Jman

Are we supposed to? Given Toonami's budget for these originals, even if it is a decent series, it probably won't last longer than six episodes. That and "this low episode count original series from one of the Jujutsu Kaisen action directors" is ultimately just a reminder Toonami doesn't have Jujutsu Kaisen because Crunchyroll.

My job has me working from home twice a week, but given how I have nothing to do there, I need to figure out some way to keep busy because I don’t think they’d take “Sitting down watching Ultraman Blazar while begging for something to do” very well on our new summaries.

Ribs, salad, and leftover fries.

No names, but our first listen at the new voices.

So someone on the internet was going through the usual "If you like fictional boobies you're a porn addict" spiel for Xenoblade Chronicles, only for one of the replies to immediately go to the National Sex Offender registry...and find out that he was a sex offender responsible for some rather heinous crimes. That's both LOL, and a pretty damn big investigative leap to go from "this is a pro-censorship moron" to "this is a sex offender." It was right, but even Columbo would go "Damn, you figured that one out immediately, huh?"

I remember this show. After Squid Game a lot of Korean stuff got pretty popular on Netflix. This was pretty good all things considered.

Netflix has put a surprisingly large amount of cash behind Yu Yu. It's an ongoing series, a co-production with Toho studios, and the VFX studio is the same one Legendary uses for its Godzilla movie, Scanline. Their investment into Japanese and Korean filmmaking has gone seriously into overdrive the last few years (arguably to create a safe harbor from the strikes and Hollywood) and Yu Yu is earmarked as a big release for them, as opposed to a curio like the FMA films. If Lazarus flops, given it's their biggest shot at an original (they don't have Takashi Miike to make an anime, but they do have Watanabe), then I don't know how much longer the block has. DeMarco's faith in Watanabe after Space Dandy was not as warmly received as one would have hoped (Watanabe himself considers it a failure, something DeMarco heavily disagrees with) is admirable.

Something that's not a half baked original (which Toonami has one good one since the original block, and it's arguable if the Shenmue adaptation is truly an original) would be nice but seems increasingly unlikely. If Lazarus sucks, then I don't see Toonami making it to 2025. Knowing how wild things are, it probably gets canceled the day Lionsgate announces the cast for their Naruto movie (I maintain if Yu Yu Hakusho is a hit, between it and One Piece studios will begin fast-tracking their anime adaptation options)

Jason DeMarco’s Star Wars, everyone.

I do love that absolutely no one has anything positive to say about the needless piece of corporate synergizing. Right Stuff predates the internet!

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.