At 4 PM Eastern time six years ago today, a phenominal event took place on Cartoon Network.
After nearly five years of trying to create the perfect action-animation block since Super Adventures, the boys down at Ghost Planet Industries helped create the perfect environment for the action-packed shows they liked such as Thundercats and Voltron as well as the action shows they had such as The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and the various Hanna-Barbera shorts they owned, an environment that was a little rough around the edges yet definitely attracting the masses, as evidenced by the initial mascots Clyde 49 and Moltar (and yes, I know this is the 49th Watch This Space article . . . didn't mean to time it perfectly, it's just a happy coincidence).
The critics said it wouldn't last and called it "risky."
The network execs was confused, yet they had some confidence in it and called it "weird yet fun."
We call it Toonami.
For six years, the block has been the premiere action-animation block on the planet, let alone Cartoon Network, providing the masses with some of the finest action cartoons and anime ever produced on the planet from Dragonball Z and Sailor Moon to ReBoot and Gundam to Tenchi and Batman to He-Man and Evangelion. Today, the wandering samurai Rurouni Kenshin joins the family and more shows are coming later in the year. Some you know, some you don't.
It's not that far-fetched to think that without Toonami, there wouldn't be an Adult Swim Action nor Saturday Video Entertainment System. International ideas such as Talisman and, um, that British action-animation network from Cartoon Network who's name escapes me (I think it ends with X) wouldn't have gotten as far as it did without Toonami being there to start it all, and Kids' WB and Fox Kids wouldn't have evolved (some would say regressed) into all-action atmospheres without the success of the Toonami block. It's also farfetched to believe that this thing called Toonami is complete. If anything, it's a work-in-progress.
It's been that way since day one.
Long-time Toonami viewers would remember that interview segments with popular extreme athletes were as common on Toonami as, say, Shazzan, The Impossibles, and Moby Dick way back in the day. The shows picked to air on the block reflected the changing faces of the viewers. At first, the block was aimed to introduce old-school properties in a brand-new environment. Then, Toonami was aimed to introduce franchises that have fallen through the cracks thanks to shoddy syndication and idiotic broadcasters. Then, the anime implosion most newer viewers came to expect from Toonami began, introducing major anime franchises to a growing, yet unsuspecting viewership. The implosion subsided briefly when a pair of classic American comic book icons joined the block, creating a needed counterbalance to the block. Then, idiotic politics came into effect with new bosses manipulating the block to serve their own needs, almost sending Toonami to an early grave. Fortunately, cooler heads prevailed and the block actually started to feel right again. Today, just like back in 1997, Toonami is a two-hour block hosted by an iconic character known by millions of fans providing the finest in action cartoons on the planet.
The more things change, the more they remain the same.
Well, that's not true. The looks of the block may change, but the heart of Toonami remains the same. Toonami's look has evolved over the years, but the attitude is forever classic, rebellious and against the norm, and that's the way they like it. Hell, that's why we remain true to the block. No other network block has that dedication (well, Adult Swim comes close).
March 16, 1997 was the last day the sun rose to a world without Toonami, and for that, we are grateful. There have been way too many chances that the block would have ceased to be, but we could look and see that in spite of the factors that could have ended the block years ago, Toonami is possibly stronger than it has ever been in a long, long time, and we, the fans, have to dedicate ourselves in making sure that Toonami will continue for years to come. The tide has shifted in our direction and the good times are coming. The NeXt Chapter has begun and there's no stopping us now.
Happy birthday Toonami, and congratulations to Williams Street Productions and Cartoon Network for continuing to have faith in the block. This is a great day for all Toonami fans, and we have to believe, the best is yet to come.
Want to know what I think of today's new Toonami? Head over to the BONUS ISSUE. Why should one page just hold my excitement?
Until we are one, later.
Jeff Harris
CNX Creator/Webmaster
March 17, 2003
