Adult Swim and Toonami have worked hand-in-hand on Cartoon Network for years, with each programming block offering something unique for fans of animation. Now, to celebrate Toonami’s twenty-fifth anniversary, Adult Swim has taken the opportunity to get in on the festivities with an original video creation that focuses on some of the biggest anime series introduced on the programming block. With Toonami now a part of Adult Swim on Saturday nights, it’s no surprise to see that the late night blocks are two of Cartoon Network’s biggest platforms.
Toonami originally began as an afternoon block that would introduce North American viewers to new anime series as well as some of the biggest action shows in Cartoon Network’s roster, but it would eventually find its way to becoming a part of Adult Swim in 2012, which is ironic since Toonami helped pave the way for Adult Swim originally. When Toonami first began airing Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, the programming block promised viewers the opportunity to watch an uncut version of the series in a segment known as “Toonami’s Midnight Run” which would eventually allow for Adult Swim and Toonami to start airing uncut, unedited anime series later at night than the usual fare that filled Cartoon Network’s time slots.
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Adult Swim’s Official Twitter Account shared the tribute to Toonami, splicing footage from the likes of Samurai Champloo, Ronin Warriors, and Gundam to help celebrate twenty-five years on the air, with Toonami confirming that it will be running through 2023 at the very least:
Recently, Toonami has been making headlines by announcing that it was diving into creating original anime series of its own, with Fena Pirate Princess being the first example of an original anime show coming from Cartoon Network. With Shenmue The Animation already beginning to air the story that spawned from a video game, Toonami is set to unleash the creepy anime adaptation of Junji Ito’s Uzumaki later this fall. With Toonami announcing two news seasons of FLCL as well as a new horror anime dubbed Housing Complex C, the programming block is all-in on original anime material.
What do you think of this Adult Swim tribute to Toonami? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Cartoon Network.
