Toonami Retrospective Thread v.2 - "Bring on the Night"

[Daily Bento Man]

[IMG]http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b7/Toonami_logo.svg/250px-Toonami_logo.svg.png[/IMG]

Toonami was Cartoon Network's primary action-animation block. The block, which made its world premiere on Monday, March 17, 1997, initially replaced Power Zone, Cartoon Network's most recent incarnation of the Super Adventures block which had been a staple on the network since October 1, 1992. Toonami was originally a weekday afternoon cartoon and anime block hosted by Space Ghost villain-turned-producer Moltar at the Ghost Planet Industries building from 1997 to July 9, 1999.

On Saturday, July 10, 1999, Cartoon Network relaunched Toonami with a new environment, the Ghost Planet Spaceship Absolution, and a new host named TOM. The night also introduced the Toonami Midnight Run late night block which was originally a five-hour Saturday night block (technically Sunday) at midnight EST until March 2000, when it moved to weeknights in an hour-long format until January 2003.

On Saturday, April 17, 2004, Toonami was moved from weekday afternoons to a Saturday evening slot, where it aired for four hours starting at 7 PM EST/PST. Beginning October 27, 2007, it aired for 2 Hours starting at 9 PM EST/PST. On September 20, 2008 Toonami ended, with its final broadcast that same day.

[B]The Midnight Run[/B]

The Midnight Run was once a Toonami block that ran from 1999-2003. It ran daily at 12 AM ET/PT. It consisted of anime such as Sailor Moon, Voltron, Robotech, Dragon Ball Z, Gundam Wing, G Gundam, Gundam 08th MS Team, and Outlaw Star. Midnight Run tended to have slightly more blood and violence than its day-time counterpart. It at one point ran an uncut version of Gundam Wing. It sometimes had a special edition. They had one special edition on Friday, August 31, 2001 at midnight. Another event was Dragon Ball Z taking over the Midnight Run for a week starting on March 26, 2001 to March 30, 2001; the time was 12-1AM for 5 days.

[B]The Saturday Night Switch[/B]

On April 17, 2004, Cartoon Network moved Toonami from weekday afternoons to Saturday evenings with a new demographic of preteen and teen audiences while adding a new lighter-toned action franchise, Miguzi, to weekdays in its place.

Toonami also replaced the block known as Saturday Video Entertainment System or SVES. One big reason for the move from weekdays to Saturday nights was because some of the shows on the weekday lineup (such as YuYu Hakusho, Cyborg 009, and Rurouni Kenshin) became too violent for a weekday broadcast on the network (although reruns of the TV-PG-rated Naruto aired throughout early 2007 on weekday afternoons at 5:30 PM E/P, though CN stopped all Miguzi promos before the show started). The new Toonami line-up showcased anime like Naruto, Rave Master, Duel Masters, Gundam SEED, One Piece, Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo, Zatch Bell, and Pokémon Chronicles, as well as premiered North American productions like Teen Titans, Megas XLR, Justice League Unlimited, and IGPX, Toonami's first and only original production co-produced by Production I.G and Bandai Entertainment.

Beginning in late October 2007 Toonami was cut from a four hour block to a two hour block on Saturday nights. Instead of action shows or some anime, many CN comedy cartoons air from 7PM to 9PM. At the time of its cancellation on September 2008, the Saturday night lineup consisted of Naruto at 9PM and 9:30PM, Dragon Ball Z at 10PM, and Samurai Jack at 10:30PM. But on September 20, 2008 at 11:00PM, Toonami shut down for good, ending it. Some speculate that the reason for the 2 hour block instead of the previous 4 hour block was Cartoon Network preparing to close down Toonami.

[B]Cancellation[/B]

On Saturday September 20, 2008, Cartoon Network ended Toonami. Employees who worked on the block moved to other parts of the channel. Anime was mostly handled by Adult Swim, and a new block "CN Real" replaced Toonami on Saturday nights afterward. Toonami Jetstream remained with the Toonami name until January 30, 2009. At the end of Toonami's final airing, the host, voiced by Steven Blum, ended the block with a brief, final monologue:

[I]“ Well, this is the end, beautiful friends. After more than 11 years, this is Toonami's final broadcast. It's been a lot of fun, and we'd like to thank each and every one of you who made this journey with us. Toonami wouldn't have been anything without you. Hopefully we've left you with some good memories. So, until we meet again, stay gold. Bang. ” [/I]

[B]Programming[/B]

[I]1997
ThunderCats (TV-Y7-FV)
Cartoon Roulette (composed of Space Ghost, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, The Herculoids, Mightor, Shazzan, Teen Force, The Impossibles, and the 1940's Superman) (TV-Y7)
Voltron (TV-Y7-FV)
The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (TV-Y7)

1998
Robotech (TV-Y7-FV)
Beast Wars: Transformers (TV-Y7-FV)
Sailor Moon (TV-Y7-FV)
Dragon Ball Z (TV-Y7-FV) and (TV-PG-V)
Superfriends (TV-Y7)

1999
ReBoot (TV-Y7-FV)
The Powerpuff Girls (TV-Y7) and (TV-Y7-FV)
Ronin Warriors (TV-Y7-FV)
2000
G-Force: Guardians of Space (TV-Y7-FV)
Gundam Wing (TV-Y7-FV)
Tenchi Muyo! (TV-Y7-FV)
Tenchi Universe (TV-Y7-FV)
Tenchi in Tokyo (TV-Y7-FV)
Batman: The Animated Series (TV-Y7-FV)
Blue Submarine No. 6 (TV-Y7-FV)
Superman: The Animated Series (TV-Y7-FV)

2001
Outlaw Star (TV-Y7-FV)
The Big O (TV-Y7-FV)
Cardcaptors (TV-Y7-FV)
Mobile Suit Gundam (TV-Y7-FV)
Gundam 08th MS Team (TV-Y7-FV)
Dragon Ball (TV-Y7-FV)
Batman Beyond (TV-Y7-FV)
Zoids (TV-Y7-FV)
Gundam 0080 (TV-Y7-FV)

2002
Hamtaro (TV-Y) and (TV-G)
Classic Zoids (TV-Y7-FV)
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe (TV-Y7-FV)
G Gundam (TV-Y7-FV)
Transformers: Armada (TV-Y7-FV)
G.I. Joe (TV-Y7-FV)
Samurai Jack (TV-Y7-FV)

2003
.hack//SIGN (TV-Y7-FV)
Martian Successor Nadesico (TV-Y7-FV)
Gigantor (TV-Y7-FV)
Neon Genesis Evangelion (TV-Y7-FV)
Dai-Guard (TV-Y7-FV)
YuYu Hakusho (TV-Y7-FV)
Rurouni Kenshin (TV-Y7-FV)
Justice League (TV-Y7-FV)
Cyborg 009 (TV-Y7-FV)
Superior Defender Gundam Force (TV-Y7-FV)
IGPX: Micro Series (TV-Y7-FV)
Dragon Ball GT (TV-Y7-FV)
Star Wars: Clone Wars (TV-Y7-FV)

2004
Duel Masters (TV-Y7-FV)
Astro Boy (TV-Y7-FV)
Transformers: Energon (TV-Y7-FV)
Jackie Chan Adventures (TV-Y7-FV)
Gundam Seed (TV-Y7-FV) and (TV-PG)
Megas XLR (TV-Y7-FV)
Rave Master (TV-Y7-FV)
Teen Titans (TV-Y7-FV)
Justice League Unlimited (TV-Y7-FV)

2005
D.I.C.E. (TV-Y7-FV)
Zatch Bell! (TV-Y7-FV)
The Batman (TV-Y7-FV)
One Piece (TV-Y7-FV) and (TV-PG-V)
Transformers: Cybertron (TV-Y7-FV)
Yu-Gi-Oh! (TV-Y7-FV)
Naruto (TV-PG-V,D)
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo (TV-Y7-FV) and (TV-PG-D)
IGPX (TV-Y7-FV) and (TV-PG-L)

2006
Wulin Warriors (TV-Y7-FV)
Pokémon Chronicles (TV-Y7-FV)
Fantastic Four: World's Greatest Heroes (TV-Y7-FV)
Pokémon: Battle Frontier (TV-Y7-FV)
Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (TV-Y7-FV)
MÄR (TV-PG-V)
The Prince of Tennis (TV-PG)

2007
Storm Hawks (TV-Y7-FV)
Mega Man Star Force (TV-Y7-FV)

2008
Bakugan Battle Brawlers (TV-Y7-FV)
Blue Dragon (TV-Y7-FV)
Ben 10: Alien Force (TV-Y7-FV) [/I]

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[B]Hosts[/B]

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[B]Moltar[/B]

[IMG]http://www.anxtoonami.com/shows/toonami/moltar.jpg[/IMG]

Moltar, the director of the popular late-night talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, was the first host of Toonami, sending transmission straight to your homes courtesy of his eye-in-the-sky, Clyde 49.

On the Ghost Planet, he is a man of the worlds, witnessing numerous universes and finding action just about everywhere. Moltar launched Clyde 49 into space to transmit his findings back to the Ghost Planet control room as well as households around the country. Every now and then, Moltar would dispense his dry wit and observations on the block, appreciating the villians and the heroes of the shows, reviewing video games every now and then, and making fun of heroes like Birdman and Space Ghost. He'd also give sage advice to the viewers, not unlike first year featuring TOM, and on one occasion, Moltar gave a riveting speech about Reruns, why they're so prevalent, and to have patience about the new things to come. Perhaps the powers that be should air that promo every now and then.

A lot of longtime Toonami fans favor the original host of Toonami than the current host. Afterall, most of them were already familiar with the big guy from his days on Space Ghost Coast to Coast. Not surprisingly, when fans realized that the creators of that cult classic were also behind Toonami, the fanbase grew en masse (plus, Moltar's presence on Toonami explained why he wasn't on the gone-but-not-forgotten comedyfest known as Cartoon Planet). Long live Moltar, the baddest man to ever grace the television screens.

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T.O.M.

[IMG]http://uppix.net/5/e/f/8c3824473c67b90bbcc48874f9109.jpg[/IMG]

TOM's tenure as the host of Toonami has been the longest on record. He has undergone four different incarnations in his nearly eight years at the helm of the block. He has become the face of Toonami.

Short for Toonami Operations Module, TOM is the custodian of the Absolution. He became the custodian after Moltar saw TOM's heroic actions in the Intruder online comic. TOM's primary responsibilities include ensuring the ship is properly maintained as well as broadcasting the Toonami signal to the world.

TOM is a sardonic, wisecracking robot, frequently throwing out one-liners and, like Moltar, give sage advice to viewers about moral issues like bravery and standing up for what's right. Infrequently, he'll pass along game reviews, people interviews, and other various commentary.

TOM has undergone several physical changes since his introduction, but in all incarnations he is powered by a nuclear reactor and his attitude remains the same.

During his many game reviews, TOM has shown an interest in adventure and shooter/FPS games. He usually gives fighting games a low grade (6s mainly) due to lack of storyline.

[B]TOM v.1 [/B]
The original version of TOM was a small, pudgy robot with his feet, hands, and head connected to his body by thin black joints. TOM made his broadcast debut on Saturday, July 10, 1999, five minutes before the first Midnight Run episode at aprox. 11:55 pm. After ascending to the bridge of the Absolution he made his first speech:

"So it's a brand new Toonami, but the mission objectives remain the same. My name is TOM. I'm the new Moltar. Welcome aboard the Ghost Planet Space Ship Absolution, Cartoon Network's first and only interstellar broadcast and exploration vehicle. I'll give you the tour later. From this day forward she is completely responsible for all Toonami transmissions. I'm takin' you guys into the new millennium! No big changes now, same show, same attitude; new place to do it, new guy to do it with. I'm not going to waste any more time, let's get back into it. Later."

After more than a year as host of Toonami, the original version of TOM met his end in the September 2000 event The Intruder, when a mysterious red blob invaded the Absolution. When TOM went to investigate, the blob sent him flying out into deep space. After returning back to the ship, TOM attempted to destroy the blob, but his laser blaster was ineffective against it. Ultimately, the blob engulfed TOM inside an elevator and destroyed him.

This incarnation of TOM was voiced by Sonny Strait, a voice artist and producer at FUNimation Productions who also provided the voice of Krillin in the second English dub of Dragon Ball Z.

[B]TOM v.2 [/B]
After TOM's sacrificial act in The Intruder, Sara, the AI aboard the Absolution, downloaded TOM's memory matrix (which included all his memories, thoughts, and persona) into a new chassis and activated the unit aboard the Absolution. Dubbed TOM 2, this version of TOM was a taller, leaner model with the larger hands and feet, and a sleeker head unit. Overall, TOM 2 looked to be a more battle-hardened version than his predecessor, and this quality was immediately put to the test when Sara informed TOM 2 he would have to go out and plant explosive charges on the starboard engine to save the Absolution.

TOM 2 assumed the duties previously carried out by his former self, including the broadcast of Toonami from the Absolution. In the September 2001 event Lockdown, Tom demonstrated his ability to keep the Absolution up and running by single handedly getting the ship's nuclear reactor and conduit systems back online. In the September 2002 event Trapped in Hyperspace, TOM again took on the role of Absolution’s defender when the ship became infected with a virus shortly after entering hyperspace. TOM was able to get the ship's essential operation systems back online before crashing with Earth, and ultimately saved Sara from the virus, earning TOM a moment of affection from Sara.

TOM 2 met his end in March 2003 after a space pirate named Orcelot Rex broke into the Absolution to steal Sara. After attempting to protect the Absolution TOM abandoned the ship, which was later destroyed, to pursue Sara's abductor, but in his second confrontation with the robot his body was destroyed.

TOM 2 (and all further incarnations of the character from this point out) was voiced by veteran voice artist Steve Blum.

Hosting Period: September 23, 2000-March 14, 2003

[B]TOM v.3 [/B]
When the remains of TOM 2 were thrown into a discard pile, Tom encountered a number of friendly robots who rebuilt his body. This rebuilt TOM, dubbed TOM 3, succeeded in saving Sara and took command of a newly-built space ship, which he dubbed Absolution Mark II. Unlike his previous incarnations, TOM 3 had a very muscular look, almost like a body builder. This was also the first TOM to have five fingers on each hand. His nuclear reactor was located in his upper chest.

This version of TOM remained in service for exactly four years, from March 17, 2003 until March 17, 2007 at which point it just mysteriously disappeared. His demise has yet to be disclosed on-air and on-line. This TOM also is featured in Cartoon Network's Fusion Fall.

In the opening of his version, TOM 3.0 is coming back to the Absolution in a fighter pilot. It lands there. Here was the conversation:

[I]"SARA: You Only got 55 seconds to get in here, TOM 3.0: Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, SARA: TOM?, TOM 3.0: I'm coming already, SARA: You better get in here, TOM 3.0: I Heard you the first time, SARA: We're starting without you, TOM 3.0: Just open the back door, SARA: Why are you always late? TOM 3.0: (lands the fighter pilot) 45 Seconds is Plenty of time!" [/I]

He then runs through a hall with two cartoon viewers. He gets into the elevator and then you can hear SARA say:

[I]"Every Day, the same thing..." [/I]

Then TOM 3.0 gets out of the elevator. He runs into three Clyde 52's with surprised, maybe mad faces when TOM was saying "Look out, comin' through". He then enters a dark room with graphic features. You can see three tubes on the window. TOM then says "Its gonna be close". He sits down in a chair with buttons on the sides. TOM then presses one side 3 times and on one of the tubes, the 2003-2004 "Toonami" is shown and the intro ends. This was the 2003 version.

The 2004 version showed Clyde 53s' come to the ship and they put some card in a machine then a different Toonami logo appears and that intro ends.

'Hosting Period:' March 17, 2003-March 10-2007

[B]TOM v.4 [/B]
The fourth, and final incarnation of TOM is perhaps the most controversial according to longtime fans of the block. This incarnation has a much smaller body than his predecessor and has a frame with rusted metal and peeling body paint. No longer a visored robot, this is the first and only TOM to have facial features. Creators wanted the new TOM without the helmet, as well as look more organic compared to his past incarnations.

At the start of the tenth year, TOM's hosting responsibilities have been scaled back considerably. He was seen only during the opening and continuity promotions, while his new assistants Flash and T direct the broadcast process. In addition, this is the first TOM unit to not have custody of any version of the spaceship Absolution, which had been the base of operations for the block since July 1999.

This incarnation has been criticized very negatively because this TOM doesn't have the same design or a back story like the others. Also, as of May 2008, there hasn't been any online nor on-air explanation about the change in appearance of TOM.

On March 17, 2007, a new "Jungle Planet" environment was introduced for the Toonami block. With the new location also came Flash and T, a pair of new assistants to TOM.

Flash serves as an assistant to TOM, helping broadcast the block as well as occasionally give reviews. This robot has a long, swept-back head and painted in an orange-and-blue fiery "hot-rod" design, similar to the Grunts in the Halo series.

[B]S.A.R.A.[/B]

[IMG]http://uppix.net/7/3/6/2c0d4706519c3d4601f97b8647d99.jpg[/IMG]

The SARA Model was more-or-less TOM's Co-host, though not much is to be said about her.

SARA 1
She was a bluish hologram that assisted TOM until April 16, 2004. The next day when Toonami had its first Saturday night run a new SARA debuted. SARA's first debut was in episode one of The Intruder that premiered 9-18-00.

Time on Toonami: September 2000-April 2004
TOM eras: TOM1-TOM3

SARA 2
This SARA had a new look. She looked a more anime-like SARA than from September 18, 2000 to April 16, 2004. Her body was a ghost-like color and she was displayed on a projector. She still remained an aquamarinish color until April 17, 2004.

Time on Toonami: April 2004-March 2007
TOM eras: TOM3-TOM4

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[I]Toonami was known by many for it's mature programming, Immersive atmosphere, and eventually, it's popularity it brought to not only Cartoon Network, but to American anime lovers, as well. Chances are, if you watched Sailor Moon, DBZ, or Outlaw Star as a kid... you watched it here.

This is purely a nostalgia thread.
If you have anything negative to say about Toonami, it's fans, or otherwise, please say it elsewhere.
That said, please take the opportunity to sit back and remember the good times had with Toonami, and it's shows.
Thank You.[/I]

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[B]Links[/B]

Wikipedia Page - [url]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonami[/url]
IMDB Page (Jetstream) - [url]http://www.imdb.com/company/co0188542/[/url]
CN's Toonami Wiki page - [url]http://cartoonnetwork.wikia.com/wiki/Toonami[/url]

[B]Don't Fear Faliure[/B]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TfadJj4d5K4&feature=related[/media]
[B]Midnight Run[/B]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1b5oFpobXo&feature=related[/media]
[B]Rising Sun[/B]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hKsHqwKUthE&feature=related[/media]

[B]Final Broadcast[/B]
[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCAX4cgszCU&feature=related[/media]

[I]Only Toonami.[/I]

[halflambada]

Not exactly sure why you're including anything from 2006 and onward, that's when Toonami started to suck

[Daily Bento Man]

Agreed, but it might be worth it if only for the sake of being thorough.