Toonami Teases More New Original Anime
Cartoon Network's Toonami pre-dates the arrival of Adult Swim by a number of years, taking the opportunity to introduce viewers to a number of anime series that they might have otherwise never seen. With the programming block recently getting into the world of original series such as Fena: Pirate Princess and Shenmue The Animation, it seems that this year won't just see the arrival of Junji Ito's Uzumaki but an unnamed series that is currently waiting in the wings.
Toonami first premiere on March 17h, 1997, sticking around for close to twenty-five years, minus a brief hiatus during its long run. The series wasn't originally dedicated to almost exclusively anime, instead featuring a number of Western creations such as The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest and Thundercats. Eventually however, Toonami added Dragon Ball Z to its roster, introducing a bevy of new fans to the Shonen franchise which not only promoted the programming block, but the anime adaptation from Akira Toriyama as well. With the likes of Gundam Wing, Sailor Moon, Voltron, Robotecth, and Outlaw Star being just a few of its first anime series, the Cartoon Network platform has definitely grown leaps and bounds since its early days.
In a recent Twitter Q&A, the co-creator of Toonami, Jason Demarco, confirmed that there is an original series from the Cartoon Network block that will be arriving later this year, with three additional series set to arrive in 2023, as the new show is set to join both Shenmue and Uzumaki in 2022.
Demarco also noted that there are preparations underway to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of Toonami, while also stating that the recent originals are set to arrive on HBO Max "sooner rather than later," Though the first original series from Toonami and Crunchyroll, Fena: Pirate Princess, won't be returning for a second season thanks in part to the show being considered more of a "one and done," but it's clear that Cartoon Network isn't taking their foot off the pedal when it comes to original series.
What do you think the upcoming original series from Toonami will turn out to be? 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.