Jman

Sports are back, and even in limited quantities people are hungry for them. Scripted programming, especially programming available elsewhere, won’t cut it. At least Batman is somewhat fresh.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-08-10/shueisha-cancels-publication-of-act-age-manga/.162773 Shounen Jump appears to be cracking down, but it helps when you have people chomping at the bit for your spot.

https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2020/08/att-layoffs-continue-with-600-job-cuts-at-warner-bros-and-hbo/ Put bluntly, no division is safe, no channel is safe, expect massive consolidation and firing of asses at the networks as everyone scrambles for a place in the HBO Max hierarchy. Particularly, if Toonami gets to remain an independent entity or becomes a Crunchyroll subsidiary will become clear in a few weeks as the smoke clears from the firings.

Code Geass 1-6. I gave up on the show because it was ASA, and ASA made shows less attractive by virtue of being on them, but it’s on Netflix so I’m giving it another chance.

https://icv2.com/articles/news/view/46277/manga-covid-era-binge-reading-box-sets-volume-1s-more Binge reading at affordable prices. Well that and publishing Shounen Jump.

I think most of us realized COVID fucked the schedule six ways from Sunday and they’re trying to deal as best they can, for example, Batman.

I trust A24 will be deploying a public relations team to prevent that. I’m just glad that someone is able to do something in Western animation that isn’t the same six face slurry or desperately trying to be Japanese. It’s its own thing.

Well I was wrong. Looks like Hazbin scored a deal with A24 (responsible for numerous film and television items including Uncut Gems) and is currently shopping for a distributor.

First trailer. Viz is handling this, so expect it to be Toonami bound.

I’ll admit, I’m hoping for Ironside. And after watching the unfunny piece of crap that was Star Trek Lower Decks, I kind of get why Netflix goes the anime route. If they had Star Trek we would probably see an anime based on Star Trek Elite Force. Just hoping the writing is good on Splinter Cell.

DKR 1 was from before Frank lost his mind.

Young Justice would tank miserably and the others are too old.

What DC show? They’re all live action. Unless you think the Toonami audience will go for Doom Patrol.

That’s pretty much DeMarco. It doesn’t help that Viz is the last company to really hold off on streaming their dubs ASAP because of Toonami airings.

Shot at the people who got their start abridging?

No idea about Ninja, which is amazing, but the TMNT/Batman movie was a joint DC/Nickelodeon production. Nick probably draws the line at airing a movie they made on their direct competitor (as opposed to an On Demand service).

I wanted these movies to air...when they were new. Especially The Dark Knight Returns, which would have made both the perfect piggyback and perfect thematic counterpoint to The Dark Knight Rises. The boat has assuredly been missed. But hey, these are widely considered the best of the DC Animated film lot (them and Under The Red Hood, which is getting sort of remade so I get why they’re not showing it) and DKR has Peter Weller as Bruce Wayne. Robocop. That’s pretty cool. So bring on the Batman!

Western comics are no different admittedly.

Sports are back with a vengeance, and Toonami’s anemic programming and rerun centric schedule stand no chance without fresh content.

I’m not sure about the feasibility of airing older material. There’s a lot of issues there, be it easier to show the material in bulk via a channel dedicated to them, (RetroCrush) or as padding to deals for streamers. I’m not sure if older material can be bought in to air to sweeten the pot when said companies would rather hold off in the name of bigger fees. Most of these companies don’t need Toonami these days anyway, so Toonami, and its lack of money, need to make themselves attractive. A lot of what DeMarco says points to this wistfulness for the old days of media. It’s echoed as well by certain podcasts. “Streaming is bad! KIds need to be reminded of the hunt in video stores so they can appreciate media! Having too many options makes you ungrateful!” Yeah, that’s a steaming pile of horseshit. The democratization of media to people who otherwised lacked the time and inclination to invest in it, let alone the cash and patience to hunt through a Blockbuster for a thimbleful of curated anime releases (Blockbuster’s death in the face of streaming is a good thing, make no mistake) has fucked over DeMarco and Toonami, but has added immeasurable value to the medium. Granted, there are new challenges to deal with (The second wave of internet Puritanism) but having this material available to more people past cliched titles is ultimately a positive. DeMarco is no longer the tastemaker, or the curator for what is or isn’t anime for all but the most hardcore weebs. And Toonami cannot run on being that anymore. If there’s a way to make the older material more valuable for the block, he should look into it. I’m just not sure there is.

1. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, all things being equal, I think DeMarco wants to hold off on Bebop until the week that the live action Bebop hits Netflix. I remember, way back when, when Disney got the license to Doug of all things, that Nickelodeon upped their airings of the old episodes, while saying that they had all the important episodes. I mean, it was fucking Doug, no one gave a shit, but still. DeMarco loves Bebop, and he likes piggybacking on other ideas, so it makes perfect sense to see Bebop when that show comes out, while throwing shade at the fact that the world didn’t need a live action Cowboy Bebop. 2. The next two months will continue to remain lean. Be glad the JoJo episodes are ready, because we may have not even had that much. No one airs Ballmasterz by choice. 3. Adult Swim, understandably, has been loathe to celebrate their anniversary, because of its proximity to a certain OTHER event in American history. I get it completely. 4. 2021 at least will be the release of several delayed shows. The bottleneck has to empty somewhere.

https://www.funimation.com/blog/2020/08/02/go-beyond-the-season-two-my-hero-academia-ovas-are-headed-to-funimation/ Gotta keep the train rolling between seasons.

Pretty much this. They are bound by their budget, so they can’t magically get stuff from FUNi.

The bigger question is if the companies are interested in promoting older material, as opposed to wanting newer materials to stand out and do better. There are companies dedicated to older materials airing (Namely RetroCrush) but there’s only so many hours and so little money. Most of those distributors want their new stuff to be advertised.

To be fair, this season got fucked over by our old pal COVID-19, and a lot of the delayed series’ are set for fall and winter.