CountFrylock

at this point I really wouldn't count out dagashi kashi honestly

we're in a time where toonami is just seen as outdated and irrelevant seen some comments from people saying toonami should just die already because streaming is the future and only nostalgic old farts care about A Weekly TV Block in 2022

while I'm not against that...i don't think leading off with a show from 5-10 years ago is gonna inspire much confidence that's my issue with this theory of a older content focused block if the only new stuff they have moving forward are the originals then that's not good because so far those originals haven't been all that great fena started out fine but then turned into pure dog crap by the end and black lotus has just been meandering around aimlessly toonami needs some heavy hitting content now more than ever and I'm just not so sure we're gonna get that if toonami's limited to cheaper older content moving forward

i think they need more than just one heavy hitter...even if attack on titan is coming soon that's putting a lot of expectations on one show to salvage the block I've constantly seen people online scoff at the idea of anyone still watching cable tv...so it wouldn't surprise me if lost interest is the reason some people think toonami's not around anymore it's always "Why watch tv when you can stream it?" tv blocks and cable tv in general seem like something that only old folks are into The Younger Crowd doesn't see the appeal it seems so outdated and pointless when they can watch anything anytime they want I Like the discussions and interacting with the toonami crowd honestly so I'd hate if the block did become nothing more than Cheaper Older content with an original mixed in every so often as it would confirm that toonami just can't afford to be current anymore and has to rely on shows of the past to keep going...

I'd prefer it to the mysterious unknown that is toonami now where a new funimation title that's not AOT Final Season Part 2 seems like a pipe dream at this point and desperation has kicked in to bring back one piece...doubled up i don't want toonami to just revert back into the early days of the reboot where they were just picking up shows on the cheap because they had jackshit for a budget and options were limited at that point...Toonami is just desperately trying to remain hip with the cool kids while hyping up content from 5-10 years ago like it's the bees knees "Hello Fellow Young People Have You Heard about Dagashi Kashi? You Kids like snack foods right? well this one involves Japanese snack foods and suggestive scenes!...."

obscure content typically doesn't draw a huge crowd....it's obscure for a reason and i imagine being that they are still a business that's the reason they never went all in on the stranger stuff when they could access the popular shows however now that there's less money to go around and they can't access fresh content they may have no choice but to start shopping at the dollar general section for shows

I'm not saying i expect toonami to be the trendsetter or leading the conversation but not being able to take part in the conversation at all sucks if toonami eventually just becomes A Classics block(excluding originals)then that tells me i need to just stream anime exclusively and ditch it nothing to be gained by staying up all night watching The Oldies

something like that but the idea is to have older shows(both classic and obscure shows that never got the time to shine)alongside originals because some on reddit believe that there's no way toonami can compete with streaming services and chasing popular shows isn't viable anymore so why not be a curator of shows that aren't as popular and give them a boost? they believe such a move would greatly benefit toonami and more people would tune in

I've seen some on reddit say toonami should focus on being a curator for obscure series that fell under the radar and this could really help out the block tremendously

considering demarco's tweets about having to potentially air older shows less shonen content and more shorter series/originals it's clear things are changing and demarco isn't sure how toonami can keep people tuning into toonami in this age of streaming so many people online don't even know toonami still exists they think it's something that died long ago and never came back

the idea has been thrown around a lot lately in fan theories but would you be accepting of that concept or would you tune out if toonami became merely a nostalgia fueled block with older content being all it has to offer alongside an original every so often?

or sss dynazenon....when demarco said DS S2's issue was it's price tag many people assumed that meant the funimation/toonami relationship was fine however if that was the case then why did toonami bring back one piece?...that just locks down a time slot forever since that show's gonna outlive the toonami block something you wouldn't need to consider unless they were worried the block wouldn't be able to consistently fill slots without it

at the same time though...what they did pick up shows they can't just acquire newer content like they used to anymore

no way we are ever gonna have a lineup on that level again.

funimation has been a reliable partner but demarco did say times are uncertain right now and on twitter lately he doesn't sound like things are business as usual

i wonder how the rest of this year will look for toonami if demarco already isn't confident about securing new hot titles for the block and believes originals/older shows might be the only option moving forward

demarco stated anything netflix grabs they have for 25 years Yuyu Hakusho is a possibility and might air one day on toonami anime movies could make a return

my problem is I'm not really sure a bunch of older shows will be able to sustain the block like they did in the early days of the toonami reboot you still need some fresh mainstream power to carry the block as the originals can't be pumped out quick enough to act as the consistent lead show for toonami also gotta remember demarco did say they'd be considering weirder titles they previously might not have aired on toonami because times are changing weirder might not mean good but they'll take what they can get right now

while i agree...Demarco has been a lot more open lately about how difficult and crappy the situation has become for toonami from being super angry about netflix gobbling up whatever anime they view as hot and trendy at the time with "Fuck You Money!" to lamenting that times are changing and there's less money for bumps/events optimism is always appreciated but i don't see WM giving toonami a boosted budget out of nowhere...

a small extra note he confirmed that like always toonami remains a passion project and the toonami crew continues to act as unpaid interns for the block not being paid whatsoever for anything they do regarding it

Good And Bad News good news...it's just demon slayer being affected(due to sony asking an outrageous amount of money for it) the bad news...Demarco stated they may have to air fewer new popular shows and rely more on originals not really sure the block could be sustained on obscure series and originals

what makes you so sure they'll have a higher budget in the future? nothing demarco has said lately makes any of this sound like a temporary problem....back in december people were speculating that toonami was waiting for the budget to reset and that we could be seeing plenty of new shows in 2022 however demon slayer and numerous other shows alongside it being denied(as well as the packaging budget being decreased)wasn't expected demon slayer? sure you can say given it's massive box office success that sony denying toonami season 2 was inevitable but several other shows being denied...not so much aside from Jujutsu Kaisen i can't really think of any shows that would be considered too popular and expensive for toonami but at the same time be something they'd be pursuing

demarco recently confirmed on twitter the price tag for season 2 was higher than they could afford so it's never airing on toonami unfortunately.... Sony sees demon slayer as this top tier premium series and if toonami wants it they'll need to pay out the ass for it that's money they just do not have

also in other replies he stated the following 1. they don't want many long runners on the block(so those thinking boruto might be returning soon...nope) 2.someone mentioned toonami's month of premieres to him(a new show every week for the next month or so)an asked how many more could we expect to see? demarco replied saying there will be two or three more additions to the block soon they just are waiting to get permission to air them 3. they may have to show less shonen content less new popular shows and more originals maybe they'll have less money to spend on Total Immersion events and packaging for the block 4.everything is up in the air and uncertain in a way it has not been before for toonami 5.there are three originals yet to be announced slated for next year 6.he's happy with the performances of the toonami originals so far and they'll be up on hbo max sooner rather than later where they'll reach a much larger audience