Say What? Shonen Jump Block Monopolizes Saturday Midnights On Adult Swim

This blog was originally published on Xanga May 21, 2013.

 

Hey Xangan friends, readers, and subscribers! A few days ago, I published another blog about Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. Without any complaints, that same blog continues to get readers. 

After publishing the blog and replying to others on my page, I researched to see what other viewers' thoughts were about Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. This included reading Adult Swim's forum.

As I read their comments, 1 Adult Swim poster mentioned, that Adult Swim's so-called "Toonami" block recently became a Shonen Jump Block. After thinking about what the poster said, I realized that he/she was onto something. 

By Adult Swim currently showing Bleach, Naruto, One Piece (a.k.a. the so-called "Big 3"), and Soul Eater, the Saturday midnight viewers have OFFICIALLY been alienated more than ever within these last few years. 

I am not saying this to completely insult every Shonen Anime, that is currently airing. I am a Bleach and Naruto fan, but I have never been a One Piece or Soul Eater fan.

Aside from my personal bias, these Shonen Jump Anime are perennials much like American soap operas. Cartoon Network/Adult Swim's main purpose behind airing Anime is to expose their viewers to shows, that lack having exposure. Most casual Anime fans already know about Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece. 

It is not terrible for those Shonen to be mainstream. However, if the networks' goals are to expose viewers to Anime in general, chances are great, that he/she might not watch any or all those shows. "The Big 3" mostly have filler arcs.  

Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece's arcs have tendencies to go on really long tangents with irrelevant characters to their main plots. Adult Swim should've ONLY aired 1 perennial Anime at a time as opposed to simultaneously airing 3. 

Even though I hated Deadman Wonderland last year, at least Adult Swim was somewhat moving in the right direction in regards to airing more adult content. 

By NO means am I a prude, but Deadman Wonderland had GRATUITOUS violence, unrealistic writing, and a crybaby for a protagonist. At the same time, Deadman Wonderland wasn't a perennial with mostly filler arcs for teenage boys. 

Sometimes I get the impression that Adult Swim revels in alienating their current and potential viewers. Some of us viewers of both genders say the network should diversify its Anime genres and sub-genres instead of ALWAYS playing things safe with 1 group of fans. 

Other viewers have told me in the past, that Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are not Anime networks. They are completely justified in that argument. At the same time, Anime helped keep their ratings high whether the anti-Anime fans and the networks want to accept it or not. 

Mind you, this was before, during, and especially after Adult Swim acquired the rights to air canceled WB cartoons, Family Guy, and other Fox cartoons. 

Don't get me wrong. I love watching Family Guy, American Dad, The Boondocks, Robot Chicken, and Metalocalypse, whenever they have new seasons. 

Like I already said, Anime helped boost Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's ratings. Some give Anime fans grief because some are bratty fans with mental/behavioral problems and identity crises. Those few Anime fans ruin it for us sane people, who love watching Anime, but aren't pretentious zealots and sycophants about it.

To viewers with little or no knowledge about Anime, they are Japanese cartoons meant for ALL ages. Yes, I said "cartoons" because they are a Japanese form of animation, dating back to the 1920's and '30s. *Gasps* 

Anime has genres and sub-genres for children (Kodomo), girls (Shojo), women (Josei), boys (Shonen), and men (Seinen). There are also the pornographic kind (Hentai) and a few others. 

To be more specific, Kodomo, Shojo, Josei, Shonen, and Seinen are actually age and gender demographics. Those of us, who actually follow Anime OUTSIDE of Cartoon Network and Adult Swim, know that Anime is NOT always Shonen Action. 

There are Anime and Manga in Action, Comedy, Drama, Horror, Mystery, Slice of Life (which depicts everyday life in Japan much like America's Seinfeld), etc.

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim fail to realize much less care to realize, that only airing Shonen Action Anime helps generate ignorance; Some Anime "fans" only know about Shonen. 

Then again, I mostly blame our American marketers for knowing nothing about Japanese entertainment, culture, religions, and sub-cultures.

Those who really want to watch other genres and sub-genres can order certain channels, buy the DVD/Blurays, and/watch legal and illegal online streams and downloads. Although, that only helps the industry to an extent. 

I think most people have at least basic cable/satellite, as well as local channels but not every channel airs Anime. When the Industry reached its pinnacle, during the early 21st Century, Syfy, Chiller TV, Colours TV, Fuse TV, IFC, Starz, Cartoon Network, and Adult Swim all showed Anime.

Since we're no longer in the early 21st Century and more people can ILLEGALLY download and stream Anime (as I'm blogging), the Anime Industry is suffering. Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are the most convenient and consistent. Both networks can help give newer Anime and genres more exposure. As I said earlier, Bleach, Naruto, and One Piece have the most exposure and enough of it.

If these 2 networks really want to spike their viewer ratings, while begging their Anime fans to watch them, they must:

1) STOP patronizing their viewers with a CGI robot (He self-righteously lectured fans about being a "hater")

2) START diversifying their programming by airing something their viewers and potential viewers want to watch.

Adult Swim's male viewers have especially been throwing in their towels left and right, since the network mostly airs mindless garbage. Anytime most of its male audience hates watching most of the programming, that should be a red flag. 

Anyway, I'll continue to only watch Bleach on Saturday nights. Until Adult Swim's Toonami airs more shows, that we want to watch, my TV will be turned off.

Will Cartoon Network & Adult Swim Ever Get Their Anime Programming Right?

This blog was originally published on Xanga May 17, 2013.

How's it going my Xangan friends, viewers, and subscribers! I hope all is well on your end. This past week, I have been rather silent. 

I was busy celebrating Mother's Day with my grandmother, mother, and aunts, chatting with other friends, job hunting, and blocking creepers on social media. I always love those men, who get butt-hurt because I REFUSE to send them any nudie pics or have cyber sex with them. I don't understand these men. Do they really think I'm going to lay them via computer screen? Talk about thirsties. 

Maybe my next blog will be about thirsty people on social media. If you don't know what I mean by "thirsty," that's slang for "desperate."

Anyway, I have been reading and hearing about Adult Swim airing MORE snooze worthy shows to their programming. The network chose to acquire Bob's Burgers and One Piece. Oh joy, oh joy. Those are 2 more shows, that I DON'T watch. 

I don't think too many Adult Swim viewers are rejoicing over Adult Swim acquiring both shows, especially Bob's Burgers. Bob's Burgers should've been canceled. 

A while ago, I read that Fox was canceling The Cleveland Show yet Bob's Burgers was being renewed. WHY?

If you ask me, Fox should've canceled both cartoons and brought back Sit Down, Shut Up. At least that cartoon was funny.

One Piece on the other hand, I have never gotten into that Shonen Jump Action Anime. From what I have been seeing and hearing, the One Piece's English Dubs have a lot of infighting within their fandom. 

According to what I have been told, fans are divided because there are 2 different English Dubs. There is a 4Kids English Dub, which is highly censored and dumbed down and then there's the Funimation Entertainment Dub, which is for the more mature audience. 

There is also the fact, that Adult Swim is airing Funimation's English Dub of One Piece and they are premiering it at episode 207, if I'm correct. Even though I'm not a One Piece fan, I think it is idiotic on Adult Swim's part to air an Anime for their fans and potential fans midway into a series. By Adult Swim premiering a show that high in episodes, they are automatically excluding potential fans and not all of their original fans remember everything, that happened years ago. 

Cartoon Network's Toonami canceled One Piece, years ago. Some diehard fans will argue, that potential fans can stream the old episodes online or buy the DVD/Blu-rays. However, everyone does not have the time, money, and patience to marathon EVERY One Piece episode. I get the impression that Adult Swim does not want to fully invest in the One Piece viewers. Then again, what am I talking about? 

Cartoon Network and Adult Swim as a whole, don't invest too much into anything their viewers want to watch. They have already excluded the female demographic completely these last several years, and they most definitely ignore their MALE demographic, which they claim to be targeting. 

I love how so many duped Toonami sycophants have been jizzing their Spider-Man underpants over the "Toonami" block and One Piece returning EXCEPT this time on Adult Swim. 

Like I already said in my March 15th blog regarding Cartoon Network and Adult Swim being sexist, their animation fans are being so highly misrepresented. It's completely understandable, that they cannot attract every American viewer.

Although, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim put forth very little effort to satisfy most of their viewers. I miss the old days, when BOTH networks aired animation for both genders with different animated genres and sub-genres everyday and night. 

Then again, Adult Swim was always a Man-Children Only Club WITHOUT overtly saying so.

Now, every night is mostly terrible Comedies with 1/2 those shows being low IQ'ed, Live Action Comedies, and late Saturday nights are devoted to Action Anime. Both networks used to air Anime on a nightly basis. 

Now, they have condensed their Anime lineup to ONLY late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings. 

To make matters worse, the very few Anime they air consists of a Shonen Jump Action Anime block and overly syndicated Adult Swim Anime circa 2001. 

Since Adult Swim is so determined to premiere Shonen Jump Action Anime every Saturday night, why don't they remove "Toonami" from their branding and rename it "The Shonen Jump Block" or something similar? 

After all, it's evident that Adult Swim does NOT  want to air any other Anime genre and Anime from other publications. They could BUT  they don't want to because making excuses is more suitable for them. 

Since Adult Swim claims to be so "lowly funded" *sneeze* (I'm allergic to bullshit), I would remove all those overly syndicated Frat Boy Comedies from their Saturday night programming and make it Anime Night. 

Then, all those nostalgic, Toonami crybabies can watch all their old Anime earlier in the evening. By the time of 10 pm Central, I would air:

10:00 PM Special A

10:30 PM Naruto Shippuden

11:00 PM Bleach

11:30 PM School Rumble

12:00 AM Kaicho Wa Maid-Sama

12:30 AM Vampire Knight

1:00 AM Jigoku Shojo (Hell Girl)

1:30 AM Hellsing

2:00 AM Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler)

2:30 AM Beelzebub

3:00 AM Repeat schedule from 10 pm

With the preceding schedule I created, Adult Swim COULD have a late Saturday night/early Sunday morning block; It could be an Anime Variety Block. 

For teenagers and adults of both genders, I selected Anime consisting of Comedy, Action, and Horror. Therefore, anyone from both genders could watch these shows, if they wanted. 

I created the schedule in this format because by the time of 1 AM, the shows have more violence and sexual content in them. 

Adult Swim doesn't necessarily have to air these EXACT shows. At the same time, they could at least try to follow a similar format, if they have to limit their Anime viewers to only late Saturday nights. 

Then again, the idiots in charge of Adult Swim aren't that clever. Well, at least we can dream, right?

So Anime fans, with this schedule I made, what are your thoughts?