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Toonami


 

Toonami (a derivative of the Japanese word tsunami, suggesting a "tidal wave" of animated cartoons) is a registered trademark of Cartoon Network, used initially for male-oriented action-oriented programming blocks on Cartoon Network television channels worldwide, originating in the United States in 1997.

United States

Toonami is Cartoon Network's primary Saturday evening action animation block, airing Saturdays at 7-11 PM EST/PST. 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 Adventure block which had been a staple on the network since October 1, 1992. Toonami was originally a weekday afternoon cartoon block hosted by Space Ghost villain-turned-producer Moltar at the Ghost Planet Productions building from 1997 to July 9, 1999. On Saturday, July 10, 1999, Cartoon Network relaunched Toonami with a new environment, the spacecraft Absolution, and a new host, TOM (an acronym for Toonami Operations Module), both of which have evolved and continues to be a staple for the block. The introduction of SARA, the Absolution's artificial intelligence unit, in 2000 added additional popularity to the show. Toonami has aired older North American properties like Thundercats, Batman, The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest, and ReBoot, older anime franchises like Voltron and Robotech, reintroduced Sailor Moon and Dragon Ball Z, and introduced Gundam, Tenchi Muyo, Rurouni Kenshin, and countless other anime properties to the US. Toonami was also the exclusive US home of the most recent incarnation of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and when they premiered in 2002.

Related Topics:
Cartoon Network - Monday - March 17 - 1997 - Power Zone - October 1 - 1992 - Space Ghost - July 9 - 1999 - Saturday - July 10 - 2000 - Thundercats - Batman - Jonny Quest - ReBoot - Voltron - Robotech - Sailor Moon - Dragon Ball Z - Gundam - Tenchi Muyo - Rurouni Kenshin - He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - 2002

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Starting in September 2000, Toonami presented special interactive events known as Total Immersion Events or TIEs. These TIEs took place both on-air during Toonami and online at the official site, Toonami.com. The very first TIE (and most popular one according to the fans of the block) was The Intruder, which introduced TOM's companion, an AI matrix known as SARA, who played an intrigual part in the rebirth of TOM, who was upgraded from a short Bomberman-esque character to a taller, stronger, darker, deeper-voiced incarnation temporarily dubbed as TOM 2.0, though it was the same TOM who still hosted the block. The following two TIEs, Lockdown and Trapped in Hyperspace, continued the adventures of TOM and SARA, but really didn't offer much storywise. The most recent TIE in September 2003 was a diversion from the TOM and SARA adventures and introduced a new, 2D universe. IGPX, created by Toonami producers Sean Akins and Jason DeMarco and produced by anime studio Production I.G., aired in five short installments and served as a pilot for the first Toonami original series, which will premiere in November 2005 (a brief note: although Megas XLR was the first original American-made franchise to actually debut on the block, it was initially a Cartoon Network original that was planned to air on Friday nights, and Justice League Unlimited, which makes Toonami its premiere home in the US, was originally Justice League, which wasn't a Toonami exclusive until the spring of 2004). The Intruder and Lockdown were aired in the UK, but with very little success.

Related Topics:
September 2000 - Bomberman - September 2003 - IGPX - Production I.G.

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From July 2001 to June 2002, Kids WB aired a Toonami block that was, more or less, the Kids' WB lineup with the Toonami name. It was critically panned by industry observers who noticed the action branding of the block didn't translate contentwise, which had added shows like Scooby-Doo and a live-action series created by Goosebumps author R.L. Stine, The Nightmare Room. In spring 2002, Kids' WB announced that they would drop the Toonami name from their weekday lineup, once again making the Toonami brand exclusive to Cartoon Network.

Related Topics:
July 2001 - June 2002 - Kids WB - Scooby-Doo - Goosebumps

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On April 17, 2004, Cartoon Network moved Toonami from weekday afternoons to Saturday evenings with a new demographic of tween and teen audiences while adding a new lighter-toned action franchise, Miguzi, (produced by Williams Street, the folks behind Toonami, its name is loosely derived from the Japanese word for swimsuit, an in-joke to longtime viewers of Toonami) to weekdays in its place. Toonami continues to showcase anime and North American productions like Duel Masters, Teen Titans, Justice League Unlimited, The Batman, Zatch Bell, and One Piece among others and often shows movies like Bioncle: Mask of Light, Hot Wheels AccelleRacers, and various DC Animated Universe-themed movies.

Related Topics:
April 17 - 2004 - Miguzi

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Toonami had always been a haven for techno/electronica music throughout its history, using original compositions by an Atlanta-based composer Joe Boyd Vigil from 1997 to 2004, many of which were compiled in the CD ' in 2001. From 2004 to today, Toonami has relied on original and library tracks from various artists from publisher Ninja Tune. On rare occasions, tracks from musicians like Daft Punk, The White Stripes, and Gorillaz aired on the block.

Related Topics:
Joe Boyd Vigil - Ninja Tune - Daft Punk - The White Stripes - Gorillaz

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Times for U.S. Cartoon Network Toonami block

All times are (E/P).

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As of Saturday, October 8, 2005, the Saturday Toonami programming schedule is as follows:

Related Topics:
Saturday - October 8 - 2005

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  • 7:00 - Duel Masters World Dub Episode Premere
  • 7:30 - Naruto Repeat of 10/1 episode
  • 8:00 - Teen Titans World Episode Premere
  • 8:30 - Zatch Bell World Dub Episode Premere
  • 9:00 - Naruto World Dub Premere Episode
  • 9:30 - One Piece Toonami Episode Premere
  • 10:00 - Naruto Repeat of 9:00 episode
  • 10:30 - Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo World Dub Episode Premere

    • Starting October 15, Dragonball Z Uncut will replace the 7:30 Naruto airing. Also, on November 5, IGPX will premere at 10:00 with two episodes.

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Shows Broadcast, Previously Broadcast, or SFR on "Toonami" in the US (Recent Shows in BOLD)

Movies Aired on Toonami

  • Alien Racers (Coming late October 2005, not the same as the 4Kids series)
  • Batman: Mask of the Phantasm
  • Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman
  • Batman: Subzero
  • Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker
  • Bionicle: Mask of Light
  • Bionicle 2: Legends of Metur Nui
  • Dragonball Z: Lord Slug
  • Dragonball Z: Dead Zone
  • Dragonball Z: Tree of Might
  • Dragonball Z: World's Strongest
  • Dragonball Z: Cooler's Revenge
  • Dragonball Z: The Return of Cooler
  • Dragonball Z: Bardock: The Father of Goku
  • Dragonball Z: The History of Trunks
  • Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz
  • Pokémon: The First Movie
  • Pokémon: The Movie 2000
  • Pokémon: The Movie 3
  • The Powerpuff Girls Movie
  • The Iron Giant
  • Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie
◄ Toonami: Introduction
Toonami: External links ►

~ Table of Content ~

►Introduction
►United States
►External links

 

 

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