Who wants to see Toonami return?

[Animeman73]

Once upon a time in the 90's and early 2000's there was a program line-up on Cartoon Network known as Toonami. After a day of college I would make it a priority to watch Cartoon Network for Toonami.

Toonami had some of the best animated and anime shows around.

In the non-anime department they had shows like Reboot, Justice League, and Batman the animated series.

In terms of anime shows they had stuff like Ronin Warriors, Big O, Outlaw Star, Sailor Moon, and of course Gundam Wing.

But then someone at Cartoon Network started chopping down Toonami's budget and eventually had it eliminated. And what did they replace it with CN Real!!! Accursed REALITY T.V. shows the scourge of the televison industry! I've watched enough of CN Real to know just how God-awful it is.

In my own personal opinion I think the time is way overdue for Cartoon Network to get rid of CN real and BRING BACK TOONAMI!!!!

Who here on the forums will join me in demanding that Toonami be returned?

[Classy Viking]

First off Toonami ended September 20, 2008 and CN Real started June 2009 which has also been canned. There is no evidence that They killed off Toonami to make way for CN Real. Toonami's rating were dropping for a long time, and it's cancellation has more to do with Jim Samples resigning after Aquagate then anything else.

Your childhood is dead, it's time to move on.

[Blizzara Dragon]

Toonami needs to return for one reason: to bring back Zoids 

[Midnight Divine]

Tom was the most bad ass robot ever. I remember when he said goodbye to the viewers, ending it with his famous final line from Cowboy Bebop: "Bang".

Toonami was what introduced me to anime when I was a kid. I remember watching: Dragon Ball Z, Sailor Moon, Gundam Wing Gundam 08th MS Team, Dragon Ball, Zoids, G Gundam, Samurai Jack, Gigantor, YuYu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, Dragon Ball GT, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Naruto.

Toonami was the best, and always will be!

[Saki-the-cat]

@Classy Viking
I don't think anyone cares that our childhood is dead ^^;;; . Hell, i don't even watch daytime Disney channel/Nicktoons/Cartoon network anymore because of all of the God awful cartoons and live action shows they have now days.
Speaking of which, why the Hell are all of these live action shows on Cartoon network??
*rants on like a b*tch*

[tofutakeout]

I do. I want my Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing back. QnQ I know a lot of people that want to watch Sailor moon again.

Speaking of which, why the Hell are all of these live action shows on Cartoon network??

That was the first thing I ever thought when CN Real introduced. :T It's all a lie now.

[Midnight Divine]

Hell, i don't even watch daytime Disney channel/Nicktoons/Cartoon network anymore because of all of the God awful cartoons and live action shows they have now days

Toonami had the best shows. I never watch TV but when Toonami was on I did, I remember waiting all day for certain animes to come on. Your right, Disney and all of those shows suck now days.

[Cyprus]

Speaking of which, why the Hell are all of these live action shows on Cartoon network??

One of the reasons I don't have cable TV...most stations just don't air enough actual entertainment to make up for the price you pay. I could rant on for hours about how cartoons used to be better(& CN was nothing but cartoons...), there weren't 500+ reality shows on every channel, or how MTV USED TO ACTUALLY BE ABOUT MUSIC & LOADED WITH ALMOST NOTHING BUT MUSIC VIDEOS(You are forgiven Sifl & Olly )...for god's sake, I'm not even that old & yet I feel like I am.

Anymore, I will just sample something on the internet to see if it's something I might like...then buy box-sets one season at a time. At least this way, I don't have to put up with commercials or having to wait or record the 1 show I might like.

I'm with you Animeman73! Toonami was one of the ways I found out about some of my favorite animes.

[Saki-the-cat]

Also, i think Pokemon(THE GOOD POKEMON) used to be on Toonami. So if it wasn't for that, i seriously wouldn't be here today, on these forums, being the Anime fan that i am.

[Man of the Public]

Concerning the belief that cartoons are worse now then they were. That's absurd. I've spent most of my life watching cartoons and it's not that cartoons are any different now then they were 10, 20, 30 years ago, it's that you the viewer has changed. You're no longer the bright eyed child who would be dazzled by bright colors and fast moving objects, you've grown into someone who sees things more objectively than you once did. You've learned things like character archetypes, character development, advanced plot techniques, and other story telling elements that you once would never even begin to comprehend. You look at today's cartoons and see them for what they usually are: cheap amusement targeted at viewers who do not understand the things that make a good story. And when you look back at the shows of yesteryear you remember them as you originally viewed them: the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Now that isn't to say cartoons as a medium are not evolving into something that can convey all the things you know now, in fact cartoons have been a serious medium for story telling for years, but it is merely that the general population doesn't see as that. They still see something that can be used to sell toys to children.

And just for clarification you can switch the word cartoon with anime and my point still stands.

[NARUNIK]

Also, i think Pokemon(THE GOOD POKEMON) used to be on Toonami. So if it wasn't for that, i seriously wouldn't be here today, on these forums, being the Anime fan that i am.

I think the original Pokemon was on kids WB untill ADVANCED BATTLE ended or something then it went to Cartoon Network.

Cartoon Network was my favorite. I thought Disney was okay. But NICK was better then Disney.

Everytime I got a small chance of CABLE I went to Cartoon Network, lots of there cartoons were hillarious and when TOONAMI came on I was like " OOOOHHH, Holy crap all this stuff looks like Pokemon."

( I only watched Kids WB as a kid because I had only had BASIC CABLE.) From that day I on I found out about ONEPIECE, BOBOBO, ZATCHBELL, and NARUTO. I went to TOONAMI.com to watch it all.

[Saki-the-cat]

Well, to be more clear. It's not the new cartoons that i'm upset about (though, i didn't like Chowder that much,  i'm really likeing Adventure time). It's the fact that cartoons are being replaced by a ton of live action shows or more "new episodes" of a single cartoon. Nickelodion could easily keep ICarly, Big time rush, and all of the shows like that on Teennick and shows like Dora on NickJR(the channel), and i'm just saying this straight forward. They need to stop makeing Spongebob and Fairly odd parents. Those shows are really starting to, as they say, "Jump the shark" and they ether need to bring back old cartoons or make new ones.

[NARUNIK]

I like Spongebob. Whats wrong with Spongebob?

Whatever, KidsWB was the best. Megaman and Pokemon were like the best ever man. What made me mad is that KidsWB stopped showing stuff everyday from 3-5 pm.

[Saki-the-cat]

I'm not saying i hate Spongebob o.o I grew up with Spongebob and i'm never going to stop watching it. It's justt that the episodes, i've noticed, from between 2006 and today are just getting worse and worse.

[Classy Viking]

Sure we would all love to think that the "evil Networks" are just trying to spite our childhood's and force us to watch those "dastardly" live action shows, but it's simply a matter of ratings. The target audiences of the Big Three, (CN, Disney, Nick)  are just watching the Live action Shows more.

Here's a ratings chart for the week ending January 24, 2010, link, note iCarly is even beating News shows.


Cartoons as the main consumed form of media by children, was simply a fad, though It may make a comeback. Right now the tween sitcom is king.

[NARUNIK]

I actually really like I Carly. Although the only other Live actions I love is LOST and movies.

[Nando-KiT]

just bring back the anime giving mini station in CN. It brought those who couldnt watch adultswim some good stuff to watch

[reppy]

I think he fact that you're a kid when you watched a lot of cartoons does have a big impact on how positively you viewed it.  But it does seem to me like the general quality of cartoons has gone downhill.  There are still plenty of great shows, like Spongebob, Adventure Time, Phineas and Ferb, Regular Show, etc .. but .. I don't know .. I'm also a big fan of actual hand drawn cartoons (and anime), so a lot of this new stuff that is all digital just doesn't feel right to me.

There also seems to be some decent live action stuff out there (I admit I've watched and enjoyed some Wizards of Wavery Place, as well as whatever else my nieces like to watch), but really -- does anyone else remember TGIF on ABC?  Freakin' a.  Family Matters, Step by Step, Hangin' With Mr. Cooper, Boy Meets World, Sister Sister .. Can anyone compete with that?! HM??!!?!?

P.S. Tia and Tamara are total babes, even to this day! I remember watching some made for TV movie they did called "Twitches", which was more or less a Harry Potter knockoff and .. I probably wouldn't have watched it if they weren't in it.  Or at the very least, there would have been a marked lack of fanboy squees.

[Gryffinclaw Princess]

Toonami is something I dearly miss. It was always on right after I got home from school and I would curl up under the coffee table (totally serious, too) and watch it before I did my homework. Gundam Wing, Tenchi Muyo, Sailor Moon...all the amazing anime of the past.

I, personally, hate the new cartoons that are coming out.
Adventure Time... Seriously? To me it looks like someone went on crack and decided to show their visions to the world.
But it's not that just now I hate them. I always have. I never got into those kinds of shows. I can't stand Spongebob or any of those kinds of cartoons. I'm a fan of Tom & Jerry and I wake up early on the weekends or weekdays when I don't have school just so I can watch it still. I miss cartoons like that. So no, it's not because I have matured as many have pointed out for others. It's because those types of cartoons have always been a turn off for me and I wish they would go back to how cartoons used to be in the past.


But back on track with Toonami...
I think if they brought it back it would please all of us otaku but we would also end up being pretty picky. To keep ratings, they would probably put on Naruto which a lot of people hate because of the fan base.
Plus, a lot of otaku hate quite a few English dubs. I prefer to watch Sub on a lot of anime because some casting directors really suck. Prince of Tennis was terrible and I couldn't watch it in English without my ears bleeding from the voices of my two favorites, Fuji and Eiji. So there would be those who complain about that.


In short, I miss it and a lot of the things of the past but it would be in the best interest of the channel to not bring it back. Children are different than we were and while our generation was mostly consumed by the good stuff...the generation growing up now is subject to the more imaginative realm of television. Talking unicorns and a purple thing named after a food...and...yeah...

[Saki-the-cat]

Right now the tween sitcom is king.

And THAT'S what makes me at disappoint.

[bou12345318]

They need to bring Toonami backkkkk

[Animeman73]

First off I'd like to apologize to the Forum staff if I've offended in any way. When i made  this thread it was not my intention to start any fights. i just wanted to express my feelings/

First off  I was in college and just starting my job at SAFEWAY when Toonami was on. What i likeed about it was the good quality intelligent programming. Sure they may have toned it down a bit but it was still pretty intelligent stuff. A lot of today's programming I'm sorrry to say in really insulting.

There are some good programs I like NCIS, CSI: Miami (Horatio Caine is THE MAN!). And also Sy-Fy still has Ani-Monday and they're doing Gundam 00 which I'm finding rather enjoyable., but I still say we need Toonami back period.

[NARUNIK]

Oh yeah, I forgot all the Live Action stuff on ABC. Plus Malcolm in the Middle.

CN toonami was famous back in the day for Dragon Ball. That was pretty cool stuff.

[Animeman73]

I have to admit there is...one show on Adult Swin that i do like.

With all the good anime gone and most of the so-called live action shows on Adult Swim stuinking to high heck this is the one show i enjoy.

I confess i am a card carrying Aqua Teen Hunger Force fan. That show is just so stupid...That it's absolutely Brilliant! I donn't know what thwe writers of that show are on but whatever it is it works.

[Saki-the-cat]

Yeah Adult Swim....the last hope the world has for fairly good programming.
Also, not all of the live action shows on there are bad...i just thank all that is holy that Tim and Eric are off there.
And pretty much the only shows i'll watch on there anymore are ATHF, Robot Chicken, and Xavier(that show is even more bizzar than ATHF and South park combined..).

[reppy]

I am a huge Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! thread.

[Animeman73]

I've watched Robot Chicken and i have to say some of the stuff Seth green and his partner come up with is DELICIOUSLY TWISTED. Not bad for a guy who used to play a werewolf on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

[Saki-the-cat]

I think this turned from a Toonami thread to a nostalgia thread to an Adult swim thread really fast...

[TurboSaiyanJason]

Also, i think Pokemon(THE GOOD POKEMON) used to be on Toonami. So if it wasn't for that, i seriously wouldn't be here today, on these forums, being the Anime fan that i am.

Cartoon Network was at one time, a hand-me-down channel for WB to drop shows like Pokemon, Freakazoid, Animaniacs and other. Similar to Toon Disney becoming Disney XD after picking up shows that Fox left behind.

In fact both Disney and Cartoon Network have saddened me with their live-action sitcoms and reality series, and even some new cartoons that don't seem to look as funny as the Cartoon Cartoons we know and love. Nick Toons gave me Dragonball Kai as a reason to watch it followed by Avatar:TLAB, though DBZ Kai to me is still only half of the action packed eye candy that is Dragon Ball through Z and GT.

It would be a good day if CN brought back the greatest cartoon block ever made, Toonami. It held the fort down in afternoons and even evenings with their Midnight Run block. Adult Swim took its place in the twilight hours, and eventually became the foothold to bring back some great Toonami shows such as Big O and Cowboy Bebop, and introduce other masterpieces like Inuyasha, Fooly Cooly, oldies like Lupin the 3rd and more.

Also, the block that replaced Toonami on weekdays called Miguzi, didn't exactly help the distraught Toonami fans any better. It had some good stuff, but Toonami was the one that had it all.

[Saki-the-cat]

I'm thinking that there should be a network of nothing but anime...

[X[D_ubaga]]

i agree with you guys it should come back

[kylite]

I miss toonami soo much
The final video still brings a tear to my eye

.... Bang

[Kimiski]

I do. I want my Sailor Moon and Gundam Wing back. QnQ I know a lot of people that want to watch Sailor moon again.

There's rumors of Sailor Moon being released in new box sets and re-airing on TV (In the U.S or not I dunno) with more rumors about a remake of a season (like DBZ and FMA have done)

Concerning the belief that cartoons are worse now then they were. That's absurd. I've spent most of my life watching cartoons and it's not that cartoons are any different now then they were 10, 20, 30 years ago, it's that you the viewer has changed. You're no longer the bright eyed child who would be dazzled by bright colors and fast moving objects, you've grown into someone who sees things more objectively than you once did. You've learned things like character archetypes, character development, advanced plot techniques, and other story telling elements that you once would never even begin to comprehend. You look at today's cartoons and see them for what they usually are: cheap amusement targeted at viewers who do not understand the things that make a good story. And when you look back at the shows of yesteryear you remember them as you originally viewed them: the greatest thing since sliced bread.

Now that isn't to say cartoons as a medium are not evolving into something that can convey all the things you know now, in fact cartoons have been a serious medium for story telling for years, but it is merely that the general population doesn't see as that. They still see something that can be used to sell toys to children.

And just for clarification you can switch the word cartoon with anime and my point still stands.

No... they honestly DO suck.... I've watched cartoons I used to watch as a kid, most I still like or find cute and amusing. And the explanation that I like them because I used to watch them aint gonna cut it, cause I've also re-watched other stuff and thought.... why the **** did I like this? And Cartoons have SEVERELY changed. Showing Elmer Fud with a gun shooting at Bugs Bunny nowadays...that's baaaddd, cause it teaches kids bad things just like video games cause violence, BLAH, BLAH, BLAHHHHH~

[Animeman73]

I happen to know that FUNIMATION (Yeah you heard me Funimation) are trying to get a channel of their own on Comcast.

Still seeing Toonami back would definitekly be nice. This isn't about seeing a return to innocence (Returning to childhood) this is about seeing the return of some good quality programming with some intelligence to it.

A lot of today's programming underestimates the intelligence of the younger generation.

[Classy Viking]

Wait, what shows do you believe underestimate their target audience?

I would like to know, with examples of your reasons as to why.
Also if you're reasons can be seen as to the target audience as "cool" or "funny" then those points are void.

[Saki-the-cat]

Kids cartoons need to come up with more creative jokes because not all kids out there are think a cartoon character laughing in an odd way or getting punched/hurt in an odd way is funny.

[NARUNIK]

Yeah, I never laugh at that crap. I think Chowder though, has lots of creative jokes. Creative foods also.lol

The Simpsons is great in sarcasm. Same with Futurama.

Funimation already has a purchasable channal though.

+ Why is Naruto still on Cartoonnetwork.com

[Animeman73]

Examples of cartoon shows that underestimaten people's intelligebnce. Well for starters there's Tiotal Drama World Tour. The Total Drama series started out being "Kind of" funny but now it's just plain ridicilous.

Adventure Time started off with loads of promise but then it as the saying hoes "Jumped the Shark" big time.

That'a a couple of shows i can think of as examples.

[Classy Viking]

But how are those shows underestimating their target audience's intellect? You just named those two show without providing any reason as to why.

Hardy proper debate form.

Also keep in mind the target audience is 10-14 year olds, so you must look at it with that as the focus.

[reppy]

I actually think that a lot of Adventure Time's humor is above what most younger kids would understand. ^^;   Regular Show cracks me up, too.  Phineas and Ferb also seems like a show that doesn't patronize its audience.

I really feel that a lot of the sitcom-type shows I watched as a kid were a lot better than what's out there today.

Boy Meets World
Full House
Sister Sister
Hangin' With Mr. Cooper
Family Matters
Step by Step

Come on! Is there really anything out there that competes with that? Suite Life of Zack and Cody? Wizards of Wavery Place? iCarly? Child, please!

I also kind of feel that a lot of Disney's newer stuff underestimates children.  Compare something like Bambi (BAMBI'S MOM GETS FREAKING SHOT) to some of what Disney is putting it out now.  It's like they're too afraid to make kids upset or something. Or Land Before Time! Anyone remember that? Little Foot's mom gets killed right in front of him!! BY BIG MEAN DINOSAURS!! :<

I have read before that Miyazaki's films are popular amongst all ages because "they make children feel like adults and adults feel like children."  To me, a lot of what is out now fails on both counts.

[Washougal_Otaku]

The only thing that was part of Toonami (that I'm aware of) that I liked was Samurai Jack.  I could care less if "Toonami" came back or not.  TGIF was somethign that I missed, but I doubt anybody could make anymore good sitcoms for a true TGIF return.

[Animeman73]

I agree Reppy I recall Toonami had a week long event where they showed Miyazaki films. The man is a superb animator and storyteller. I've seen Spirited Away, Princess Monooke, and Castle in the Sky. All were superb films.

[reppy]

Animeman73, I am giving you homework.  I need you to go out and rent, buy, or borrow a copy of Totoro AND Kiki's Delivery Service. Pronto! 

[NARUNIK]

Don't forget Howls Moving Castle!

[Venusgate]

I do miss toonami, if only as simply a block of high(er) caliber shows. Tom also brought the cool in a sea of rejected barney voice actors.

In terms of being a victim of nostalgia, I will proudly say that I do occasionally turn on today's programming with an open mind. It has nothing to do with me changing (if I have at all). I hated shows for their shallowness back then too. The difference is, in the last 5-8 years, the ratio of watchable to shallow modern cartoons has shrunk. On the other hand, looking back, I can see the animation quality of Dexter's Laboratory is horrendous, but I challenge you to show me a modern cartoon with an episode done in Opera.

I don't think toonami should be brought back, and I do know there are solid, high caliber toons being made right now. What I'd like to see is something to replace toonami. Something for the cool kids to watch. For when someone asks them if they watch cartoons? They answer smugly, "No. I watch <Toonami>."


Also, in every instance I have sat through an entire episode of a-any reality show, I am filled with self-loathing for the time I have shat from my life. So #^@& that.

[Titus_Love_Doll]

it would be nice to have back but ... umm I have the funmation channel so I m kinda set......

[Washougal_Otaku]

Examples of cartoon shows that underestimaten people's intelligebnce. Well for starters there's Tiotal Drama World Tour. The Total Drama series started out being "Kind of" funny but now it's just plain ridicilous.

I think the Total Drama series has gotten better in many ways.  For example, I like the music numbers that they are "forced" to do, but they look like they're enjoying it.  I also like HOW Izzy left the competition, not just the why, but that it makes it logical to assmue that she'll be able to come back.  The feud between Courtny and Gwen over Duncan was epic; too bad it's over.  (I miss Gwen...)  I'm also glad that Cody is still in the game; in many ways, I see much of my younger self in him (as well as Harold, but he was too Napoleon Dynamite for me to like him).