Lazarus to debut in April with 13 episodes

[Jman]

 

 

[Mr. Idea Box]

Well, I didn't expect this announcement.

[PokeNirvash]

Well I was, at least the "13 episodes" thing. The April premiere is definitely news to me, though. As was the TV Tokyo broadcast (which is where I swear I heard the April premiere was for this morning).

[Toonamiguy321]

Ok, but how does this fit into the schedule puzzle? Even if this starts the first week of April, that still requires 3-5 weeks of stalling the only two upcoming open slots. 
 

I guess now we can consider Mashle hopping right into S2 at least since we will need something to hold down the lead slot for awhile longer. 

[OwlChemist81]

23 hours ago, Toonamiguy321 said:

Ok, but how does this fit into the schedule puzzle? Even if this starts the first week of April, that still requires 3-5 weeks of stalling the only two upcoming open slots. 
 

I guess now we can consider Mashle hopping right into S2 at least since we will need something to hold down the lead slot for awhile longer. 

Could be Dr. Stone...

[MasqueradeOverture]

I really hope it looks better than that snippet they showed.

[PokeNirvash]

I'm gonna call the main guy "Anderson Cooper 720", 'cause he was spinnin' around too much.

Edited January 25 by PokeNirvash

[Toonamiguy321]

So here are some hypothetical scenarios for how they squeeze this onto the schedule. We don’t know when in April it’s gonna land, but I’d bet sooner rather than later since it’s also airing in Japan. 
 

12 - new show (Mashle S2, Dr Stone, take your pick

12:30 - filler from March 15 - April XX. New show moves here when Lazarus starts

Rest stays the same. Don’t know what filler option they would choose. If they were cool, this would be a great time to put Blue Exorcist on double speed to blow through that crappy filler stretch. And doing so means no other schedule adjustments are needed. 
 

12 - new show (moves to 12:30 when needed)

12:30 - another new show (moves to 1 when needed)

So where does Lazarus fit in here? If DBZ Kai is only licensed up to episode 47, it should be running out around April. Kai leaves, everything shifts down 30 minutes, Toonami returns to a tolerable 4 premiers. A longshot, but would do wonders for audience morale. 
 

There are worse options, like double reruns, a month of marathons, etc, but I’m willing to extend them a tiny bit of credit that it won’t get that bad. Otherwise, why move Mashle to the lead slot? S2 is the easiest answer to plugging that gap for a month. 

[Sketch]

I like the idea of doubling up Blue Exorcist for a few weeks so I kind of hope they do that if they need to stall and have nothing new to replace IFG directly in March.

But I rather hate the fact that they’re basically writing off a 4th of the year at this point and chances are they’re not gonna make up for it later.

Once Blue Exorcist season 1 ends we can probably get back to 4 premieres but because they decided to kill 6 months of a premiere slot with a glorified rerun we’re stuck with 3 or less premieres till then.

I won’t rule out the possibility that they can have 4 premieres besides One Piece at some point in 2025 but it would take either two originals at the same time or an original coming in when they already have premieres from 12-2am. But the fact that they’re already in maximum conservation mode at the start of the year does not bode well for the acquisition budget.

Edited January 26 by Sketch

[Toonamiguy321]

16 hours ago, Sketch said:

But I rather hate the fact that they’re basically writing off a 4th of the year at this point and chances are they’re not gonna make up for it later.

I’d expect it to be more than a fourth. The upcoming shuffle will be a slight revitalization to the block, but come mid summer when they need to do it all again? We will go right back into the shitter. A 2 week marathon run for Lazarus at minimum, same as Kamui got. 
 

Really, all hopes of block improvement hinge on the Rewind shows expiring in June. If they don’t, 4 slots are plugged up for good. Where does the obligatory Lazarus rerun go then? And the Primal S1-2 rerun in preparation for S3? Has to take one of the 3 flexible slots. And if BE does go into S2, that locks its slot down for the rest of 2025. 
 

16 hours ago, Sketch said:

I won’t rule out the possibility that they can have 4 premieres besides One Piece at some point in 2025 but it would take either two originals at the same time or an original coming in when they already have premieres from 12-2am. But the fact that they’re already in maximum conservation mode at the start of the year does not bode well for the acquisition budget.

I wouldn’t expect that, they seem to be very strategic with their originals so they can get the most mileage out of each one. The one exception was Uzumaki, but that’s because we waited 5 years to see it in October. And it’s not like R&M was a Toonami premier either. 
 

[Sketch]

Here's some more piss to pour on the situation... There's a very real possibility that come April, Toonami won't even get the dub premiere of Lazarus and the dub premieres 2 days prior on Thursday 5 days later on the following Thursday.

Imagine Toonami in such a state not even getting to premiere a show that was made for the block? The absolute state of absolute states.

Starting the year off with a full quarter of nothingness does indeed mean that any additional lulls will mean 4-6 months total are a wash. It wouldn't take much.

Lazarus should end right around 4th of July so that's perfect timing right? Kill 2 weeks right there because heaven forbid they give Toonami a full night so they can get through 13 episodes in one night like what was attempted with Harley Quinn (which they still messed up in the end).

Despite all that Toonami will stay on the air its just really gonna suck unless you like reruns of the same shows.

[brianycpht]

17 minutes ago, Sketch said:

Here's some more piss to pour on the situation... There's a very real possibility that come April, Toonami won't even get the dub premiere of Lazarus and the dub premieres 2 days prior on Thursday 5 days later on the following Thursday.

Imagine Toonami in such a state not even getting to premiere a show that was made for the block? The absolute state of absolute states.

Starting the year off with a full quarter of nothingness does indeed mean that any additional lulls will mean 4-6 months total are a wash. It wouldn't take much.

Lazarus should end right around 4th of July so that's perfect timing right? Kill 2 weeks right there because heaven forbid they give Toonami a full night so they can get through 13 episodes in one night like what was attempted with Harley Quinn (which they still messed up in the end).

Despite all that Toonami will stay on the air its just really gonna suck unless you like reruns of the same shows.

I believe it because MAX is the priority and it’s air date will hinge on what’s acceptable for it to be released on there 

[katt_goddess]

On 1/25/2025 at 12:45 PM, OwlChemist81 said:

Could be Dr. Stone...

Dr. Stone is a high possibility at this time. 

Wildhorse but still potential - Bleach : 1000 year blood war.

Another wildhorse without as much potential but it's ending soon on the other spots so... - Dragon Ball Daima

Hilarious pick-up that I wish they would just for the troll effect - How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 

Budget Classic that they might do late-night as another long runner ala Dragon Ball - YuYu Hakusho. 

[Mr. Idea Box]

3 minutes ago, katt_goddess said:

Dr. Stone is a high possibility at this time. 

Wildhorse but still potential - Bleach : 1000 year blood war.

Another wildhorse without as much potential but it's ending soon on the other spots so... - Dragon Ball Daima

Hilarious pick-up that I wish they would just for the troll effect - How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 

Budget Classic that they might do late-night as another long runner ala Dragon Ball - YuYu Hakusho. 

I'd laugh if Toonami actually got How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift, and YuYu Hakusho could be a welcome surprise in June.

But if Dragon Ball Daima is on the table, why not get MHA Season 7 instead? The licensing fees are pretty equal AFAIK.

[Toonamiguy321]

4 hours ago, Sketch said:

Here's some more piss to pour on the situation... There's a very real possibility that come April, Toonami won't even get the dub premiere of Lazarus and the dub premieres 2 days prior on Thursday 5 days later on the following Thursday.

Imagine Toonami in such a state not even getting to premiere a show that was made for the block? The absolute state of absolute states

I usually don’t give them much credit, but I don’t think they would do us like this for an anime original. Western original? That’s a coin toss, we got half of Superman and IFG. And I’d argue Superman has the most prestige of any network original the block has aired and they still handed us the premier for the second season. Lazarus is a total unknown, and given Demarco’s track record so far, probably a failure, so they will try to extract the most from it by not dividing the audience. 
 

Later on, I could see it getting a marathon outside of Toonami hours, but I’m fairly confident the premier will land on Toonami. But now that I type it out, I realize we do have a chance of getting screwed with the sub/dub thing. I’m hoping R&M only got that treatment because it’s R&M and that’s not the norm for the future. 
 

4 hours ago, katt_goddess said:

Dr. Stone is a high possibility at this time. 

Wildhorse but still potential - Bleach : 1000 year blood war.

Another wildhorse without as much potential but it's ending soon on the other spots so... - Dragon Ball Daima

Hilarious pick-up that I wish they would just for the troll effect - How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift? 

Budget Classic that they might do late-night as another long runner ala Dragon Ball - YuYu Hakusho. 

Bleach is still exclusive to Disney so that shouldn’t be on anyone’s potential list. 
 

YYH is held by Crunchyroll. If that was an option, it would have been in Rewind’s launch roster. 
 

4 hours ago, Mr. Idea Box said:

But if Dragon Ball Daima is on the table, why not get MHA Season 7 instead? The licensing fees are pretty equal AFAIK.

If it comes down to it and they have the choice between MHA and Daima, they would choose Daima every single time. They will always put full priority onto anything DB. 
 

The fees shouldn’t be equal. MHA S7 is pushing a year old now so it should be accessible. The question is, will CR sell it? Right now it certainly appears that door has closed. 

[brianycpht]

People will act like getting MHA S7 or Daima way down the line while they stall all year to afford them is a victory 

I’d much rather have a revolving door of smaller titles like MASHLE vs them continuing to go after big shows. I actually miss the days when those were just off the table but we knew for sure a leaving show would be replaced with something new, even if it was an older show that just had never aired. 

Edited January 27 by brianycpht

[Toonamiguy321]

8 hours ago, brianycpht said:

I’d much rather have a revolving door of smaller titles like MASHLE vs them continuing to go after big shows. I actually miss the days when those were just off the table but we knew for sure a leaving show would be replaced with something new, even if it was an older show that just had never aired. 

You don’t realize what you have till it’s gone. There was never delays or stalling, a show ended, a show was replaced. Every time, on time. You had to keep up with the block news much closer because show announcements would just drop at random. It was rare having to wait till the 2 week cutoff mark, but if it did reach that point, it never went over. 
 

It was easy to predict which Jump shows they would shoot for, but the block also had enough flexible slots that you had a curveball every couple months. Something like Blue Exorcist would never get on Toonami today because it’s not hyper popular Jump material. 
 

These days the safest prediction to make is “nothing” since the popular stuff is off the table and they won’t even try the less popular stuff. 
 

I do agree, come October Daima will be the first acquired show of the year and the smoothbrain audience will think we won huge. 

[PokeNirvash]

SK8 when, Demarco?

(Before you ask, Aniplex has the master license, so it's more on the table than the Texas-based dub makes it look.)

[katt_goddess]

22 hours ago, Mr. Idea Box said:

I'd laugh if Toonami actually got How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift, and YuYu Hakusho could be a welcome surprise in June.

But if Dragon Ball Daima is on the table, why not get MHA Season 7 instead? The licensing fees are pretty equal AFAIK.

If they can show Food Wars, Dumbbells shouldn't be a problem, right?  

MHA I feel is a given get in that it's done pretty well despite the late night slots in the past. On that same note, we couldn't necessarily discount more JoJo if the price is right. 

I figured mentioning Daima because that apparently has an actual finale and I thought we were looking at both long potentials and shorter filler type programs. 

18 hours ago, Toonamiguy321 said:

Bleach is still exclusive to Disney so that shouldn’t be on anyone’s potential list. 
 

YYH is held by Crunchyroll. If that was an option, it would have been in Rewind’s launch roster. 
 

Disney can eat a bag of dicks. Their streaming revenue is starting to lag so badly that they, as well as other streaming services, are increasingly bundling with others to the point where it just looks like they are trying to reinvent cable. I mentioned Bleach because it's also something that's played on here before. It just seems right that it should eventually make its way to here. Plus, it's one episode a week here which really should not be remotely considered competition. 

[MasqueradeOverture]

Hulu Live now costs more than any cable service I can remember.

I would totally cancel if I didn't like yelling at sports, but alas.

Edited January 28 by MasqueradeOverture

[Toonamiguy321]

4 hours ago, katt_goddess said:

Disney can eat a bag of dicks. Their streaming revenue is starting to lag so badly that they, as well as other streaming services, are increasingly bundling with others to the point where it just looks like they are trying to reinvent cable. I mentioned Bleach because it's also something that's played on here before. It just seems right that it should eventually make its way to here. Plus, it's one episode a week here which really should not be remotely considered competition. 

I mean, them eating dicks doesn’t change that it’s exclusive. And selling one anime license to a dying cable network probably won’t move the needle on their financial problems so I doubt it’s even a consideration. Same with Jojo, Netflix has an exclusive contract for it for 25 years. They don’t need money and Toonami doesn’t have any money anyway. Just isn’t gonna happen. I’m sure Demarco WANTS it to happen, as you say, both shows have been on the block before, but wanting something isn’t enough. They don’t care about competition, they just don’t want to share their toys because why should they? 
 

Even if they COULD, it would be blowing a huge chunk of the yearly budget. Toonami isn’t just one show, they need a whole schedule. 

[Sketch]

It is precisely my concern that Adult Swim will continue to premiere the dubs of original anime outside of Toonami either to get a show on Max on Fridays or because they want to milk these originals like they did with RATAM and Uzumaki.

A truly baffling move for Toonami given its long history of only airing dubbed anime outside of shorts and one movie as part of an elaborate gag.

[brianycpht]

19 hours ago, Sketch said:

It is precisely my concern that Adult Swim will continue to premiere the dubs of original anime outside of Toonami either to get a show on Max on Fridays or because they want to milk these originals like they did with RATAM and Uzumaki.

A truly baffling move for Toonami given its long history of only airing dubbed anime outside of shorts and one movie as part of an elaborate gag.

If this is what they intend to do, then there really isn’t a point in the block continuing other than a vanity project just to say it isn’t cancelled. Obviously Saturday night isn’t their ideal premiere time and they aren’t willing to air the block on another night for legitimate reasons. It’s ok to let it go if it’s just mostly encores and reruns. The licensing problems just compound the problem. Just enjoy it for what it was while we had it good. Getting reruns isn’t a victory. I see all these celebratory posts about a 3am Sailor Moon rerun when it’s the same episodes that just aired on rewind. The same thing when Primal aired on the block as a rerun. I mean, it’s cool it airs with bumpers, but the show should’ve been there from the start. The network and WBD just don’t see the value in the block. On top of that, I see a lack of evidence that anyone working on the block cares anymore. 
 

We used to get Tumblr posts and Demarco was very accessible for questions and communications. Now we just get a “check out our lineup” with no context . Demarco is gone from social media because Elon Musk exists or something like that. I don’t really get it, but that’s his choice 

These originals have been the whole focus for the last 5 years and even more so since Sony has been an issue. We sacrifice months of the schedule to accommodate them to ensure it keeps the top of the block, gets marathons, and reruns. 
 

 

Edited January 29 by brianycpht

[Toonamiguy321]

3 hours ago, brianycpht said:

If this is what they intend to do, then there really isn’t a point in the block continuing other than a vanity project just to say it isn’t cancelled. Obviously Saturday night isn’t their ideal premiere time and they aren’t willing to air the block on another night for legitimate reasons. It’s ok to let it go if it’s just mostly encores and reruns. The licensing problems just compound the problem. Just enjoy it for what it was while we had it good. Getting reruns isn’t a victory. I see all these celebratory posts about a 3am Sailor Moon rerun when it’s the same episodes that just aired on rewind. The same thing when Primal aired on the block as a rerun. I mean, it’s cool it airs with bumpers, but the show should’ve been there from the start. The network and WBD just don’t see the value in the block. On top of that, I see a lack of evidence that anyone working on the block cares anymore. 
 

We used to get Tumblr posts and Demarco was very accessible for questions and communications. Now we just get a “check out our lineup” with no context . Demarco is gone from social media because Elon Musk exists or something like that. I don’t really get it, but that’s his choice 

These originals have been the whole focus for the last 5 years and even more so since Sony has been an issue. We sacrifice months of the schedule to accommodate them to ensure it keeps the top of the block, gets marathons, and reruns. 

It did always feel like originals were an insurance. As long as they existed, Toonami would also exist. But without them as premieres, and no acquired content, I don’t see a reason the block should continue on. I also agree that it feels like no one there cares anymore. They have an intern on Facebook duty and that’s about it. Unlike before where he clearly was still involved, it actually does feel like Demarco has been removed from the block entirely. Part of his reason for bailing on social media is because he won’t have the answers anymore and doesn’t want people to notice. Politics just makes for an easy smokescreen. 
 

I want to give them the benefit of the doubt on this, because I think a pure anime project like this has no appeal outside Toonami hours, but the more I think about it, the more things line up with it not being our premier. My latest realization? An April premier means that it’s waiting till Common Side Effects completes its run. 
 

I hope I’m wrong because if it actually isn’t a block premier, Toonami might drop down to a single premier show. 

[Sketch]

Yeah they probably are waiting for Common to end because they are sparse on premieres for the network in general and want to space them out even if they’re on different nights. Common is on Sundays but the dub of Lazarus will probably air on Thursdays be it before or after the sub on Toonami. Anyone else notice Primal has been rerunning at midnight on Sundays lately? It just finished season 2 and is leaving but it was there for a bit and even encored at 3:30am.

[Jman]

So we’re totally getting an instrumental that sounds like a Bebop track for the opening, right?

Edit - I mean, that tends to be DeMarco's preference in shows he's had a more direct hand in.  I mean, I think I get why, he wants something that doesn't sound distracting due to a Japanese guy singing, or whatever the hell Adi Shankar was thinking - 

 

Edited January 31 by Jman

[Sketch]

That is the most 2000s thing possibly ever. Should’ve gone with click click boom.

[Top Gun]

I love that so much. 

[MasqueradeOverture]

6 hours ago, Sketch said:

That is the most 2000s thing possibly ever. Should’ve gone with click click boom.

If someone ever uses Nonpoint's version of In The Air Tonight for an OP, we truly live in dark times.

[PokeNirvash]

9 hours ago, Sketch said:

That is the most 2000s thing possibly ever. Should’ve gone with click click boom.

Assuming Limp Bizkit is non-negotiable, I'd have preferred My Way.

[Sketch]

2 hours ago, PokeNirvash said:

Assuming Limp Bizkit is non-negotiable, I'd have preferred My Way.

Might have suited Dante better I suppose.

[Jman]

2 minutes ago, Sketch said:

Might have suited Dante better I suppose.

Dante is the exact kind of guy who would have thought Bikertaker was awesome.

 

[Toonamiguy321]

16 hours ago, Sketch said:

Yeah they probably are waiting for Common to end because they are sparse on premieres for the network in general and want to space them out even if they’re on different nights. Common is on Sundays but the dub of Lazarus will probably air on Thursdays be it before or after the sub on Toonami. Anyone else notice Primal has been rerunning at midnight on Sundays lately? It just finished season 2 and is leaving but it was there for a bit and even encored at 3:30am.

I don’t know what their con schedule looks like this year, but I’d bet Primal S3 gets its release announcement live to the crowd at one. 
 

I wonder where Rick and Morty fits in though. It’s home for the past few seasons was Oct-Dec, but they have been running that “this year” promo live for over a month now. Is it coming sooner? Or is that just a reminder to the dumdum audience that it isn’t cancelled? Even as their biggest show, promoting it 10 months out seems excessive. 
 

16 hours ago, Jman said:

So we’re totally getting an instrumental that sounds like a Bebop track for the opening, right?

Edit - I mean, that tends to be DeMarco's preference in shows he's had a more direct hand in.  I mean, I think I get why, he wants something that doesn't sound distracting due to a Japanese guy singing, or whatever the hell Adi Shankar was thinking - 

 

I love how even official DMC content is pure meme kino. Cut the Netflix part and you would NEVER convince someone this is official. 

[Jman]

This is why I stand by DeMarco, who considers him a music tastemaker and a guy trying to avoid tropes that seem too Japanese, going with an instrumental.  Even if it will be forgettable and not as memetically hilarious as Limp Bizkit.

[Blatch]

We have a date! Plus, Toonami gets the actual premiere run.

[Jman]

First fresh premiere of 2025, and it took four months.  Better than nothing.

[Top Gun]

Trailer is pretty hype.

[Toonamiguy321]

And there it is, the first official premier for Toonami took till April 5th. At least the block is actually getting the premier, it was starting to feel like there was a chance we didn’t. 
 

Another one from Crappa though, don’t set your expectations too high. 

[[classic swim]]

Some shots reminded me of Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door. Specifically the news reports IDing Vincent at the beginning of the movie. Idk that just stuck with me.

[MasqueradeOverture]

This might actually fuck.

[brianycpht]

This looks and sounds too much like Bebop. I was never huge on Watanabe stuff. It’s ok, but I don’t revere it like most 

 really hope it was worth all the stalling. I’m rooting for it to be good at least 

[DangerMouse]

Very Watanabe looking.

Love the art style, character designs, trailer music, etc.

Can't fucking wait.

Edited Friday at 01:45 AM by DangerMouse

[Top Gun]

5 hours ago, MasqueradeOverture said:

This might actually fuck.

Yeah, if there's any Toonami that has real promise, it's this one. I'm assuming they just threw some money at Watanabe and said "do what you do best."

[Toonamiguy321]

Here’s some extra details from Deadline, with one troubling section

https://deadline.com/2025/02/shinichiro-watanabes-lazarus-anime-adult-swim-premiere-date-trailer-1236303203/

“The series will air on Adult Swim in English, with new episodes available the next day on Max. English-language encore airings will debut every Thursday at midnight beginning April 10. Episodes in Japanese with English subtitles will debut in the U.S. on Adult Swim and Max 30 days after their English-language premiere.”

So they aren’t doing the Ninja Kamui sub/dub sandwich route, but instead the sub is gonna start at an undetermined time a month later. And it just so happens Blue Exorcist ends its run about a month after Lazarus starts. 

A positive perspective would be maybe Kai leaves to make the room, but it hasn’t exactly been a positive year for the block so far. 

[Blatch]

47 minutes ago, Toonamiguy321 said:

So they aren’t doing the Ninja Kamui sub/dub sandwich route, but instead the sub is gonna start at an undetermined time a month later. And it just so happens Blue Exorcist ends its run about a month after Lazarus starts. 

A positive perspective would be maybe Kai leaves to make the room, but it hasn’t exactly been a positive year for the block so far. 

Yeesh. If we had more emote variety, I would've gone with a grimace.

[but maybe fire force ends up replacing kai?]

[Sketch]

CSE also ends in May the same week as Blue season 1. But we might very well be in for Subbed Lazarus taking one of the “premiere” slots. I don’t think it will be 1am but I would not put it past them to stick it ahead of One Piece shifting it down to 2am.

Trailer was good and the dub clips sound decent so consider me still excited but with the major caveat that it’s all there is to be excited about till at least May 10th. 

[PokeNirvash]

8 hours ago, Blatch said:

Yeesh. If we had more emote variety, I would've gone with a grimace.

We got this one: . Hopefully that's fitting enough for the grimace you're thinking of.

[Sketch]

14 hours ago, Sketch said:

CSE also ends in May the same week as Blue season 1. But we might very well be in for Subbed Lazarus taking one of the “premiere” slots. I don’t think it will be 1am but I would not put it past them to stick it ahead of One Piece shifting it down to 2am.

Trailer was good and the dub clips sound decent so consider me still excited but with the major caveat that it’s all there is to be excited about till at least May 10th. 

With double OP airing 1:30-2:30 starting next Saturday it’s all the easier to stick Lazarus subs at 1:30 or 2am whenever they feel like it.

[Jman]

DeMarco’s Bebop boner has endured for over two decades.  It’s pretty clear that hiring Watanabe AGAIN to do a show that has a lot in common with Bebop in aesthetics if not plot and setting, 

I have no faith in this being any good because DeMarco’s track record up till now has been utterly abysmal and I think a lot of that is because he keeps trying to recapture the feeling of Bebop with everything short of remaking it (please don’t remake it, Netflix tried and everyone hated it).  I mean, we all have our biases of things that we would remake if we had the opportunity but still.