Jman

Short rib ragu. I went to an Italian place to celebrate my mom’s birthday.

Well that and they’re casting Nico Robin this season, with a call for a Latina actress. Whoever gets cast is probably going to get it way worse than Emily Rudd did (if only because Nami’s first appearance didn’t have tits the size of her head).

The Atomic Skull is definitely one of those lesser used villains. He showed up in Superman vs The Elite and that was about it.

Semi-off topic, but Netflix released their viewing reports for the second half of 2023. https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-second-half-of-2023 And in a very dramatic reversal of the 2000s, anime kicked the shit out of Western adult animation.

Taco Thursday. Two chorizo, one steak with the veggies, gauc, and the green hot sauce.

https://about.netflix.com/en/news/what-we-watched-the-second-half-of-2023 No pressure for Season 2.

Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf 1-5.

https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2024-05-23/toho-to-acquire-anime-studio-science-saru-as-its-subsidiary/.211114 With demand ramping up, studios are being bought.

Opening. It’s more explicitly connected to the Mazinger mythos by having Mazinger Z in the opening.

Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes - Apes once again are compelling characters in their own right, which you don’t expect. Still a lot of LOTR style walking scenes that probably sounded cooler than they were and feel like padding. Still a solid 7/10.

I want an AI of Peter Cullen’s voice, but not to have Optimus Prime say funny things, but to have it narrate fake Toonami promos. Shame the one he approved of is with TikTok of all things, and I refuse to get a TikTok account.

This was inevitable following all those flops.

Gundam SEED 1-25 over the past few weeks. Kaiju No 8 4.

I’ll say this much, I’d be tickled pink if a new generation of kids somehow gets into Sailor Moon of all things because it’s just on, but I don’t see it.

And who’s going to be home at 5pm to watch it? Most adults will be working. You’ll get some families, maybe? I don’t see da kids being endeared by a nearly 40 year old show.

Nostalgia and nostalgia blocks are...complicated for me. It's my feeling that if you're not moving forward, it means that something is wrong, as far as your ability to attract new viewers. It'd be one thing if this was in addition to new stuff, but it feels like this is the first time Toonami's broken containment, so to speak, in ages. And it's for old stuff. It speaks to stagnation. A nostalgia block and a nostalgia channel are great if you deal entirely in the business of nostalgia (MeTV) or you're doing it in addition to the newer stuff because there's no room for the older stuff on the main block. Then yeah, it's fine. But here it feels like a crutch of sorts because everyone is watching the newer stuff elsewhere.

Joker trailer.

Air fried duck, yellow rice with mushrooms, onions, and some baby tomatoes on the side.

I think the state of Toonami is best summed up by the launching of Toonami Rewind, reminding you when it used to be better, this girl power thing from before Zaslav came in with his fiscal chainsaw like his name was Denji, and Netflix getting this - I feel like if you’re focused entirely on the past, it means you have nothing to offer the present.

Netflix - Because it’s not like America is making cartoons worth a damn.

Desperate block is desperate.