As you know by now, the new look of Toonami has been revealed in the United States. My first reactions were:
"Wow, they've really changed their computer animation techniques?" and
"Doesn't these title graphics look a LOT like the Jetix title graphics?"
Okay, okay, that might get the ire of Toonamitakus everywhere, but hear me out. I know that Toonami has used the skinny yet blocky fonts in the titles in the past (for a few months back in '99). However, they rarely used bright colors on-air before. One of the things that set Toonami apart from other blocks is that they used darker titles rather than bright and bouncy ones, most notably in the way they avoided whites in the background. Heck, the interiors of the Absolution still remain dark.
Maybe it's a coincidence that both Jetix and the new Toonami used similar title designs. Regardless, I'm looking forward to the new Toonami a week from Saturday.
April 17 promises to be the greatest action lineup in Cartoon Network history spanning seven hours and two blocks powered by the same programmers. Toonami kicks off the night with several premieres, including the premiere of the first Bionicle movie as well as a little phenomenon known as Gundam SEED while Adult Swim closes the night with the premiere of The Animatrix (it's funny . . . five Warner Bros. animated movies made their US cable debuts on Cartoon Network rather than on premium cable [a no-prize for the first one to name the other four]) as well as the beginning of new episodes of InuYasha. Saturday nights will be the destination for shows like Rave Masters, Megas XLR, and Wolf's Rain, and many of your favorite action shows from the premiere names of animated action, Toonami and Adult Swim. The ultimate action block that gives the masses the best of both worlds.
Finally, the word of the day is "pride." Having too much pride is a bad thing, and pride often leads to arrogance. I try to remain low-key around these parts as well as on the boards, and I try to keep my pride in check. When I'm wrong, I'm man enough to admit it, and when I'm right, I don't gloat about it with snide remarks like "I told you, I was - as always - right." I get frustrated by the amount of arrogance I tend to see around the net, especially on the boards. I was taught that pride is a bad thing. I won't preach on about that, but I'd just like some folks to keep their pride in check.
*end tranmission*
Jeff Harris,
The X Bridge Creator/Webmaster
April 8, 2004
