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Television Media

Adult Swim Revamps; Removes Most Anime 546

Posted by Hemos from the changing-the-line-up dept.
E. Megas writes "According to a Collegiate Presswire story, Cartoon Network (Probably due to its recent acquisition of Futurama) is expanding its Adult Swim schedule to Monday through Thursday starting January 12th. The "Comedy" block on Sundays will stay, but except for Inu-Yasha and Cowboy Bebop (Which will replace the Toonami Midnight Run block on the weekday slots) the Saturday "Action" block will be gone. This means that the legendary series Mobile Suit Gundam will not be aired in full for the second time in a row on CN. Future airings of Yuu Yuu Hakusho and Outlaw Star-And the planned re-airing of Gundam 0080: War In the Pocket-Are thrown into doubt by this decision as well. More schedule details in the article. (Anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?)"
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Adult Swim Revamps; Removes Most Anime More

Adult Swim Revamps; Removes Most Anime

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  • tastes good to me (Score:5, Funny)

    by zephc ( 225327 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:06PM (#4559672)
    Same delicious Cartoon Network, now with no MSG [gundamofficial.com]!

  • Death to dubs (Score:5, Interesting)

    by slothbait ( 2922 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:07PM (#4559675)
    I would care if any of the stuff on CN wasn't dubed/edited to death

    • Re:Death to dubs (Score:4, Insightful)

      by ProfessorPuke ( 318074 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:12PM (#4559718)
      Hear hear. The name "Adult Swim" (kids out of the pool) never really fit, since besides Cowboy Bebop all the listed shows are for children.

      (Maybe they're marginally more mature than the programming American kids get, but not by much. Gundam is still an extra-long toy ad)

      • Re:Death to dubs (Score:2, Insightful)

        by NightHwk1 ( 172799 )
        children's shows?
        sealab 2021, home movies, oblongs, and now futurama are among the only watchable things on television.
        most of the anime on tv is uninspired shite.

        • Re:Death to dubs (Score:2, Insightful)

          by cloudmaster ( 10662 )
          Indeed they are. It's about time they get rid of more anime crap. Maybe there can be some other channel that shows "we worked for three year on just this frame and still only managed a half-arsed representation of a huma" cartoons, saving time on cartoon network for cartoons that focus on entertaining plots. :)

          Not that animated semi-nudity or three-day fight sequences are bad, but I sure don't like having to think to enjoy TV...

      • As much as some would like to think ... (Score:4, Insightful)

        by emkman ( 467368 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @08:26PM (#4560394)
        Adult swim isnt just anime. Shows like harvey birdman: attorney at law, and Sealab 2021 are hilarious shows with many adult only jokes, and many jokes that only adults would get.
        • Too late to reemphasize that I was referring only to the list of shows (cancelled anime) in the article summary. The fact that CN's original comedy programming for Adult Swim is truely adult only proves my point that the aforementioned children's anime didn't belong there.

    • Re:Death to dubs (Score:2, Insightful)

      by meatspray ( 59961 )
      true dat,

      I can see some of the sex scene cuts just because the channel is otherwise child oriented (and not likely to be on the parental block list) But for goodness sakes, editing the blood out of scenes! cripes even the simpsons show a little blood from time time to time.

      I'd pay access fees for a varied all anime network.

  • Yes, you are. (Score:2, Interesting)

    by unicron ( 20286 )
    I'm pretty damn fond of anime, but no TV series has ever done it for me and most just down right piss me off(Dragonball Z, or anything with big eye'd overly-cartoonish characters). If I need a fix, I'll throw in Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust, which is my new favorite, even above Ghost in the Shell or Akira.

    • Re:Yes, you are. (Score:3, Informative)

      by MoneyT ( 548795 )
      Try Hellsing. Outlawstar is good, but get the subs, and if you're just lookig for something funny, Nadesico wasn't half bad.

    • Re:Yes, you are. (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Darktyco ( 621568 )
      Let me guess, the only TV series you've ever seen are those shown on CN. Its time for you to be introduced to Rurouni Kenshin, Evangelion, or a number of other excellent series (X is a new favorite). Not many movies can compare to the experience of following a series of 26+ episodes from beginning to end. Wings of Honneneise and Grave of Fireflies are possible exceptions, but they are true masterpieces.
    • "no TV series has ever done it for me and most just down right piss me off"

      LOL... but... isn't your username from one [transformers.com]? (granted it was from the movie based off the series but...)

      • I was implying anime cartoon series, not American cartoon series. The latter owned and still owns. Cowboy Bebop isn't shit compared to anything from my childhood. I'll take one episode of Thundercats over any damn cartoon CN will ever air.

  • not too pissed off. (Score:5, Informative)

    by droid_rage ( 535157 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:08PM (#4559690) Journal
    First of all, CN modifies many anime horribly for content. Entire storylines are sometimes cut out of longer series.

    Secondly, if you're already into anime, you can probably find most of the titles they show at the local blockbuster.

    Anime has already gone fairly main stream. It's doubtful whether Adult Swim brings in very many new viewers, so I'm not too upset over them, either.

    • Well... (Score:5, Funny)

      by i0chondriac ( 310892 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:33PM (#4559929)
      So, is the unedited fight between Goku and Freiza 6 seasons long?

    • Re:not too pissed off. (Score:3, Interesting)

      by dw5000 ( 540339 )

      You're sounding like a troll. And anime is going mainstream, but it isn't anywhere near there yet. Until I see sorority girls wearing Sailor Moon T-shirts and Ford trucks with Kogepan pissing on a Chevy symbol, anime isn't mainstream.

      If it weren't for Cowboy Bebop, I wouldn't be watching anime. Period. I thought it was all a cross between softcore porn and Transformers-on-steroids-and-crack. But then came Cowboy Bebop, and I got it. Then came Akira and Miyakazi's many works and Outlaw Star and Ghost In The Shell....

      CN ain't the be-all end-all, but at least it got me to go into the extensive anime section of Scarecrow Video [scarecrow.com]. Nice to have a world-class video store on the route home from work.

    • First of all, CN modifies many anime horribly for content. Entire storylines are sometimes cut out of longer series.

      I've only been watching Cowboy Bebop and Outlaw Star, but from what I've read [animenewsnetwork.com], the edits haven't been too bad. Mostly substituting swears and lessening the amount of blood. Yes, I'd rather there weren't any, but I am far more happy at CN for making the effort and exposing me to some great stuff.

      Anime has already gone fairly main stream. It's doubtful whether Adult Swim brings in very many new viewers, so I'm not too upset over them, either.

      Er, really? Aside from some fluffy kids' fare a la Pokemon, Card Captors and the like, where are you seeing anime besides Cartoon Network? A few rare stateside movie releases (which I have only seen showing at independant and art-house type theatres) doesn't make it mainstream.

      If I am overlooking some other mainstream venue for sophisticated contemperary anime, please clue me in; I've love to know about it.

  • Legendary ? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by silverbolt ( 578120 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:10PM (#4559700)
    Exactly how is "Mobile Suit Gundam" legendary ? Let us not cheapen words. Its like the newspaper headlines which say that "this is an historic moment for America", for even the most commonplace events.

  • "Anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?" (Score:5, Funny)

    by 3-State Bit ( 225583 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:10PM (#4559703)
    No.
    • I was until I realised "Adult swim" mixed with "Anime" wasn't really what I thought it was...

    • Re:"Anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?" (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Otter ( 3800 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @08:06PM (#4560189) Journal
      I was unfamiliar with anime, and jumped at the oportunity to use Adult Swim as a starting point. Taped and watched it for a month or so.

      And -- it sucks! Why do people love this stuff? With the exception of Cowboy Bebop, which has a nice style and tone, I can't for the life of me see the appeal of it.

      And a couple of nights ago, DragonballZ turned up on Cartoon Network. And that's even worse!

      I'm a Japanophile, taught English there for a while, still love Godzilla, Ultraman and Shonen Knife and still cook Japanese food. But anime? Just not for me, I guess.

      Maybe some network will pick up Nelton Club or Gilgamesh...
      • most of it does suck, and most people like it because they think there image requires them to like it.
        However, some of it is just fantastic. I highly recommend watching Cowboy Bepop with subtitles. Once you get the hang of it, it become pretty seemless. The Cowboy Bebop dubbing is pretty good, but the original voice tones are more suited to the series.

        In short, its just like any other genre, most sucks, some is good.
        I also recommend Vampire Hunter D and Project A-ko(which is pretty funny, but you need to pay attention to the details.)

      • Re:"Anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?" (Score:5, Insightful)

        by Coulson ( 146956 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @10:30PM (#4561119) Homepage
        Please don't judge anime by what gets shown on Cartoon Network! While I enjoy watching DBZ for comic relief, it's not quality anything.

        For good anime watch Cowboy Bebop (space/western/music), Trigun (space/western), Kenshin (samurai/swordfighting), Macross Plus (space/music), Slayers (fantasy/humor), Love Hina (romance), Spirited Away (in theaters now!), or others advocated on /. and AnimeFu.

        Also, watch shows that are subtitled. I'm no purest (I already said that I watch DBZ!), but (a) it sounds like you already know Japanese, and (b) american voice acting sounds fake. Maybe Japanese voices sound fake to Japanese audiences, but the emotions conveyed by the original voice actors are infinitely more believable than their low-cost dubbing counterparts.

        Finally, be willing to accept a little weirdness. Anime has a rich visual lexicon, and it takes a while to get used to the conventions (especially the tendency switch between high- and low-quality drawing styles).

        Also, and I say this in all seriousness, a lot of anime contains suggestive humor or situations. Be prepared for panty flashes and that sort of thing, and don't let it ruin the show for you. It sort of goes with the territory. ^_^;

  • I don't think i like the look of this lineup. (Score:5, Funny)

    by intermodal ( 534361 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:11PM (#4559710) Homepage Journal
    Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error 80004005 Microsoft ODBC Microsoft Access 97 Driver: Too many client tasks. global.asa, line 33 --- I hate all of those shows...especially the second one.

  • Anime jumped the shark? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by the_skywise ( 189793 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:11PM (#4559711)
    I wonder if this is a sign that Anime has peaked. The Action channel (Encore) quietly killed their dedicated anime line-up, though they still have it, and now Cartoon Network is removing theirs.

    Maybe there's not enough viewer support for broadcast anime, as opposed to just buying it off of DVD...
    • I'll assume by "Anime" you mean "Anime on US TV"... otherwise you're very far off. A show can only jump the shark if it was ever good to begin with. I love Anime, but have never been able to sit a single episode of the kinds of dubbing that gets broadcast around here. (Rare theatrical dub jobs, like recent Disney publications of Ghilbi, are OK).

      And if you mean "Anime in general", or "Anime in the US", then marketplace-wise, the first is in trouble, and the second is still picking up speed. More and more Japanese producers are including projected US sales in their decision to create a show at all.

      So, I wonder what this CN annoucement means for their funding of Big O season 2?
      • I mean "Anime in the US Market", but let me clarify: It's singlehandedly the biggest growth market of home video (my local suncoast devotes 2 ENTIRE shelves to it, only 1 to sci-fi...), but there's a huge amount of saturation going on, and the new stuff doesn't seem to be resonating with the average US viewer. (In my personal opinion) I've got a group of friends and for about the past 3 years, we've been watching whole anime series at the rate of 2 a week. We went through Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, Lodoss War, and a whole TON of Ranma. But I can't get them interested in the new stuff like Love Hina, His and Her Cicrumstances, and I was told in no uncertain terms to never show FLCL again. But we all went out to see Spirited Away together last week. So obviously we're not tired of it, but we're becoming more finicky about what we watch.

        I think Anime has established itself as a viable medium here in the US, and its not going to go away anytime soon, but I also think its audience growth has plateaued and the marketplace is looking for the next "big thing". Just like the SciFi channel is doing by moving to supernatural stories and dropping the "Science" from their station, because for some reason, the geek audience isn't enough...
        (Maybe because we're not slaves to advertising...)

  • Well... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by HaloZero ( 610207 ) <protodeka@@@gmail...com> on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:12PM (#4559719) Homepage
    To be honest, I'd take Futurama over Anime any day of the week. Openly, and readily. Without question. Yes.

    I've learned recently that Anime rather annoys me. It's all too cliched these days, what with seeing it every which way you look in some way shape or form.

    And then you have the people who know the names of every character from every series and can link every relationship in every way shape or form. And... yeah, that's migrane-inducing after about 10 minutes.
    • Well, I really enjoyed Cowboy Bebop, although admittedly it's the only anime that I've cared about. But the mind boggles at the fact that CB is going to be on four nights a week. There were only 26 episodes! They're going to be cycling through the show every six weeks! That's gonna get tiresome...
      • Maybe we'll luck out
        and they'll make the first
        26 subtitled and then redo
        it with the next 26 dubbed.

        Although if they just wanted to
        play the soundtrack everynight, I'd
        be okay with that too. I've even learned
        how to sing in Japanese, all because of CB.

  • Why they would change... (Score:3, Funny)

    by MosesJones ( 55544 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:13PM (#4559731) Homepage

    Because they didn't get the viewers. This means they think there are more people who will watch the new stuff.... and bugger all who would watch the old stuff.

    If you want to see it all, go out and buy it...

  • If that's all you have to complain about... (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Antos700 ( 581386 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:14PM (#4559743)
    Then you should try the short shift we get on Australian CN. Anime at the moment is just repeats of Gundam Wing, DBZ, the two Zoid series and Neon Gen. The newest stuff we have had is Zoids: CC. No Tenchi, no 08th team. While I feel your pain, you have it good!

  • Sorry. (Score:2)

    by Cyph ( 240321 )
    (Anyone else as frustrated by this as I am?)

    Nope, sorry, not me. I'll be fine as long as they keep airing Cowboy Bebop, which is pretty much the only thing that interests me on Cartoon Network at the moment.

  • Darn, but... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Bobulusman ( 467474 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:15PM (#4559754)
    It's probably for the best. This will encourage me to actually go out and buy the DVDs for the shows I like, rather than just tape them off of CN. (And no cutting that way, too)

    Plus, Futurama will find a new home. It is a very underappreciated show, and I'm glad it can be shown somewhere were it will won't be constantly preempted by sports. :P
  • when it comes to all things anime, slashdot is otaku [geocities.com].
  • If inuyasha and cowboy bebop fill the midnight run spot will dragonball z still air at that time?

  • Anime was always underground (Score:4, Insightful)

    by SexyKellyOsbourne ( 606860 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:18PM (#4559790) Journal
    True anime may have showed up here and there in the mainstream, but it lacks the appeal of American we-want-to-sell-toys cartoons, save for a few lousy watered down anime-based shows such as Pokemon, etc.

    It's no huge surprise that Cartoon Network is cancelling those shows, as the fanbase in mainstream America simply isn't large enough to support such a small group of Anime fans, as obsessive as they are.
    • ...the fanbase in mainstream America simply isn't large enough to support such a small group of Anime fans, as obsessive as they are.

      IMHO, you are both right and wrong with this assertion. I think the number of anime fans that are interested in the shows that Cartoon Network is showing and the editing that they do is a relatively small number of people. Overall, I'm pretty sure that the actual number of people that consider themselves "Anime Fans" is actually quite large.

      Frankly, I haven't watched any anime on Cartoon Network in the last 1 1/2 years. However, I can assure you that does not exclude me from being an "Anime Fan". Instead, I tend to rent stuff from the local anime rental store (yes, I actually live within 2 mi of a store that specializes in renting anime... House Of Anime [houseofanime.com]).

      For those that don't have that option, Netflix [netflix.com] also has a very large supply of rentable anime at a very reasonable month membership price, and they seem to be getting larger and larger quantities of it due to it's popularity.

      Finally, for those of us who have generally seen most of the good US-available shows or merely want to preview stuff before they bother renting it, USENET (alt.binaries.anime, alt.binaries.multimedia.anime, alt.binaries.multimedia.anime.repost) and winmx [winmx.com] have a large number of digital fansubs that are often within a week of the current Japanese tv schedule. I'm sure Kazaa and the other filesharing programs have a lot too, but winmx seems the most popular among the IRC crowd I hang with. I generally watch stuff that won't be available in any american store within the next year.

      So considering all of those competing sources, you start to see why the small number of relatively old anime shows that Cartoon Network shows just don't hold the audience that they seem to expect. On the other hand, if someone started a cable channel that broadcast near-current, English-subtitled anime 24/7, I think that they would find themselves with ratings that would have advertisers queuing up at their door.

    • Anime has a real chance if they combine it with products for its true audience... a bunch of lonely men. We're talking about men with nothing better than cartoons. Don't become upset that your loser life is changing due to TV programming changes. Try something like going outside and getting some exercise or pick up a new daily habit like bathing.
      AR
  • they still have my all time favorite shows (in the history of television):
    1. Sealab 2021
    2. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
    3. Harvey Birdman

  • CNX (Score:5, Interesting)

    by FrostedWheat ( 172733 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:19PM (#4559804)
    I don't know much about Cartoon Network over in the states, but here in the UK things are actually improving. We now have an extra channel 'CNX' which shows a lot of anime stuff, some live-action movies (lot of hong-kong action movies) and the more adult cartoons that they wouldn't put on the regular channels.

    As far as I know, Cowboy Bebop has never been shown in the UK before this channel.
  • ...here I come. Seems the local rental place is the only place to get good stuff I haven't seen already.

    Cowboy Bebop is great, probably the best dubs there are, but CN's shown them so many times, I know 'em all, and there's no reason for me to set aside time to watch it on a weekend night when I can be out with other anime-watching friends and rented/purchased DVDs.

    Inuyasha's a good series in the fansubs I've seen, but the dubs just ruin it for me. Yuu Yuu Hakusho has caught my interest somewhat, but mostly for the jazzy theme music. DBZ is funny, but after you've seen a few episodes, you've seen 'em all.

    I'm still saddened by the fact that only 13 eps of Big O were ever made... and that I missed about half of the last season of ReBoot. Grrr.

    Oh, well, at least it looks like we're getting another season of Stargate out of Sci Fi....
  • This is the only reason to watch adult swim.

  • Home Movies (Score:4, Informative)

    by jeffehobbs ( 419930 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:23PM (#4559836) Homepage
    Who cares, as long as they keep "Home Movies [adultswim.com]" -- it's the funniest and most enjoyable show on television, hands down. Along with the Daily Show, it's one of the last two reasons I keep cable.

    ~jeff
  • Zap2It also has details [zap2it.com]:
    The Cartoon Network will soon expand its "Adult Swim" block of animation for grown-ups (in age, anyway) to five nights a week.

    Starting Sunday, Jan. 12, the two-hour block of comedies and Japanese anime will air at 11 p.m. ET Sunday through Thursday. Adult Swim currently airs only on Sundays and Thursdays.

    At the same time, "Futurama" will makes its Cartoon Network debut as part of the block. The cable channel recently acquired rights to all 72 episodes of the Emmy-winning series (it returns to FOX Nov. 10), which will air at 11 p.m. Monday-Thursday.

    "Since we began Adult Swim, the goal was to build it into an across-the-schedule franchise," says Jim Samples, Cartoon Network's executive vice president and general manager. "Now we have the depth in our Adult Swim programming portfolio to make it happen."

    Sunday's lineup will be devoted to comedies, with "The Oblongs" at 11 p.m., "Mission Hill" at 11:30 and "The Ripping Friends" at midnight. The 12:30 a.m. slot will feature a rotation of Cartoon Network originals "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," "Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law," "The Brak Show" and "Sealab 2021."

    In addition to "Futurama," the weeknight slate features "Home Movies" at 11:30, "InuYasha" at midnight and "Cowboy Bebop" at 12:30 a.m

  • The reason Saturday night is going... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by molrak ( 541582 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:25PM (#4559850) Homepage
    The reason the action block is being removed is that Cartoon Network found that a large number of kids were watching the block. The purpose of 'Adult Swim' was to have animated programming on the air that was aimed at adults. The ratings they were getting said that a lot larger block of kids were watching the Saturday night programming, thus the change to the 'school night' lineup. Granted, they have those unnecessarily long warning, but they have to show this because otherwise stupid parents would complain (and probably did anyway), and because Cartoon Network is still filed under a kids programming station.

    The purpose of Adult Swim is to help Cartoon Network transition from kid's programming to an over-all entertainment network. The expansion of the Adult Swim franchise should be seen as a good thing, especially seeing that Futurama will be added to the weekly block. I think there's a lot more of us that will appreciate Futurama having a regular home than those who cared about the animes listed above.

    I know I'll sure enjoy seeing Futurama every weeknight, and as long as the Sunday block is left alone, I'll be alright. The real issue with the new schedule that I have is whether Space Ghost is still on the Sunday block or not.

  • Contact email? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by starX ( 306011 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:26PM (#4559861) Homepage
    Can anyone find an email address to contact these people at? I can't seem to find one on their web site.

    Not that I'm deluded enough to think that they'll actually care about what I have to say, but the anime geeks at my college were the ones largely responsible for having the campus subscribe to CN, and I have a funny feeling that then the next channel survey comes up, I'm guessing they're going to be rated rather lowly.

    And yeah, American cartoons are so much better: Filled with ego-maniacs, stuttering pigs, slurring cats, gender-ambiguous birds, etc., etc. I'm really not a wannabe asian, and saying that anime is a gateway to pedophilia is a little like saying drinking mountain dew is a gateway to cocaine; I do however appreciate a good story ark, and producing shows that are more than degenerate collections of insipid one-liners is something that Americans absolutely suck at.

    So anyway, does anyone actually have a contact email address for these guys?
  • First, they killed Zoids: Chaotic Century. They're killing off G Gundam. Now they're killing off the best block they have for ADULTS?!?!?

    If they're comming out with Toonami Double-A (Action/Anime) Channel soon, *I'LL GLADLY SUBSCRIBE*. But they're alienating an increasingly large amount of folks who don't get the deal with Ed, Edd, and Eddy, Courage, Johnny Bravo, and a ton of repeats and fillers that we've seen before or can predict the plot down to the exact second.

    GAH!

  • Why should this frustrate anyone? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by still_sick ( 585332 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:30PM (#4559902)
    Does it effect the hardcore? No, they've probably got the DVDs, videos, or DiVX copies.

    Does it effect the casual fan? No, if you're a casual fan and they stop showing them then it just fades away in your memory. If you really miss it, buy the DVDs or whatever, otherwise just forget it.

    The only people I can see this really effecting is the average non-fan whom the anime geeks of the world wish would get wise to anime. The only "frustrating" thing is that anime is no longer as extensively offered to those who don't care for it enough to seek it out. ... Why should that be frustrating?

    Just because you LOVE anime, and think anyone with any sense whatsoever SHOULD LOVE anime doesn't mean it's Cartoon Network's duty to expose it to them, and frankly a large segment of western culture will never get into anime, and would much rather watch the Oblongs, Futurama, Undergrads, or whatever. All I'm saying is - Let them.
    • Hardcore anime fans share a lot in common with the Linux faithful- both groups are fanatics about subjects which outsiders have a hard time comprehending why anyone would get so deeply involved in the first place.

      I hope CN continues to show anime, and not necessarily for the hardcore fan's benefit. There are a lot of people out there who would turn and flee if I showed up with a subbed Utena DVD, but might be willing to watch a dubbed Gundam or DBZ episode on CN. I met one guy at work the other day who told me about going to see anime at his friend's house. He was watching a single episode of a series every time he visited, and was really starting to enjoy it.

      The series? Jubei-chan: Secret of the Lovely Eyepatch!

      Even though most of my hardcore friends would turn up their noses at the mention of this anime, I was glad that my co-worker was watching anime in any form. If his friend is any true anime fan, he'll keep hunting and searching until he finds the series that will really pique my co-worker's interest and reel him in for good- be it Eva, Escaflowne, Ebichu...whatever!

      I think CN's Adult Swim is having a definite impact on viewers, but it's probably too soon to tell. Who knows how many people they're reaching with those awful dubbed episodes of Tenchi and Yu Yu Hakusho?

    • Asides from CN's toonami offerings, they really don't carry any action oriented cartoons (besides samurai jack or justice league/batman).

      There are plenty of action oriented cartoons out there from the 70's-today, i'm just curious why they don't show any of them during prime time, but instead show endless repeats of their home brewed comedic cartoons. I would believe that showing old episodes of x-men, transformers, gi joe or he-man would be cheaper than producing new cartoons.

      Additionally showing some action toons (or even the simpsons) would be a nice change from a mostly comedic primetime lineup.

  • Why is this not under the Anime topic? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by brunes69 ( 86786 ) <`gro.daetsriek' `ta' `todhsals'> on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:31PM (#4559912)
    ... So I wouldn't have to be subjected to this foolishness?
    • That is the exact first thing that ran across my mind. I actually tried to read through the paragraph, but with my lack of interest in the subject it was like swimming through a pool of molasses. Try that for the Adult Swim. Ahh, no wonder I filter out the Anime topic.

      Maybe this is the submitters/editors way of spamming Slashdot with their fantasies of a world I don't want part of. Hmm, how do we despamify the Slashdot topics so this doesn't happen. Because "Anime is NOT Television." Everyone repeat that with me 10 times: "Anime is NOT Television."

      out.
  • I'm going to admit to not only an addiction to Samurai Jack (best American toon in ages) but yes. I love "powerpuff girls". I put that in quotes cause I know some twit will make some chester comment.

    other than that I'm not moved about the changes. I only ever got to see adult swim every once in a while and if its good anime, like any good show or movie, I'll get it on DVD
  • While this is bad news, even more horrific is the announcement that Comedy Central has decided not to renew the critically acclaimed "Let's Bowl!" for a third season. Between that news and now this, I may just crawl up on my roof and dismantle my pirate satellite and unplug my stolen cable in protest. That'll teach 'em....
  • now what am I gonna do at 12:30am????? Pr0n?

    It might not have been great anime, none the less it was a step toward getting great anime some US airtime.(and it was cheap) If nothing else it did make it a little easier to get more good stuff in main stream places. (Suncoast, Blockbuster)

    Oh well, guess some things just were never meant to be common-place here :(

  • Did he finally get back to Japan, or Kansas, or whatever?

    Oh, who am I kidding, I don't really care.
  • The details of US TV schedules are hardly appropriate for the Slashdot front page. Why not make a separate category for these purely local discussions?

  • Not that! Not the third overnight Sundays-with-a-full-moon block of yadda-yadda oddly-Western-looking-character Japanese cartoons! AGGH!

    Oh, wait, I have a life.

    You, however, may resume panic ... ;)

  • Woohoo! (Score:2)

    by lewp ( 95638 )
    I'm all for anime, but honestly I never watched the Saturday night block anyway due to my crazy desire to be social once in a while.

    Their Sunday lineup is ridiculously good, though. Aqua Teen Hunger Force and Sealab 2021 are some of the funniest stuff on TV (along with The Simpsons, of course). The possibility of seeing these shows, Futurama, and whatever other great stuff Cartoon Network can come up with four nights a week gets me all excited.

    I'll just continue to purchase the anime I really want to see on DVD and get the stuff that isn't available on my side of the pond from those glorious fansubbers out there. Yay.
  • I, in contrast to many /.ers, am upset, not for myself, but for some of my friends. Some of my friends don't like much of the raw, uncensored versions of anime, nor do they care to read subtitles for the entire show. They don't mind a little flesh and blood here and there, but beyond that, most anime is too much for them. They found CN's Adult Swim to be a happy compromise.

    Also, some of my friends are in college dorms or someplace where they get free cable with their housing, and normally, they will not go out of their way to pay for anime, but since CN was providing it, they took advantage of the free anime.

  • Disappointed, yes; Surprised, no. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by cryptochrome ( 303529 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @07:57PM (#4560116) Journal
    1) Adult Swim Action couldn't possibly have had worse promotion. Note: squeezing as many action clips as possible into 30 seconds does not a good commercial make. That synth-voice sucked. And a little cross-network advertising that actually targeted the right people would have been nice (Sci-fi good, CNN bad, stoopid).

    2) The shows they picked could have been better. Specifically, they could have been for adults, and furthermore shouldn't have been edited down to a pre-teen level. Things might have gone rather differently if they had Hellsing or Excel Saga or Hajime no Ippo headlining (provided the dubs don't suck - I don't know).

    3) The Inu Yasha dub sucks terribly, for a headlining show. Pilot Candidate sucks, period - I was changing the channel with extreme prejudice when that came on. MS Gundam is interesting from a historical standpoint, but not much else. OS and Tenchi had already been shown way too much already.

    4) I wonder how many times they'll re-run Cowboy Bebop before they realize that adults, unlike kids, tend not to watch shows ad infinitum. This is the problem with ALL CN shows, and especially with AS. At the very least, they could run a show all the way through (anime series are almost all ~13 or ~26 episodes long) in a prime time slot once, then switch to a new series, and eventually rerunning it in a less watched time slot for the rest. Of course they best way would be to run it once in a blue moon and make it an event, and show LOTS of series.

    5) Anime != Action. Tenchi is not action (nor is Sailor Moon over in Toonami). Anime covers a broad spectrum of genres and is generally marketed to specific target demographics. Grouping shows by genres is bad - it makes people compare. Grouping shows by demographic is good - it ensures people keep watching. No demographic wants to watch for more than 2 hrs, and most will watch for only 1.

    6) I can barely stay up 'til one, even on Saturday, and am rarely in the mood to watch 3 hrs of programming at a time. Also, Saturday night happens to be when a very large chunk of the AS demographic has better things to do, like appeasing the girlfriend or going to a LAN party. It's an awful time slot. (For the record, I think a better pattern would be for 1hr per night Su-Th, with different shows targeting different demographics each night, like prime time on the networks but shorter. I.E. adults can just tune in at a certain time and something new for them will be on. Unfortunately late night is hard to program through, with the Midnight Run conflicting, The Daily Show competing, and Bed calling.)

    7) Nothing ventured, nothing gained. ASA had little problem attracting the hardcore geek contingent. It might've survived if they tried attracting other people too.
    • ...and realized I should have read it a bit more closely in the first place. As you can see, the programming changes are for the most part close to what I suggested. Late night will be consistently adult, which is good. (BTW: I like the non-anime AS [except the Oblongs], and Futurama is a good buy). I'm surpised they're removing the Midnight Run for IY/CB, but I suspect they'll just move it to an earlier time slot. Well, it beats the Looney Toons / Tom and Jerry dead zone!)

      More importantly... This doesn't necessarily mean the anime is gone! OS and MS Gundam was originally Toonami, and Yuu Yuu Hakushou was originally intended for it. Perhaps they're just moving back. And the high-ratin' moneymakin' Toonami ain't going nowhere. If I'm not mistaken (and I can't tell if I am since the article is /.ed) IY and CB will now be on every night. Which is bad for CB because of the rerun effect but OK for IY which is long, at ~ep89 in Japan. There's no reason they couldn't slip more new anime in there later. I just wish they had more variety (different day = different show, which does not seem to be the case).

      In summary, there's no solid info that adult anime is doomed on Cartoon Network, and plenty of reason to be optimistic about the expansion of Adult Swim itself.

  • Cartoon Network only ever airs bad dubs, even on their Adult Swim blocks. This really won't be a problem for many anime fans, and I suspect that few people are brought in by the horrendous quality of the American voice actors. Note that this says nothing about anime running during the main time, like the Big O sequel that Cartoon Network is financing.

    As for anime peaking, I suggest you start looking at places other than US TV channels, who have notoriously bad taste in the first place. TokyoPop constantly has trouble printing enough of the manga series it owns the rights to to meet demand. Anime distributors often license series before they're finished their Japanese run, usually based on the popularity of the fansubs.

  • Siezure lawsuits.

  • Aww man (Score:3, Insightful)

    by 90XDoubleSide ( 522791 ) <ninetyxdoublesid ... minus herbivore> on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @08:08PM (#4560203)
    You mean they're cancelling a bunch of reruns to start showing Futurama? Who wouldn't be upset!

    Seriously, everything that has been cut was nearing its natural end of life; Gundam is the only one that hasn't been on that long. Also, try to remember that Cartoon Network is going from showing 3 hours of Adult Swim anime to 5. It's pretty likely that Cowboy Bebop will be replaced by another new acquision soon, given the fact that the 26 episodes will be repeating every 5 weeks on the new shedule.

  • I can see why their shutting the anime portion of Adult Swim, personally. What are they showing that's going to appeal to anybody? They've pissed the hardcore audiance off by chopping the crap out of what they show and their simply isn't enough content to generate a critical mass of moderate viewers. I mean Inu-Yasha? That's hardly something that's gonna draw the average viewer back. Goddess Canidate (or whatever it was really called)? That just stunk. And I know, lets fill our time slots up with TWO Gundam series, one of which is damn near unwatchable to moderates and newcomers because it's so damn old, classic status be damned. Cowboy Beebop was a step in the right direction (clue: it's being kept in the line-up) as was Outlaw Star. But then they fill valuble time slots with that Spirit Detective crap. Their are 500 series out their better than the majority of what they're airing, and THIS is all they can get the rights to?

    Yeah, Adult Swim anime isn't going anywhere... Wonderfully self fullfilling prophesy these cancellations are too.
  • I find a disturbing trend in the messages I see here. A large percentage of the posts have gone along the lines of "I don't care, because I don't watch that show -- I prefer (other show aimed at similar audience) instead."

    Folks, try being a little more tolerant of those of us who do care. I don't use Macs, but when a Mac story comes up, my response isn't "I don't use a Mac, why should it matter." Same with half of the topics that show up here. But I do show some courtesy to the people who are interested, and politely step away from it, and find a discussion that does matter to me instead. So just a little reciprocity please. After all, News for Nerds means more than just Tech News.

    But there are enough of us who do care, not just because of the individual programming change, but because of the continuing degredation of the network and changing it into KidsWB2. Oh, and the man at the helm: Jamie Kellner. You know, the guy who thinks that it's illegal to take a dump during commercials. Hell, if that's not enough to enrage the collective, we really are screwed.

    Passing thought: "Baby Looney Tunes"? Oh, my eyes, my eyes!

  • if you couldn't get to the article... (Score:4, Funny)

    by reflector ( 62643 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @09:47PM (#4560908)
    then here's what it says:

    Microsoft OLE DB Provider for ODBC Drivers error '80004005'

    [Microsoft][ODBC Microsoft Access 97 Driver] Too many client tasks. //global.asa, line 33

  • What? Anime on Adult Swim? (Score:5, Funny)

    by TheLocustNMI ( 159898 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @09:59PM (#4560985) Homepage
    Oh, that's right -- I'm not at home watching TV on Saturday nights! :)

  • They Need to Refine What they were showing. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Deathlizard ( 115856 ) on Tuesday October 29, 2002 @11:34PM (#4561458) Homepage Journal
    Although I'm sad to see the Anime go from adult swim, I believe it's going for a reason.

    The big problem that I saw with it was that CN appeared to take the easiest and safest way out when it came to the shows they selected. They looked for shows that were pretty much dubbed already and threw them into a sat. night block. MGS has been translated (badly) for years now. Yu Yu Hakusho, although translated pretty well, is nowhere near as harsh as the actual show Was.

    I would like to see Trigun, Bezerk, Slayers, Lodoss War or Hellsing here, but I know it would never happen and what would happen to it if it did. For Example Trigun has too many guns so you risk some kid blowing his head off cause he thinks he's Vash (Or as I like to refer to it, SKS - Stupid Kid Syndrome). Hellsing Would make the Christian Coailation go Insane, Would be edited to death because of all the Violence, blood and raw gore, and again back to SKS.

    Like Cowboy Bebop? Good. There's a boatload of anime that is similar to it. maybe not with the same amount of charm or style, but identical when it comes to the action, gunfighting and the like. The American Viewer Seems to like the "Gunfighting, Die-Hard/Dirty Harry like, action packed, one man killing Spree" genre so give it to them instead of stuff the're not interested in at this time.

    Oh. And finally, I know that almost all Recent anime anymore is either a CardCaptor Anime, (YuGiOh, Fighting Foodons, Cardcaptors, ETC) or a Pocket Monster Anime (Transformers Armada, Pokemon, Digimon, ETC). Unfortunatly this stuff is coming over here because it puts SKS to a good use when it comes to getting the Kid To spend their Parents money. Don't Judge anime based on these. There is a Lot of stuff out there that will appeal to just about anyone. You just have to go looking for it.

  • there's good anime, and there's bad anime (Score:3, Insightful)

    by grizzo ( 138368 ) on Wednesday October 30, 2002 @12:12AM (#4561619)
    and i hate to say it, but the addition of inu yasha to the lineup makes the disclusion of gundam (or most other big robot series) seem like a HOLY BOLT FROM THE HAND OF JESUS, as far as i'm concerned (and i've watched quite a bit of anime).

    anybody who posts "well, the only one i liked was cowboy bebop" has their head in the right place, but inu yasha will change your mind-- unless, of course, it's dubbed so terribly that all the characters are somehow dull and obnoxious at the same time.

    as for those who say they "don't like" anime... to somebody who knows what they're talking about, that's like saying "i don't like fruit"... you've obviously only tried the bad ones.

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