Toonami was once in danger of cancellation, but thanks to its joining Adult Swim’s lineup, the programming block was given a new lease on life, where it continues to this day. While the platform routinely will offer new anime series as a part of it’s ever changing roster, it has also taken the chance to focus on classic anime that can make a comeback on any given day. Starting next month, Toonami is planning to change its roster once again, and fans aren’t exactly thrilled to see which anime are getting the boot to welcome back a controversial classic.
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For those who might not know, both Blue Lock and Tokyo Revengers premiered on Toonami earlier this year on the same day, February 7th. However, beginning on August 1st, the pair of wildly different anime adaptations are seemingly taking a break, set to be replaced by reruns of FLCL: Alternative. The controversial sequel to FLCL, Alternative was the third entry in the Fooly Cooly franchise, with Adult Swim taking an active role in producing the sequel. Unfortunately, many fans felt that the sequel series was unable to live up to the anime that started it all, causing a backlash both for its return, along with the loss of Tokyo Revengers and Blue Lock. You can see just a handful of the responses to this Adult Swim change below.
Toonami’s Anime Problem
Co-creator of Toonami, Jason DeMarco, confirmed last year that one of the biggest hurdles that the Cartoon Network platform runs into is the fact that it’s broadcast versus streaming. Whereas an outlet like Crunchyroll doesn’t necessarily need to release new trailers and promos to highlight their anime franchises, Cartoon Network needs to. This means that the Japanese creators of certain franchises will want input into how Toonami airs the specific series. DeMarco was more than willing to share the fact that this difference can be a major detriment for Toonami in acquiring new, popular series.
“This can make everything cost more, and it’s challenging to get these approvals sometimes. Also, Toonami isn’t necessarily offering as much money as Netflix or whoever, so ‘we’re not going to give you as much money, and we want more control over your clips. Sound good? From that perspective, it makes it harder to make deals with more protective owners, but honestly, that’s good for them. They understand the value of what they’re making and their value in the global marketplace.”
While this isn’t the confirmed reason as to why FLCL: Alternative is airing beginning this August, it would make the most sense. Considering this FLCL sequel was produced in part by Adult Swim with the help of Production I.G., it makes sense that it would cost the network less money to air. At present, Cartoon Network hasn’t confirmed what the future holds for Blue Lock and Tokyo Revengers, though fingers crossed that viewers won’t have to wait long for them to return.
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