thoughtnami reblogged
Let’s go just one on two!
Great American action tonight, and I’ve loved the entire week.
No Action On Boomerang? That's Unfortunate
Apparently effective next Monday, per Nick and More, action is gone completely from Boomerang.
Teen Titans, Ben 10, Ben 10 Omniverse, The Secret Saturdays, Jonny Quest, and Samurai Jack are all gone starting Monday, June 2 as are several Hanna-Barbera standards including Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, and others as well as MGM cartoons that aren't Tom and Jerry. Plus Looney Tunes loses its primetime slot (it'll be on at 2 AM EST). They're adding several recent Cartoon Network fare including Mystery Incorporated and Chowder and putting the original Cartoon Network originals up front and throughout the lineup.
Guess the network's trying to make itself "less old looking" for the transition to commercial-based cable later in the year.
I really hate that we live in a country where there's only one serious action block of programming. It's really hard being somebody who loves action cartoons. I'd imagine it's a lot harder being someone who makes it for a living.
But in the end, Boomeraction's days were always numbered. This latest move pretty much confirms it. Vaya con dios.
So, After March 16, 2013 on Cartoon Network . . .
. . . there won't be more than 30 minutes of new, serious American-produced action-animation on the entire network.
By "serious," I mean more action scenes than comedy scenes. DC Nation is about to be half-comedy with the arrival of Teen Titans Go! next month. Meanwhile, another Batman series, Beware the Batman, takes over Green Lantern's slot in the summer. The last episode of the fifth season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars is not only the last episode on Cartoon Network, but also could be the last episode period.
After Saturday, March 16, 2013, there's only one serious action series in production on Cartoon Network (Beware the Batman), and that'll premiere in the summer. Ben 10 Omniverse is mostly played for laughs, a stark contrast from the previous Alien Force/Ultimate Alien seasons. Dragons: Riders of Berk is also mostly comedy, as is anything Lego-oriented.
And I think Cartoon Network is okay with that. After previously killing Sym-Bionic Titan and ThunderCats, the fact that the high-rated DC Nation shows are history (and, unlike SBT and TCats, will likely never rerun anywhere [see Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Legion of Super Heroes, the entire run of The Batman, and Cartoon Network's own Generator Rex]) shouldn't really surprise anybody.
Cartoon Network seems to be shying away from "serious" action cartoons and focusing more on comedies and comedic-action. That seems to be the trend with kid-vid these days. Action only has one weekday outlet in the US, and that's The Hub's Hub-Boom! block of . . . wait for it . . . built up mostly of DC Comics reruns. Aside from that, it's a non-factor on American television on days that don't begin with S.
No wonder people are finding solace in anime online. They definitely fit the action cartoon fix in this country. I'm a fan of American titles, but the fewer that exist, the less inclined I am to watch the cable outlets. I already find my Cartoon Network viewing time cut down dramatically from five years ago, but considering I'm a 35-year old man, I don't think they'll mind me going away since the channel's not for folks like me. Still, for those kids who actually like action, they either have to deal with stuff like Beyblade and Pokemon or venture untethered online to find something new and different for their action needs, especially if the big three cable networks aren't really offering it any more, especially not on weekday afternoons.
Which is probably why I'm hoping for a mass movement to bring original American-made action cartoons online. That will come in a few years, and I look forward to that day.
(Before anybody suggests it, no, I don't think Young Justice and Green Lantern should be on Toonami, mostly because I don't want the block to be Cartoon Network's action cartoon basement where they throw away good action shows never to be seen in the daylight again)
What American action series do you think would make a good fit for Toonami? We have a distinct lack of adult-oriented action animation that isn't imported from Japan. The only titles that immediately come to mind are The Maxx, Aeon Flux, Spawn, and some parts of The Venture Brothers. We could also consider two future possibilities: Adult Swim's "Black Dynamite" and Fox's "Axe Cop". Other than that, the DC catalog (Batman TAS/Beyond, Justice League, Young Justice) is about the next closest thing.
To be honest, I don't want any of the shows that's currently on the Adult Swim lineup. Axe Cop will be on Saturday nights, so that's a moot point. The Maxx and Aeon Flux are tied to Viacom and will probably never see the light of day again. Spawn would be edited to death (lots of nude breasts in the first seasons).
There are three shows that I feel would fit in the Adult Swim block nicely.
Batman: The Animated Series immediately tops the list. Mature, well-written, still the standard. Considering it is the 20th anniversary of the series this year, a Toonami run on Adult Swim would be fitting and perfect. Unfortunately, it's currently stuck in the land of the ponies for the time being, which is a shame.
Sym-Bionic Titan deserves a better run to an audience that would appreciate it more than the juvenile lineup it was a part of. Robots, angst, adult themes, and giant monsters every week. And just when the show was reaching a climax, Cartoon Network killed it. Maybe a Toonami run is just the thing they need to jumpstart the brand. Heck, maybe if viewers are strong, they could resurrect it exclusively for the block.
Samurai Jack is one of those shows that had stand-alone episodes yet told a continuous story about a man thrown through time to a dystopian world not of his making ruled by the ultimate evil. The hero the locals have called Jack doesn't win every battle, but he doesn't quit. He moves on searching for the right path where he can finally completes the mission he trained his entire life for and rid the world of the evil that is Aku. Brilliant series, and quite mature.
These three shows would fit in the block like a glove on the new Toonami and show a lot of haters that, hey, Americans can do great action cartoons as well.