Will Adult Swim Bring More Anime To Primetime?

It's been awhile, but it looks like anime has found itself a nice primetime reputation. Starting next month, Adult Swim will give anime a shot in a much-coveted slot, but the big decision has already got fans buzzing.

After all, audiences want to know if more primetime anime is one the way, and there's only one thing keeping such a shift from going down.

For those unaware, Adult Swim has switched up its schedule to accommodate a Dragon Ball Super shift. The fan-favorite anime will now air weekdays at 7:00 p.m CST, replacing King of Hill. The move will make Dragon Ball Super the only weekday anime aired by Cartoon Network, and fans have asked Adult Swims' executives whether this move could mean a bigger shift in anime primetime slots.

Well, DBS is going to start weeknights in prime time, so if that does well, maybe they will.

— KING ATOMSK DEMARCO (@Clarknova1) June 27, 2018

Over on Twitter, Jason DeMarco had an answer for one fan who asked such a question. The SVP and creative director of Adult Swim had this to say when someone asked if more anime could make the big shift up: "Well, DBS is going to start weeknights in prime time, so if that does well, maybe they will."

So, it's not a promise… but it is better than nothing.

Anime fans will still get their weekly does of anime goodness on Saturday with Toonami, but Adult Swim may reorganize itself further to accommodate anime fans. With the medium growing more popular, companies are paying attention to anime, and Adult Swim doesn't want to be left behind. Places like Amazon and Hulu are heavily investing in anime licensing while Netflix is making its own original titles. So, if Adult Swim can make its anime options more visible, then Cartoon Network as a whole would benefit from the exposure given its steadily declining audience.

For now, fans will have to wait and see how Dragon Ball Super is received in its primetime slot. If you are one of those fans wanting series like My Hero Academia to get a slot like Son Goku, then there is one thing you can do to spur that forward. All you got to do is make sure to tune into Dragon Ball Super on weekdays starting July 2.

Do you think its time Adult Swim brought anime to the forefront? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on Funimation, VRV, and Crunchyroll.