The Revolution was Televised (PART 2 of 2): Toonami's Broader TV Legacy

[Editorial: Anime!]

As noted in PART 1, from March 1997 to September 2008, Toonami inspired a generation through its positive philosophy and a fresh dose of creativity. However, with the end of this revolutionary action-cartoon block, I've noticed that most major animation news outlets have downplayed or even ignored Toonami's contributions to the rise of anime in the United States. It is as if it was thought of as just another kids television block that had no historical significance to the anime industry's gradual advances toward the mainstream. Even as I said the individual emotional and creative impact is what I believe will become Toonami's greatest legacy, I did mention that it was one achievement among many. At the time, I believed the latter point was well known. Though as this is seemingly not the case, I am now compelled to highlight here the other hallmarks of Toonami via the lens of its effect on anime in the US.

Toonami was not the first promoter of anime in the United States, nor was it the last. But it was the best. Harmony Gold's Robotech, Carl Macek's Streamline Pictures, and the Sci-Fi Channel's broadcasting of anime all helped to bring Japanese animation into the American consciousness. By the time Toonami came around in 1997, however, these outlets were either on hiatus, essentially defunct, or marginalized, and the visibility of anime was therefore limited. While new distribution companies like ADV Films and Funimation had started up, and Manga Video had made some waves with titles like the original Ghost in the Shell film, anime was niche at best. It certainly wasn't a common topic for classroom or playground banter. But something was about to change. Granted, Toonami was never meant to be an anime-only block (and it rarely was), but as it grew and evolved, it became the next anime revolution in America.

With the advent of Toonami, there was an afternoon reintroduction of popular anime-based programming that had made its way over US airwaves in the '80s, such as Voltron and Robotech. But that was just the beginning. In its second year, 1998, Toonami brought Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z (DBZ) to the block, and shot them to popularity. This accomplishment is significant, because both of these anime had aired on other networks a few years earlier and had been met with limited success. What was different? Toonami's marketing, packaging, and established afternoon slot. Toonami created custom promos, intros, and bumpers for shows that demonstrated the best of what a given title had to offer, while at the same time giving the viewer a basic insight into the overall story and atmosphere of a show. And while not necessarily as pronounced, Ronin Warriors--which had aired on Sci-Fi Channel in past years--continued this almost alchemic trend of turning a mediocre broadcast performance into gold when it gained more notoriety after reairing under the Toonami branding in 1999. With the Sci-Fi Channel and other pre-Toonami endeavors, anime was more well known for short "Original Video Animation" (OVA) series or one-shot movies. But Toonami was quickly creating a specialized five-day block format whereby the interconnected momentum of serialized TV anime series could be broadcast and followed with a greater sense of retention and comprehension, opening the doors to longer and more complex offerings than had generally been seen up to this point on US television.

When it came time to say goodbye to the '90s, Toonami was starting to hit its stride, and after its next acquisition, the block would take off not like a rocket, but like a hyperdrive engine.

"Gundam W. Spring 2000. Suit Up." These cryptic words flew across the screen with frenetic and detailed animation unlike anything ever before seen on afternoon TV for fifteen breathtaking seconds. After dropping its 1998 Anime Village label, Bandai Entertainment had started distributing more anime in America in 1999, but had yet to have significant success. When it brought Gundam Wing over, Toonami acquired it under a joint partnership, and the rest is history. Gundam Wing, unlike Voltron, Robotech, Sailor Moon, DBZ, and Ronin Warriors, was a mid-90s anime never before seen in the US, and had a modern aesthetic permeating it that immediately set it apart. Toonami would put together an epic two-minute promotional video for Gundam Wing after the initial fifteen-second teaser. This new trailer featuring the distinctive voice of Peter Cullen would become so popular, Bandai would later swap their own promotional materials out in favor of those developed by and for Toonami. Gundam Wing became a powerhouse, delivering sales for Bandai's newly released Gundam Wing model kits, toys, manga, and more.

After Gundam Wing, and with the continued success of shows like DBZ, it seemed that the sky was the limit for anime on US TV. Could this success of marketing anime have been matched on another network at the time? The simple answer: No. Fox Kids of Power Rangers fame tried it when they snatched Escaflowne away from Toonami, who was eyeing it for broadcast, in the Fall of 2000. Fox Kids' presentation of Escaflowne was heavily cut--the first episode was not even shown--and it was aired during an awkward Saturday timeslot, where it didn't even last a full run. Meanwhile, Toonami was pioneering new anime on TV with minimal cuts, and with its late-night extension, "The Midnight Run," it brought Gundam Wing completely uncut. Over the next eight years there would be a plethora of new anime premiering on the block: Blue Submarine #6, The Big-O, Mobile Suit Gundam 0079, Tenchi Muyo, Tenchi Universe, Tenchi in Tokyo, Cardcaptor Sakura, Dragon Ball, Zoids: New Century Zero, Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket, Mobile Fighter: G-Gundam, Zoids: Chaotic Century, .Hack//SIGN, Yu Yu Hakusho, Rurouni Kenshin, Cyborg 009, Dragon Ball GT, Gundam SEED, Naruto, and more.

Pushing the boundaries, Toonami respected the anime it brought to the block and tried to present them as intact as they could--and to as many audiences as they could--with the materials and standards given to them. This involved ingenuity at times to present shows that would have otherwise been too controversial. The "digital bikini" was invented to present female characters in key roles in anime that otherwise would have had scenes with partial nudity. Employed in anime like Tenchi, Outlaw Star, and Gundam: The 08th MS Team, this creative invention of unobtrusive censorship generally meant that a given scene and dialogue could play out without the awkward cuts and transitions seen in earlier anime-on-TV broadcasts. This was an expensive procedure, but proved Toonami's ambitious nature and regard for anime as it meant few, if any, episodes would have to be axed. As time went on, Toonami's Midnight Run block and marketing skills paved the way for Adult Swim's "Action" programming, which continues to this day and has broadcast uncut anime series and movie premieres such as Cowboy Bebop, Inu Yasha, Witch Hunter Robin, Wolf's Rain, Gundam: Char's Counterattack, Trigun, Full Metal Alchemist, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex, Blood+, The BIG-O Season II, Moribito: Guardian of the Spirit, and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

Even beyond broadcasting anime, the ever-agile Toonami featured innovative special events, partnerships, and options that would forward anime's popularity in the US. Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, and Naruto would each have special movie and OVA events aired in the afternoon. In 2000, Cartoon Network ran an entire day of Toonami dubbed "Full Cycle," featuring twenty-four hours of Toonami programming and therefore a lot of DBZ, Sailor Moon, and Gundam Wing. This would then lead to anime on Saturday mornings under the title of "The Rising Sun," meaning Toonami and anime were airing intermittently morning, noon, and night on Cartoon Network six days a week. In August 2001, portions of the Leiji Matsumoto anime made for French techno duo Daft Punk would air during a special music video edition of Toonami's Midnight Run. Later, in a tribute to the mecha genre, Toonami teamed with ADV Films in February of 2003 to run a week of giant robot anime, which included TV network premieres of Martian Successor Nadesico, Dai-Guard, and Neon Genesis Evangelion. At the same time, Toonami spearheaded the effort to produce the previously noted The BIG-O Season II, which eventually aired on Adult Swim. Further, in September of that year, Toonami was working on another joint venture as it teamed with Japanese animation studios Production I.G. and Bee Train for one of its famous TV/online interactive "Total Immersion Events." The result was the micro-series IGPX (Immortal Grand Prix), which later spawned the joint American/Japanese 26-episode production of IGPX: The Series in 2005. Finally, in 2005, as it had for DBZ and Gundam Wing before it, Toonami helped jump-start the Naruto craze in the US with its network broadcast premiere of the series and subsequent Naruto marathon events.

Toonami's "stunts," promotions, and existence traveled beyond the television, though, and into the brave new realm of cyberspace. On March 26, 2001, "Toonami Reactor" was one of the first and most dynamic ventures to legally broadcast anime on the internet with programs like Star Blazers, Patlabor, The Harlock Saga, and Record of Lodoss War. This was long before Youtube, Cruncyroll, and their ilk. In doing so, Toonami had a different philosophy whether it was broadcast on TV or online. It promoted a gradual release of titles and episodes, not a flood. This created anticipation and allowed one to fully enjoy what was being offered. On July 17, 2006, a partnership with VIZ signaled the relaunch of this online venture with the ongoing "Toonami Jetstream," which has shown anime such as Naruto, Prince of Tennis, MAR, Mega Man Star Force, and Pokemon.

Through the TV, through magazines, at movie theaters, at theme parks, at schools, and even on the internet with games, polls, video streaming, and informational databases, Toonami has called itself "the first and the best" action-cartoon block of its kind. But that could also be said about the anime featured on Toonami and its spin-off ventures, as many of them had a lasting impact. Even as networks like G4TV attempted anime blocks this decade with solid programming like RahXephon and Gungrave, they have been unable to capture Toonami's title of longevity, and have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Sci-Fi Channel has recently reentered the anime block business with "Ani-Mondays" and has excellent, promising modern anime to its name (Gurren Lagann and Gundam 00), but it still has a long way to go to beat Toonami's record, and even longer to match their packaging, marketing prowess, and legacy when it comes to anime programming.

Through each of the examples above, the bottom line is Toonami was a trailblazer for anime in the US. It put Japanese animation in a cohesive, accessible framework of hip science-fiction packaging alongside familiar Western toons and video game reviews, and wrapped it up tight and right with deep thoughts and digital beats (innovations in of themselves). This amazing combination gave anime the proper exposure it needed to get to where it is today--where anime is still on TV, on video and in print via manga on store shelves, and being mined by Hollywood for movie ideas.

While the anime industry in the US has seen its ups and downs, and is still not particularly mainstream, the fact that anime has entered the cultural consciousness and marketplace to the degree that it has this decade is in large part due to the groundwork Toonami laid down. Yes, Nintendo's work with Pokemon and other similar ventures had an effect, but Toonami planted a more diverse garden of influence. A clear, parting example of this: Funimation holds the largest share of the anime pie in the US today, but it might have gone nowhere if not for Toonami's revival of their stumbling DBZ franchise. If Funimation had not had that hit, it is unlikely it would have the capital and presence it has today, and the industry would have suffered as a whole. (And Funimation was not the only company to have a boon after a Toonami run).

All this and more is why Toonami was no ordinary cartoon block. Through its broadcasting achievements, it was a historic, cross-cultural TV phenomenon that helped forge an industry.

...The revolution was televised. (Kids Love it!) *Flash!*

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