It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2017 {Part 2}

How's it going my gumdrops? Looks like more readers were interested in yesterday's Q&A blog. This is fantastic. I spent all last week working on these Q&A blogs mainly yesterday's. Hopefully, new readers learned something informative.

In case you missed yesterday's Q&A, you can read it HERE.

Song Saturday will resume on September 30th and Cartoon Sunday on October 1st. 

Speaking of cartoons, I think about how younger Millennials and Generation Z got shafted as children sometimes.

Younger Millennials and Generation Z don't necessarily know what it was like as children to watch all their favorite cartoons on local networks in a block before going to school in the morning, racing home to watch all their favorite cartoons after school, and watching more of them on Saturday and Sunday mornings. 

By the time I attended high school during the late '90s, most local channels removed cartoons and other programming for minors.

More families began paying for cable and local programming for children and teenagers was replaced with Court and Daytime Talk Shows.

In 1996, Cartoon Network became nationwide on cable, as opposed to remaining in only SELECT cities in certain states. Then, 1 year later, the network launched Toonami. 

Local networks stopped caring about their younger viewers because all their programming was sent to cable. Basically, children's local programming became obsolete.

Those same local networks assumed that everybody had cable 20 years ago, just like most people today assume that everyone has Internet access and want to watch online streams of shows rather than watching TV. 

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2017 [Part 2]

Today is Part 2 of my Q&A blog. Because there was only 1 last person to ask me a question, today's Q&A is all about answering Victor's question. He asks:

I have found a recent rare interview with Stuart Snyder from 2017. I have been listening to the podcast and it's a very interesting insect on the man himself. 

What are your thoughts about this podcast? Here's a link to it:

WGN Radio: The Business Behind Cartoons

Victor, I listened to this podcast last Sunday night. From the sounds of the podcaster, she seemed to be gushing over her interview with Stuart Snyder. 

It is understandable why she would be because he is best known for running Cartoon Network. 

However, this is the SAME man, who is notorious for DESTROYING Cartoon Network by launching boy-centric Reality TV Shows and sexist programming in general as Toonami's replacement, 9 years ago.

For Snyder to say, that Toonami tanked in the ratings, it was mostly due to airing some of the WORST Action Anime, the network could find.

Last I remembered, Stuart Snyder was and still is the most hated president of Cartoon Network. 

Who in their right mind wanted to sit through watching something as low brow as Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo? 

I mean, really? C'mon! Even One Piece isn't that dumb.

Not that I was severely heartbroken over Toonami's cancellation like most fans were. I always cherry picked, which cartoons I watched from both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim.

The podcaster and Stuart Snyder did make some valid points about Cartoon Network needing to air more child friendly cartoons. 

At the same time, Snyder RUINED quality animation with his tendency to air the most dimwitted cartoons such as Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures Of Flapjack.

You may be rolling your eyes, scoffing, and thinking, "This is coming from the same lady, who still thinks Beavis and Butt-Head is hilarious." 

See, there's the whole "so stupid, that it is hilarious." Then, there is mind numbingly stupid, that you can feel your IQ dropping kind of stupid.

It also did not help that by 2005, Cartoon Network started airing more live action movies. It was named "Cartoon Network" for a reason. Cartoon Network and Adult Swim should return to airing animation ONLY.

Both networks are mostly garbage programming. Therefore, more people both young and old are forced to watch online streams of shows. If Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and all cable/satellite networks still had some level of integrity left, they would stop patronizing, insulting, dumbing down, politicizing, and dictating what viewers want to watch.

I believe more viewers would spend less time watching shows online and more time watching TV again, if creators tried being original. When I say original, I mean stop remaking/rebooting classic shows ad nauseam and come up with their own ideas.

How about TV networks and Hollywood entertainers make entertainment FUN, again?

Victor, I hope I answered your question. 

This concludes It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns' 2017 Q&A blog. Let me know what you think! 

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns Q&A 2017 {Part 1}

 

How's it going my gumdrops? Today is the 4th anniversary of me building as well as launching It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. Throughout these last 4 years, It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns has been through numerous changes.

Last week, I had my friend, DJ Scott from Horror-Punks.net make some alterations to the home page design. There is now a bat laying dead next to the dead unicorn, while a crow is flying in the company of those hailing gumdrops.

Once again like last year, there have been lesser questions for me to answer. As I went through your questions, I noticed this year is also more like a so-called "Sausage Party." This really should not be a surprise to me.

Since the time of being a Radio DJ at WIPZ in 2002, my audience was ALWAYS male-dominated. 

It always felt as if my hobbies, interests, and views hardly ever resonated with most women. It has been this way for YEARS. 

Typically, I have more in common with men than with women. Most men were usually more loyal to me than women were, in the platonic sense. 

They still are today. If this does NOT say something, it really should.

Regarding the amount I questions I have answered from subscribers these last 2 years, just because I have less to answer now, doesn't necessarily mean other people don't have any questions. Quantity is not always quality.

Anyway, to celebrate the 4th anniversary of It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns, here are the questions I answered:

It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns 2017 Q&A [Part 1:]

Jesse: I have received new e-mail notifications about the new Song Saturday and Cartoon Sunday blogs, but they're invisible on this website. I can't find them and don't know why. Am I the only one with this problem?

Answer: No, Jesse you were NOT  the only person having these problems. As of 2 days ago, you should be able to see the newest blogs on the main page.

Whenever I send new e-mail notifications, I send shortened weblinks for you to copy and paste. Those same links send you directly to those blogs. Here are the latest blogs:

Cartoon Sunday: Edgar Allan Poe's The Cask Of Amontillado [OMG! HE TALKS!] (2015)

Song Saturday: Tristania's My Lost Lenore (2017)

Donald's Questions:

1) In what way do you think you have grown as a content creator?

2) What would you do differently, if you were given the chance to go back and alter your course?

3) With the knowledge you have accumulated over the years, what would be your words of advice for other aspiring content creators?

My Answers:

1) During the '90s, only the "computer geeks" had their own websites. Now, it is important for us entrepreneurs and entertainers to have our own sites for gaining exposure.

Technology has advanced immensely, over the last 3 decades. It continues to do so. Today anyone can build his/her own site whether having a degree in Graphic Design, Computers, or not.

Over these last 4 years, I've learned so much as a content creator. Before ever building a site, I was not the most tech savvy. Had someone told me 20 years ago, that I would build my own website to blog on it in the future, I would've scoffed, rolled my eyes, and dismissed it.

I learned how to build It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns by watching Webs.com's YouTube tutorials. I continue to learn something new everyday.

2) Since the time The Xanga Team dumped their own money problems on us and caused division within the community in 2013, I have REALLY struggled to generate national and international traffic to my blogs these last 4 years.

After learning what I know now, I should've joined Xanga 10 YEARS or so before the original website shut down and relaunched on WordPress, years ago. Like most Xangans, I miss Xanga 1.0 as well.

I really should've learned how to build my own website MUCH sooner in 2013, while gaining more subscribers for an e-mail list, after the original announcement about Xanga shutting down. It would've been so much better than joining a highly divisive, flaky, and temperamental blogging community like Blogster.

Song Saturday was the best quality about Blogster. Otherwise, that community is a standoffish, Baby Boomer dominated community with a high turnover of bloggers.

3) Like I have said countless times in the past, you have to really love what you do. This is similar to being that so-called "starving artist." If you are PASSIONATE about building your own website and publishing your content, it takes a LOT  of time, energy, patience, and usually money.

If you are only building your own website for the sake of status and vanity, DON'T waste yours and OTHER people's time social climbing, copycatting, and acting like a pretentious, attention whore because you saw someone like yours truly with a site.

Yes, somebody else can always build your website or whatever it is, that you want for you. 

However, once I learned how to build It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns by watching tutorials on YouTube, I have a much greater pride, appreciation, and respect for the professionals, that get paid to build websites. Also, I find it fun learning as I go with managing this website because I discover something new everyday.

DJ Scott's Questions:

1) What is your favorite Beavis and Butt-Head episode and why

2) What is your favorite new animation and why?

My Answers:

1) You asked 2 hard questions. Even as a woman in my mid-30's, I still laugh my ass off watching Beavis and Butt-Head.

There was 1 particular episode of Beavis and Butt-Head, which showed Butt-Head throwing the trash can at Beavis and knocking him unconscious. My other favorite episode is "Take A Number."

"Take A Number" featured Beavis and Butt-Head at a Rock concert. It had 2 female characters with the same traits as them. Although, this is my favorite scene:

{My Favorite Scene}: Beavis and Butt-Head "Take A Number" (1995)

That scene NEVER gets old!

2) Honestly, I don't have any right now, UNLESS American Dad counts on TBS. Most of my time is spent hunting for animation to share for Cartoon Sunday blogs, that I find on YouTube, if not something from Japan like an Anime. Adult Swim does not air too many cartoons I want to watch, unless they are cartoons on the weekends.

Marquis DeBlood: What started your obsession with Anime?

Answer: I am not nearly as obsessed with Japanese animation as I used to be. When I did marathon Anime years ago, I still watched a wide variety of animation and I love sharing some of that variety in Cartoon Sunday blogs.

During the mid-80's as a toddler, I was already exposed to Japanese animation. It started with the Mecha Anime, Robotech. This was YEARS before Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, the Toonami block, Chiller TV, Syfy, and other cable/satellite networks were launched.

It was not until the early 21st Century, that Anime (also known as "Japanimation" during the '90s), reached its pinnacle.

Originally, Anime was scarce on TV, at video stores, and the Internet. That was until more cable networks took an interest in them. It wasn't until 11-12 years ago, that I discovered other types of Anime genres and sub-genres existed for different sexual orientations, age, and gender demographics.

Shonen Jump Action Anime have been the most popular for the last 20-30 + years in The West. That's what is normally shown on Cartoon Network and Adult Swim. They ignore other genres, sub-genres, female, and age demographics.

At Carthage College, I wrote my Junior Symposium on Shojo Anime and Manga. 

Creative Writing, Sociology, Japanese Culture, Language, History, and Religion were all covered in my symposium.

Most of my favorite primetime shows were canceled and had series finales, 10-11 years ago. This was especially when shows I really invested in were constantly being canceled. After graduating in 2006, I discovered there was a plethora of Anime online for fans to watch.

Between 2006 to 2010, I took a so-called "pause" from most primetime shows and marathoned online streams of Anime. In addition, I started watching more of it on Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, Fuse TV, Colours TV, IFC, SciFi, Starz, and wait for it... Chiller TV. 

After those networks stopped airing Anime except for Adult Swim, I continued to stream it online. 

Over these last 5 years, I am far behind on the latest Anime titles which released in Japan. 

Because you are a Horror fan like yours truly, I believe you would really enjoy the Horror Anime genre.

This concludes Part 1 of this Q&A blog. I am really surprised to see there were no Horror or music questions asked. Tomorrow, I will continue with Victor's question.

Early Cartoon Sunday: Axeman Cartoons' 10 Two Sentence Horror Stories

How's it going my gumdrops? Like yesterday's Song Saturday, this is an early Cartoon Sunday blog. 

Considering that next Sunday is Mother's Day, I will probably do next weekend's blogs early, too.

Don't forget to watch Tokyo Ghoul at midnight on Adult Swim's Toonami block. That's if you are a Tokyo Ghoul fan, as well as a Horror Anime fan. 

Today I am taking a break from Supernatural and Horror Anime for today's Cartoon Sunday blog. Things have to be shaken up a little bit.

In fact, it has been a while since I last shared any Horror Shorts for Cartoon Sunday. Today's short is brought to you by Axeman Cartoons. 

Yes, I know. I could not pass up the opportunity of sounding like an announcer, since I used to read PSA's on the air at WIPZ, years ago.

As I was saying, today's short is quite freaky. Axeman Cartoons has a series of Horror Animated Shorts. 

Let's Read, Axeman Cartoons, and Eden collaborated together for the short, 10 Two Sentence Horror Stories.

10 Two Sentence Horror Stories is a compilation of 10 Short Horror Stories, which are supposedly 2 sentences long with creepy narration. The animation for these 10 short stories is scarier than the narration to them.

Eden featuring Let's Read narrated the final short, "I Heard It, Too." 

Maternal Wraith and Sarah and Elizabeth Mahoney voiced Sarah, her mother, and that creepy-looking, shapeshifting monster.

"I Heard It, Too" is without a doubt, the best short out of this compilation of Horror Animated Short Stories by Axeman Cartoons. 

I may go as far as saying this short is probably 1 of the best shorts I have seen, since Stalker From The Cornfield.

"I Heard It, Too" actually feels like you are watching a Horror movie except it is an animated short. In this Horror Animated Short, Sarah hears her mother calling her from downstairs.

As Sarah leaves her bedroom to go see what her mother wants, Sarah's mother pulls Sarah into her room, saying, "I heard it, too." 

They are soon attacked by this creepy-looking, shapeshifting monster. I have no exact idea what the monster is, however it looks like some type of an insect, that resembles Sarah's mother.

Be prepared to be disturbed, if not creeped the fuck out for this Cartoon Sunday, 1 day in advance.

Axeman Cartoons' 10 Two Sentence Horror Stories (2016)

Cartoon Sunday: Goth Chicks In Animation

Yuuko Ichihara (xxxHolic)

How's it going my gumdrops? Did you enjoy yesterday's Song Saturday blog about The Cure and the Goth Sub-culture in general?

Yesterday, you may recall, that I explained about Goths and the sub-culture on here and on Anime League. For today's Cartoon Sunday, let's revisit the topic of being Goth.

Allow me to acknowledge some Goth female characters in animation. There appears to be more Goth female characters in animation than we have realized. So, with that being said, it's only fair to acknowledge a few of them.

In the illustration above, we have Yuuko Ichihara. The characters in the Seinen Supernatural Horror Comedy Anime, xxxHolic have freaky illustrations.

The characters normally have long, spaghetti legs like Jack Skellington from The Nightmare Before Christmas.

Like I explained last year, Yuuko Ichihara is a powerful witch, who owns a shop and grants people their wishes. I believe Yuuko is more like a cunning and opportunistic genie.

Most of her jobs consist of dealing with supernatural beings. In case you haven't already, I suggest clicking on the link above Yuuko's picture.

Next, we have Creepy Susie.

Creepy Susie (The Oblongs)

Some of you may remember Angus Oblong's shortly lived cartoon, The Oblongs from The WB. Creepy Susie is supposedly a 10-year-old character from the series.

Most people don't know that The Oblongs was based on Creepy Susie And 13 Other Tragic Tales For Troubled Children. This was a 1999 collection of illustrated short stories written by Angus Oblong.

This young, creepy, Goth Valley Girl is obsessed with death, was born on Halloween, and can tell an animal's gender by the taste of its blood.

Otherwise, there is Germaine Endez.

Germaine Endez (Neurotically Yours)

If you have been subscribed to It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns for the last 3 1/2 years, you KNOW how much I enjoy watching Goth webisodes featuring the slutty Goth-Punk protagonist, Germaine and her pet, squirrel Foamy. 

Who doesn't love Foamy?! That pet squirrel speaks THE TRUTH!

As for Germaine, she has been restyled a plethora of times throughout the decade. This character has been illustrated as fat, skinny, busty, flat-chested, constantly changes hair styles, etc.

The protagonist is a struggling poet/author desperately seeking to be published and works unstable jobs. At the same time, she has an identity crisis and Foamy The Squirrel helps to keep her grounded.

Meanwhile, here are some other Goth female characters, which have been shown in other Anime besides xxxHolic. There is my long-time favorite, Sunako Nakahara.

Sunako Nakahara (The Wallflower)

Despite the fact this homely recluse fears "beautiful people" (mostly attracive men), I love Sunako Nakahara. Sunako is a creepy Goth protagonist that resonates with me on MANY levels. She loves sitting in her bedroom and watching Horror movies ALONE. Sunako's also self-sufficient around the house.

 

I wanted to at least share a gif of The "Goth-Loli Sisters" from The Wallflower, but had no such luck. However, The Goth-Loli Sisters from this Shojo Horror Comedy are NOT  the only Gothic Lolita Anime characters in existence.

In substitution of The Goth-Loli Sisters from The Wallflower, there is Hildegarde from the Shonen Supernatural Action Comedy Anime, Beelzebub.

Hildegarde a.k.a. "Hilda" (Beelzebub)

Hildegarde is the main female protagonist in Beelzebub. She is a Demon Maid, who acts as the "adoptive" mother and nurse of Beelzebub IV. "Baby Beel" is the son of Beelzebub III and Iris and was sent to the Human World.

It has been a few years, since I last streamed this series. Too bad there wasn't another season of Beelzebub. Maybe someday it will get a decent English dub.

Last, but SURELY not the least of an acknowledgement is Saki Hanajima.

Saki Hanajima (Fruits Basket)

 

I have always loved this Fruits Basket character. I can't decide which character is creepier, Saki or her younger brother, Megumi. Both characters have psychic abilities.

When Saki Hanajima is not wearing her high school uniform, she normally wears a black cloak or a veil with her black dresses. I will NEVER forget that scene of her gothing up The Sohmas urinal for New Year's Eve.

Staring at the appalled expression on Shigure Sohma's face was hilarious. Anyway, if you would like to learn more about Goth chicks in animation, check out WatchMojo's choices for Top 10 Animated Goth Girls below.

WatchMojo's Top 10 Animated Goth Girls (2016)

Cartoon Sunday: Neurotically Yours Programming Conflict [Chibisode]

How's it going my gumdrops? Towards the end of last week, I had the opportunity to talk with Jonathan Ian Mathers (You know the creator of Neurotically Yours and Foamy The Squirrel?) on Facebook. 

Those of you, who LOVE Foamy The Squirrel as much as I do, probably want to ask:

What was it like talking to Jonathan Ian Mathers (JIM)?

Honestly, I have no complaints. I respect the man for his individuality and his artistic ability. We need more people like Jonathan Ian Mathers more than ever, this second. Encountering more individualists like ourselves is like stumbling upon a unicorn.

Most people have no idea what it's like to create something of their own from nothing or to be more innovative. Take Hollywood now, for instance. 

Before we can blink our eyes, filmmakers announce that they are remaking and/rebooting classic movies, cartoons, and shows, that really DON'T  need remakes.

This is partly why I stopped investing time and money on watching, listening, and buying most entertainment.

Hollywood entertainment has become nothing other than garbage 98% of the time today. Only fools will waste their money on garbage. You may say, "One's trash is another one's treasure." Today that old saying barely applies anymore.

Almost everything sucks ass. This is not including the A to F-list celebutards. Over the last 12-15 years, those same know-it-all, zealots continuously patronize everybody and act like self-righteous, "political activists" about everything known to man.

Truth be told, those same people really don't care about much of anything or anyone. That is unless money, being pretentious, materialistic, and worrying about their own self-image to us lowly peasants are at risk.

Like I was saying, I like AND respect Jonathan Ian Mathers for his individuality and his artwork. Not only do I like and respect JIM, but I can also empathize with him for being mostly solo for these last 15 years.

While we were talking last Thursday and Friday, we discussed how saturated content creation is today. Everything has turned into a competition. 

Even JIM has problems reaching viewers like he was able to do years ago. This is mostly because we live in a world where everybody MUST  be seen and heard 24/7, almost every animal and person are "famous" now without notice, shallow and self-centered, attention whores must be told they are "beautiful" and "winners," and everyone IS a winner, now. 

Let's not forget about those uproarious "safe spaces."

Because someone uploads and posts pictures of themselves, their pets, and kids EVERY damn nano second, they are "stars" regardless of how shallow and vapid they truly are as humans and animals.

Meanwhile, content creators must overcome indifference from shallow and VAPID people. More original content with words or other forms of art and entertainment, which doesn't pander to mainstream audiences, are mostly underappreciated and ignored.

This is something I have been coping with over these last 3-5 years. INDIFFERENCE. You would be amazed at the number of people I have reconnected with over the years, who pretended to care about how my life has been and what I am currently doing.

The moment I mention the slightest accomplishment, they will typically want some favors, try social climbing because they expect me to be "famous," or assume I am close to FAME, since I have met and interacted with celebrities, politicians, and public figures.

Otherwise, those same people may become insecure, distant, feel threatened, jealous, resentful, make snide and backhanded remarks, and/transfer and project their own insecurities on me.

If not the preceding, I have to endure friend collectors on social media sites because they want an increase in their viewership for selfies like shallow, high school girls. People like that, I have no time for and had to dump a few over the last week to 5 years.

If you seriously don't care about long lost family, friends, classmates, exes, etc. do NOT waste OUR time by inviting yourselves back into our lives only because YOU want to say, that you know and remember us, then pretend we do NOT exist to you.

Since we were previously on the topic of content creation, Jonathan Ian Mathers also mentioned that he is not really skilled with self-promotion and that social media and other sites want money to promote our content. I understand exactly what he means. 

I am terrible with self-promotion and I don't have the money for someone to promote my content.

Self-promoting on social media is a royal pain in the ass. When you are surrounded by indifferent people, including "friends" on social media, it exacerbates the problem(s). 

In addition, Jonathan Ian Mathers and other content creators on YouTube now have to deal with censorship.

Since the time I was a teenager, I have always been anti-censorship. 

You know, if MORE average people and Hollywood entertainers desperately want to be "activists," they should go back to protesting censorship like entertainers did in 1984.

Tipper Gore and the helicopter moms from 1984 are to blame for the censorship we have today. 

It is also Slick Willy's fault, that we have the V-chip in our TV's. Notice which smarmy politicians made CENSORSHIP official?

*cough-cough* Clinton/Gore *cough-cough*

This is about as political I will get on It's Not All Gumdrops & Unicorns. I try to stay as apolitical as possible because most really CANNOT  handle other people with opposing views. All this talk about content creation and censorship is only fitting for this blog.

I believe Jonathan Ian Mathers was intentionally pushing the proverbial envelope with these 2 videos. He is actively exercising his rights to freedom of speech on YouTube. 

Those of you with YouTube channels should be doing the same. Anyway, here is today's Cartoon Sunday.

Foamy The Squirrel "R.I.P. Income: YouTube Ad Revenue Crisis" (2016)

Neurotically Yours: "Programming Conflict" [UNCENSORED] (2016)

Cartoon Sunday: Shiki

How's it going my gumdrops? I am cringing at the thought of this, right now.

After reading that Adult Swim is giving Dragon Ball Kai its OWN hour on Saturday nights, I am somewhat annoyed. I believe Jason DeMarco spends too much time pandering to certain fans.

The Dragon Ball franchise had its time more than 1-2 decades ago. Its fans can also be the most obnoxious. It is to the extent that certain DBZ fans are ashamed to admit, that they ARE fans.

The Adult Swim Team needs to think outside the box and STOP playing things safe. 

If you are a true Anime fan, then you already know there is more to Anime than Shonen Jump Action Anime like Dragon Ball.

Then again, Adult Swim made their disdain for Anime fans in general crystal clear by mocking fans (mostly Anime Otakus and Weeaboos). 

If the network seriously wants its viewers to watch more, the people in charge will air more animaton, that's worth watching. Most people I know became more interested in Adult Swim BECAUSE of the Anime.

Now, hardly anyone watches the network, UNLESS it is on the weekends. Late Saturday nights and early Sunday mornings are the only times more viewers watch Adult Swim. I'm currently watching the network for Naruto Shippuden and the American cartoon, Sit Down, Shut Up. Otherwise, I don't watch the network anymore.

Meanwhile, I have another Horror Anime for today's Cartoon Sunday. Last March, I published a Horror Anime Review, which featured Shiki. 

In case you forgot or never had the chance to read it, I will give you a summary recap.

Shiki is a Shonen Supernatural/Horror Mystery Anime. The series is set during the summer of the 1990's, in Sotobamura, Japan.

Shiki is literally translated in English as "corpse demon" or "death spirit."

Sotobamura is an isolated Japanese village with old customs such as the burial of the dead, for example.

Suddenly, 3 corpses are mysteriously found. Throughout the summer, villagers start dropping like flies. Dr. Ozaki Toshio and everybody else assume that Sotobamura is suffering from a growing epidemic. 

All the while, The Kirishikis conveniently move into the long abandoned Kanemasa Mansion on the outskirts.

As more villagers die throughout the summer, Dr. Toshio begins his investigation. The doctor eventually discovers the supernatural presence of vampires. The vampires are referred to as "shiki" and they return from the dead, infecting the entire town. 

Need I say more? Anyway, here is Shiki for today's Cartoon Sunday.

Shiki "The Shed Blood/First Blood" [English Subtitles] (2010)

Why Do Cartoon Network And Adult Swim Exclude Female Viewers?

This blog was originally published on Xanga March 15, 2013.

 

Hey there my fellow Xangan friends, subscribers, and viewers of my page! I am ready to discuss a long overdue issue, which should've been addressed by on and offline viewers, years ago. 

Cartoon Network as a whole, has gradually become a more sexist channel than it used to be. During the 1990's and early 21st Century, Cartoon Network was meant for viewers of both genders to watch. 

Now, the network has become male-centric, even though the opposite sex has always watched animation regardless. 

Why the sudden change?

It's already bad enough, that Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's male viewers have started complaining about their lousy programming.

During my college senior year nearly 8 years ago, I noticed the programming was starting to suck. Cartoon Network gradually started to sneak Live Action Movies onto a network meant for CARTOONS by 2005. 

I can understand their reasoning for showing Animated and Live Action Movies with some animation in them. However, the moment Cartoon Network began airing Live Action Movies, the writing was already on the wall, so to say. 

Once Live Action Movies were shown, the channel started airing mind-numbingly stupid Animation and Reality TV Shows specifically meant for Cartoon Network's male viewers.

During the mid to late '90s, I didn't spend most of my time watching Cartoon Network. During those years, I mostly watched MTV. MTV had better cartoons, music videos, and reality shows. I was also attending middle and high school. 

Cartoon Network's programming was normally syndicated cartoons from the 1940's-80's. I already watched some of them, 3 decades ago. There was no such thing as Cartoon Network, in the '80s. 

Cartoons used to air on local channels 7 days a week, during the mornings and afternoons. Gradually, those same channels stopped airing cartoons and began airing more Daytime Talk Shows and news programs. 

During the early 1990's, Cartoon Network was niche; It only existed on basic cable in New York City, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and Detroit. Cartoon Network was also the only cable channel, which aired 24-hour cartoons among Nickelodeon, USA, Disney, and The Family Channel. Cartoon Network didn't arrive on nationwide cable packages, until 1996.

That following year, Cartoon Network launched Toonami. The word "Toonami" is a portmanteau of the words "cartoon" and "tsunami." 

Toonami is supposed to mean a "tidal wave" of animated shows from both America and Japan. In other words, this was an Action Animation Block. 

I didn't start watching Toonami, until 1998. 1998 was when Cartoon Network began airing the Mahou Shoujo (Magical Girl) Anime series, Sailor Moon. 

Since Sailor Moon was a Mahou Shoujo Anime, it was specifically meant for the female demographic and maintained most of its demographic, regarding Shoujo Anime. I never had the chance to watch every Anime Cartoon Network aired. 

Throughout my youth, I was engaged in other activities and shows. Although, I did learn from a few Toonami and Anime fans, that there was another Shoujo Anime. That was Cardcaptor Sakura. 

Cartoon Network mostly aired Sailor Moon, Cardcaptor Sakura, The Powerpuff Girls, and Hai Hai Pafi AmiYumi (a.k.a. "Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi") for the female audience. 

Is that pathetic or what? 

There were some unisex cartoons, but for the most part, Cartoon Network mostly cares about the male demographic, and even they are being misrepresented.

Meanwhile, there is Adult Swim. Adult Swim is a separate network of its own, which airs on Cartoon Network and is a bundled network supposedly meant for men. Adult Swim launched, when I was 19 years old.

Originally, I mostly watched Adult Swim's programming for canceled American cartoons, from Fox and The WB. 

In 1999 and 2000, 3 Primetime Cartoons were too controversial to be airing on Fox and The WB at the end of the 20th Century and the beginning of the 21st Century on local networks. Those 3 were Family Guy, The Oblongs, and Mission Hill.

Family Guy, The Oblongs, and Mission Hill all aired on Fox and The WB during my high school junior and senior years. All 3 were soon canceled because they were politically incorrect, morally corrupt, and had sexually explicit content. 

Them having dark humor was a bonus for viewers like yours truly.

By the time I was in my early to mid-20's, I started watching more Adult Swim. The network began airing Family Guy, The Oblongs, and Mission Hill. 

In addition to those 3 cartoons, Adult Swim started airing Shonen Anime such as Scryed, Case Closed a.k.a. "Detective Conan" (Meitantei Conan in Japanese), Crayon Shin-Chan, Code Geass, Death Note, Wolf's Rain, Witch Hunter Robin, Trinity Blood, and Bleach. 

To add more animation to Adult Swim's programming, the network launched their own animated and Stop Motion series such as Robot Chicken, Metalocalypse, and The Boondocks. All of the preceding gave me reasons to watch the network.

Even though some of us female viewers watch all of these Adult Cartoons, they are still meant for the male demographic. Adult Swim only wants to target the male demographic. 

In fact, lately it seems as though they only care about targeting teenage boys. All the while, some don't enjoy watching most of Adult Swim and Cartoon Network's currently airing shows. Those 2 networks are a heaping pile of misrepresentation for both genders young and older, which is a problem.

Now, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim mostly show the MOST mind-numbingly stupid, vapid, and worst live action shows and animation in a bundle. The viewers have complained a plethora of times to them. 

Both networks mostly feed their viewers lies about not airing certain shows and mock their Anime viewers. This is where it gets even better. They claim they are "lowly funded."

Cartoon Network is owned by Ted Turner. Adult Swim is contracted with Williams Street. Williams Street is a division of  TBS (Turner Broadcasting System), which is OWNED by Ted Turner. With that being said, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim are not NEARLY as "lowly funded" as they claim to be. Adult Swim exists in OTHER countries and those same countries have better programming than in America. 

Currently, there is division between both Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's viewers. In fact, viewers are so divided, that it's as divided as Republicans and Democrats in America. Very few male viewers are being represented and the female viewers are completely excluded.

For some reason, it seems like these networks don't believe that female viewers matter. Just because a show for the male demographic has at least 1-4 female characters in it, that doesn't mean the show caters to the female viewers. 

I get the impression, that Cartoon Network and Adult Swim assume us females are engrossed in watching reality shows, soap operas, Twilight, The Notebook, and taking slutty pictures, all the while giving our best duck faces, and posting them on Facebook. 

Last year, I was told many times on fan pages by fanboys, that airing Shoujo Anime on the Toonami block isn't "actiony enough" and that particular Anime genre does "poorly in sales." If that's the case, why do females enjoy watching Shoujo Anime? Apparently somebody is buying Shoujo.

If those working at Adult Swim and Cartoon Network would pull their heads out their asses and tried harder to properly represent both genders, maybe they would realize they could still regain more viewers

How could they succeed in attracting more viewers?

How about buying MORE shows, that BOTH genders like and would most likely watch? Hmm, there's a thought. 

If Cartoon Network and Adult Swim wanted my input, I would GLADLY give it to them. Airing Anime such as Kuroshitsuji (Black Butler), Jigoku Shojo (Hell Girl), Shiki, Special A, Kaicho Wa Maid-Sama, Shugo Chara, Vampire Knight, School Rumble, and Beelzebub to only name a few would be a start.

 They wouldn't have to necessarily run all those Anime at once. They could rotate these series, whenever 1 or 2 of them would end. Most of these titles cater to the female demographic but the male viewers can still watch them. I feel these titles have something for everybody and would bring in more viewership. 

Until then, Cartoon Network and Adult Swim's viewers will remain divided, and the female demographic will continue to be excluded. Therefore, neither network should beg more viewers for ratings, while lying and making excuses to us about it.