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| March 02nd: Is Toonami An Anime Block? | |
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| Tweet Topic Started: Mar 2 2008, 03:24 PM (2,537 Views) | |
| Nick | Mar 2 2008, 03:24 PM Post #1 |
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Founder and Major Domo
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Another update; yeah, we're that hardcore. Andrew and I discuss the age-old question. http://www.toonamifan.com/toonamiequalsanime.html |
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| Jeff Harris | Mar 2 2008, 08:11 PM Post #2 |
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Webmaster, The X Bridge
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*sniff* so proud. So proud! It makes my heart feel good for people to come down with that conclusion about Toonami. And as the guy who compiled that massive Wikipedia list (as well as the general meat of the Wikipedia article as a whole), glad people get that Toonami is an action-animation block, not just an anime block. |
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| JaySinkie | Mar 2 2008, 09:17 PM Post #3 |
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Clyde
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You guys hit it right on the money. As much as I don't think Toonami could ever work without Anime, I don't think it could ever work without it either. Anime's been there from the beginning, and as much as when I think of Toonami, I think Anime, I also think of ReBoot (one of my all-time favorites), Batman & Robin, Batman Beyond, Samurai Jack, etc. While Toonami was, is, and always be a vital part of Toonami's history, it's not the only part... |
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| Lydeck | Mar 2 2008, 10:03 PM Post #4 |
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TOM v1.0
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No way in hell Toonami could function without anime. It is what it is. |
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| The History Follower | Mar 2 2008, 10:05 PM Post #5 |
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Crewer
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So what's your list of shows you got for each category. Also I don't see how loving anime, focusing on the anime of Toonami, or wanting to talk about other action anime series is somehow 'betraying the Revolution.' I mean let's face it the best action shows are from Japan and the best shows of Toonami are from Japan. Now there were good American and Canadain shows on the block, but since the early years when have they ever been the majority? I think letting yourself get pushed around by CNGuy is more against the spirt of Toonami than focusing on anime. If he wants to see more talk on non-anime series he should write his own articles and if you want to talk about other action anime do it. |
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| Jeff Harris | Mar 2 2008, 11:30 PM Post #6 |
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Webmaster, The X Bridge
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Western animation hasn't been the majority since 1998. However, one could argue that Toonami is at its strongest when it's not all-anime either. In fact, every really bad lineup of Toonami had always been all-anime, including the current lineup. There's nothing wrong with anime, mind you, but there's nothing wrong with Western animation either. There is a perception that Japan is the home of the best action cartoons. They churn out more action titles than Western studios do, but that doesn't mean they're all the best. Quantity doesn't equal quality. There has been a significant amount of crap to come out of Japan. The Western disasters are noticed more because there aren't a lot of titles. The shows we do make on this side of the Pacific are pretty good, but they tend to get lost in the hubris of anime that's out there. Canadian titles are barely seen in the United States, and most American action titles have limited audiences because the outlets are limited, not to mention studios are owned by rival entertainment conglomerates. Because of idiotic content laws in this country (particularly the E/I mandate on broadcast television), people aren't even making action titles in the US like they used to. Plus, it's cheaper to import Japanese titles than it is to produce new series, which is why they air often. Heck, it's what made 4Kids a very rich company. Sean and Jason even publicly said that Toonami is not just anime. However, their influence has weakened over the years, and truth be told, Techwood is running the show now. Toonami's a business not even interested in providng the finest action cartoons on the planet. They're more interested in airing shows they could afford that's age-appropriate and would help out allies like Viz. You can't tell me that Yu-Gi-Oh GX and Bakugan are the finest action cartoons Toonami has to offer. It would be nice if they at least pretended to look at what independent American studios are creating as well as what's over in France and Latin America instead of just picking up the latest from Japan. Just saying . . . |
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| Calus | Mar 3 2008, 12:01 AM Post #7 |
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DJ Calus
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It's the same everywhere really; toon channels and blocks are getting in as much anime or psuedo-anime as they can. I remember how when I was a kid, Fox Kids always ran American animation shows like Eek! The Cat, Spiderman, and Life With Louie. (I didn't watch too many of these shows, but just using them as examples.) I also remember how anime like Pokemon and Digimon were aired on stations under the radar; I remember Pokemon being on at 6 AM and Digimon being on late in the mornings. Toonami also had it's fair run of non-Japan shows like ReBoot, The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest, and Batman. These weren't so much phazed out as they just ran their course and ended. These days though, it seems like Fox and Toonami are just dishing out one anime after the next. Toonami threw out shows like they were hard candy. We got a bunch of duds like Prince of Tennis and DS Gundam. Fox quickly killed off Ultimate Muscle and Fighting Foodons. But for every one anime they toss, it seems like they put 2 more in it's place. And of course as I mentioned earlier, there's psuedo-anime being used as well. Shows like The Avatar and Totally Spies are good examples of this, as well as their distant cousins Teen Titans and Ben10. While the former two are very anime-esque, the latter echo anime. However, it feels like a 100% sellout with each show. Gone are the days of very original animation like that seen in Ren and Stimpy. To watch that and see the detail of everything is truely amazing. But if you go and watch something like Ben10, the animation seems so cut and paste that it's almost sad. As for anime on Toonami, I believe the current times to be akin to the Dot-Com Bubble bursting in 2001, or the current housing problem. The good times are over because of explotation, and what was once unique has now become the norm. it's a VERY sad thruth, but it's something CN and other toon networks are going to have to realize. |
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| Sketch | Mar 3 2008, 02:51 AM Post #8 |
Crewer
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I can think of a few bad line-ups that weren't all anime as Teen Titans has been abused on Saturday Toonami to the level DBZ was abused on weekday Toonami and Naruto for that matter though I suppose Titans didn't get many actual marathons. Anime is an important part of Toonami but I'd wager to say Toonami is more important to anime than anime is important to Toonami. Without Toonami anime could still be just a blip on the radar in the US outside of Pokemon. Adult Swim action might not exist. Though it's also very likely that Toonami would not have survived without it's constant supply of anime to fall back on. It's when CN cuts that supply off that most people consider the block to be in a weak state. Though that's not so much anime as it's just any action show really. Toonami will always be related to Japanese animation. But that's not all it is and that's not all it should be remembered for. |
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| macattack | Mar 3 2008, 01:01 PM Post #9 |
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Watch Your Head.
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Toonami's name comes from an amalgam of two words: the English word 'cartoon' and the Japanese word 'tsunami' (which has become popular enough to become an English word itself, but I digress). This itself shows that Toonami was never intended to be nor should it be a pure anime block. Toonami should be a diverse mixture of cartoons from North America, Japan, and Europe if possible, but more importantly, the lineup has to be good. I would accept an all-NA or all-anime Toonami if the lineup was stellar over a diverse block that is frankly pathetic. Japanese animation is very important to Toonami, for it more or less has formed the backbone of the block since Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon debuted. There has to be a pipeline of fresh Japanese shows, for the Japanese, while a lot of their cartoons admittedly suck, often crank out a lot of gems at the same time. Quite a few Japanese shows are innovative and excellent enough that they should have a shot on Toonami (unless they don't fit . . . like Black Lagoon or Claymore). At the same time, North American action cartoons should have a presence on the block. For if Toonami's hosts form the heart, and the Japanese cartoons the skeleton, American cartoons provide the muscle. A lot of the best latter-day Toonami lineups were when Clone Wars, Megas XLR, Justic League/JLU, and Teen Titans were airing on the block, for example. Toonami needs North American representation or the block will atrophy. That is what has happened now in this all-anime two hour block Toonami has been saddled with for the last few months. So yes, while Toonami can be an all-anime block, it was not constructed to function that way nor should it really be. Toonami has bragged in the past they aired the best action cartoons on the planet. That is what it should be. |
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| sonofnight | Mar 3 2008, 02:19 PM Post #10 |
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Toonami Faithful for Life
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I love Anime. When I first saw DBZ on Toonami I beacame hooked. I also like variety and was pleased that Storm Hawks was on Toonami for the short period it was. As mentioned above Samurai Jack, Batman: TAS, Superman: TAS and other non anime titles have given Toonami variety. Toonami with variety is a good thing and ultimately broadens our perspectives of animated programming in general. |
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| Zipper | Mar 5 2008, 02:54 AM Post #11 |
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Revolutionary
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Toonami is not an anime block and should not be treated like one. The edgy anime is definitely one of the things that made Toonami different back in the day, but the fact remains is that Toonami is supposed to be the home of the finest action cartoons on the planet, no matter what country they're from. |
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| Robert | Mar 5 2008, 09:01 AM Post #12 |
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Clyde
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Zipper, you just brought a tear to my eye. I hope I'm not offending anyone here but when I found out that Japanese animation was called anime, it never really phased me. I still saw them as cartoons and I didn't like them anymore than I'd already have. Toonami needs to get back to it's roots and make the block what it use to be. |
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| Zipper | Mar 5 2008, 03:35 PM Post #13 |
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Revolutionary
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Nobody should be offended by someone calling an anime a "cartoon." Since that's all they are -- Japanese cartoons. We westerners just use the term "anime" to distinguish Japanese animation from other animation. I guess some people get upset because the word "cartoon" is usually associated with kiddy fodder, and not all anime is kiddy fodder. But the same can be said for American animation (or animation from anywhere else). Cartoons like the old Spawn (which is as adult as anything else I've seen) were just as affected by that "cartoons are kids' stuff" stereotype as any anime. I just hope we can get more different types of animation here in America. Cartoons like the Hellboy specials, or the Iron Man specials are a good start as they aim for a different demographic than what most American cartoons are aimed at, but it'd be nice to get something other than comic book super hero stuff. We need more diversity. |
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| tarhaun | Mar 31 2008, 06:42 PM Post #14 |
Did somone say "chimichanga"?
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never was.before batman was on toonami,i had it on tape |
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| billyarnie | Mar 31 2008, 08:21 PM Post #15 |
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3... TOM 3!
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Well said, macattack! If you look at the 1st Toonami block, what do you see? Thundercats (made in Japan for U.S. TV; like Avatar & Transformers: Animated). Voltron (an 80's anime). "Cartoon Roulette" (a rotation of shorts like "Superman" from the 40's, "Birdman" & "Space Ghost" from the 60's). The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (a 90's update of the 60's action show). Only one "anime"; like Cowboy Bebop on [adult swim]. For those who know business-speak, Toonami always had a Mission Statement, but it was never called such. Say it with me: To be the home of the best action cartoons on the planet! Toonami has always had a Vision as well. I've slightly modified it, but we still know it; does Cartoon Network still remember it? In business-speak: Continuously building the viewer a better cartoon show. As we know it: "Building you a better cartoon show". Toonami at its best should give us the best action cartoons, period! Whether from the U.S., Canada, Japan or even Europe... Code Lyoko, Totally Spies, Time Jam anyone? Unfortunately, Toonami is not giving us their best at the moment... where's FUNi's One Piece? Will Ben 10: Alien Force make it to Toonami, premiere or not? They can do better than Blue Dragon (which doesn't suck, IMHO), but they can't do worse than Bakugan... can they?! |
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