and trailer scenes. Also -

Shenmue is next week. Let’s see the overlap of that niche audience with Toonami’s niche audience.

That’s overdramatic, but it’s time to accept that the days Toonami being THE trendsetter for the US anime community is over. Is it worth keeping the block around if it’s not leading the conversation? I would say yes.

So…RetroCrush?

Shenmue was at the height of its popularity, a cult hit that was seen as a curio when a lot of people moved on to the PS2. In a sense, Shenmue and modern Toonami are perfect mirrors.

They've gotten a month's worth of new shows. That's pretty impressive for a block on the ass-end of Saturday/Sunday. Unfortunately, quantity is one place where they can't beat streaming.

Kind of surprised they haven't gotten Nomad, but given they're apparently on the outs with FUNimation, I'm accepting of that.

Yu Yu Hakusho, coming December 2023 to Toonami.

1. After Mugen Train beat Mortal Kombat at the box office (a film that did well enough on HBO Max to get a sequel mind you), it made a sad amount of sense that Sony would jack up the price. I do expect it to air on Netflix in the summer. https://tenor.com/bCzQU.gif 2. Well that disqualifies Fairy Tail if they want to tone down the long runners. Personally I thought DeMarco would want it just to have it opposite Eden's Zero. 3. How does more originals make sense? Originals cost money and Crunchyroll isn't around anymore to help foot half the bill. Where's the money going to come from, who are they going to work with, and what original concepts will they use? Netflix can do it because they're Netflix and they have a massive warchest since they do see anime as a huge growth sector, even if it is to facilitate live-action adaptations (stares at that Bebop disaster). I can only imagine the fees on existing properties. (No, DeMarco will not be the one to make Cannon God Exaxxion). 4. Can't say the block being on uncertain footing is anything new. Ever since the pendulum shifted towards streaming, it's been a struggle for the block. Lower ratings, more difficulty getting shows, and this creeping feeling of obsolescence. It's not yet, but more people are watching anime than ever (Inside Job had a joke about it where the main character goes "Of course I've seen Akira!" when asked) and Toonami's ratings are a fraction of what they were in the mid 2010s. 5. Three originals? My guess they were from the short-lived alliance between CR and Toonami. Knowing our luck, they're High Guardian Spice, Onyx Equinox, and Ex-Arm. 6. Well, HBO Max actually beat all of its expectations, probably thanks to Warner's Hail Mary play of same-day movie releases (which they had to pull back to a 45 day release window before movie theaters and their supporters in Hollywood out and out boycotted them) and Peacemaker is the most popular streaming show of January. But that's my point about streaming all over. I guess this does mean we'll see the Shenmue dub on HBO Max at least.

I’d say they should ask HBO Max for stuff, but recent news indicates they probably won’t want to share - https://www.businessinsider.com/hbo-max-peacemaker-is-biggest-series-in-world-2022-1

I would argue that’s semantics.

Because Toonami France does air AEW.

The Demon Slayer thing is a big one since S1 aired on Toonami, but it didn’t become a national phenomenon until it left Toonami to air on Netflix. From that POV, Toonami actively inhibited its popularity.

Harlock is widely considered a classic franchise but it’s a lot of smaller entries, not the one huge one. I’m still imagining the episode where LA Smoker does something bad ass and the episode ends with this - Or Nami stealing the Merry and - For now, the anime is airing, and Toonami is moving forward, GOT budget series be damned.

Yeah, Fena has been memory holed even harder after this. All that said, watching this now, I have even less of an idea of how the LA version is not supposed to completely suck. And I again am going to be baffled when that does it and episodes end with real music.

This is probably why his current series is set on outer space. It’s a much different vibe.

You sure DeMarco wants to air this? You know, besides to get back at Netflix for Eden's Zero?

Well, it's another weekend with Saturday football games, and a UFC PPV to boot. On the plus side, the block is really breaking out the fresh content (and Bebop, but Bebop is there to shit on Netflix Bebop so no complaints here) so it's putting the best foot forward to start the year. I still maintain Peacemaker has a better opening than the new shows though -

Too good for Toonami? Really? If anything it’s emblematic of the problem of trying to do more with franchises that are so iconic their influence permeates everything. What was once revolutionary is now profoundly mid tier.

It’s old (the guy’s follow up series is on Netflix, Eden’s Zero, which is Fairy Tail IN SPAAAAAACE at least on the surface) and it’s got a lot of boobage and fanservice by Adult Swim standards (again, something retained in Eden’s Zero). Interesting if they do get it.

Good question. DeMarco seemed rather pessimistic at their chances of airing it, and FUNi knows the property is red hot. Toonami may not be the best place for it.

A non-crap dub? Is that allowed for Shenmue?

Well the LA series won’t be ready for another two years, so maybe DeMarco is getting it now so he can make fun of it when it does come out.

Usual Saturday lineup it seems where sports trumps everything. Still, people were excited for Made in Abyss.

One more thing because I have the day free and I'm a bit bored - A lot of "quippier" properties have taken considerable influence from Bebop over the years, most notably Guardians of the Galaxy. (Yeah, I said it, MCU Guardians and by extension the Guardians from that pretty cool PS5 game are essentially the Bebop crew with more talking racoons). But Bebop is actually pretty good at knowing when people should talk and when they shouldn't, presumably because Watanabe wasn't out of the Joss Whedon school of NO ONE TALKS LIKE THAT! It's why the Bebop LA adaptation sucked so much, because they tried to be too quippy, when they should have leaned into the noir stylings way more. That doesn't mean make every episode super serial, but it does mean talk like normal people, because the team that influenced the Guardians shouldn't come off like a third-rate ripoff of them.