Breakdown - Toonami (1997-2008/2012-present)

        Hey guys, Chuck here. Well, I think I made it pretty clear that I love anime. Going back to the late '90s, when such programming blocks as Kids' WB and Fox Kids aired English dubs of such anime series as Pokémon, Digimon, Card Captor Sakura, and Monster Rancher. But, in March of 1997, Cartoon Network would launch a programming block on weekday afternoons that would showcase anime for Western audiences in a way that would be beloved for an entire generation of kids and teens. The block was, and still to this day, known as Toonami. 

         Now, my experience with Toonami wouldn't come until 2001, when Kids' WB had their weekday afternoon block rebranded as Toonami on Kids' WB, which was pretty much just the regular Kids' WB weekday afternoon block, just with Toonami bumpers and such Toonami programming as Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. However, it was around this time when I started watching Cartoon Network, and discovered the real Toonami, and I was pretty much hooked. The popularity of Toonami led to two expansion blocks: the Midnight Run, running Saturdays at midnight, and the Rising Sun, running Saturday mornings. The Midnight Run famously showed music videos by Gorillaz and Daft Punk, as well as more mature content compared to the weekday afternoon edition of Toonami, while the Rising Sun aired the "Garlic Junior" saga for Dragon Ball Z. Unfortunately, time and other priorities got in the way, and I kinda fell out from watching Toonami regularly. This especially came to pass when, in 2004, the block was moved to be exclusively on Saturday nights, as the weekday afternoon version was replaced with the more kid-friendly block Miguzi. 

       The original Toonami host was the character Moltar from the Space Ghost franchise, but on July 10, 1999, hosting duties for Toonami would be transferred to a new character: Tom, voiced by Sonny Strait. Tom, along with the A.I. program SARA, would host the Toonami broadcast from a spaceship called the Absolution. It was really the character of Tom that would define Toonami. Around the turn of the millennium, Toonami launched a series of vignettes called "Total Immersion Events," with the first on these being called "The Intruder," which saw the Absolution get attacked by an alien entity, and Tom was engulfed by the Intruder. This gave way for the introduction of a brand new, sleeker looking Tom, dubbed Tom 2, who was voiced by the one and only Steve Blum, who has been the voice of every subsequent version of Tom since. 

         The programs aired on Toonami have predominantly been anime, including the aforementioned Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z. Other shows aired on Toonami would include the likes of Gundam Wing, G Gundam, SD Gundam Force, Tenchi Muyo, The Big O, Ronin Warriors, Naruto, One Piece, Hamtaro, Ruroni Kenshin, Yu Yu Hakusho, Outlaw Star, Zoids: Chaotic Century, and even non-anime titles as Megas XLR, Samurai Jack, and so forth. Heck, Toonami even did "Month of Miyazaki," showcasing such iconic films as Castle in the Sky, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away. 

       Unfortunately, change in overhead at Cartoon Network, which pushed Toonami from weekday afternoons to Saturday evening, ultimately decided to end the block on September 20, 2008, with the fourth iteration of Tom wishing the longtime fans of Toonami a fond farewell, and a hearty thank you for being such a key part of the Toonami journey. Now, while I had become detached from Toonami by this point due to other obligations like school and such, I will admit that it is pretty heartbreaking that Cartoon Network would end one of its most popular programming blocks after eleven years on the air. But, the fan support for Toonami was still there, even if I, personally, wasn't watching as much. 

       But, a glimmer of hope would arrive in 2012, when on April 1st, the late-night programming block Adult Swim would have their annual April Fool's prank, which had previously been an all-night marathon of Tommy Wiseau's The Room. However, on this particular April Fool's, Adult Swim would be taken over by Toonami, with classic Toonami programming and bumpers featuring the third iteration of Tom. Unfortunately, due to focus on school, I wasn't able to watch that night, but a friend had told me about it, and I was admittedly intrigued. Not enough to tune in, per se, but intrigued nonetheless. After this, fan outpouring on social media was through the roof, and after weeks of fan support, Adult Swim revealed that Toonami would return full time, running Saturday nights starting at midnight on May 26, 2012. And, Toonami has been a part of Adult Swim ever since. 

        With this new slot set up, programs on Toonami skew much older, with such series as Attack on Titan, Inuyasha, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Cowboy Bebop, Kill la Kill, Michiko and Hatchin, Gurren Lagann, Deadman Wonderland, Sword Art Online, Food Wars, One Punch Man, and the list goes on. Heck, even the Dragon Ball franchise returned to the block in the forms of Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super. 2015, which is when I started getting back into Toonami, also saw the return of the Total Immersion Events, with the highly anticipated "The Intruder II" seeing Tom 5 coming face-to-face with The Intruder, which has merged itself with the original Tom. However, my favorite of the current Total Immersion Events was "The Return," which celebrated the 25th Anniversary of Toonami by reuniting Tom and SARA with an old friend: The Absolution. 

        Unfortunately, after 2016, I fell off the wagon a bit with Toonami, as work-related priorities took hold, and I was only able to watch anime on streaming platforms. However, on May 31, 2024, Toonami would launch a new Friday evening block called Toonami Rewind, which would run for two hours in the early evening hours of Friday, and feature classic Toonami shows like Sailor Moon, Dragon Ball Z Kai, and Naruto. With this new slate, I am thankfully able to watch Toonami again, to a certain capacity. 

        As an anime fan, I will always have a soft spot for Toonami for being a gateway to all kinds of fantastic anime titles. Any anime fan who tells you they didn't get into anime because of Toonami is probably not telling the truth. Toonami is awesome, and it will always mean so much to so many who came to love anime. Bang. 

       Anyway guys, this is Chuck signing off, and next time, I'll be taking a look at... you know what? Let's keep the anime train rolling. Next time, I'll be looking at the trilogy of Pokémon movies from Warner Bros. and 4Kids. See you guys then.